Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • Users
  • Groups
Collapse
Brand Logo

ModalAI Forum

  1. ModalAI Support Forum
  2. VOXL Dev Drones
  3. VOXL m500 Reference Drone
  4. m500 enabling RTK GPS

m500 enabling RTK GPS

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved VOXL m500 Reference Drone
18 Posts 4 Posters 2.8k Views 1 Watching
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • yu zhangY Offline
    yu zhangY Offline
    yu zhang
    Regular
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    Hi team,

    I am wondering if m500 could enable RTK GPS by QGC settings?

    If so, how could I test if RTK is enabled? (GPS drift will be reduced by viewing log?)

    If not, how could I achieve RTK GPS with centimeter-level accuracy? (By adding an extra RTK receiver?)

    Thanks.

    yu zhangY 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • yu zhangY yu zhang

      Hi team,

      I am wondering if m500 could enable RTK GPS by QGC settings?

      If so, how could I test if RTK is enabled? (GPS drift will be reduced by viewing log?)

      If not, how could I achieve RTK GPS with centimeter-level accuracy? (By adding an extra RTK receiver?)

      Thanks.

      yu zhangY Offline
      yu zhangY Offline
      yu zhang
      Regular
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      I double-check the GPS module used on m500 is HolyBro M8N. It doesn't support RTK and the GPS sampling rate seems to be 5Hz, which is a bit low accuracy for my experiments.

      I am thinking if m500 could switch the GPS module to other RTK-enabled ones? I found 2 options, HolyBro M8P and F9P. Both modules can enable RTK, and M8P is about 10Hz while F9P is up to 20Hz. F9P is more satisfied with my experiment requirement.

      I am wondering if m500 could easily switch to one of these by plug-in? Or I should update any GPS parameters of voxl to enable RTK after replacement?

      All 3 GPS modules are based on ublox, so I guess they all should work as the same for voxl flight, right?

      yu zhangY 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • yu zhangY yu zhang

        I double-check the GPS module used on m500 is HolyBro M8N. It doesn't support RTK and the GPS sampling rate seems to be 5Hz, which is a bit low accuracy for my experiments.

        I am thinking if m500 could switch the GPS module to other RTK-enabled ones? I found 2 options, HolyBro M8P and F9P. Both modules can enable RTK, and M8P is about 10Hz while F9P is up to 20Hz. F9P is more satisfied with my experiment requirement.

        I am wondering if m500 could easily switch to one of these by plug-in? Or I should update any GPS parameters of voxl to enable RTK after replacement?

        All 3 GPS modules are based on ublox, so I guess they all should work as the same for voxl flight, right?

        yu zhangY Offline
        yu zhangY Offline
        yu zhang
        Regular
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        For example, if I would buy a set of F9P rover + base station from Holybro:
        https://shop.holybro.com/h-rtk-f9p_p1226.html?

        Could I simply replace and plug-in it on m500 without any other configuration? Or what updates I should do to enable F9P RTK on m500?

        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • yu zhangY Offline
          yu zhangY Offline
          yu zhang
          Regular
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          Hi @Eric-Katzfey , please any thoughts on this question. Thanks.

          Eric KatzfeyE 2 Replies Last reply
          0
          • yu zhangY yu zhang

            Hi @Eric-Katzfey , please any thoughts on this question. Thanks.

            Eric KatzfeyE Offline
            Eric KatzfeyE Offline
            Eric Katzfey
            ModalAI Team
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            @yu-zhang If PX4 supports the modules in question then our flight core should also support them. I would try to figure out how other people have enabled RTK on PX4 and see if you can recreate what they did.

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • yu zhangY yu zhang

              Hi @Eric-Katzfey , please any thoughts on this question. Thanks.

              Eric KatzfeyE Offline
              Eric KatzfeyE Offline
              Eric Katzfey
              ModalAI Team
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              @yu-zhang We did some experiments with RTK back in 2019 with one of these boards https://www.sparkfun.com/products/15136 and one of these Pixhawk units https://docs.px4.io/v1.9.0/en/flight_controller/pixhawk_mini.html.

              yu zhangY 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • Eric KatzfeyE Eric Katzfey

                @yu-zhang We did some experiments with RTK back in 2019 with one of these boards https://www.sparkfun.com/products/15136 and one of these Pixhawk units https://docs.px4.io/v1.9.0/en/flight_controller/pixhawk_mini.html.

                yu zhangY Offline
                yu zhangY Offline
                yu zhang
                Regular
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                @Eric-Katzfey Thanks so much for double-checking! The used RTK is F9P (u-blox F9) based, so I think the Holybro one should also work for PX4 unit.

