# Modules Reference: Driver
Subcategories:
# adc
Source: drivers/adc/board_adc (opens new window)
# Description
ADC driver.
# Usage
adc <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
test
stop
status print status info
# ads1115
Source: drivers/adc/ads1115 (opens new window)
# Usage
ads1115 <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-I] Internal I2C bus(es)
[-X] External I2C bus(es)
[-b <val>] board-specific bus (default=all) (external SPI: n-th bus
(default=1))
[-f <val>] bus frequency in kHz
[-q] quiet startup (no message if no device found)
[-a <val>] I2C address
default: 72
stop
status print status info
# atxxxx
Source: drivers/osd/atxxxx (opens new window)
# Description
OSD driver for the ATXXXX chip that is mounted on the OmnibusF4SD board for example.
It can be enabled with the OSD_ATXXXX_CFG parameter.
# Usage
atxxxx <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-s] Internal SPI bus(es)
[-S] External SPI bus(es)
[-b <val>] board-specific bus (default=all) (external SPI: n-th bus
(default=1))
[-c <val>] chip-select index (for external SPI)
default: 1
[-m <val>] SPI mode
[-f <val>] bus frequency in kHz
[-q] quiet startup (no message if no device found)
stop
status print status info
# batmon
Source: drivers/smart_battery/batmon (opens new window)
# Description
Driver for SMBUS Communication with BatMon enabled smart-battery Setup/usage information: https://rotoye.com/batmon-tutorial/
# Examples
To start at address 0x0B, on bus 4
batmon start -X -a 11 -b 4
# Usage
batmon <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-I] Internal I2C bus(es)
[-X] External I2C bus(es)
[-b <val>] board-specific bus (default=all) (external SPI: n-th bus
(default=1))
[-f <val>] bus frequency in kHz
[-q] quiet startup (no message if no device found)
[-a <val>] I2C address
default: 11
man_info Prints manufacturer info.
suspend Suspends the driver from rescheduling the cycle.
resume Resumes the driver from suspension.
stop
status print status info
# batt_smbus
Source: drivers/batt_smbus (opens new window)
# Description
Smart battery driver for the BQ40Z50 fuel gauge IC.
# Examples
To write to flash to set parameters. address, number_of_bytes, byte0, ... , byteN
batt_smbus -X write_flash 19069 2 27 0
# Usage
batt_smbus <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-I] Internal I2C bus(es)
[-X] External I2C bus(es)
[-b <val>] board-specific bus (default=all) (external SPI: n-th bus
(default=1))
[-f <val>] bus frequency in kHz
[-q] quiet startup (no message if no device found)
[-a <val>] I2C address
default: 11
man_info Prints manufacturer info.
unseal Unseals the devices flash memory to enable write_flash
commands.
seal Seals the devices flash memory to disbale write_flash commands.
suspend Suspends the driver from rescheduling the cycle.
resume Resumes the driver from suspension.
write_flash Writes to flash. The device must first be unsealed with the
unseal command.
[address] The address to start writing.
[number of bytes] Number of bytes to send.
[data[0]...data[n]] One byte of data at a time separated by spaces.
stop
status print status info
# bst
Source: drivers/telemetry/bst (opens new window)
# Usage
bst <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-I] Internal I2C bus(es)
[-X] External I2C bus(es)
[-b <val>] board-specific bus (default=all) (external SPI: n-th bus
(default=1))
[-f <val>] bus frequency in kHz
[-q] quiet startup (no message if no device found)
[-a <val>] I2C address
default: 118
stop
status print status info
# dshot
Source: drivers/dshot (opens new window)
# Description
This is the DShot output driver. It is similar to the fmu driver, and can be used as drop-in replacement to use DShot as ESC communication protocol instead of PWM.
It supports:
- DShot150, DShot300, DShot600, DShot1200
- telemetry via separate UART and publishing as esc_status message
- sending DShot commands via CLI
# Examples
Permanently reverse motor 1:
dshot reverse -m 1
dshot save -m 1
After saving, the reversed direction will be regarded as the normal one. So to reverse again repeat the same commands.
