Inside the Pixhawk®​ 6X, you can find an STMicroelectronics​® based STM32H753, paired with sensor technology from Bosch®​​, InvenSense®​,​ giving you flexibility and reliability for controlling any autonomous vehicle, suitable for both academic and commercial applications.

The Pixhawk® 6X’s H7 microcontroller contain the Arm® Cortex®-M7 core running up to 480 MHz, has 2MB flash memory and 1MB RAM. The PX4 Autopilot takes advantage of the increased power and RAM. Thanks to the updated processing power, developers can be more productive and efficient with their development work, allowing for complex algorithms and models.

The FMUv6X open standard includes high-performance, low-noise IMUs on board, designed for better stabilization. Triple redundant IMU & double redundant barometer on separate buses. When the PX4 Autopilot detects a sensor failure, the system seamlessly switches to another to maintain flight control reliability.

An independent LDO powers every sensor set with independent power control. A vibration isolation System to filter out high-frequency vibration and reduce noise to ensure accurate readings, allowing vehicles to reach better overall flight performances.

External sensor bus (SPI5) has two chip select lines and data-ready signals for additional sensors and payload with SPI-interface, and with an integrated Microchip Ethernet PHY, high-speed communication with mission computers via ethernet is now possible.

The Pixhawk®​ 6X is perfect for developers at corporate research labs, startups, academics (research, professors, students), and commercial application.

Key Design Points

• High performance STM32H753 Processor

• Modular flight controller: separated IMU, FMU, and Base system connected by a 100-pin & a 50-pin Pixhawk®​ Autopilot Bus connector.

• Redundancy: 3x IMU sensors & 2x Barometer sensors on separate buses

• Triple redundancy domains: Completely isolated sensor domains with separate buses and separate power control

• Newly designed vibration isolation system to filter out high frequency vibration and reduce noise to ensure accurate readings

• Ethernet interface for high-speed mission computer integration

• IMUs are temperature-controlled by onboard heating resistors, allowing optimum working temperature of IMUs

Processors & Sensors

• FMU Processor: STM32H753

  • 32 Bit Arm® Cortex®-M7, 480MHz, 2MB flash memory, 1MB RAM

• IO Processor: STM32F103

  • 32 Bit Arm® Cortex®-M3, 72MHz, 64KB SRAM

• • Accel/Gyro: 3x ICM-45686 (with BalancedGyro™ Technology)

  • Barometer: ICP20100 & BMP388

  • Mag: BMM150

• • Accel/Gyro: BMI088/ICM-20649

  • Accel/Gyro: ICM-42688-P

  • Accel/Gyro: ICM-42670-P

  • Barometer: 2x BMP388

  • Mag: BMM150

Electrical data

• Voltage Ratings:

  • Max input voltage: 6V

  • USB Power Input: 4.75~5.25V

  • Servo Rail Input: 0~36V

• Current Ratings:

  • Telem1 output current limiter: 1.5A

  • All other port combined output current limiter: 1.5A

Mechanical data

• Dimensions

  • Flight Controller Module: 38.8 x 31.8 x 14.6mm

  • Standard Baseboard: 52.4 x 103.4 x 16.7mm

  • Mini Baseboard: 43.4 x 72.8 x 14.2 mm

• Weight

  • Flight Controller Module: 23g

  • Standard Baseboard: 51g

  • Mini Baseboard: 26.5g

Interfaces

• 16- PWM servo outputs with hardware switchable 3.3V or 5V signal mode (requires base board modification)

• R/C input for Spektrum / DSM

• Dedicated R/C input for PPM and S.Bus input

• Dedicated analog / PWM RSSI input and S.Bus output

• 4 general purpose serial ports

  • 3 with full flow control

  • 1 with separate 1.5A current limit (Telem1)

  • 1 with I2C and additional GPIO line for external NFC reader

• 2 GPS ports

  • 1 full GPS plus Safety Switch Port

  • 1 basic GPS port

• 1 I2C port

• 1 Ethernet port

  • 100Mbps

• 1 SPI bus

  • 2 chip select lines

  • 2 data-ready lines

  • 1 SPI SYNC line

  • 1 SPI reset line

• 2 CAN Buses for CAN peripheral

  • CAN Bus has individual silent controls or ESC RX-MUX control

• 2 Power input ports with SMBus

  • 1 AD & IO port

  • 2 additional analog input

  • 1 PWM/Capture input

  • 2 Dedicated debug and GPIO lines

Other Characteristics

• Operating temperature: -40 ~ 85°c

Welcome to Holybro Official Documentation.

