ModalAI Forum

Hi, thanks for the detailed questions on the M0189. Answering below — full specs are on the datasheet at https://docs.modalai.com/M0189/ and the product/ordering page at https://www.modalai.com/products/m0189.

1. Integration Guidelines

The M0189 doesn't plug directly into VOXL 2 Mini — it connects to a M0188 or M0195 carrier board (which itself mounts on VOXL 2 Mini), via one of four ToF ports (J01/J23/J45/J67) using an MCBL-00128 cable. The module is hardware-strapped for I2C, so only power, ground, and I2C are routed through the connector — no host-side mode-pin configuration needed.

On the software side, it's managed by voxl-mini-tof-server (see docs.modalai.com/M0189/ for the link, or search "mini-tof-server" on docs.modalai.com

• Reads a JSON config from /etc/modalai/voxl-mini-tof-server.conf (or multiple files in .conf.d/ if you're running sensors across separate I2C buses)
• Publishes point cloud data over MPA on the rangefinder_pc pipe
• Ships with a config wizard (voxl-configure-mini-tofs -i) for known hardware setups, plus non-interactive list/set commands
• Supports multiple sensors via a TCA9548A I2C mux
• Output is inspectable with voxl-inspect-points or viewable live as a point cloud in VOXL Portal

Sensor location/orientation relative to the vehicle's center of gravity has to be set manually and precisely in the config — there's no auto-calibration step. I didn't find a dedicated worked example/reference design specifically for VOXL 2 Mini + M0189 beyond the datasheet and server docs, but the mounting/connector details and full pinout are on the datasheet page.

2. Sensor Performance and Use Cases

Per the datasheet and product page:

• FOV: 45° × 45° (65° diagonal)
• Range: up to 400 cm, target- and lighting-dependent
• Resolution: up to 8×8 (64 zones) — this is genuine multizone depth, output as a 3D point cloud over MPA (not single-point, and not a dense depth image)
• 940 nm Class 1 eye-safe VCSEL, direct-ToF (dToF)

Neither page gives quantified outdoor/bright-sunlight derating numbers or flight-tested obstacle-avoidance performance data — that's probably worth a direct follow-up if you need hard numbers before committing to a platform design.

3. Availability and Purchasing

Currently listed as an active, in-stock product at $44.99 (MPN MDK-M0189-2-00, board only) — see https://www.modalai.com/products/m0189. You'll also need the M0188 or M0195 carrier and the MCBL-00128 cable, both sold separately. Per the compatibility table on that page, it works with VOXL 2 Mini (via the carrier) and VOXL 2 (with additional cabling), but not VOXL or VOXL Flight. No lead-time info is posted, so I'd check with sales directly on that.

Hi Christopher

We currently support two forms of recording, both at the pilot

• internal to the VRX onboard storage
• on goggles to the SD Card

We do have on our list to implement recording at the UAS itself, but that will need to be in a future software update.

The Doodle Labs pinout could be inferred from this cable mcbl-00085

@jbiscan21 said in Standoffs part:

standoffs

You can find them here: https://www.modalai.com/products/starling-2-max-replacement-parts?variant=66893548028208

These are the propellers that were used for that drone https://www.getfpv.com/lumenier-6x4-slow-flyer-propeller-set-of-4-clear.html

@ChrisB here is a system architecture to follow: https://docs.modalai.com/voxl2-d0014/

We do not support an RB5, that is a Qualcomm product

@boron Please submit an RMA, https://modalai.com/rma and just refer to this thread. Include your shipping information and we'll send you a new one

@RyanH

T-motor has been banned in the US, so we can't purchase those directly any longer and have moved to a different motor for the product

this might be a good place to purchase a replacement motor https://www.amazon.com/TYXTTGY-F2203-5-Brushless-Motor-Cinewhoop/dp/B0F21NFKKW?th=1
it looks to have the same specs as t-motor

@Demarconius Yes, we can achieve ~50ms glass to glass using our VRX and voxl-vtx software service on the UAS-side.

@jbhines929 Please fill out the RMA form to get the process started. If it is due to manufactures defect it is covered under warranty and no diagnosis fee will be charged.

@brandon there are likely a number of things going on

If the drone sits idle for a period of time, the sensors heat up (accel and baro). When the props start spinning, the temperature drops causing significant drift. If you let the props spin for 10 or 20s cooling off the board, that can help

I would guess after 30-60s of flight, the altitude stabilizes. That is the temperature of the sensors stabilizng.

The latest SDKs have temperature compensated calibration for IMU and baro. Try calibrating accel and baro and see if that helps.
https://docs.modalai.com/calibrate-baro/
https://docs.modalai.com/calibrate-imu/

The GPS on Starling 2 Max has been tricky. We do have a new GPS on the way that looks promising, and hope to make it available in the next 2mo.

@JoonaR can you please provide your order number? Is there a chance you ordered the "no radios" configuration?

@taiwohazeez start with going through the troubleshooting tips: https://docs.modalai.com/flying-with-vio/#troubleshooting-vio

qvio_overlay or ovins_overlay are going to be very informative

@leandro The M0188-1 includes the connectors for the TOF range finders. We have not offered that board before though. Where did you find that information?

What was your order number? We can send you a M0188-1, but it may not be available for small orders in the future

@maddercat The Zorro Blue has a 1W 915MHz ELRS 3.5 radio, configurable with typical ELRS parameters

The hardware is a COTS Radiomaster Zorro where we replace all of the electronics to ModalAI electronics for NDAA-compliance.

It is a stop-gap so we can offer a standard FPV-style R/C controller until we can offer something more fully developed FPV R/C controller

@clange It is technically possible as Stinger is supported by the same VOXL SDK as all of our products. It would likely be a lot of software development to make it happen though

@jbhines929 Hi JB, sorry you are running into issues.

One quick thought, is to update the Orqa goggles firmware - https://orqafpv.com/downloads . There were issues at one point, but we have been updating them in the factory recently before shipping

To further isolate, can you plug a different display into the VRX DisplayPort output? Or, try to connect ADB to the VRX? that would let us know if it's a Goggles or VRX issue. (sounds like goggles if they are clicking)

You can always submit an RMA here: https://modalai.com/rma

@jimbow77 those drones are for aeronautical research. we recommend installing a dronetag or similar

@brandon from the factory, it is typically configured for VIO flight. You should configure for GPS as VIO may not be well tuned for your outdoor flights

You can find some helper parameter files here: https://gitlab.com/voxl-public/voxl-sdk/utilities/voxl-px4-params/-/tree/master/params/v1.14/EKF2_helpers?ref_type=heads

@Saleh-Ibrahim the drones come pre-configured for VIO and are flight tested in VIO mode prior to shipping.

To troubleshoot VIO, please start here: https://docs.modalai.com/voxl-open-vins-server/#troubleshooting

VOA does not ship enabled by default