# Usage
dshot <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start Start the task (without any mode set, use any of the mode_*
cmds)
All of the mode_* commands will start the module if not running already
mode_gpio
mode_pwm Select all available pins as PWM
mode_pwm14
mode_pwm12
mode_pwm8
mode_pwm6
mode_pwm5
mode_pwm5cap1
mode_pwm4
mode_pwm4cap1
mode_pwm4cap2
mode_pwm3
mode_pwm3cap1
mode_pwm2
mode_pwm2cap2
mode_pwm1
telemetry Enable Telemetry on a UART
<device> UART device
reverse Reverse motor direction
[-m <val>] Motor index (1-based, default=all)
normal Normal motor direction
[-m <val>] Motor index (1-based, default=all)
save Save current settings
[-m <val>] Motor index (1-based, default=all)
3d_on Enable 3D mode
[-m <val>] Motor index (1-based, default=all)
3d_off Disable 3D mode
[-m <val>] Motor index (1-based, default=all)
beep1 Send Beep pattern 1
[-m <val>] Motor index (1-based, default=all)
beep2 Send Beep pattern 2
[-m <val>] Motor index (1-based, default=all)
beep3 Send Beep pattern 3
[-m <val>] Motor index (1-based, default=all)
beep4 Send Beep pattern 4
[-m <val>] Motor index (1-based, default=all)
beep5 Send Beep pattern 5
[-m <val>] Motor index (1-based, default=all)
esc_info Request ESC information
-m <val> Motor index (1-based)
stop
status print status info
# fake_gps
Source: examples/fake_gps (opens new window)
# Description
# Usage
fake_gps <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
stop
status print status info
# fake_imu
Source: examples/fake_imu (opens new window)
# Description
# Usage
fake_imu <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
stop
status print status info
# fake_magnetometer
Source: examples/fake_magnetometer (opens new window)
# Description
Publish the earth magnetic field as a fake magnetometer (sensor_mag). Requires vehicle_attitude and vehicle_gps_position.
# Usage
fake_magnetometer <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
stop
status print status info
# gps
Source: drivers/gps (opens new window)
# Description
GPS driver module that handles the communication with the device and publishes the position via uORB. It supports multiple protocols (device vendors) and by default automatically selects the correct one.
The module supports a secondary GPS device, specified via -e
parameter. The position will be published
on the second uORB topic instance, but it's currently not used by the rest of the system (however the
data will be logged, so that it can be used for comparisons).
# Implementation
There is a thread for each device polling for data. The GPS protocol classes are implemented with callbacks so that they can be used in other projects as well (eg. QGroundControl uses them too).
# Examples
Starting 2 GPS devices (the main GPS on /dev/ttyS3 and the secondary on /dev/ttyS4):
gps start -d /dev/ttyS3 -e /dev/ttyS4
Initiate warm restart of GPS device
gps reset warm
# Usage
gps <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-d <val>] GPS device
values: <file:dev>, default: /dev/ttyS3
[-b <val>] Baudrate (can also be p:<param_name>)
default: 0
[-e <val>] Optional secondary GPS device
values: <file:dev>
[-g <val>] Baudrate (secondary GPS, can also be p:<param_name>)
default: 0
[-s] Enable publication of satellite info
[-i <val>] GPS interface
values: spi|uart, default: uart
[-j <val>] secondary GPS interface
values: spi|uart, default: uart
[-p <val>] GPS Protocol (default=auto select)
values: ubx|mtk|ash|eml|fem
stop
status print status info
reset Reset GPS device
cold|warm|hot Specify reset type
# ina226
Source: drivers/power_monitor/ina226 (opens new window)
# Description
Driver for the INA226 power monitor.
Multiple instances of this driver can run simultaneously, if each instance has a separate bus OR I2C address.
For example, one instance can run on Bus 2, address 0x41, and one can run on Bus 2, address 0x43.
If the INA226 module is not powered, then by default, initialization of the driver will fail. To change this, use the -f flag. If this flag is set, then if initialization fails, the driver will keep trying to initialize again every 0.5 seconds. With this flag set, you can plug in a battery after the driver starts, and it will work. Without this flag set, the battery must be plugged in before starting the driver.
