Example Parameters for PX4 Main

Draft. An example for the case study only. Valid only for PX4 main at commit 5f429033bf and the PR 29368 branch on 2026-10-22.

Written by Max GardenswartzUpdated 2026-10-22Autonomy Park

At a glance

The parameter reference produced by the porting case study. It is an example of the result, not a template to load on a real Homebrew.

Example Only: Do Not Load These on a Homebrew

These parameters were made for PX4 main at commit 5f429033bf and the open PR #29368 branch, tested on 2026-10-22. Loading them on 1.16.2 or on any stable release can set parameters that do not exist, or that mean something different. The parameters to use on the fleet are in Parameters.

The matching file is example-parameters-px4-main.params. It is also an example only. The method is in Case Study: Porting the Homebrew Parameters to PX4 Main.

Reference: PX4 main at commit 5f429033bf (2026-10-22, the 1.19 development line), with the open pull request #29368 (RTCM corrections over uXRCE-DDS) as the branch under test. This is the main-line port of the v1.16.2 version of this document; the case study shows how it was made. "Default" means the main metadata default plus the CubePilot Cube Orange board defaults (rc.board_defaults), the multicopter defaults in rc.mc_defaults (which overrides RTL_RETURN_ALT and RTL_DESCEND_ALT and sets MAV_TYPE), and the Generic Quadcopter airframe defaults (4001_quad_x, which sets the CA_ROTOR* positions). None of those layered defaults changed from 1.16.2 for the parameters in this document.

Warning

Do not use this for porting to 1.18.0 or any other stable release. Main differs from release/1.18 (for example GNSS_CHECK, GNSS_REQ_* and SENS_GNSS0_* exist only on main; release/1.18 still has EKF2_GPS_CHECK, EKF2_REQ_* and SENS_GPS0_*). Regenerate this document against the target release.

Legend: ✅ = matches the multicopter default, ❌ = differs from the multicopter default.

BAT: Battery

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
BAT1_CAPACITY	-1	Disabled	✅	Default −1 (unknown). Left disabled so remaining charge is estimated from voltage only. The current sensor is not working, so coulomb counting would integrate invalid current. Set to 16000 mAh (all Homebrew batteries) once current sensing is verified.
BAT1_I_OVERWRITE	0 A	Idle-current overwrite disabled	✅	Default 0 (disabled, the measured current is used).
BAT1_N_CELLS	6	6S battery	❌	Default 0 (unknown). Should be set by the user to match the battery.
BAT1_R_INTERNAL	−1 Ω	Use the online estimate	✅	Default −1 (use the online estimate). Left at default because the current sensor is not working, and both the sag compensation and the online estimate need valid current. The PX4 parameter description says this is per cell.
BAT1_SOURCE	0	Battery 1 read from the power module	✅	Default 0 (labelled "Power Module / Analog" on main, "Power Module" in 1.16.2). The other options are 1 (External, from MAVLink battery status messages) and 2 (ESCs, taken from the esc_status message, which per the v1.16.2 description requires the ESCs to report both voltage and current). PX4 currently cannot read the current from the PDB. Max thinks setting this to 2 might fix that, but this is not verified, and since the notes for COM_ARM_CHK_ESCS say these ESCs do not support telemetry, it may not be possible at all. Requires reboot.
BAT1_V_CHARGED	4.2 V	4.2 V per cell when full	✅	Default 4.2 V on main (4.05 V in 1.16.2). The old 4.05 V was a deliberate workaround: the voltage is read from a quadcopter drawing about 5 A, and battery sag makes a full 4.2 V cell read about 4.05 V. Main changed the default and dropped the 1.16.2 description's advice to set this below 4.2 V; Max decided to trust the new default. Remaining charge is a linear interpolation between BAT1_V_EMPTY and BAT1_V_CHARGED (battery.cpp), so at the same measured voltage the estimate is now lower and every threshold below triggers at a higher voltage (more conservative; see BAT_LOW_THR, BAT_CRIT_THR, BAT_EMERGEN_THR, COM_ARM_BAT_MIN). The value also sets the over-voltage "spike" fault threshold (cells × BAT1_V_CHARGED × 1.05) and the battery scale used by MC_BAT_SCALE_EN (default 0, not set here).
BAT1_V_EMPTY	3.6 V	3.6 V per cell when empty	✅	Default 3.6 V. The PX4 LiPo default, defined as the per-cell voltage under load when the pack is effectively empty.
BAT2_A_PER_V	17	Battery 2 current scale at board default	✅	Default 17 (Cube Orange board default). Leave at default since there is no BAT2.
BAT2_CAPACITY	−1 mAh	Battery 2 capacity unknown	✅	Default −1. Leave at default since there is no BAT2.
BAT2_I_OVERWRITE	0 A	Idle-current overwrite disabled	✅	Default 0. Leave at default since there is no BAT2.
BAT2_N_CELLS	0	Cell count unknown	✅	Default 0. Leave at default since there is no BAT2.
BAT2_R_INTERNAL	−1 Ω	Use the online estimate	✅	Default −1. Leave at default since there is no BAT2.
BAT2_SOURCE	−1	Battery 2 disabled	✅	Default −1 (Disabled). Leave at default since there is no BAT2.
BAT2_V_CHANNEL	−1	Battery 2 voltage ADC channel at board default	✅	Default −1 (board default). Leave at default since there is no BAT2.
BAT2_V_CHARGED	4.2 V	4.2 V per cell when full	✅	Default 4.2 V (4.05 V in 1.16.2). Leave at default since there is no BAT2.
BAT2_V_DIV	10.1	Battery 2 voltage divider at board default	✅	Default 10.1 (Cube Orange board default). Leave at default since there is no BAT2.
BAT2_V_EMPTY	3.6 V	3.6 V per cell when empty	✅	Default 3.6 V. Leave at default since there is no BAT2.
BAT3_CAPACITY	−1 mAh	Battery 3 capacity unknown	✅	Default −1. Leave at default since there is no BAT3.
BAT3_N_CELLS	0	Cell count unknown	✅	Default 0. Leave at default since there is no BAT3.
BAT3_R_INTERNAL	−1 Ω	Use the online estimate	✅	Default −1. Leave at default since there is no BAT3.
BAT3_SOURCE	−1	Battery 3 disabled	✅	Default −1 (Disabled). Leave at default since there is no BAT3.
BAT3_V_CHARGED	4.2 V	4.2 V per cell when full	✅	Default 4.2 V (4.05 V in 1.16.2). Leave at default since there is no BAT3.
BAT3_V_EMPTY	3.6 V	3.6 V per cell when empty	✅	Default 3.6 V. Leave at default since there is no BAT3.
BAT_AVRG_CURRENT	15 A	15 A expected in-flight current	✅	Default 15 A. Only used to initialize the in-flight average-current estimate, which feeds remaining-flight-time and RTL triggering.
BAT_CRIT_THR	0.25	Critical at 25% remaining	❌	Default 0.07. Triggers the critical-battery reaction (land) much earlier, so the Homebrew lands with a healthy reserve (about 3.75 V per cell with the linear 3.6–4.2 V mapping; 3.71 V in 1.16.2 with 4.05 V). Must stay below BAT_LOW_THR and above BAT_EMERGEN_THR. Units are normalized 0–1, not percent.
BAT_EMERGEN_THR	0.15	Emergency at 15% remaining	❌	Default 0.05. Immediate-landing level (about 3.69 V per cell with the linear 3.6–4.2 V mapping; 3.67 V in 1.16.2). Must stay below BAT_CRIT_THR.
BAT_LOW_THR	0.35	Low at 35% remaining	❌	Default 0.15. First warning level (about 3.81 V per cell with the linear 3.6–4.2 V mapping; 3.76 V in 1.16.2). Must stay above BAT_CRIT_THR.
BAT_V_OFFS_CURR	0	No current-sensor voltage offset	✅	Default 0. Offset in volts, as seen by the ADC input of the current sensor, subtracted before the battery current is computed from the voltage. It was in the 1.16.2 .params template but had no row in the 1.16.2 document and no reason was recorded; the value equals the default, so it is kept as is.