This documentation will help you understand Holybro's official product introduction, technical specifications, pinout, tutorials, assembly, etc. If you have any comments or suggestions on our documentation, please send an email to Support@holybro.com

Thank you

Weight

• Without Jetson and Flight Controller: 85g

• With Jetson, no Heatsink or Flight Controller: 110g

• With Jetson and Heatsink, no Flight Controller: 175g

• With Jetson, Heatsink, and Pixhawk 6X Flight Controller: 185g

• With Jetson, Heatsink, Pixhawk 6X Flight Controller, M.2 SSD, M.2 Wi-Fi Module: 190g

Dimensions

(Unit in millimeter)

• Without Jetson and FC Module: 126 x 80 x 22.9mm

• With Jetson Orin NX + Heatsink/Fan & FC Module: 126 x 80 x 38.6mm

FC Module Only

Standard Baseboard v2A

Mini Baseboard

Standard Baseboard v1

Rev3 & 4

Standard Baseboard

Mini Baseboard

Rev 8 (ICM-45686) Version

Support in PX4 1.14.3 release and later.

Supported in 4.5.0 stable release and later.

Rev 3/4 Version

Supported in Ardupilot 4.2.3 stable release and later.

Pixhawk Baseboard Reference and Downloads

Pixhawk 6X Module CAD File

Key Design Point

• High-performance ADIS16470 Industrial IMU with high accelerometer dynamic range (±40 g), perfect for accurate motion sensing in demanding UAV applications

• All New advanced durable vibration isolation material with resonance frequency in the higher spectrum, ideal for industrial and commercial drone applications

• High performance STM32H753 Processor

• Ethernet interface for high-speed mission computer integration

Features

• Triple redundant IMU & double redundant barometer on separate buses

• Modular flight controller: separated IMU, FMU, and Base system

• Safety-driven design incorporates sensors from different manufacturers and model lineups

• Independent LDO powers every sensor set with independent power control.

• Temperature-controlled IMU board, allowing optimum working temperature of IMUs

Processors & Sensors

• FMU Processor: STM32H753

  • 32 Bit Arm® Cortex®-M7, 480MHz, 2MB flash memory, 1MB RAM

• IO Processor: STM32F103

  • 32 Bit Arm® Cortex®-M3, 72MHz, 64KB SRAM

• On-board sensors

  • Accel/Gyro: ADIS16470 (±40g, Vibration Isolated, Industrial IMU)

  • Accel/Gyro: IIM-42652 (±16g, Vibration Isolated, Industrial IMU)

  • Accel/Gyro: ICM-45686 with BalancedGyro™ Technology (±32g, Hard Mounted)

  • Barometer: ICP20100

  • Barometer: BMP388

  • Mag: BMM150

Electrical data

• Voltage Ratings:

  • Max input voltage: 6V

  • USB Power Input: 4.75~5.25V

  • Servo Rail Input: 0~36V

• Current Ratings:

  • Telem1 output current limiter: 1.5A

  • All other port combined output current limiter: 1.5A

Mechanical data

• Dimensions

  • Flight Controller Module: 38.8 x 31.8 x 30.1mm

  • Standard Baseboard: 52.4 x 103.4 x 16.7mm

  • Mini Baseboard: 43.4 x 72.8 x 14.2 mm

• Weight

  • Flight Controller Module: 50g

  • Standard Baseboard: 51g

  • Mini Baseboard: 26.5g

Interfaces

• 16- PWM servo outputs with hardware switchable 3.3V or 5V signal mode (requires base board modification)

• R/C input for Spektrum / DSM

• Dedicated R/C input for PPM and S.Bus input

• Dedicated analog / PWM RSSI input and S.Bus output

• 4 general-purpose serial ports

  • 3 with full flow control

  • 1 with separate 1.5A current limit (Telem1)

  • 1 with I2C and additional GPIO line for external NFC reader

• 2 GPS ports

  • 1 full GPS plus Safety Switch Port

  • 1 basic GPS port

• 1 I2C port

• 1 Ethernet port

  • 100Mbps

• 1 SPI bus

  • 2 chip select lines

  • 2 data-ready lines

  • 1 SPI SYNC line

  • 1 SPI reset line

• 2 CAN Buses for CAN peripheral

  • CAN Bus has individual silent controls or ESC RX-MUX control

• 2 Power input ports with SMBus

  • 1 AD & IO port

  • 2 additional analog input

  • 1 PWM/Capture input

  • 2 Dedicated debug and GPIO lines

Other Characteristics

• Operating temperature: -40 ~ 85°c

PX4 Autopilot

If you are using PX4 Autopilot, please refer to the PX4 user guide page for additional information.

