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Barometers ​

Barometers measure atmospheric pressure, and are used in drones as altitude sensors.

Most flight controllers on which PX4 runs include a barometer. By default PX4 will select the barometer with the highest priority (if any are present), and configure it as a data source for Height estimation. If a sensor fault is detected, PX4 will fall back to the next highest priority sensor.

Generally barometers require no user configuration (or thought)!

Hardware Options ​

Pixhawk standard flight controllers include a barometer, as do many others.

They are also present in other hardware:

At time of writing, drivers/parts include: bmp280, bmp388 (and BMP380), dps310, goertek (spl06), invensense (icp10100, icp10111, icp101xx, icp201xx), lps22hb, lps25h, lps33hw, maiertek (mpc2520), mpl3115a2, ms5611, ms5837, tcbp001ta.

Note that the supported barometer part numbers can be inferred from the driver names listed in the Modules Reference: Baro (Driver) documentation (and the driver source: PX4-Autopilot/src/drivers/barometer).

PX4 Configuration ​

Generally barometers require no user configuration. If needed, you can:

Baro Auto-Calibration (Developers) ​

TIP

This section documents the automated calibration mechanisms that ensure accurate altitude measurements throughout flight operations. It is intended primarily for a developer audience who want to understand the underlying mechanisms.

The system implements two complementary calibration approaches that work together to maintain altitude measurement precision. Both calibrations are initiated at the beginning after a system boot. Relative calibration is performed first, followed by GNSS-barometric calibration.

Relative Calibration ​

Relative baro calibration is always enabled and operates automatically during system initialization. This calibration establishes offset corrections for all secondary baro sensors relative to the primary (selected) sensor.

This calibration:

  • Eliminates altitude jumps when switching between baro sensors during flight.
  • Ensures consistent altitude readings across all available baro sensors.
  • Maintains seamless sensor redundancy and failover capability.

GNSS-Baro Calibration ​

INFO

GNSS-baro calibration requires an operational GNSS receiver with vertical accuracy (EPV) ≤ 8 meters. Relative calibration must already have completed.

GNSS-baro calibration adjusts baro sensor offsets to align with absolute altitude measurements from the GNSS receiver. This calibration is controlled by the SENS_BAR_AUTOCAL parameter (enabled by default).

The algorithm monitors GNSS quality, collects altitude differences over a 2-second filtered window, and verifies stability within 4m tolerance. Once stable, it uses binary search to calculate pressure offsets that align baro altitude with GNSS altitude (0.1m precision), then applies the offset to all sensors and saves the parameters.

Notes:

  • EKF Independence: GNSS-baro calibration operates independently of EKF2 altitude fusion settings.
  • Execution Timing: Calibration runs even when EKF2_GPS_CTRL altitude fusion is disabled.
  • One-Time Process: Each calibration session completes once per system startup.
  • Persistence: Calibration offsets are saved to parameters and persist across reboots.
  • Faulty GNSS Vulnerability: If GNSS data is faulty during boot, the calibration will use incorrect altitude reference. See Faulty GNSS Data During Boot for mitigation strategies.

See Also ​