Note that BAT1_V_DIV and BAT1_A_PER_V are calibrated separately for every quadcopter!

On main only batteries 1 and 2 have BAT*_V_DIV, BAT*_A_PER_V and BAT*_V_CHANNEL, so those do not exist for battery 3. BAT*_I_CHANNEL no longer exists for any battery, and BAT*_I_OVERWRITE now exists for all three (in 1.16.2 battery 3 had no BAT3_I_OVERWRITE).

CA: Control Allocator

Positions are along the body X and Y axes, in metres, relative to the center of gravity. They describe the physical span of the airframe and are critical to the motor mixer and flight stability. The Generic Quadcopter airframe (4001_quad_x) sets them to ±1 m. The metadata default is 0.

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
CA_ROTOR0_PX	0.25 m	Rotor 0 at +0.25 m on X	❌	Default 1 m (airframe 4001). Physical span of the airframe.
CA_ROTOR0_PY	0.25 m	Rotor 0 at +0.25 m on Y	❌	Default 1 m (airframe 4001). Physical span of the airframe.
CA_ROTOR1_PX	−0.25 m	Rotor 1 at −0.25 m on X	❌	Default −1 m (airframe 4001). Physical span of the airframe.
CA_ROTOR1_PY	−0.25 m	Rotor 1 at −0.25 m on Y	❌	Default −1 m (airframe 4001). Physical span of the airframe.
CA_ROTOR2_PX	0.25 m	Rotor 2 at +0.25 m on X	❌	Default 1 m (airframe 4001). Physical span of the airframe.
CA_ROTOR2_PY	−0.25 m	Rotor 2 at −0.25 m on Y	❌	Default −1 m (airframe 4001). Physical span of the airframe.
CA_ROTOR3_PX	−0.25 m	Rotor 3 at −0.25 m on X	❌	Default −1 m (airframe 4001). Physical span of the airframe.
CA_ROTOR3_PY	0.25 m	Rotor 3 at +0.25 m on Y	❌	Default 1 m (airframe 4001). Physical span of the airframe.