Ardupilot

If you are using PX4 Autopilot, please refer to the PX4 user guide page for additional information.

Pixhawk 6X Pro is supported on Master/Main or PX4 1.14.3 release and later. PX4 Firmware Target: FMUv6x

Power1 (Main) & Power2 Port (Backup) (2.00mm Pitch CLIK-Mate)

Telem1, Telem2, Telem3 ports

GPS 1 Port

GPS 2 Port

CAN1, CAN2 ports

Uart4 & I2C port

SPI Port

USB Port

I2C Port

ETH Port

AD&IO Port

AUX & RSSI

RC IN Port

IO Debug Port (JST-SH 1mm Pitch)

DSM RC Port (JST-ZH 1.5mm Pitch)

IO Debug Port (JST-SH 1mm Pitch)

FMU Debug Port (JST-SH 1mm Pitch)

FMU PWM OUT (AUX OUT)

I/O PWM OUT (MAIN OUT)

Pixhawk Baseboard Reference and Downloads

Pixhawk 6X Pro Module CAD File

Power1 Port (2.00mm Pitch CLIK-Mate)

Telem1, Telem2 ports

GPS 1 Port

GPS 2 Port

CAN1 port

I2C Port

Eth Port

DSM RC Port (JST-ZH 1.5mm Pitch)

SBUS RC port

IO Debug Port (JST-SH 1mm Pitch)

FMU Debug Port (JST-SH 1mm Pitch)

FMU PWM OUT (AUX OUT)

I/O PWM OUT (MAIN OUT)

Power1 (Main) & Power2 Port (Backup) (2.00mm Pitch CLIK-Mate)

Telem1, Telem2, Telem3 ports

GPS 1 Port

GPS 2 Port

CAN1, CAN2 ports

Uart4 & I2C port

SPI Port

USB Port

I2C Port

ETH Port

AD&IO Port

DSM RC Port (JST-ZH 1.5mm Pitch)

RC IN Port

IO Debug Port (JST-SH 1mm Pitch)

FMU Debug Port (JST-SH 1mm Pitch)

RSSI Port

FMU PWM OUT (AUX OUT)

I/O PWM OUT (MAIN OUT)

Features

• Fully compatible with Jetson Orin NX/Nano

• Combines the power of Pixhawk & Jetson in a small form factor

• Jetson & Autopilot are connected via UART, CAN, and Ethernet Switch

Jetson Orin NX/Nano Connectors

• Gigabit Ethernet

  • Connected to both Jetson & Autopilot via Ethernet Switch (RTL8367S) - 8-pin JST-GH - RJ45

    • Ethernet port & switch powered by circuit as the Pixhawk

  • 8-pin JST-GH

  • RJ45

• 2x MIPI CSI Camera Inputs

  • 4 Lanes each

  • 22-Pin Raspberry Pi Cam FFC

• 2x USB 3.2 Host Port

  • USB A

  • 1.5A Current Limit

• 2x USB 2.0 Host Port

  • 5-Pin JST-GH

  • 1.0A Current Limit

• USB 2.0 for Programming/debugging

  • USB-C

• M.2 Key M 2242/2280 for NVMe SSD

  • PCIEx4

• M.2 Key E 2230 for WiFi/BT

  • PCIEx2

  • USB

  • UART

  • I2S

• Mini HDMI Out

• 4x GPIO

  • 6-pin JST-GH

• CAN Port

  • Connected to Autopilot’s CAN2 (4 Pin JST-GH)

• SPI Port

  • 7-Pin JST-GH

• I2C Port

  • 4-Pin JST-GH

• I2S Port

  • 7-Pin JST-GH

• 2x UART Port

  • 1 for debug

  • 1 connected to Autopilot’s telem2

• Fan Power Port

  • Current limit 0.35A

• IIM42652 IMU

• Input Power

  • XT30 Connector

  • Voltage Rating: 7V-24V (2S-5S)

  • Separate input power circuits than the Autopilot to ensure flight safety

  • Holybro UBEC can be used for application above 4S

  • Note: The Pixhawk Jetson Baseboard has an integrated UBEC to convert 7V-24V to 5.0V for the Jetson. Using an external UBEC alongside the integrated one provides redundancy and easier replacement in case of BEC failure.