                I will double-check with the team in Holybro if everything is good for the replacement then.

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • X Offline
                  X Offline
                  xav04
                  Contributor
                  wrote on last edited by xav04
                  #8

                  Hi @Eric-Katzfey and @yu-zhang. I'm trying to use the same module you're talking about in this chat (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/15136) with VOXL2, but I haven't been able to get it to work. I would like to know if it is compatible with VOXL2 and what would be the steps to make it work. Thanks!

                  Eric KatzfeyE 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • X xav04

                    Hi @Eric-Katzfey and @yu-zhang. I'm trying to use the same module you're talking about in this chat (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/15136) with VOXL2, but I haven't been able to get it to work. I would like to know if it is compatible with VOXL2 and what would be the steps to make it work. Thanks!

                    Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                    Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                    Eric Katzfey
                    ModalAI Team
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #9

                    @xav04 We have not tried that GPS board with VOXL 2. The PX4 implementation on VOXL 2 is custom and many device drivers need modification to be able to run correctly. That is because the architecture is split between the applications processor (ARM multicore running Linux) and a DSP running an RTOS. Most device drivers run on the DSP and due the differences in the environment need customization. However, you could run the GPS driver on the applications processor instead. It's much more likely that you can use the standard PX4 GPS driver on the applications processor without customization. However, you would need to have access to a UART that is visible from the applications processor for IO. This add on board would provide that: https://www.modalai.com/collections/voxl-2-add-ons/products/usb-3-uart-expansion-adapter?variant=40740708876339. If you were to use that board, what would you be using for a compass (magnetometer)?

                    X 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • Eric KatzfeyE Eric Katzfey

                      @xav04 We have not tried that GPS board with VOXL 2. The PX4 implementation on VOXL 2 is custom and many device drivers need modification to be able to run correctly. That is because the architecture is split between the applications processor (ARM multicore running Linux) and a DSP running an RTOS. Most device drivers run on the DSP and due the differences in the environment need customization. However, you could run the GPS driver on the applications processor instead. It's much more likely that you can use the standard PX4 GPS driver on the applications processor without customization. However, you would need to have access to a UART that is visible from the applications processor for IO. This add on board would provide that: https://www.modalai.com/collections/voxl-2-add-ons/products/usb-3-uart-expansion-adapter?variant=40740708876339. If you were to use that board, what would you be using for a compass (magnetometer)?

                      X Offline
                      X Offline
                      xav04
                      Contributor
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #10

                      @Eric-Katzfey Thanks for your reply! I'm not quite sure what compass I'm going to use, but if you know of any reliable module, I'd really appreciate it if you let me know. On the other hand, I may not be able to use that board since I'm using the 5G Modem Carrier Board which uses the same port (J3) as the VOXL 2 USB3.0 / UART Expansion Adapter. Is there any other way to connect this add on board or the gps?

                      Eric KatzfeyE 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • X xav04

                        @Eric-Katzfey Thanks for your reply! I'm not quite sure what compass I'm going to use, but if you know of any reliable module, I'd really appreciate it if you let me know. On the other hand, I may not be able to use that board since I'm using the 5G Modem Carrier Board which uses the same port (J3) as the VOXL 2 USB3.0 / UART Expansion Adapter. Is there any other way to connect this add on board or the gps?

                        Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                        Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                        Eric Katzfey
                        ModalAI Team
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #11

                        @xav04 I'll see if I can get any recommendations on compass, but usually these come integrated with the GPS. I think the best way to use the sparkfun GPS will be to try to get it going on the DSP. I'll take a look at it and see if there is an easy way to get it working.

                        X 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • Eric KatzfeyE Eric Katzfey

                          @xav04 I'll see if I can get any recommendations on compass, but usually these come integrated with the GPS. I think the best way to use the sparkfun GPS will be to try to get it going on the DSP. I'll take a look at it and see if there is an easy way to get it working.