COM: Commander

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
COM_ACT_FAIL_ACT	0	Warning only on actuator failure	✅	Default 0 (warning only). The action taken when the failure detector reports a failed actuator (motor); the other options are 1 Hold, 2 Land, 3 Return, and 4 Terminate. It only matters if the actuator failure check is enabled and configured through FD_ACT_EN and the MOTFAIL_* parameters (see the FD and MOTFAIL sections). Max is unsure whether this should be changed to Land (2) since the current sensor is not working, but he uses 0 and it has been fine.
COM_ARM_AUTH_MET	0	One-step arming	✅	Default 0 (one arm: request authorization and arm as soon as it is received). The alternative is 1 (two-step arm: the first arm command requests authorization and the second arms if it is authorized). It is only used when COM_ARM_AUTH_REQ is on, so it has no effect here.
COM_ARM_AUTH_REQ	0	No arm authorization required	✅	Default 0 (disabled). No authorization is required to arm other than the arm switch.
COM_ARM_BAT_MIN	0.50	Refuse to arm below 50% battery	❌	Default −1 (uses BAT_CRIT_THR). Prevents permanently damaging the battery through negligence. 0.50 corresponds to about 3.90 V per cell with the 3.6–4.2 V mapping (3.83 V in 1.16.2), so arming now needs a slightly fuller pack.
COM_ARM_CHK_ESCS	0	ESC arming checks disabled	✅	Default 0 (disabled). Enables checks of the ESCs' online status and failures. It is specific to ESCs that report telemetry and must only be enabled if the ESCs support it; these ESCs do not.
COM_ARM_HFLT_CHK	0	Disabled; allow arming even if hardfault files are on the SD card	❌	Default 1 (enabled). On main the check also covers watchdog dump files. Enabling means a failed USB connection prevents all further arming until you delete the logs from SD (via the NuttX terminal or taking the SD card out). Super annoying. Still needed on main as of 2026-10-22: PX4 issue #29346 (hardfault of the USB MAVLink task after arming following a USB unplug) is open at the time of writing, and Max reports it affects our board. The issue is filed against the Cube Orange+; its author says it is fixed on main by PRs #28185 and #28197, which was not verified here, so this stays 0 until a test confirms the problem is gone. Trade-off: with the check off the vehicle can arm after an accidental USB disconnect.
COM_ARM_MAG_STR	1	Deny arming on a magnetic disturbance	❌	Default 2 (warning only). Controls what happens when the estimator detects a strong magnetic disturbance, as checked according to EKF2_MAG_CHECK: 0 disabled, 1 deny arming, 2 warning only. Denying arming, not just warning, keeps a vehicle with a disturbed magnetometer on the ground.
COM_ARM_WO_GPS	0	Deny arming when the GNSS checks fail	❌	Default 1 ("Allow arming (with warning)"; called "Warning only" in 1.16.2). For an autonomous quadcopter, having no usable GPS should stop it from moving forward. These drones only ever fly outdoors. On main, 0 denies arming in all modes when a check enabled in GNSS_CHECK fails (reported as, for example, "Preflight: GPS fix too low"; estimatorCheck.cpp). The 1.16.2 text also said a global position estimate is required, which is why EKF2_HGT_REF must stay 1; that part was not re-checked on main. With GNSS_CHECK = 2047 and GNSS_REQ_FIX = 6 (see the GNSS section) arming is denied unless the receiver reports RTK fixed.
COM_ARMABLE	1	Arming allowed	✅	Default 1 (arming allowed). Set it to 0 to prevent arming entirely, for example for safety or maintenance reasons, so the vehicle cannot be used by accident.
COM_DISARM_LAND	2.0 s	2.0 s of successful landing detected	✅	Default 2.0 s. PX4 must detect that the vehicle is on the ground for this long before disarming the motors at the end of Land mode procedure.
COM_DISARM_PRFLT	10 s	Disarm after 10 s without takeoff	✅	Default 10 s. If the vehicle is armed and has not taken off within this time, it disarms again (a negative value disables this). The user has 10 s to act after arming.
COM_DL_LOSS_T	5 s	GCS connection counted as lost after 5 s	❌	Default 10 s. Tighter is better, and 10 s is too generous, especially for an autonomous quadcopter. Because NAV_DLL_ACT is set as 0 later, this value is ignored, but it's good to have.
COM_FAIL_ACT_T	5 s	Wait 5 s in Hold before a failsafe action	✅	Default 5 s. Before a failsafe action (Return, Land, or Hold) is executed, PX4 first waits this long in Hold mode so the user can realize something is wrong. During that time the pilot cannot take over with the stick override (MAN_OVERRIDE_SPD), although switching modes is still allowed; afterwards the configured action runs and the stick override works again. A value of 0 removes the delay. From the description it applies to the failsafes that are active here, such as RC loss (NAV_RCL_ACT) and offboard loss (COM_OBL_RC_ACT); the GCS-loss failsafe is disabled (NAV_DLL_ACT = 0), so it never starts this wait (my reading of the description; not tested). The stick-override part comes from the 1.16.2 description (COM_RC_OVERRIDE) and was not re-verified against the failsafe code on main, where the override is now MAN_OVERRIDE_SPD.
COM_FLT_TIME_MAX	−1 s	No maximum flight time	✅	Default −1 (disabled). When set, the vehicle aborts the current operation and returns to launch once the time since takeoff exceeds this value, with a warning every minute starting at 90 % of it. No maximum flight time is used; the battery thresholds limit the flight time instead.
COM_FLTMODE1	2	Slot 1: Position ("Position / Cruise" on main)	❌	Default −1 (unassigned). Necessary for using the Taranis QX7 remote specifically. With RC_MAP_FLTMODE the mode is picked by the range channel 5 is in, across six slots. A different RC would need a different scheme.
COM_FLTMODE2	1	Slot 2: Altitude	❌	Default −1 (unassigned). Same Taranis QX7 scheme.
COM_FLTMODE3	4	Slot 3: Hold	❌	Default −1 (unassigned). Same Taranis QX7 scheme.