• Power Requirements

  • Depends on Usage and Peripherals, mininum ~15-30watt

Autopilot Flight Controller Connectors

• Pixhawk Autopilot Bus Interface - 100 Pin Hirose DF40 - 50 Pin Hirose DF40
• Redundant Digital Power Module Inputs

  • I2C Power Monitor Support

  • 2x – 6 Pin Molex CLIK-Mate

  • Power Path Selector w/ Overvoltage Protection

• Voltage Ratings:

  • Max input voltage: 6V

  • USB Power Input: 4.75~5.25V

• 2 GPS Port

  • GPS1 - GPS Plus Safety Switch Port (10-Pin JST-GH)

  • GPS2 - basic GPS Port (6-pin JST-GH)

• 2x CAN Ports

  • 4 Pin JST-GH

• 3x Telemetry Ports with Flow Control

  • 2x 6-Pin JST-GH

  • 1 is connected to Jetson’s UART1 Port

• 16 PWM Outputs

  • 2x 10-Pin JST-GH

• UART4 & I2C Port

  • 6-Pin JST-GH

• Gigabit Ethernet port

  • Connected to both Jetson & Autopilot via Ethernet Switch (RTL8367S)

  • 8-pin JST-GH

  • RJ45

• AD & IO

  • 8-Pin JST-GH

• USB 2.0

  • USB-C

  • 4-pin JST-GH

• DSM Input

  • 3-pin JST-ZH 1.5mm Pitch

• RC in

  • PPM/SBUS

  • 5-pin JST-GH

• SPI Port

  • External Sensor Bus (SPI5aut

  • 11-Pin JST-GH

• 2x Debug Port

  • 1 for FMU

  • 1 for IO

  • 10-Pin JST-SH

• Current Ratings:

  • Telem1 output current limiter: 1.5A

  • All other port combined output current limiter: 1.5A

Block Diagram

Reference Wiring Diagram

The newest batch of Pixhawk baseboard V2 now supports switchable PWM signal voltage (3.3V or 5V). The modification requires the user to open the casing of the Pixhawk flight controller and be familiar with soldering.

For V2A RC12 & V2B RC02

To switch the PWM signal voltage, bridge the 3v3 or 5v soldering pads on the PCB by applying solder on the pads. Make sure the unused pads are cleaned and not shorted.

Pixhawk baseboard V2-A and V2-B have slightly different PCB designs. Follow the red square in the diagram below to locate the PWM voltage select soldering pad.

For V2A RC13 & V2B RC03

A newer design that provides a more stable voltage signal and easier modding process is currently available.

Find the JP1 on the PCB (default with no resistor soldered at the location), leave the spot empty for 3.3V signal voltage, and short the two soldering pads for 5V.

Two methods to flash the board:

SDK Manager:

Note: Keep it in mind that at the time of writing this document, we chose to install Jetpack 5.1.2.

Command Line:

CAN2 on the basboard is conneted internally to both FCU and Jetson module. The basics could be implemented from Nvidia user guide:

However, you could follow the below quick commands might make you able to loopback test the CAN connection between Jetson module and FCU on Jetson's terminal:

sudo modprobe mttcan
sudo ip link set can0 type can bitrate 500000 loopback on
sudo ip link set can0 up
candump can0 &
cansend can0 123#abcdabcd

The last command has to have the following output if can is running OK:

  can0  123   [4]  AB CD AB CD
  can0  123   [4]  AB CD AB CD

Popular cameras supported out of the box include IMX219 camera modules such as Raspberry Pi Camera Module V2. For theCSI camera basically you could benefit from Nvidia guide

Holybro Jetson carrier board can have two CSI cameras connected. To give a short intro you can try the following commands in terminal in case you carrier board is connected to a display screen:

nvgstcapture-1.0

To open the capture on a specific cam you can pass the following (assuming we want to test cam1 on Orin_camera 1):

nvgstcapture-1.0 sensor-id=1

Power 1 (Main), Power 2 Ports

(2.00mm Pitch CLIK-Mate)

Tel1, Tel3 Ports

CAN1, CAN2 Ports

GPS1 Port

GPS2 Port

UART4 & I2C Port

(also shown as UART&I2C on some board)

SPI Port

FMU USB Port

I2C Port

ETH-P1 Port

IO Debug Port

(JST-SH 1mm Pitch)

FMU Debug port

(JST-SH 1mm Pitch)

AD&IO port

DSM RC Port

(JST-ZH 1.5mm Pitch)

RC IN Port

SBUS Out Port

FMU PWM OUT (AUX OUT)

IO PWM OUT (MAIN OUT)

Orin USB2.0 Port

Orin Debug

(JST-SH 1mm Pitch)

Orin I2C Port

Orin GPIO Port

Orin Camera0 Port

Camera Serial Interface (CSI)

Orin Camera1 Port

Camera Serial Interface (CSI)

Orin SPI Port

Orin I2S Port