System Architecture Design Reviews

Starling 2 payload

Alex Kushleyev — Sat, 09 May 2026 11:10:25 GMT

I will look for an indoor flight log from a stinger. At hover, the power usage should be around 110-115W based on motor dyno tests. The peak motor current can go up to 300W (per motor), but it's not possible to have all 4 motors maxed out.

Regarding ethernet.. It is actually possible to establish a full wired interface using the same usb interface that is used for ADB. it is a lot more efficient that using something like adb port forwarding. We have some scripts that set up the full network with NAT, when voxl2 / voxl2 mini is connected to a linux host. There is one script that enables the usb ethernet in voxl2 kernel and then there is the host side script to set up the networking and tcp/ip rules for NAT (so that voxl2 can access internet via the host) -- the NAT part is actually optional.

Actually the first part (without NAT) is already documented here, you could try it : https://docs.modalai.com/qgc-via-adb/ -- this will give you a full tcp/ip connection to the linux host.

For downloading log files, we get about 35-37MB/s, it seems to be a 400Mbps link. Even with 1Gbps usb3 adapters we don't get full 1Gbps, so this may be the best you can get. Can you clarify your application for the network connection?

Alex

NEED HELP WITH HARDWARE SELECTION

Andreas4397 — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 20:38:18 GMT

Hello! I am integrating VOXL 2 as a companion computer alongside an existing ArduPilot Cube Orange+ flight controller on a fixed-wing VTOL. I need VIO/SLAM for GPS-denied navigation. The VOXL 2 Flight Deck is EOL. Which current VOXL 2 board + camera combination do you recommend for this use case, and what are the current part numbers and prices?

Need help porting PX4-Autopilot to custom STM32H743VIT6 hardware (PX4 FMU-V6C clone)

Eric Katzfey — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 21:19:20 GMT

@mkeyno You need to work with the PX4 community on this project, not ModalAI.

I have a few questions before making a purchase.

min.youm — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 00:00:45 GMT

Our company, 3i(in Korea), develops and supplies software solutions related to digital twin technology.
Currently, we perform indoor measurements manually, but we are exploring the possibility of using drones to automate this process.
During our research, we came across the drones offered by ModalAI and believe that your products may be well-suited to our needs.
Before proceeding, I would like to confirm the following:
Is it possible to connect additional hardware, such as a 360° camera, via Bluetooth or USB?
Does the drone come with basic collision avoidance logic already implemented?
Given our intended use case, would the Starling 2 Max be the most suitable option, or would you recommend another development kit that may be more appropriate?
Do you offer international shipping to South Korea? If so, what are the shipping options, costs, and estimated delivery times?
Are there any export restrictions for this product (especially with the battery and radio module included)?
Could you provide the HS Code used for customs declaration?
Is it possible to receive a proforma invoice for payment processing?
Your advice will help us determine the best configuration for our research needs and proceed with the purchase.
Thank you for your time and support. I look forward to your response.

Connecting MSU-M0149-1, MSU-M0107, and VOXL 2 Time of Flight (TOF) Depth Sensor

Vinny — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 23:50:03 GMT

Hi @Alex-Kushleyev , @QSL 170-250mm is quite long. I'm not optimistic 250mm can even work, 170 would be risky.
We can offer our design services, but typically what that results in is a MOQ of a specific new item, such as 300-500pcs depending on the complexity (at normal MRSP which for flexes runs ~$50-80 each) and lead times would be ~14-18 weeks.
What we would need is a .dxf outline of your intended design and we can review that for feasibility and interest. If it really is 250mm, I'd prefer to no-bid it. 200mm might be the edge here (we do not have sophisticated Sigrity tools to confirm, so going on experience here).
M0170 is not ideally suited for back-to-back (the connectors are a bit offset from each other so the net result would be weird) but it may prove if 140mm can work + ~10 mm for the connector transition losses.
In situations like this, I encourage the ME/Industrial Design Team to reconsider placement of sensors and main electronics relative to each other. There are just some constraints the electronics cannot meet easily. Sometimes just simply re-prioritizing the system constraints helps solve the spatial/distance problems. To extend past ~180+mm, I would encourage you use an external design firm that knows how to do mipi repeaters and high speed design. We've had one customer successfully do that, but it takes some skill and we could do it ourselves, but we just do not have the design cycles to support it this calendar year.
Hope this helps and let us know what your thoughts are, and if pursuing us for a custom design is an option, we can reach out over email.

Questions on Sensor and Hardware Choices

Moderator — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 19:11:02 GMT

@QSL Hi, thank you for reaching out. There are many ways to achieve what you are trying. Starling 2 is the best starting point. You can then learn about what will work and what will not work and build out your system design from there.

I want to survey a drone with 5G enable and have some questions

Chad Sweet — Wed, 17 May 2023 03:01:54 GMT

@Vivian said in I want to survey a drone with 5G enable and have some questions:

XL2 use the same structure and OS? and from your

Hi Vivian,

Sorry for the slow reply. VOXL 2 uses the same chipset, operating system and SDK (VOXL SDK) as the Qualcomm Flight RB5. The VOXL 2 is a smaller and lighter footprint than the core components of the RB5 Flight, but it does not have built-in WiFi. Please check out https://docs.modalai.com/voxl2-d0006/ as a reference for an architecture with VOXL 2. Check out the developer bootcamp for details on how to get started