# Usage
ina226 <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-I] Internal I2C bus(es)
[-X] External I2C bus(es)
[-b <val>] board-specific bus (default=all) (external SPI: n-th bus
(default=1))
[-f <val>] bus frequency in kHz
[-q] quiet startup (no message if no device found)
[-a <val>] I2C address
default: 65
[-k] if initialization (probing) fails, keep retrying periodically
[-t <val>] battery index for calibration values (1 or 2)
default: 1
stop
status print status info
# iridiumsbd
Source: drivers/telemetry/iridiumsbd (opens new window)
# Description
IridiumSBD driver.
Creates a virtual serial port that another module can use for communication (e.g. mavlink).
# Usage
iridiumsbd <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
-d <val> Serial device
values: <file:dev>
[-v] Enable verbose output
test
[s|read|AT <cmd>] Test command
stop
status print status info
# irlock
Source: drivers/irlock (opens new window)
# Usage
irlock <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-I] Internal I2C bus(es)
[-X] External I2C bus(es)
[-b <val>] board-specific bus (default=all) (external SPI: n-th bus
(default=1))
[-f <val>] bus frequency in kHz
[-q] quiet startup (no message if no device found)
[-a <val>] I2C address
default: 84
stop
status print status info
# linux_pwm_out
Source: drivers/linux_pwm_out (opens new window)
# Description
Linux PWM output driver with board-specific backend implementation.
# Usage
linux_pwm_out <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
stop
status print status info
# lsm303agr
Source: drivers/magnetometer/lsm303agr (opens new window)
# Usage
lsm303agr <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-s] Internal SPI bus(es)
[-S] External SPI bus(es)
[-b <val>] board-specific bus (default=all) (external SPI: n-th bus
(default=1))
[-c <val>] chip-select index (for external SPI)
default: 1
[-m <val>] SPI mode
[-f <val>] bus frequency in kHz
[-q] quiet startup (no message if no device found)
[-R <val>] Rotation
default: 0
stop
status print status info
# newpixel
Source: drivers/lights/neopixel (opens new window)
# Description
This module is responsible for driving interfasing to the Neopixel Serial LED
# Examples
It is typically started with:
neopixel -n 8
To drive all available leds.
# Usage
newpixel <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
stop
status print status info
# paw3902
Source: drivers/optical_flow/paw3902 (opens new window)
# Usage
paw3902 <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-s] Internal SPI bus(es)
[-S] External SPI bus(es)
[-b <val>] board-specific bus (default=all) (external SPI: n-th bus
(default=1))
[-c <val>] chip-select index (for external SPI)
default: 1
[-m <val>] SPI mode
[-f <val>] bus frequency in kHz
[-q] quiet startup (no message if no device found)
[-Y <val>] custom yaw rotation (degrees)
default: 0
stop
status print status info
# pca9685
Source: drivers/pca9685 (opens new window)
# Usage
pca9685 <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-I] Internal I2C bus(es)
[-X] External I2C bus(es)
[-b <val>] board-specific bus (default=all) (external SPI: n-th bus
(default=1))
[-f <val>] bus frequency in kHz
[-q] quiet startup (no message if no device found)
[-a <val>] I2C address
default: 64
reset
test enter test mode
stop
status print status info
# pca9685_pwm_out
Source: drivers/pca9685_pwm_out (opens new window)
# Description
This module is responsible for generate pwm pulse with PCA9685 chip.
It listens on the actuator_controls topics, does the mixing and writes the PWM outputs.
# Implementation
This module depends on ModuleBase and OutputModuleInterface. IIC communication is based on CDev::I2C
# Examples
It is typically started with:
pca9685_pwm_out start -a 64 -b 1
Use the mixer
command to load mixer files.
mixer load /dev/pwm_outputX etc/mixers/quad_x.main.mix
The number X can be acquired by executing
pca9685_pwm_out status
when this driver is running.
