Initial Configuration & Setup
Before starting to work on PX4 we recommend that developers obtain the basic equipment described below (or similar), and initially use a "default" configuration for their airframe.
PX4 can be used with a much wider range of equipment, but new developers will benefit from going with one of the standard setups, and a Taranis RC plus a Note 4 tablet make up for a very inexpensive field kit.
Basic Equipment
The equipment below is highly recommended:
- A Taranis Plus remote control for the safety pilot (or equivalent)
- A development computer
- MacBook Pro or Air with OSX 10.10 or newer
- Modern laptop with Ubuntu Linux (14.04 or newer)
- A ground control station device
- Any MacBook or Ubuntu Linux laptop (can be the development computer)
- Samsung Note 4 or equivalent (any recent Android tablet or phone with a large enough screen to run QGroundControl effectively).
- iPad (requires Wifi telemetry adapter)
- Safety glasses
- For multicopters - tether for more risky tests
Vehicle Configuration
Download the QGroundControl Daily Build for your development platform.
QGroundControl for a desktop OS is required for vehicle configuration. The daily build is highly recommended in order to take advantage of the latest features in PX4.
Follow the video instructions below to set up your vehicle. For more detailed/written instructions see the sidebar topics in the PX4 User Guide > Basic Configuration section.