# Starling V1 - cannot use RC and GPS

Source: https://forum.modalai.com/topic/5007/starling-v1-cannot-use-rc-and-gps
Category: Development Drones (https://forum.modalai.com/category/44/development-drones)
Tags: starling
Posted: 2026-01-23 20:12:36 UTC by colombe.ai
Replies: 6 · Views: 713

## colombe.ai · 2026-01-23 20:12:36 UTC

I cannot fly my Starling V1, flashed with latest M0054-1 image(14.1a_1.7.8) and latest SDK version(1.6.2), with correctly selected voxl-configure-mpa version(Starling V1 with silver motors)

QGroundControl says that Compass Sensor 0 is missing, even though I have the GPS Taoglas chip connected. 

Furthermore:
```
px4-listener sensor_gps
never published
```

Also, the RC was not working, so I just wanted to check that:
```
px4-listener input_rc

TOPIC: input_rc
 input_rc
    timestamp: 91987808 (0.005253 seconds ago)
    timestamp_last_signal: 0
    rssi: -1
    rssi_dbm: nan
    rc_lost_frame_count: 0
    rc_total_frame_count: 0
    rc_ppm_frame_length: 0
    values: [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
    channel_count: 16
    rc_failsafe: True
    rc_lost: True
    input_source: 14
    link_quality: -1
```
It is receiving messages, but the RC is lost. After running voxl-elrs --scan:

```
voxl-elrs --scan
Autodetecting device information...
Sending library name request: libslpi_qrb5165_io.so
Sending initialization request
```

As seen above, nothing shows up and no device is recognized where the ELRS should be detected. Since both the GPS and ELRS are plugged into the same physical connector(J19), I wonder if there is a driver issue with that, and just wanted general guidance if this was an issue seen before. Both the ELRS and GPS get power, the WiFi USB dongle(ALFA Network) on the same extension board(M2300000KGX) as the J19 connector works too, it's just that the data connections to the ELRS and GPS don't seem to work.

## Reply by colombe.ai · 2026-01-23 23:01:32 UTC

The GPS is the Taoglas that comes with the Starling V1, the light is green, the ELRS is a BetaFPV 900 Nano RX, the light is solid blue, so I think it's stuck in bootloader mode, but I can't even reset it with the voxl-elrs utility, since the scan doesn't even register that something is connected to the port.

## Reply by Eric Katzfey (ModalAI staff) · 2026-01-24 16:51:11 UTC (in reply to colombe.ai)

@colombe-ai Can you please provide the SKU? (See: https://docs.modalai.com/sku/#inspect-sku). Was this drone flying before you updated? What version were you using before? If you go back to that version does everything work normally again?

## Reply by colombe.ai · 2026-01-26 18:09:11 UTC (in reply to Eric Katzfey)

@Eric-Katzfey 
Hi Eric,

Sorry for the late response.

Here is the inspect SKU output:
```
voxl-inspect-sku

family code:   MRB-D0005 (starling-1-discontinued (D0005))
compute board: 4 (voxl2)
hw version:    2
cam config:    6
modem config:  0 (none)
tx config:     7 (elrs_beta_fpv)
extras config: 0 (none)
SKU:           MRB-D0005-4-V2-C6-T7-M0-X0

```

The drone was not flying previously, I was using SDK version 1.0.0, if I go back to that version the problem is not resolved.

Please let me know if you need anything else, and thank you for your help!

## Reply by Eric Katzfey (ModalAI staff) · 2026-01-26 23:37:50 UTC (in reply to colombe.ai)

@colombe-ai How did you end up with this drone? Do you know the history of it? Has it been involved in some crashes? There could be some connector / cable damage that is causing some of the peripherals to no longer work. It's going to need some low level troubleshooting.

## Reply by colombe.ai · 2026-01-27 17:48:24 UTC (in reply to Eric Katzfey)

@Eric-Katzfey
I bought the drone off of Ebay, the seller claimed that it was open box, never flown or operated, there is no visual damage to the drone.
I am out today, I will be ready to do lower level debugging 22 hours after I post this message. Let me know if there are any tools which would be useful for debugging that I can try to get in advance. Right now, all I have is a multimeter.

## Reply by Eric Katzfey (ModalAI staff) · 2026-01-27 22:45:37 UTC (in reply to colombe.ai)

@colombe-ai I'm not sure how much we're going to be able to help to get this going but I'd start with that magnetometer. Put an oscilloscope in the lines and see if you see any activity.