COM_FLTMODE4	1	Slot 4: Altitude	❌	Default −1 (unassigned). Same Taranis QX7 scheme. Slots 2 and 4 are both Altitude.
COM_FLTMODE5	11	Slot 5: Land	❌	Default −1 (unassigned). Same Taranis QX7 scheme.
COM_FLTMODE6	8	Slot 6: Stabilized	❌	Default −1 (unassigned). Same Taranis QX7 scheme.
COM_FLTT_LOW_ACT	1	Warning when remaining flight time is low	✅	Default 1 (Warning) on main; the 1.16.2 default was 3 (Return), which is what this document used to use. The new default is accepted, so a drone that previously returned now only warns. Options: 0 None, 1 Warning, 3 Return. It should hardly ever matter since the Park is so small. What is critical is that the return heights stay below the net, which is covered by RTL_RETURN_ALT and RTL_DESCEND_ALT.
COM_HOME_EN	1	Home position set automatically	✅	Default 1 (enabled). PX4 sets the home position automatically when possible (per Max, on arm or boot). Requires reboot. Home cannot be reset without arming, which is one reason the geofence altitude limit is not used (see GF_MAX_VER_DIST).
COM_HOME_IN_AIR	0	Home is never set in the air	✅	Default 0 (disabled). If enabled, the autopilot may set its home position after takeoff (back-computed from the local position when one is available). Disabled so that home is never set while flying.
COM_LOW_BAT_ACT	2	Land mode	❌	Default 0 (Warning only). Land instead of just warning at critical battery. Option 4 (return at the critical level, terminate at the emergency level) is new on main and not used.
COM_OBL_RC_ACT	4	Land mode (on offboard loss)	❌	Default 0 (Position mode). Note: this is the offboard-loss action, not RC loss (see NAV_RCL_ACT).
COM_OF_LOSS_T	0.5	0.5 s offboard-loss timeout	❌	Default 1.0 s. Lowering makes crashes less likely during offboard network dropouts since the failsafe triggers faster. Too low may make this sensitive to network lag, but lower than 0.5 should be tested for feasibility.
COM_POS_FS_EPH	5 m	Failsafe above 5 m horizontal position error	✅	Default 5 m (−1 disables). The horizontal position error (EPH) above which PX4 triggers a failsafe; once the error has been below the threshold, a factor of 2.5 is applied before the position is invalidated. Kept at default because the offboard code should land, or refuse to arm, whenever the GPS fix type is not 6 (RTK fixed), long before PX4's own failsafe matters.
COM_POS_LOW_ACT	5	Land on a low position accuracy	❌	Default 3 (Return). The action taken when the position accuracy is worse than the COM_POS_LOW_EPH threshold (0 None, 1 Warning, 2 Hold, 3 Return, 4 Terminate, 5 Land). Set to Land so that a poor position estimate lands the vehicle instead of returning it. Per the v1.16.2 description the action is only executed in Mission or Hold (loiter) modes, and otherwise it is only a warning; while COM_POS_LOW_EPH is disabled it has no effect at all.
COM_POS_LOW_EPH	−1 m	Low accuracy failsafe disabled	✅	Default −1 (disabled). Threshold for COM_POS_LOW_ACT. The local position must still be valid for it to apply, which requires some velocity aiding or a large dead-reckoning time (EKF2_NOAID_TOUT), together with a high COM_POS_FS_EPH. No motivation to change.
COM_PREARM_MODE	0	Prearm state disabled	✅	Default 0 (disabled). The prearmed state is an intermediate state between disarmed and armed in which non-throttling actuators are active; the options are 0 disabled, 1 safety button, 2 always. The prearm feature is not used here. Option 1 is labelled "When safety off" on main.
COM_RC_IN_MODE	3	RC or MAVLink, keep first	✅	Default is 3 on main and in 1.16.2. Labelled "RC or MAVLink keep first until reboot" on main ("RC or Joystick keep first" in 1.16.2); "Joystick" is now "MAVLink" in the labels, and priority modes 5 to 8 are new.
COM_RC_LOSS_T	0.5 s	RC counted as lost after 0.5 s without input	✅	Default 0.5 s. Time without a new setpoint from the RC or a joystick after which the connection is considered lost. It must be short, because the vehicle keeps using the last supplied setpoint until the timeout triggers.
COM_RCL_EXCEPT	7	Mission, all auto modes, and Offboard	❌	Default 0 (no exceptions). Bitmask to specify where to ignore loss of manual control and not trigger the failsafe specified in NAV_RCL_ACT. The bits changed since 1.16.2: bit 0 Mission, bit 1 "Auto modes" (was Hold only; now Hold, Takeoff, Land, Return, Descend, Follow Target, Precland and Orbit), bit 2 Offboard, and new bits 3 (external mode) and 4 (altitude cruise). Value 7 therefore now also ignores RC loss during Takeoff, Land, Return and the other auto modes, not only Mission, Hold and Offboard. Required for multi-agent setups since we only have one RC, but consider reverting to default when testing single-agent; RC then becomes required again.
COM_SPOOLUP_TIME	1.0 s	1.0 s spool-up after arming	✅	Default 1.0 s. The minimum time from arming the motors until the vehicle can be moved: the motors and propellers spool up to idle before being commanded faster, and the ESCs and smart batteries have time for their failure checks. Commands to move the vehicle are not applied until this time has passed after arming. No motivation to change.
COM_VEL_FS_EVH	1 m/s	Failsafe above 1 m/s horizontal velocity error	✅	Default 1 m/s. The horizontal velocity error (EVH) above which PX4 triggers a failsafe, with the same factor of 2.5 between validating and invalidating as COM_POS_FS_EPH. No motivation to change.
COM_WIND_MAX	−1 m/s	High wind failsafe disabled	✅	Default −1 (disabled). The estimated wind speed above which the action in COM_WIND_MAX_ACT is triggered. No motivation to change; just do not fly in wind.
COM_WIND_MAX_ACT	0	No high wind action	✅	Default 0 (None). The action taken at COM_WIND_MAX (1 Warning, 2 Hold, 3 Return, 4 Terminate, 5 Land). No motivation to change.
COM_WIND_WARN	−1 m/s	Wind warning disabled	✅	Default −1 (disabled). When enabled, a warning is sent every minute while the estimated wind speed is above this value. No motivation to change.

