Gumstix releases PX4-compatible Linux flight controller board

Thanks to Chris Crews in the forums, a new AeroCore from Gumstix. $199

The AeroCore from Gumstix offers everyone from enthusiasts to educators the opportunity to power their very own micro-aerial vehicle. With an ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller running NuttX RTOS and an integrated connection for award-winning DuoVero series computers-on-module, AeroCore gives users a complete Linux installation on a PX4-compatible platform.

2 x 70-pin Hirose DF40 Connectors	70-pin Hirose DF40 Connectors (Expansion side)
24-Pin Header	8xPWM Outputs
40-pin header	GPIO/Breakout and Power
6-Pin Header	Cortex-M4 SPI Breakout
Accelerometer	3-Axis Accelerometer + 3-Axis Magnetometer
Barometer	Included
Gyroscope	3-Axis Angular Rate Sensor
Processor	ARM Cortex-M4 Microcontroller
USB OTG	USB Micro-AB Connector

Andrew Simpson from Gumstix adds some details in the comments:

I work at Gumstix and the AeroCore is so new that it won't even be officially announced until tomorrow morning!

The AeroCore is a DuoVero expansion board that can also be used standalone; the onboard microcontroller is the same as the one on the PX4FMU (STM32F4 series Cortex-M4), but some of the sensors are different (full tech. specs here).

I'm not very familiar (read: not at all!) with ArduPilot/APM and AP-HAL software, but I'm sure it can be made to work on the AeroCore with a little bit of effort. We're hoping the AeroCore will be a good choice for developers who want to do some interesting, high-level stuff in the air.

Thanks! Let us know if you've got more questions!

Andrew Simpson
Content Developer
Gumstix, Inc.

Hi @Curt Olson,

Great to hear from you! As mentioned above, the GPS is a u-blox NEO-7M chip. I have posted a complete block diagram for the AeroCore showing all the connections. The GPS is connected on UART1 and the recommended baud rate is 38400 (although the chip supports other speeds as seen on page 25 of this document).

We opted for the ST gyro and accelerometer to optimize performance. It's basically the same chip as the [redundant] chip used on the Pixhawk.

Andrew Smith used a Spektrum AR8000 receiver connected to the STM32's UART2 header for our demonstration video (skip to 0:57 for an overview).

In the block diagram, you'll see three UARTs broken out from the DuoVero COM. DuoVero UART2 is connected to the STM32's UART3 line, while DuoVero UART3 is connected to the USB - UART and is accessible over the USB Console port. Finally, UART4 is broken out on a UART header.

Don't hesitate if you've got more questions! Thanks!

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Comments

3D Robotics

Chris Anderson April 25, 2014 at 4:41pm

For those in the Bay Area interested in learning more about this, the CEO of Gumstix will be presenting it at the SF Drones Meetup on May 22nd. Sign up here.
Andrew Simpson April 22, 2014 at 10:39am

Hi Stefan,

We are working on getting the AeroCore schematics published. They should be available soon!
Andrew Simpson April 22, 2014 at 10:09am

Hi Hyon,

Thanks! The AeroCore runs NuttX RTOS just like the PX4, but it requires some board-specific patches. Currently, the firmware is pre-flashed onto the board, but we are working on getting the patches published. The bootloader for the AeroCore has been published (a pull request has also been submitted to the main PX4 repo).
Stefan April 20, 2014 at 6:45am

Hi, Andrew, where can I find the schematics of the AeroCore?
Hyon Lim April 20, 2014 at 12:08am

Hi Andrew, This is really cool and interesting project.
I would like to know which software is used for the video you've mentioned.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Xg4lxEyNo

According to the video, there should be a firmware for Cortex-M4F to use PWM and obtain sensor signals by serial comm.
Andrew Simpson April 17, 2014 at 11:10am

Hi Curt,

There is currently a pull request open against the PX4 repo. You can see the bootloader code at https://github.com/gumstix/m4-bootloader.git and the DuoVero software at https://github.com/smithandrewc/meta-stanfordARL. Currently the boards ship pre-flashed with firmware, and the patches are not published yet, but they should be in the near future.

The sensors are directly connected to the M4, which in turn is connected to the DuoVero. You have two options for the latter connection: UART or SPI. The sensors are connected to the M4 in chip-specific ways as seen in the block diagram, which will change the maximum rate.

The dimensions are 96.5mm x 50.1mm x 10.0mm, which I have added to the technical specifications (I knew I was forgetting something!).

Finally, servos are powered through the board; a regulated 5V supply is provided to the servo headers from the main VBatt source. You could provide a separate supply, but you'd have to make some changes to the connectors.

Thanks again!
Curt Olson April 17, 2014 at 10:25am

Hi Andrew, I appreciate the follow up info, thanks, that helps!

Is there any place I can go to find out more about the software running on this system? Is any software provided? Is there software for the nuttx side that directly queries and reports the sensor data? I'm also curious about data transfer rates possible between the sensor subsystem and the duovero.

The autopilot software I've been running is designed for unix/linux/gumstix and it's not hard to add a new 'hardware' driver. I'd anticipate it would be relatively straight forward to support this board if the communication protocols between the sensor subsystem and the duovero were documented.

Is there any place that lists the physical dimensions of this board?

Are servos powered through the board or can a separate source be used to power the servos?

Thanks,

Curt.
Andrew Simpson April 17, 2014 at 9:56am

Hi again @Curt Olson,

After speaking with Andrew Smith, I have some more information about RC receivers for you. In fact, Andrew didn't connect it to UART2 like I had said (it's hard to see, but this is actually connected to the telemetry radio). The AR8000 in the video is connected to 6 PWM input channels (12 of the GPIO pins can be used as PWM inputs).

What this means is that the AeroCore is compatible with all RC receivers since it can accept PWM and serial inputs. Hope it helps!
Andrew Simpson April 16, 2014 at 12:26pm

Hi @Curt Olson,

Great to hear from you! As mentioned above, the GPS is a u-blox NEO-7M chip. I have posted a complete block diagram for the AeroCore showing all the connections. The GPS is connected on UART1 and the recommended baud rate is 38400 (although the chip supports other speeds as seen on page 25 of this document).

We opted for the ST gyro and accelerometer to optimize performance. It's basically the same chip as the [redundant] chip used on the Pixhawk.

Andrew Smith used a Spektrum AR8000 receiver connected to the STM32's UART2 header for our demonstration video (skip to 0:57 for an overview).

In the block diagram, you'll see three UARTs broken out from the DuoVero COM. DuoVero UART2 is connected to the STM32's UART3 line, while DuoVero UART3 is connected to the USB - UART and is accessible over the USB Console port. Finally, UART4 is broken out on a UART header.

Don't hesitate if you've got more questions! Thanks!
Cronselaar April 16, 2014 at 8:23am

I will be ordering a few for our varsity... This is awesome...

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