Skip to main content

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

PX4 runs on a wide range of flight controller hardware, from the tightly-specified Pixhawk Standard boards maintained by the PX4 core team to manufacturer-supported and experimental platforms. Choosing the right board depends on your payload requirements, connector layout, processing power, and redundancy needs. This page maps the landscape of supported autopilot hardware and explains how FMU versioning affects firmware compatibility.

​
Board classification

PX4 groups flight controllers into three tiers based on how actively they are tested and maintained.

Pixhawk Standard

Fully compliant with the Pixhawk open-hardware specification. Maintained and tested by the PX4 core team. Firmware updates ship automatically through QGroundControl.

Manufacturer-supported

Produced by manufacturers who maintain their own PX4 port. Compatible with PX4 but may diverge from the Pixhawk connector or electrical standard.

Experimental

Community-ported boards with limited ongoing testing. Use these for research or development; do not rely on them for production vehicles.

​
Pixhawk Standard boards

The following boards are fully Pixhawk-compliant and represent the primary reference platforms for PX4 development. The PX4 project’s maintenance and test teams validate every release against these controllers.

Holybro Pixhawk 6X

FMUv6X — STM32H753, triple IMU, dual barometer, Ethernet, PAB connector standard.

Holybro Pixhawk 6X-RT

FMUv6X-RT — NXP i.MX RT1176 at 1 GHz, 2 MB RAM, 64 MB Octal SPI flash, triple IMU.

Holybro Pixhawk 6C

FMUv6C — STM32H743, compact form factor, dual IMU, single barometer.

Holybro Pixhawk 6C Mini

FMUv6C — same silicon as Pixhawk 6C in a smaller footprint for weight-constrained builds.

Holybro Pixhawk 5X

FMUv5X — STM32F765, modular design, triple IMU, dual barometer, high redundancy.

Holybro Pixhawk 4

FMUv5 — STM32F765, wide peripheral support, common beginner and mid-range platform.

CUAV Pixhawk V6X

FMUv6X — triple IMU, dual barometer, integrated vibration isolation, Ethernet support.

​
Manufacturer-supported boards

These manufacturers maintain their own PX4 ports and are responsible for keeping their boards tested with each PX4 release. The PX4 core team does not directly validate them.

CubePilot Cube Orange+

Triple-redundant IMU, vibration-isolated IMU stack, widely used in commercial UAS. Runs FMUv3/FMUv5-class firmware.

ARK Electronics ARKV6X

FMUv6X, DroneCAN-native design targeting swarm and autonomous delivery applications.

CUAV X7 / X7 Pro

FMUv5X-class, triple IMU, CAN, large carrier board ecosystem, popular in Chinese commercial UAS.

Holybro Durandal

FMUv5 (Cortex-M7), carrier-board-compatible, triple IMU with hardware vibration isolation.

ModalAI VOXL 2

Qualcomm QRB5165 companion + PX4, integrated cameras and AI compute for autonomous flight.

mRo Pixhawk

FMUv3, long-production-run board with strong aftermarket accessory support.
Manufacturer-supported boards may not receive the same depth of regression testing as Pixhawk Standard boards. Confirm your manufacturer’s PX4 version compatibility before updating firmware.

​
Experimental boards

Experimental boards have community-contributed ports that are not actively maintained by a manufacturer or the PX4 core team. They are suitable for research and prototyping, but you should expect rough edges. Examples include boards from Bitcraze (Crazyflie), Emlid (Navio2 on Raspberry Pi), Espressif (ESP32-based targets), and several university-developed platforms under boards/hkust/ and boards/scumaker/.
Do not use experimental boards in vehicles carrying passengers or flying over populated areas. These ports may lack safety-critical features like hardware failsafe or redundant sensors.

​
FMU version reference

Every Pixhawk-series board is built on one of the open FMU hardware designs. Boards sharing the same FMU version are binary-compatible — they run identical firmware.
VersionProcessorFlashRepresentative boards
FMUv2STM32F427VI1 MBPixhawk 1 (discontinued)
FMUv3STM32F427VI2 MBHex Cube Black, CUAV Pixhack v3, mRo Pixhawk
FMUv2 firmware is limited to 1 MB of flash. Many modules are disabled by default and some parameters may be missing. Prefer FMUv3 or later for new builds.

​
Selecting a board

Start with a Pixhawk Standard board such as the Holybro Pixhawk 6X (FMUv6X) or Holybro Pixhawk 6C (FMUv6C). QGroundControl detects these boards automatically and flashes the correct firmware without manual intervention.
The CubePilot Cube Orange+ and CUAV X7 both offer large carrier board ecosystems with additional IO, redundant power inputs, and breakout connectors. These are popular for commercial UAS.
The ModalAI VOXL 2 integrates a Qualcomm QRB5165 alongside PX4 for AI-assisted flight. Alternatively, pair any Pixhawk board with a companion computer over MAVLink or ROS 2.
Look through boards/ in the PX4-Autopilot repository for an existing port that uses the same MCU family as your hardware. Starting from a close match significantly reduces porting effort.
QGroundControl automatically downloads and flashes the correct firmware for any Pixhawk Standard board. You do not need to know the FMU version to update a standard board.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us