EKF2: Estimator

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
EKF2_EV_CTRL	0	External vision fusion disabled	✅	Default 0. Only relevant if a motion-capture system outdoors or a computer-vision camera aids the position estimate. This quad and workspace has neither. The sample drone had 15 (all four bits: horizontal position, vertical position, 3D velocity, yaw); Max is surprised by that and does not know who set it. Per the v1.16 source this is not limited to mocap or cameras: it applies to any vision/odometry input PX4 receives (for example MAVLink VISION_POSITION_ESTIMATE or ODOMETRY, which a companion computer could send).
EKF2_EV_DELAY	0 ms	No external vision delay	✅	Default 0 ms. Delay of the external vision estimate relative to the IMU. Only relevant if a motion-capture system or a computer-vision camera aids PX4 in estimating pose and twist, which this vehicle does not use (EKF2_EV_CTRL = 0); RTK makes such sources likely unnecessary anyway. Requires reboot.
EKF2_EV_NOISE_MD	0	EV-reported variance	✅	Default 0 (the measurement noise comes from the vision message, with the EV noise parameters as a lower bound; 1 uses the noise parameters directly). Only relevant if a motion-capture system or a computer-vision camera aids PX4 in estimating pose and twist, which this vehicle does not use (EKF2_EV_CTRL = 0); RTK makes such sources likely unnecessary anyway.
EKF2_EV_POS_X	0.000 m	Vision sensor at the CG on X	✅	Default 0.0. Position of the vision sensor focal point in the body frame. Only relevant if a motion-capture system or a computer-vision camera aids PX4 in estimating pose and twist, which this vehicle does not use (EKF2_EV_CTRL = 0); RTK makes such sources likely unnecessary anyway.
EKF2_EV_POS_Y	0.000 m	Vision sensor at the CG on Y	✅	Default 0.0. Position of the vision sensor focal point in the body frame. Only relevant if a motion-capture system or a computer-vision camera aids PX4 in estimating pose and twist, which this vehicle does not use (EKF2_EV_CTRL = 0); RTK makes such sources likely unnecessary anyway.
EKF2_EV_POS_Z	0.000 m	Vision sensor at the CG on Z	✅	Default 0.0. Position of the vision sensor focal point in the body frame. Only relevant if a motion-capture system or a computer-vision camera aids PX4 in estimating pose and twist, which this vehicle does not use (EKF2_EV_CTRL = 0); RTK makes such sources likely unnecessary anyway.
EKF2_EV_QMIN	0	No minimum vision quality	✅	Default 0 (range 0 to 100). Minimum quality metric, an optional field some VIO systems provide, for external vision to be started and fused. Only relevant if a motion-capture system or a computer-vision camera aids PX4 in estimating pose and twist, which this vehicle does not use (EKF2_EV_CTRL = 0); RTK makes such sources likely unnecessary anyway.
EKF2_EVV_NOISE	0.1 m/s	Vision velocity noise 0.1 m/s	✅	Default 0.1 m/s. Measurement noise for vision velocity measurements, used to lower bound or replace the uncertainty in the message. No motivation to change, and it is not relevant without external vision such as mocap anyway.
EKF2_GPS_CTRL	7	Lon/lat + altitude + 3D velocity fusion	✅	Default 7. Dual-antenna heading (bit 3) stays off. Fusion also needs bit 0 of EKF2_SENS_EN (see below).
EKF2_HGT_REF	1	GPS is the height reference	✅	Default 1. This was contentious. The Astro's GPS vertical fix is much better than the Homebrew's, so without RTK the Homebrew tends to wander vertically when holding position in Position Mode (e.g., 0.5-1 m). Choosing 2 (range sensor) looks like a fix but makes global_position_invalid always true, so transitions into modes such as Hold are declined. This has the consequene that the drone gets stuck taking off (can never transition to Hold from Takeoff) or that it cannot land when using a ROS 2 teleop node if the code first dictates a transition to Hold mode. Hence: use RTK for better estimates and keep 1 so global_position_invalid stays false. (This is the lab's observation; I have not verified the global_position_invalid behaviour in the PX4 source. The source does say the range-sensor option should only be used over a flat surface, because the local NED origin then moves with ground level.)
EKF2_IMU_POS_X	0.0587 m	IMU 0.0587 m forward of CG	❌	Default 0.0. Max does not know who set this or where the value came from.
EKF2_IMU_POS_Y	0.000 m	IMU on centerline	✅	Default 0.0.
EKF2_IMU_POS_Z	0.000 m	IMU at CG height	✅	Default 0.0.
