VOXL Emulator Documentation: https://docs.modalai.com/voxl-emulator/#install-the-voxl-emulator-docker-image

However, in the Development Sources / Developer Portal there doesn’t seem to be any Docker image available for voxl-emulator.

Could you please confirm if the image is still available, or if there is an updated download location for it?

Problem

When the drone starts gaining altitude, the VIO becomes unstable and the drone quickly becomes impossible to control manually. During hover close to the ground, the drone is relatively stable, but once altitude increases:

• Position estimation starts drifting
• list itemYaw estimation becomes unstable
• list itemHeight estimation errors appear
• list itemManual control becomes very difficult or impossible
• list itemPX4 eventually reports preflight or estimator failures

Current Setup
Hardware:
VOXL2
Starling 2 platform
Indoor environment
No GPS
Manual flight mode
QVIO enabled

Environment conditions:

Metallic industrial environment
Low texture surfaces
Variable lighting conditions
Errors observed

We frequently see:

Preflight Fail: height estimate not stable
Preflight Fail: Yaw estimate error
Preflight Fail: Attitude failure (pitch)

Additional Notes
We are NOT using QGroundControl during flight
The issue appears mainly when ascending
Near the ground the drone behaves much better
The instability increases progressively with altitude
It feels like VIO loses enough visual references when moving away from the floor

Questions
Is this a known limitation of QVIO / tracking camera placement?
Could this be related to insufficient floor texture?
Are there recommended tuning parameters for altitude-related instability?
Should we reduce dependency on QVIO and fuse additional sensors?
Would adding downward lighting or a ToF sensor significantly improve stability?
Is there a recommended EKF2 configuration for industrial indoor environments?

I would like to ask whether the ModalAI Starling 2 Max is suitable for the following workflow:

Software: ArduCopter, Mission Planner
Environment: Mostly empty large buildings with rooms and corridors.

The drone takes off and lands at a predefined location (the same point)
The drone fully autonomously executes a flight path planned in Mission Planner
After battery replacement, it is able to fly the same mission again with approximately ±20 cm accuracy
Questions:
How much lighting is required inside the building for accurate navigation, or can it operate in complete darkness?
Is ArduCopter’s Dijkstra-based path planning with predefined inclusion and exclusion zones supported?
Is the drone capable of detecting obstacles in front of it and measuring distance? If so, can ArduCopter’s BendyRuler obstacle avoidance system be used?
What level of navigation accuracy can be expected after 20–30 minutes of flight?

Thank You

Thanks

Do you have spare SLPI UARTs?

Not sure if PX4 would support multiple voxl2-io drivers running, i guess that should work? I don't think we have tried it. if you have spare slpi uart ports, just give it a shot? There may be a problem with two actuator drivers having the same name.

Alex

In our voxl-camera-server, we have a default intrinsics config for the IMX412 camera / lens as follows (focal length approximation is based on a several calibrations). Basically it is a fisheye lens with about 2000px focal length at full resolution (half of that at half resolution, etc). The camera full sensor width is 4056 (hence the x principal point is exactly half of that 2028). In some cases we use slightly trimmed frame (4040 in width). But in any case, that should be enough for a good starting point.

Alex

I connected them to J6 and J7, but the cameras are only recognized on the JL connector.

I would like to know what the problem is and how to resolve it.

• I have cross-tested the cameras and cables and confirmed that they are functioning correctly.

I just want to double check something to make sure there is no confusion.

Have you checked whether the Lepton sensor is working using voxl-portal, which would allow you to look at the IR image coming from the sensor?

Alex

Please see the responses to your questions below:

Is the drone suitable for such an application, or is there a drone better suited for this kind of application?

Is such indoor autonomous operation is feasible with the Starling 2 Max?

To what extent can this drone be programmed and extended for research or development purposes?

Is the drone programmable with Python or a similar programming language?

What charge time can be expected?

Is a docking station/ induction charging retrofit possible?

Is the drone capable of navigating in subpar lighting conditions?

What is the expected maximum flight time at maximum takeoff weight?

What are the operational temperature limits of the drone?

Does visual obstacle avoidance also work during remote controlled manual flight?

What is the expected delivery time for the system to Germany?

We are looking for a R&D setup based on development drone Starling 2 (MRB-D0012-4-V4-C28-M3-T8-K3) with VOXL 2 Cellular add-on (MDK-M0130-3-03).
We expect to use the setup with a LTE BVLOS connectivity and analyze the traffic and behavior from the embedded modem (at PHY/MAC layer).
We pass thought the didactic material (bootcamp, specifications and code) but remains some questions:

1. Is the hardware selection make sense for our application?
2. Is the VOXL 2 already manage the BVLOS connectivity?
3. Even modem configurability via QMI, we need to collect L1 information from the 4G modem. This is usually possible through a diagnostic port (DM/DIAG) with a Qualcomm's QXDM tool. It this port is available from the add-on board? Or available from VOXL's USB port?

