Pixhawk or the new navigator for research

[J.Garcia (Julián)]

Hi, I’m collaborating in a research group and currently we are working in a project with multiple BlueROVs. We are interested in buying another one but realised that now the flight controller is different.

For our tasks we are using the companion computer to run other software. Would it be possible to do the same with the Navigator Flight Controller? or it is better to buy the old trusty pixhawk?

Thanks in advance.

[EliotBR (Eliot)]

Hi @J.Garcia,

@J.Garcia

For our tasks we are using the companion computer to run other software.

Out of interest, what kind of “other software” are you using? BlueOS is built in a modular way that’s much more extensible than the old Companion Software, so porting over your extra software as an Extension may improve the robustness of future changes, and make it easier to transfer across your vehicles.

We’re in the process of writing documentation about the new Extensions Manager and how best to go about making an Extension, but there are already some useful extensions available, as well as some examples.

@J.Garcia

Would it be possible to do the same with the Navigator Flight Controller?

@EliotBR

The Navigator provides sensors, outputs, and ports, but is not an independent flight controller board - the actual autopilot firmware runs on the Raspberry Pi as part of BlueOS, and the Companion Software is not set up to do that. The Companion Software was also only designed for the Raspberry Pi 3B, so cannot operate on a Raspberry Pi 4B without some changes to the code and libraries it uses.

@J.Garcia

… or it is better to buy the old trusty pixhawk?

A new BlueROV2 comes with a Raspberry Pi 4B running BlueOS. If you swapped out the Navigator for a Pixhawk BlueOS would still be able to use it, but if you want to use the existing Companion Software you’ll need to also swap out the Raspberry Pi 4B for a 3B instead.