EKF2_MAG_CHECK	1	Magnetic field strength check only	✅	Default 1 (strength only). Bitmask of the checks that decide whether the magnetometer data is valid: bit 0 field strength (tolerance EKF2_MAG_CHK_STR, 0.2 gauss), bit 1 field inclination (EKF2_MAG_CHK_INC, 20 degrees), bit 2 wait for GNSS to provide the theoretical strength and inclination from the World Magnetic Model (WMM). If GNSS data is received the field is compared with the WMM, otherwise with an average value. The check is useful to reject occasional hard-iron disturbances, and with COM_ARM_MAG_STR = 1 a failed check denies arming. Max would enable all the checks (7), but everything works and he has never broken a magnetometer in a crash, so there is no motivation to move away from the default.
EKF2_MIN_RNG	0.01 m	Expected ground range 0.01 m	✅	Default 0.01 m on main (it became the default in 1.17.0; 1.16.2 had 0.1 m). The range finder reading the estimator assumes when the vehicle is on the ground and not moving, and the range finder returns invalid data or none, for example because it is inside its minimum measurement distance. The terrain estimator then still has a terrain height at the start of flight. Max applied 0.01 m (the lowest allowed value) early on 1.16.2 because he expected it to become the default; that is now confirmed in source.
EKF2_MULTI_IMU	3	Run 3 EKFs, one per IMU	❌	Default 0 (disabled). The flight controller has 3 IMUs inside, and letting PX4 pick the best estimate among them is a good idea. Requires SENS_IMU_MODE = 0. Requires reboot. PX4 only rewrites this value itself when it is outside 1 to 4 while SENS_IMU_MODE is 0.
EKF2_MULTI_MAG	0	Multi-EKF magnetometers disabled	✅	Default 0 (disabled). Maximum number of magnetometers to use for Multi-EKF; it requires SENS_MAG_MODE = 0 and a reboot. Left disabled because, unlike the IMUs, Max reports that the Cube does not have multiple magnetometers. The Here4 also provides a compass over DroneCAN (UAVCAN_SUB_MAG), so PX4 sees more than one. As far as I can tell, the sensors module chooses between them by priority and health (see the CAL_MAGn_PRIO parameters), not through UAVCAN_ENABLE. Max thinks both are reasonably accurate but is not sure which one is in use. If magnetometer issues appear, this is a good place to start.
EKF2_OF_CTRL	1	Optical flow fusion enabled	✅	Default is 1 in v1.16. Kept explicit so flow is always used. Flow data arrives over CAN (see UAVCAN_SUB_FLOW). Must match bit 2 of EKF2_SENS_EN: a source is fused only if its EKF2_SENS_EN bit and its own control parameter are both nonzero.
EKF2_OF_POS_X	0.04440 m	Flow sensor 0.0444 m forward of CG	❌	Default 0.0. Sensor mounting offset.
EKF2_OF_POS_Y	0.06670 m	Flow sensor 0.0667 m right of CG	❌	Default 0.0. Sensor mounting offset.
EKF2_OF_POS_Z	0.05080 m	Flow sensor 0.0508 m below CG	❌	Default 0.0. Sensor mounting offset.
EKF2_RNG_A_HMAX	5.0 m	Range aid up to 5.0 m height	✅	Default 5.0 m (range 1 to 10). Maximum height above ground for the conditional range aid (EKF2_RNG_CTRL = 1): above it the estimator stops fusing the range finder for height.
EKF2_RNG_A_VMAX	1.0 m/s	Range aid up to 1.0 m/s horizontal speed	✅	Default 1.0 m/s (range 0.1 to 2). Maximum horizontal speed for the conditional range aid (EKF2_RNG_CTRL = 1): above it the estimator stops fusing the range finder for height.
EKF2_RNG_CTRL	1	Range finder enabled (conditional mode)	✅	Default 1. Range aiding is used at low speed and low altitude (takeoff/landing). Must match bit 9 of EKF2_SENS_EN (this parameter must stay 1 or 2 while that bit is set).
EKF2_RNG_POS_X	−0.00635 m	Rangefinder 0.00635 m behind CG	❌	Default 0.0. Sensor mounting offset.
EKF2_RNG_POS_Y	0.0539 m	Rangefinder 0.0539 m right of CG	❌	Default 0.0. Sensor mounting offset.
EKF2_RNG_POS_Z	0.114 m	Rangefinder 0.114 m below CG	❌	Default 0.0. Sensor mounting offset.
EKF2_SENS_EN	1797	GNSS 0, optical flow, barometer, range finder, magnetometer	❌	Default 8191 (all 13 sources). New on main: a bitmask of which sensor fusion sources are enabled, applied only while disarmed (EKF2::initFusionControl(); in flight use the MAVLink command or the individual *_CTRL parameters). A source is fused only if both its EKF2_SENS_EN bit and its own control parameter are nonzero (intended() = enabled && available, where available comes from EKF2_GPS_CTRL, EKF2_OF_CTRL, EKF2_RNG_CTRL, EKF2_BARO_CTRL, EKF2_MAG_TYPE and so on), so a mismatch silently disables a source. Bit map below. Value 1797 = 0b0011100000101. Not 1798: that string (0b0011100000110) clears bit 0 (GNSS 0 off) and sets bit 1 (GNSS 1 on).