Thanks

Stephane

At this time, we do not publish formal MTTF/MTBF values for these products. The primary reason is that these systems (VOXL2, ESC, Flight Controller V2, Front-End Board, and Camera Modules) are delivered as development platforms intended for user-defined integration, testing, and operation. In the vast majority of use cases, overall system lifetime is dominated by application-specific factors such as mechanical stress, environmental exposure, power integrity, and crash events rather than intrinsic electronic wear-out mechanisms. As a result, standardized MTTF/MTBF metrics are not representative or particularly actionable for these platforms.

That said, the underlying silicon and design heritage for these systems is derived from high-volume mobile and embedded computing applications. These components are built on technologies that are broadly characterized for long operational lifetimes under nominal conditions, consistent with industry expectations for modern semiconductor devices.

Additionally, portions of the broader technology heritage have been evaluated in demanding environments, including public programs associated with NASA JPL (e.g., Mars Helicopter which is our design heritage, and CADRE lunar rover initiatives). However, detailed qualification data and reports from those efforts and other non-public efforts are not available for external distribution.

From a reliability perspective, our hardware is designed and validated using standard industry practices, including:

For applications requiring higher confidence in operational lifetime, we typically recommend system-level validation under the specific mission profile, including environmental testing (thermal cycling, vibration, shock) and power/load characterization representative of the end use case.

Hope this helps.

Hi, I have a starling drone. I replaced the board with another one, and am using voxl-remote-id to register the drone on FAA DroneZone. However, FAADroneZone says 'Invalid Serial Number' when I paste the id outputted from voxl-remote-id. Here is my drone info:

                                                     ▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂            
                                                ▂▄▆▆██▛▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▜████▆▆▄▂      

███╗ ███╗ ██████╗ ██████╗ █████╗ ██╗ ▗▆████▀▔ ▔▔▀▀▀▀▚▄
████╗ ████║██╔═══██╗██╔══██╗██╔══██╗██║ ▗▟████▀ ▗██▖ ▐█ ▝▀▆▄▄▄
██╔████╔██║██║ ██║██║ ██║███████║██║ ▟████▀ ▗█▘▝█▖ ▐█ ▜█▀█▄
██║╚██╔╝██║██║ ██║██║ ██║██╔══██║██║ █▌ ▐█▌ ▗█▘ ▝█▖ ▐█ ▐▄ ▄█
██║ ╚═╝ ██║╚██████╔╝██████╔╝██║ ██║███████╗ ▀████ ▗█▘ ▝█▖ ▐█ ▂▄███▀
╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═════╝ ╚═════╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝╚══════╝ ▀▀██▄▄ ▂▆███▀
▀▀██▄▄ ▀▀▆▄▄▄▄▆██▀▀▀▘

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
system-image: 1.8.04-M0054-14.1a-perf
kernel: #1 SMP PREEMPT Mon Mar 24 22:31:58 UTC 2025 4.19.125
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
hw platform: M0054
mach.var: 1.0.1
SKU: MRB-D0012-4-V2-C28-T9-M28-X0
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
voxl-suite: 1.5.0
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
no current network connection
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

FAADroneZone gave this message regarding invalid ids: If your Remote ID Serial Number shows "Invalid Serial Number," review your input (cannot contain the letters I or O) and/or contact your manufacturer to ensure you're using the serial number format they've submitted to the FAA.

Any input you can give helps a lot. Thanks!

I need 2–3 drones to work together cooperatively. Does the Starling 2 Max support this? If yes, what multi-drone functions are available, such as task allocation, path planning, and communication/data synchronization?

Thanks!

The maximum operating temperature is around 95 deg C, at which point, the CPU will being automatically throttling (reducing) operating frequency.

It is common to rely on air flow from propellers when the drone is flying, however some implementations may have a small fan as well.

Since you mentioned bench testing, installing a small fan next to VOXL2 to get airflow over the board should help. No specific recommendations, you can start with a standard 12V fan used in PC power supplies.

It can be relatively easy to overheat VOXL2 without cooling, because it has quite a powerful processor and the heat is concentrated in such a small package. You can spend more time optimizing the code (if possible) or add passive and / or active cooling.

Alex

There is no voxl-gps service - voxl-px4 handles the GPS functionality, so as long as that is running, the GPS module should be active. Please go through the documentation linked above, there are some mitigation steps that are relatively easy to implement.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but enabling usable GPS on Starling 2 will require some tweaks.

Alex