# Usage
pca9685_pwm_out <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start Start the task
[-a <val>] device address on this bus
default: 64
[-b <val>] bus that pca9685 is connected to
default: 1
[-r <val>] schedule rate limit
default: 400
stop
status print status info
# pcf8583
Source: drivers/rpm/pcf8583 (opens new window)
# Usage
pcf8583 <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-I] Internal I2C bus(es)
[-X] External I2C bus(es)
[-b <val>] board-specific bus (default=all) (external SPI: n-th bus
(default=1))
[-f <val>] bus frequency in kHz
[-q] quiet startup (no message if no device found)
[-a <val>] I2C address
default: 80
stop
status print status info
# pmw3901
Source: drivers/optical_flow/pmw3901 (opens new window)
# Usage
pmw3901 <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-s] Internal SPI bus(es)
[-S] External SPI bus(es)
[-b <val>] board-specific bus (default=all) (external SPI: n-th bus
(default=1))
[-c <val>] chip-select index (for external SPI)
default: 1
[-m <val>] SPI mode
[-f <val>] bus frequency in kHz
[-q] quiet startup (no message if no device found)
[-R <val>] Rotation
default: 0
stop
status print status info
# pwm_out
Source: drivers/pwm_out (opens new window)
# Description
This module is responsible for driving the output and reading the input pins. For boards without a separate IO chip (eg. Pixracer), it uses the main channels. On boards with an IO chip (eg. Pixhawk), it uses the AUX channels, and the px4io driver is used for main ones.
It listens on the actuator_controls topics, does the mixing and writes the PWM outputs.
The module is configured via mode_* commands. This defines which of the first N pins the driver should occupy. By using mode_pwm4 for example, pins 5 and 6 can be used by the camera trigger driver or by a PWM rangefinder driver. Alternatively, pwm_out can be started in one of the capture modes, and then drivers can register a capture callback with ioctl calls.
# Implementation
By default the module runs on a work queue with a callback on the uORB actuator_controls topic.
# Examples
It is typically started with:
pwm_out mode_pwm
To drive all available pins.
Capture input (rising and falling edges) and print on the console: start pwm_out in one of the capture modes:
pwm_out mode_pwm3cap1
This will enable capturing on the 4th pin. Then do:
pwm_out test
Use the pwm
command for further configurations (PWM rate, levels, ...), and the mixer
command to load
mixer files.
# Usage
pwm_out <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start Start the task (without any mode set, use any of the mode_*
cmds)
All of the mode_* commands will start pwm_out if not running already
mode_gpio
mode_pwm Select all available pins as PWM
mode_pwm14
mode_pwm12
mode_pwm8
mode_pwm6
mode_pwm5
mode_pwm5cap1
mode_pwm4
mode_pwm4cap1
mode_pwm4cap2
mode_pwm3
mode_pwm3cap1
mode_pwm2
mode_pwm2cap2
mode_pwm1
sensor_reset Do a sensor reset (SPI bus)
[<ms>] Delay time in ms between reset and re-enabling
peripheral_reset Reset board peripherals
[<ms>] Delay time in ms between reset and re-enabling
i2c Configure I2C clock rate
<bus_id> <rate> Specify the bus id (>=0) and rate in Hz
test Test inputs and outputs
stop
status print status info
# pwm_out_sim
Source: drivers/pwm_out_sim (opens new window)
# Description
Driver for simulated PWM outputs.
Its only function is to take actuator_control
uORB messages,
mix them with any loaded mixer and output the result to the
actuator_output
uORB topic.
It is used in SITL and HITL.