EKF2_SENS_EN bit map for the Homebrew

Bit numbers and names are from the main module.yaml and the SensEn enum in EKF2.hpp.

Bit	Source	Set	Why
0	GNSS 0	1	The Here4. EKF2_GPS_CTRL is 7, so it matches.
1	GNSS 1	0	There is no second GPS and we do not want PX4 to think there is one. That GPS still loads and works with this bit off needs an in-person test.
2	Optical flow	1	Must match EKF2_OF_CTRL (1).
3	External vision	0	RTK is good enough that feeding PX4 e.g. on-board computer vision would only confuse it, and the Park has no mocap. Matches EKF2_EV_CTRL = 0.
4 to 7	Aux global position 0 to 3	0	Nothing like this on the vehicle.
8	Barometer	1	Very important source of height estimates. EKF2_BARO_CTRL is at its default of 1.
9	Range finder	1	Must match EKF2_RNG_CTRL being enabled (1 or 2). It is 1.
10	Magnetometer	1	Critical for estimation. EKF2_MAG_TYPE is at its default (Automatic).
11	Airspeed	0	Quadcopters, no airspeed sensor.
12	Ranging beacon	0	No ranging beacon.

Bits 0, 2, 8, 9 and 10 set: 1 + 4 + 256 + 512 + 1024 = 1797.

Max is not fully sure how this bitmask should be matched with EKF2_OF_CTRL and EKF2_RNG_CTRL. The source shows the AND behaviour described above, but how it plays out on the real vehicle is exactly what the test flight is for.

FD: Failure Detector

The actuator (motor) failure check moved into the ESC arming checks on main (escCheck.cpp). Its parameters were replaced: FD_ACT_MOT_C2T, FD_ACT_MOT_THR and FD_ACT_MOT_TOUT no longer exist and are superseded by MOTFAIL_C2T, MOTFAIL_OFF and MOTFAIL_TIME (no value migration). FD_ACT_EN still exists, but its default flipped from 1 to 0. Everything here stays at its default. Per the main description the check only works for ESCs that report current consumption; the notes for COM_ARM_CHK_ESCS say these ESCs do not, so with the check enabled it would be inert at best.

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
FD_ACT_EN	0	Actuator failure check disabled	✅	Default 0 (disabled) on main; it was 1 in 1.16.2. If enabled, the HealthAndArmingChecks verify that each motor draws a minimum ESC current per throttle level, otherwise this indicates a motor failure. Leave at default.

GF: Geofence

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
GF_ACTION	5	Land mode on geofence violation	❌	Default 2 (Hold mode). Land immediately rather than hover.
GF_MAX_VER_DIST	0 m	Disabled	✅	Default 0 (disabled). Do not use this feature. Because the GPS fix moves during the 1-10 minute initial RTK fix, the relative altitude (relative to the fix when it first boots) will make the quadcopter think it's all over the place. Since you cannot reset the home position without arming, using this feature to prevent the quadcopter from hitting the net as an extra safety feature is moot. Just use CBFs. This feature would interfere with CBF offboard code anyways. If not using RTK (you should really just use it), the estimates are likely not good enough to prevent you from hitting the net. And, PX4's geofence does not take into account for instance the speed at which you approach a geofence, so it's not even enforceable as a never-cross-this boundary.

GNSS: GNSS Quality Requirements

New on main. The receiver selection, the per-receiver antenna offsets and delays (SENS_GNSS0_*, see the SENS section) and the quality checks moved from EKF2 to the sensors module (vehicle_gps_position). The GNSS_REQ_* thresholds are the "strict" checks that qualify a receiver, mainly before arming. Once the strict checks have passed on the ground, the checks that decide while armed are the "relaxed" ones with fixed limits: at least a 3D fix, at most 50 m position accuracy and 10 m/s speed accuracy (gnss_checks.cpp). They replace EKF2_GPS_CHECK and EKF2_REQ_*. GNSS_REQ_TIME (default 10 s, the continuous healthy time required at startup) is new too and is left at its default.

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
GNSS_CHECK	2047	All checks except jamming	✅	Default 2047 (range 0 to 4095). Replaces EKF2_GPS_CHECK (1023 in 1.16.2, bits 0 to 9). Bits: 0 satellite count, 1 PDOP, 2 EPH, 3 EPV, 4 speed accuracy, 5 horizontal position drift, 6 vertical position drift, 7 horizontal speed offset, 8 vertical speed offset, 9 spoofing, 10 GNSS fix type (new), 11 jamming (off). The automatic migration would carry 1023 over, which leaves bit 10 off and GNSS_REQ_FIX unenforced, so 2047 is set explicitly. Most 1.16.2 tests were done with 245 and without RTK, because Max did not yet know what he was doing.
GNSS_REQ_EPH	3.0 m	Maximum 3.0 m horizontal position error to use GNSS	✅	Default 3.0 m (range 0.1 to 100; it was 2 to 100 as EKF2_REQ_EPH). Replaces EKF2_REQ_EPH. Maximum horizontal position error (EPH) the receiver may report (bit 2 of GNSS_CHECK). On its own this threshold does not require RTK; GNSS_REQ_FIX does.
GNSS_REQ_EPV	5.0 m	Maximum 5.0 m vertical position error to use GNSS	✅	Default 5.0 m (range 0.1 to 100; 2 to 100 as EKF2_REQ_EPV). Replaces EKF2_REQ_EPV. Maximum vertical position error (EPV) the receiver may report (bit 3 of GNSS_CHECK).
GNSS_REQ_FIX	6	RTK fixed required	❌	Default 3 (3D fix). New on main, no 1.16.2 equivalent. Values: 0 none, 2 2D, 3 3D, 4 RTCM code differential, 5 RTK float, 6 RTK fixed, 8 extrapolated. The strict check fails when the reported fix type is below this value (gnss_checks.cpp) and only runs if bit 10 of GNSS_CHECK is set. Max set 6 so that nobody flies without RTK any more: with COM_ARM_WO_GPS = 0 arming is denied unless the receiver reports RTK fixed. Scope: this is a strict check. While armed, only the relaxed checks decide (3D fix minimum), so losing RTK in flight does not by itself trip it; the offboard code should still land when the fix type drops below 6, as before.
GNSS_REQ_HDRIFT	0.1 m/s	Maximum 0.1 m/s horizontal drift to use GNSS	✅	Default 0.1 m/s (range 0.1 to 1.0, so this is also the strictest allowed value). Replaces EKF2_REQ_HDRIFT. Used for the horizontal position drift and horizontal speed offset checks (bits 5 and 7 of GNSS_CHECK), which only run when the vehicle is on the ground and stationary.
GNSS_REQ_NSATS	6	At least 6 satellites to use GNSS	✅	Default 6 (range 4 to 12). Replaces EKF2_REQ_NSATS. Minimum satellite count (bit 0 of GNSS_CHECK).
GNSS_REQ_PDOP	2.5	Maximum PDOP 2.5 to use GNSS	✅	Default 2.5 (range 1.5 to 5.0). Replaces EKF2_REQ_PDOP. Maximum position dilution of precision (bit 1 of GNSS_CHECK).
GNSS_REQ_SACC	0.5 m/s	Maximum 0.5 m/s speed accuracy to use GNSS	✅	Default 0.5 m/s (range 0.5 to 5.0, so this is also the strictest allowed value). Replaces EKF2_REQ_SACC. Maximum speed accuracy (bit 4 of GNSS_CHECK). Per the main description, EKF2 also uses this limit for feeding GNSS velocity to the EKF-GSF yaw estimator and for trusting GNSS vertical velocity while the accelerometer clips, in flight too. No motivation to change.
GNSS_REQ_VDRIFT	0.2 m/s	Maximum 0.2 m/s vertical drift to use GNSS	✅	Default 0.2 m/s (range 0.1 to 1.5). Replaces EKF2_REQ_VDRIFT. Used for the vertical position drift and vertical speed offset checks (bits 6 and 8 of GNSS_CHECK), which only run when the vehicle is on the ground and stationary.

