Skip to main content

Reference Hardware

This page describes a conceptual hardware stack that the FleetCore onboard agent is designed towards.

Flight Platform​

Holybro X500 v2 PX4 Development Kit​

The X500 v2 is the reference airframe for FleetCore drone units. It ships as a complete kit including the Pixhawk 6C flight controller, motors, ESCs, and frame.

  • Airframe: X500 v2 quadcopter (500mm wheelbase)
  • Flight Controller: Pixhawk 6C (PX4 stack)
  • Communication: MAVSDK over UART/USB serial to companion computer

Companion Computer​

Raspberry Pi 5​

The onboard agent runs on the Raspberry Pi 5, acting as the bridge between the PX4 flight controller, AWS IoT Core, and the video streaming pipeline.

  • Recommended config: 8GB RAM
  • OS: Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)
  • Interfaces used:
    • UART (flight controller)
    • CSI-2 (camera), USB-C (power)

Connectivity​

Sixfab 5G Development Kit​

Provides cellular connectivity for telemetry uplink and IoT Core communication in the field, where Wi-Fi infrastructure is unavailable.

  • Form factor: Raspberry Pi HAT (compatible with Pi 5 via USB 3.0)
  • Modem: Quectel RM502Q-AE
  • Connectivity: 5G Sub-6GHz / 4G LTE-A fallback
  • Antennas: Internal antenna design

Camera​

Raspberry Pi HQ Camera (IMX477)​

The recommended imaging sensor for survey operations. Native CSI-2 connection to the Pi 5 ensures low-latency capture and full compatibility with the GStreamer pipeline used by the onboard agent.

  • Sensor: Sony IMX477, 12.3MP
  • Interface: CSI-2 (direct Pi 5 connection)
  • Lens: 6mm wide-angle CS-mount (recommended for aerial coverage)
  • Driver support: libcamera, GStreamer libcamerasrc

Full Bill of Materials​

ComponentModelRoleEst. Price (USD)
Airframe & FCHolybro X500 v2 PX4 Dev KitFlight platform~$508
Companion ComputerRaspberry Pi 5 (8GB)Onboard agent host~$80
Cellular HATSixfab 5G Development KitField connectivity~$195
CameraRaspberry Pi HQ Camera + 6mm lensSurvey imaging & WebRTC stream~$75
Total~$858