                          X Offline
                          X Offline
                          xav04
                          Contributor
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #12

                          @Eric-Katzfey Thank you very much! I will be waiting for your message

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • yu zhangY Offline
                            yu zhangY Offline
                            yu zhang
                            Regular
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #13

                            Hi @xav04, GPS board on VOXL 1 can work with sparkfun GPS via the standard PX4 GPS driver.

                            I went to Holybro F9P instead of the sparkfun, and it works fine with VOXL 1. For VOXL 2, as Eric said, you may have access to a UART to see if it works.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • X Offline
                              X Offline
                              xav04
                              Contributor
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #14

                              Hi @yu-zhang, thank you for your reply! To give you more context, I'm using VOXL2 with the 5G Modem Carrier Board, so I'm not able to use the VOXL 2 USB3.0 / UART Expansion as @Eric-Katzfey suggested to access to that UART port. However, I found that the 5G Modem, in the J9 port has an i2c+Apps UART. Do you think I could use this port to connect the sparkfun via the standard PX4 GPS driver?

                              Also, do you know if the Holybro F9P comes with a PX4 compatible built-in compass?

                              Eric KatzfeyE S 3 Replies Last reply
                              0
                              • X xav04

                                Hi @yu-zhang, thank you for your reply! To give you more context, I'm using VOXL2 with the 5G Modem Carrier Board, so I'm not able to use the VOXL 2 USB3.0 / UART Expansion as @Eric-Katzfey suggested to access to that UART port. However, I found that the 5G Modem, in the J9 port has an i2c+Apps UART. Do you think I could use this port to connect the sparkfun via the standard PX4 GPS driver?

                                Also, do you know if the Holybro F9P comes with a PX4 compatible built-in compass?

                                Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                                Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                                Eric Katzfey
                                ModalAI Team
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #15

                                @xav04 According to their spec http://www.holybro.com/manual/Holybro_H-RTK_F9P_GNSS_Spec.pdf it does have an ist8310 magnetometer which is supported by VOXL 2.

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • X xav04

                                  Hi @yu-zhang, thank you for your reply! To give you more context, I'm using VOXL2 with the 5G Modem Carrier Board, so I'm not able to use the VOXL 2 USB3.0 / UART Expansion as @Eric-Katzfey suggested to access to that UART port. However, I found that the 5G Modem, in the J9 port has an i2c+Apps UART. Do you think I could use this port to connect the sparkfun via the standard PX4 GPS driver?

                                  Also, do you know if the Holybro F9P comes with a PX4 compatible built-in compass?

                                  Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                                  Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                                  Eric Katzfey
                                  ModalAI Team
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #16

                                  @xav04 Yes, the M0090 5G board does have a UART and I2C that you can use on J9.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • X Offline
                                    X Offline
                                    xav04
                                    Contributor
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #17

                                    @Eric-Katzfey and @yu-zhang thank you very much! I'll get the module and test it.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • X xav04

                                      Hi @yu-zhang, thank you for your reply! To give you more context, I'm using VOXL2 with the 5G Modem Carrier Board, so I'm not able to use the VOXL 2 USB3.0 / UART Expansion as @Eric-Katzfey suggested to access to that UART port. However, I found that the 5G Modem, in the J9 port has an i2c+Apps UART. Do you think I could use this port to connect the sparkfun via the standard PX4 GPS driver?

                                      Also, do you know if the Holybro F9P comes with a PX4 compatible built-in compass?

                                      S Offline
                                      S Offline
                                      SMRazaRizvi
                                      Regular
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #18

                                      @xav04 I am trying to do the same thing as you, by using the J9 port on the 5G Modem to attach an RTK GPS.
                                      Were you able to do so?

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0

                                      Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.

                                      Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.

                                      With your input, this post could be even better 💗

                                      Register Login
                                      Reply
                                      • Reply as topic
                                      Log in to reply
                                      • Oldest to Newest
                                      • Newest to Oldest
                                      • Most Votes


                                      ModalAI
                                      Categories Recent Tags ModalAI.com Docs
                                      © 2026 ModalAI® · Accelerating autonomy for smaller, smarter, safer drones · Powered by NodeBB
                                      • Login

                                      • Don't have an account? Register

                                      • Login or register to search.
                                      • First post
                                        Last post
                                      0
                                      • Categories
                                      • Recent
                                      • Tags
                                      • Popular
                                      • Users
                                      • Groups