What you will need

  • A base station computer with QGroundControl installed

  • An initialized Flight Controller running PX4 with the parameters already loaded

  • ESCs already flashed with Bluejay

  • A charged drone battery

  • A USB to USB-C cable with data

What you will get

  • An initialized Flight Controller running PX4 with the parameters already loaded

Flight Controller Configuration#

In the previous step we have prepared the flight controller (FC) for configuration by flashing the bootloader and installing PX4. It is now time to access the FC and configure it for the specifics of the Duckiedrone (DD24-B).

By following these steps, you will be able to install QGroundControl, connect to your flight controller over USB, and configure your vehicle’s parameters from a Duckietown preset parameters file.

Attention

Before you begin, remove the propellers and disconnect the battery from the drone.

Installing QGroundControl#

  • Go to the QGroundControl website and download the installer for your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux).

  • Follow the installation instructions for your OS:

    • Windows: Run the installer and follow the prompts.

    • macOS: Download the .dmg file, open it, and drag the QGroundControl icon into your Applications folder.

    • Linux: Follow the package manager or AppImage instructions provided on the QGroundControl download page.

  • Once installed, launch QGroundControl.

Connecting to the Flight Controller#

Connect to Your Vehicle over USB:

  • Connect a USB-C cable from your computer to the flight controller.

  • Open QGroundControl on your computer.

  • QGroundControl auto-detects the flight controller over USB and connects automatically.

  • Wait for a few moments; the top toolbar should show the vehicle as connected, then arrive at this summary page.

../_images/qgc-vehicle-setup.png

  • Here you can see many sections such as Airframe and Sensors are red, indicating that they need to be configured.

Load the preconfigured parameters set#

  1. Open Parameters and load the .params file:

    Important

    Import exactly this file: _static/duckiedrone-px4-v2.params

    • Click the Parameters tab from the left panel to view the configurable parameters for your vehicle.

    • In the Parameters screen, click on the Tools menu in the top right corner.

    • Select Load from file for review… from the dropdown menu.

    • Browse to the location of your .params file on your computer, select it, and click Open.

    • QGroundControl will load and apply the parameters from the file to your vehicle. There should be no errors during this step.

Reboot the vehicle#

  • After loading the parameters, it is usually necessary to reboot the flight controller for changes to take effect.

  • You can reboot the vehicle by selecting Reboot Vehicle from the Tools menu.

  • After rebooting, reconnect to the vehicle. You will then see a summary page similar to the one below:

../_images/qgc-summary-post-params.png

Note

The shipped param file sets EKF2_EV_CTRL = 0 so the EKF does not try to fuse vision before a VIO is online. Once a VIO publishes VISION_POSITION_ESTIMATE / ODOMETRY over MAVLink, raise EKF2_EV_CTRL to 7 (fuse vision pos + vel) or 15 (also fuse vision yaw — recommended on this magless airframe).

Note

The Radio page will stay red — this is expected. The Duckiedrone has no RC transmitter; the flight controller is commanded over MAVLink from the Raspberry Pi, so no radio configuration is needed.

Additional Tips#

  • Check for Errors: The duckiedrone-px4-v2.params file loads cleanly in a single pass. If QGroundControl reports any parameter failing to load, you are on the wrong firmware build or using an outdated param file.

  • On-board calibration is mandatory: the shipped .params file deliberately omits all CAL_* (accelerometer/gyro calibration) entries because those are tied to a specific board’s sensor IDs. Run the Sensors calibration in QGroundControl on the actual flight controller after loading the parameters.

Troubleshooting#

Troubleshooting

SYMPTOM

I am having issues following the instructions!

RESOLUTION

We’re happy to help and hear your feedback! Please post a question on our Stack Overflow. You can find the instructions on how to join it here.

You can also contact us via Slack in the following channel: duckietown-sky-help