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ModalAI VOXL 2

WARNING

PX4 does not manufacture this (or any) autopilot. Contact the manufacturer for hardware support or compliance issues.

The ModalAI VOXL 2 (Datasheet) is ModalAI’s next-gen autonomous computing platform built around the Qualcomm QRB5165 processor. VOXL 2 boasts 8 cores, integrated PX4, seven camera concurrency, advanced onboard AI up to 15+ TOPS, and 5G connectivity. At 16 grams, VOXL 2 is the future of fully autonomous and connected drones!

VOXL-2

INFO

This flight controller is manufacturer supported.

Specifications

System

FeatureVOXL 2
CPUQRB5165
8 cores up to 3.091GHz
8GB LPDDR5
128GB Flash
OSUbuntu 18.04 - Linux Kernel v4.19
GPUAdreno 650 GPU – 1024 ALU
NPU15 TOPS
Flight Controller EmbeddedYes (Sensors DSP, PX4)
Built in WiFiNo
Add-on ConnectivityWiFi, 5G, 4G/LTE, Microhard
Video Encoding8K30 h.264/h.265 108MP still images
Computer Vision SensorsQTY 6 4-lane CSI, QTY4 CCI (e.g. 2 stereo pair, hires, tracking)
Tracking SensorYes
Dimensions70mm x 36mm
Weight16g
VOXL SDK: GPS-denied nav., SLAM, obstacle avoidance, object recognitionYes
ROSROS 1 & 2
QGroundControlYes
ATAKYes
NDAA ’20 Section 848 CompliantYes, Assembled in USA
PMD TOFYes (SDK 1.0 and newer)
FLIR BosonUSB
FLIR LeptonUSB, SPI in development

INFO

More detailed hardware documentation can be found here.

Dimensions

2D Dimensions

VOXL2Dimensions

3D Dimensions

3D STEP File

PX4 Firmware Compatibility

voxl-dev branch

ModalAI is actively working on a branched PX4 version that can be used.

As VOXL 2 runs Ubuntu, the production releases of PX4 for VOXL 2 are distributed through apt package management and the VOXL SDK.

More information about the firmware can be found here.

main branch

PX4 mainline support is a work in progress (currently started here).

QGroundControl Support

This board supported in QGroundControl 4.0 and later.

Availability

Quick Start

Quickstarts from the vendor are located here.

VOXL SDK

VOXL SDK (Software Development Kit) consists of the open source voxl-px4, core libraries, services, tools, utilities, and build environments that ModalAI provide to accelerate the use and development of VOXL compute boards and accessories.

VOXL SDK runs on VOXL, VOXL 2 and RB5 Flight!

The source code for projects within VOXL SDK can be found at https://gitlab.com/voxl-public, alongside build instructions.

Connectors

Detailed information about the pinouts can be found here along with a video overview here

VOXLConnectors

All single ended signals on B2B connectors J3, J5, J6, J7, and J8 are 1.8V CMOS unless explicitly noted. All single ended signals on cable-to-board connectors J10, J18, & J19 are 3.3V CMOS unless explicitly noted.

ConnectorDescriptionMPN (Board Side)Mating MPN (Board/Cable Side)TypeSignal Feature Summary
J2FanSM02B-SRSS-TB(LF)(SN)SHR-02V-SCable Header, 2-pin R/A5V DC for FAN + PWM Controlled FAN-Return (GND)
J3Legacy B2BQSH-030-01-L-D-K-TRQTH-030-01-L-D-A-K-TRB2B Receptacle, 60-pin5V/3.8V/3.3V/1.8V power for plug-in boards, JTAG and Debug Signals, QUP expansion, GPIOs, USB3.1 Gen 2 (USB1)
J4Prime Power In220570450050375043Cable Connector, 4-pin R/A+5V main DC power in + GND, I2C@5V for power monitors
J5High Speed B2BADF6-30-03.5-L-4-2-A-TRADM6-30-01.5-L-4-2-A-TRB2B Socket, 120-pinMore 3.8V/3.3V/1.8V power for plug-in boards, 5V power in for “SOM Mode”, QUP expansion, GPIOS (including I2S), SDCC (SD Card V3.0), UFS1 (secondary UFS Flash), 2L PCIe Gen 3, AMUX and SPMI PMIC signals
J6Camera Group 0DF40C-60DP-0.4V(51)DF40C-60DS-0.4VB2B Plug, 60-pinQty-2 4L MIPI CSI ports, CCI and camera control signals, 8 power rails (from 1.05V up to 5V) for cameras and other sensors, dedicated SPI (QUP) port
J7Camera Group 1DF40C-60DP-0.4V(51)DF40C-60DS-0.4VB2B Plug, 60-pinQty-2 4L MIPI CSI ports, CCI and camera control signals, 8 power rails (from 1.05V up to 5V) for cameras and other sensors, dedicated SPI (QUP) port
J8Camera Group 2DF40C-60DP-0.4V(51)DF40C-60DS-0.4VB2B Plug, 60-pinQty-2 4L MIPI CSI ports, CCI and camera control signals, 8 power rails (from 1.05V up to 5V) for cameras and other sensors, dedicated SPI (QUP) port
J9USB-C (ADB)UJ31-CH-3-SMT-TRUSB Type-CCable Receptacle, 24-pin R/AADB USB-C with re-driver and display port alternate mode (USB0)
J10SPI ExpansionSM08B-GHS-TB(LF)(SN)GHR-08V-SCable Header, 8-pin R/ASPI@3.3V with 2 CS_N pins, 32kHz CLK_OUT@3.3V
J18ESC (SLPI Access)SM04B-GHS-TB(LF)(SN)GHR-04V-SCable Header, 4-pin R/AESC UART@3.3V, 3.3V reference voltage
J19GNSS/MAG/RC/I2C (SLPI Access)SM12B-GHS-TB(LF)(SN)GHR-12V-SCable Header, 6-pin R/AGNSS UART@3.3V, Magnetometer I2C@3.3V, 5V, RC UART, Spare I2C

User Guide

The PX4 user guide for VOXL 2 is available here.

Developer Guide

The PX4 developer guide for VOXL 2 is available here.

How to Build

See the VOXL PX4 Build Guide on how to build.

Support

Please visit the ModalAI Forum for more information.