MAVLink

MAVLink is a communication protocol supported on a variety of UAV systems. Cyclops uses MAVLink for two-way communication with the flight controller. We require a bi-directional link to the flight controller (to send position estimates and receive sensor measurements).

Below is a list of the messages we use. If your flight controller does not support these message types, or only allows for one-way communication over MAVLink, contact the Theseus team for help integrating on your system.

By default, Cyclops sends position using the MAV_CMD_EXTERNAL_POSITION_ESTIMATE message. To accept these estimates, ArduPilot needs to not use the GPS in its EKF sources.

Messages Sent

We send a number of packets

• STATUSTEXT (253)

• MAV_CMD_USER_2 (31011)

  • crosstrack start command

• SYSTEM_TIME (2)

• TIMESYNC (111)

• MAV_CMD_EXTERNAL_POSITION_ESTIMATE (43003)

Messages Received

• LOCAL_POSITION_NED (32)

• ATTITUDE_QUATERNION (31)

• GPS_RAW_INT (24) (for testing purposes)

• NAV_CONTROLLER_OUTPUT (62)

• VFR_HUD (74)

• SYSTEM_TIME (2)

• TIMESYNC (111)

• EXTENDED_SYS_STATE (245)

System ID (sysid)

If you want to connect to multiple systems over MAVLink, you'll need to use different sysids for each flight controller. The default sysid is 1 so the Micro VPS automatically looks to connect with sysid 1. If the flight controller has a different sysid than the default, the Micro VPS will report no MAV heartbeat.

To configure your Micro VPS to connect with a flight controller with some other sysid, you'll need to edit the vehicle config. Take a look at Changing the sysid for more information.