Building PX4

Building and Loading PX4 Firmware¶

As of PX4 1.13.3, the EchoPilot AI hardware definition files are not yet pulled into the PX4 repository. Therefore, if you wish to use PX4 firmware on the EchoPilot AI, you will need to follow the steps below and build PX4 from source. Fortunately the process is straightforward:

Prerequisites¶

These instructions were tested on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. They are not guaranteed to work on any other flavor of Linux, within a virtual machine or under WSL 1 or 2. We recommend a physical machine running Ubuntu 20.04 LTS for the most pain-free experience.

Download PX4¶

These instructions will install PX4 in ~/PX4-Autopilot. If you wish to use a different location, please adjust the directory below and throughout these instructions. If you are a novice, we recommend proceeding exactly as described below.

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot.git --recursive
cd PX4-Autopilot

Setup the toolchain¶

Note if you have built PX4 before, you can likely skip this step. Also remove the --no-sim-tools option if you wish to install the simulation toolchain.

bash ./Tools/setup/ubuntu.sh --no-sim-tools

At this point, it is recommended to log out and back in to ensure the paths are loaded.

Checkout a release¶

You can identify a version you wish to build by looking at the release history https://github.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot/releases. In the example below, we will demonstrate checking out release 1.13.3

Info

You can reuse an existing repo rather than cloning a new one if this isn't your first PX4 rodeo. In this case, clean the build environment before proceeding:

make clean
make distclean

git fetch origin v1.13.3
git checkout v1.13.3

Update submodules:

make submodulesclean

Do a test build¶

Before we build firmware for the EchoPilot AI board, it is wise to first build a native target to verify that your toolchain and environment is setup and working. Build the px4_sitl (software in the loop simulator) first:

make px4_sitl

If the build completes without errors, congrats! If there are errors, you will need to resolve them before proceeding.

Build PX4 for the EchoPilot AI¶

First obtain the hardware board files from the EchoPilot AI BSP repo and checkout the appropriate branch matching the hardware revision of you EchoPilot AI. The HW Revision is marked on the board silkscreen near the FAN connector:

git clone https://github.com/EchoMAV/echopilot_ai_bsp
cd echopilot_ai_bsp
git checkout board_revision_1b   # Change per your hardware

Warning

Be sure you checked out the appropriate branch matching your EchoPilot AI hardware revision!

Use the provided install script install_px4.sh to place the PX4 board definition files into the correct folder. The first argument is the path to where you have the ardupilot repo on your system, e.g. ~/PX4-Autopilot:

./install_px4.sh ~/PX4-Autopilot

At this point, you should have the hardware files located in ~/PX4-Autopilot/boards/echomav/echopilot-ai/. To build firmware targeting this board, use the command:

make echomav_echopilot-ai

The .px4 file will be located in the ~/PX4-Autopilot/build/echomav_echopilot-ai_default/ folder. The firmware is now ready to be loaded on the board.

Info

If the EchoPilot AI is plugged in to your host computer, unplug it before proceeding. Also ensure there is no power to the EchoPilot AI. The board should be totally powered off before proceeding. The FMU will get power via the USB cable in the step below.

make echomav_echopilot-ai upload

When the build completes, the system will wait for a USB connection from the EchoPilot AI's bootloader. You should see a message indicating waiting for the bootloader.... At this point, plug in a USB-A to USB-C cable between the host computer and the FMU USB connection on the EchoPilot AI. The board should be recognized and the firmware will be uploaded automatically.

Optionally, you can use QGroundControl to upload the ~/PX4-Autopilot/build/echomav_echopilot-ai_default/echomav_echopilot-ai_default.px4 file created previously. This is especially useful if you wish to send a firmware update to a customer as they can do it without terminal access. Follow the steps here to upload Custom Firmware using QGroundControl: https://docs.px4.io/main/en/config/firmware.html