# Usage
pwm_out_sim <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start Start the module
[-m <val>] Mode
values: hil|sim, default: sim
stop
status print status info
# px4flow
Source: drivers/optical_flow/px4flow (opens new window)
# Usage
px4flow <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-I] Internal I2C bus(es)
[-X] External I2C bus(es)
[-b <val>] board-specific bus (default=all) (external SPI: n-th bus
(default=1))
[-f <val>] bus frequency in kHz
[-q] quiet startup (no message if no device found)
[-a <val>] I2C address
default: 66
[-R <val>] Rotation (default=downwards)
default: 25
stop
status print status info
# rc_input
Source: drivers/rc_input (opens new window)
# Description
This module does the RC input parsing and auto-selecting the method. Supported methods are:
- PPM
- SBUS
- DSM
- SUMD
- ST24
- TBS Crossfire (CRSF)
# Usage
rc_input <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-d <val>] RC device
values: <file:dev>, default: /dev/ttyS3
bind Send a DSM bind command (module must be running)
stop
status print status info
# rgbled
Source: drivers/lights/rgbled_ncp5623c (opens new window)
# Usage
rgbled <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
[-I] Internal I2C bus(es)
[-X] External I2C bus(es)
[-b <val>] board-specific bus (default=all) (external SPI: n-th bus
(default=1))
[-f <val>] bus frequency in kHz
[-q] quiet startup (no message if no device found)
[-a <val>] I2C address
default: 57
stop
status print status info
# roboclaw
Source: drivers/roboclaw (opens new window)
# Description
This driver communicates over UART with the Roboclaw motor driver (opens new window). It performs two tasks:
- Control the motors based on the
actuator_controls_0
UOrb topic. - Read the wheel encoders and publish the raw data in the
wheel_encoders
UOrb topic
In order to use this driver, the Roboclaw should be put into Packet Serial mode (see the linked documentation), and
your flight controller's UART port should be connected to the Roboclaw as shown in the documentation. For Pixhawk 4,
use the UART & I2C B
port, which corresponds to /dev/ttyS3
.
# Implementation
The main loop of this module (Located in RoboClaw.cpp::task_main()
) performs 2 tasks:
- Write
actuator_controls_0
messages to the Roboclaw as they become available - Read encoder data from the Roboclaw at a constant, fixed rate.
Because of the latency of UART, this driver does not write every single actuator_controls_0
message to the Roboclaw
immediately. Instead, it is rate limited based on the parameter RBCLW_WRITE_PER
.
On startup, this driver will attempt to read the status of the Roboclaw to verify that it is connected. If this fails, the driver terminates immediately.
# Examples
The command to start this driver is:
$ roboclaw start
<device>
is the name of the UART port. On the Pixhawk 4, this is /dev/ttyS3
.
<baud>
is te baud rate.
All available commands are:
$ roboclaw start <device> <baud>
$ roboclaw status
$ roboclaw stop
# Usage
roboclaw <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
# safety_button
Source: drivers/safety_button (opens new window)
# Description
This module is responsible for the safety button. Pressing the safety button 3 times quickly will trigger a GCS pairing request.
# Usage
safety_button <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
stop
status print status info
# tone_alarm
Source: drivers/tone_alarm (opens new window)
# Description
This module is responsible for the tone alarm.
# Usage
tone_alarm <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
stop
status print status info
# vmount
Source: modules/vmount (opens new window)
# Description
Mount (Gimbal) control driver. It maps several different input methods (eg. RC or MAVLink) to a configured output (eg. AUX channels or MAVLink).
Documentation how to use it is on the gimbal_control (opens new window) page.
# Implementation
Each method is implemented in its own class, and there is a common base class for inputs and outputs.
They are connected via an API, defined by the ControlData
data structure. This makes sure that each input method
can be used with each output method and new inputs/outputs can be added with minimal effort.
# Examples
Test the output by setting a fixed yaw angle (and the other axes to 0):
vmount stop
vmount test yaw 30
# Usage
vmount <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
start
test Test the output: set a fixed angle for one axis (vmount must
not be running)
roll|pitch|yaw <angle> Specify an axis and an angle in degrees
stop
status print status info
# voxlpm
Source: drivers/power_monitor/voxlpm (opens new window)
# Usage
voxlpm [arguments...]
start
[-I] Internal I2C bus(es)
[-X] External I2C bus(es)
[-b <val>] board-specific bus (default=all) (external SPI: n-th bus
(default=1))
[-f <val>] bus frequency in kHz
[-q] quiet startup (no message if no device found)
[-a <val>] I2C address
default: 68
[-T <val>] Type
values: VBATT|P5VDC|P12VDC, default: VBATT
[-k] if initialization (probing) fails, keep retrying periodically
stop
status print status info