Pixhawk is a great autopilot, we love its robustness and rich sets of features. Nowadays it is a de-facto to low cost autonomous vehicle application.
There’re always some changes you want to make in an open source design, this rule also applies to Pixhawk. First, I want to make it smaller, to fit it into a f5B glider fuselage, with built-in dampers and a plastic shell could survive a hard crash. Then I want to make the sensors to be replaceable, so I can test new MEMs gyros. And lastly, I want to make the IO completely customizable to my specific application, eliminating 3-pin RC connectors, better fixture to a larger avionic payload motherboard, or an array of Pixhawks without messy wiring.
So in the last winter, we had it done, named it P9X
Some quick facts about P9X: (might subject to change due to its beta phase)
- 80mm x 50mm x 17.2mm box made of 1.5mm thickness mold injected PC/ABS
- 43mm x 50mm core PCBA size
- Tested with Ardupilot
- Tested with QGC 2.7 version PX4 firmware
- PX4 master built not yet running (maybe a firmware issue)
- Total weight: 45g
- Connectors fully compatible with Pixhawk
- Integrated silicon rubber damper (need help in axle alignment test)
- 4 copper nuts embedded for M3 screw mounting (dimension: 38mm x 25mm)
- IMU sensors swappable (need soldering)
We need your Help!
The first 50pcs batch is out, we have invested in inject mold, silicon rubber mold, silk screen printing. We want more testers and a crowd funding campaign, before that, we want to make sure this hardware revision has no serious design issues. If you are experienced user, developer, embedded engineer, please consider purchase one of these beta samples and send us feedback.
How to get one.
Back in the last year, Raspilot project generated no income, Emlid and Erle Robotic has inspired by its design then they have made their similar design products. I don’t want to bankrupt in my hobby, and make it serious to be a self-employed job. So no more free samples.
I want to sell these 50 pcs unit for 150USD each, with Aramex shipping from Shanghai, China. Please give me feedback about the price.
Thanks.
Comments
2 for me please PM for order
Jerry - your subscription model sounds very interesting indeed. I wish I did not have a bench-load of 32 bit Flight Controllers now to put into a small fleet of quads supposedly to be used to further some scientific endeavors or I would buy one and test it. Will definitely be interested to look at this down the line.
people who interested in early adoption please contact me, we have no merchandise website yet, but i would like to sell directly with bitcoin or paypal. i dont think i will do this on ebay. my sky account: einzeln00@outlook.com
I am personally positive confident about the board, ardupilot firmware with quadcopter is ok, i will try fixed wing and QAV250 recently. we have continuous hardware revisions on the way. if this batch has enough backers we will put up website and gitbook to begin merchandise.
the hardware product is dedicated to prosumer UAV market, we hope our product will be more like annual software, free for upgrade as long as you are subscribed. however hardware costs much more than shippping you new copy of software, so we are considering a 150USD pricing as a one year license for your each copy of hardware, and renewal fee for hardware stepping, to lower cost for crashing and smoking, almost as its production costs.
Does it have two sets of gyro+acc+mag like Pixhawk? If yes, then - at least for me - the price is completely reasonable. I definitely like the whole idea. (When I got my first Pixhawk I made adapters for those original nightmare-connectors, put in on dampening bed and enclosed it in hard plastic box.)
Btw. wouldn't be better if those dampeners were at 45deg to the board?
@Marc its double redundancy design, to make sure GPS not flash to dead due to sudden power cut off. it is a copy of pixhawk original GPS power design.
On board GPS integration was not ideal in earlier tests, m8n on board as a cape with raspberry has no good fix comparing to separated module. and i don't think that worth the effort to make them together (EMI issues), antenna connector will also slightly decrease the GPS signal.
@UAS Pilot. What's your application. i'd love to help if you are interested. but shipping need to be next week, right now is chinese new year no ones working.
@Rob There are four silicon rubber nail latches fix each corner holes of the main PCBA. I want to know if this design and rubber is viable for your heli application. the rubber nails are identical, and PCBA are consider to be equal density comparing to the modular of rubber strength.
Nice looking hardware.Seems like good design choices. Maybe you can get together with Mauch's excellent power module, add a high quality GPS, and sell it as a tested set.
$150 seems fair for a quality product in a damped case though maybe steep for testing but no need to give it away either. You may want to send a handful to some to key devs though. Are you looking at the hobbyist market or professional/aspiring professional market. Hobbyists are cheap.
I would by one for 150.00.
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