GPS: Serial GPS

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
GPS_1_CONFIG	0	Serial GPS driver disabled	❌	Default 201 (GPS 1). The GPS is the Here4 on DroneCAN, so the serial GPS driver stays off.

MAN: Manual Control

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
MAN_ARM_GESTURE	0	Stick arm/disarm gesture disabled	❌	Default 1 (enabled). Prevents accidental arming/disarming by stick position.
MAN_KILL_GEST_T	−1	Kill stick gesture disabled	✅	Default −1 (negative value disables the feature).
MAN_OVERRIDE_SPD	1.0 /s	Stick override on, 1.0 stick travel per second	✅	Default 1.0 (range -1 to 10; negative disables). Replaces COM_RC_OVERRIDE (3 in 1.16.2: auto and offboard modes) and COM_RC_STICK_OV (30 %). In auto and offboard modes, on a multicopter, the pilot takes over (Position mode, or Altitude if position is unavailable) when any of the four sticks moves faster than this threshold for several consecutive samples (ManualControl.cpp, Commander::manualControlCheck()). It measures stick speed in stick travel per second, not a 30 % displacement, so the sensitivity is not equivalent to the old setting; Max accepted the default. It is considered more important than stick nudging (see MPC_AUTO_NUDGING).

MAV: MAVLink

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
MAV_0_CONFIG	101	MAVLink instance 0 on TELEM 1	✅	Default 101 (TELEM 1). The QGC telemetry radio connects here. Requires reboot. If torque-level control is ever wanted, note that (per Max, not verified by me) MAVROS does not support torque-level commands but uXRCE-DDS does, while RTK is not possible over uXRCE-DDS on main because there is no topic for it yet. The open PR #29368 (the branch under test on 2026-10-22, not merged) adds /fmu/in/rtcm_corrections (px4_msgs/msg/RtcmData) to the uXRCE-DDS client, which would remove the need to run MAVROS next to it for RTK. Torque-level control plus RTK would therefore need uXRCE-DDS and MAVROS running together. That would need a third serial port, because TELEM 1 and TELEM 2 are taken by the QGC radio and the Jetson link, and giving up the QGC radio is extremely dangerous for a torque-level offboard flight. Options are to wait until uXRCE-DDS supports RTK or MAVROS supports torque-level control, to write custom PX4 topics for RTK over uXRCE-DDS, or to solder a new cable and run uXRCE-DDS on another port such as GPS 2 (not tried).
MAV_1_CONFIG	102	MAVLink instance 1 on TELEM 2	❌	Default 0 (disabled). The FTDI-to-USB cable to the Jetson connects to the flight controller here. Requires reboot.
MAV_1_FLOW_CTRL	2	Serial flow control auto-detected	✅	Default 2. The Jetson link. This setting tells PX4 to auto-detect flow control; PX4 does not write the parameter itself. Use 0 or 1 only if auto-detection fails. Requires reboot.
MAV_1_FORWARD	0	No message forwarding from the Jetson link	✅	Default 0. Broadcast messages (or ones aimed at another system) arriving on the Jetson link are not forwarded to the other MAVLink links. Requires reboot.
MAV_1_MODE	2	Onboard message set	✅	Default 2 (Onboard). The set of streamed messages on the Jetson link is the one meant for a companion computer. Requires reboot.
MAV_1_RATE	0 B/s	Rate limit chosen from the baud rate	✅	Default 0. With 0, PX4 uses half the theoretical bandwidth, baud/20 bytes per second; at 921600 baud that is 46080 B/s. PX4 does not write the parameter itself. Requires reboot.
MAV_PROTO_VER	2	Always use MAVLink 2	✅	Default is 2 on main (it was 0 in 1.16.2: start with MAVLink 1 and switch to 2 if the GCS sends version 2). Option 0 no longer exists; option 1 is now "Version 1 with auto-upgrade to v2 if detected". Not super critical.
MAV_SYS_ID	TBD (2–249)	Unique number per homebrew vehicle	❌	Default 1. Never use 1 (every Astro requires 1 and it can't be changed). Choosing 1 will cause ROS 2 topic to intermingle between the Astro and Homebrew despite being namespaced. Must be unique. Range 1–250; never pick 250. Requires reboot.
MAV_TYPE	2	Quadrotor	✅	MC default 2 (metadata 0, generic micro air vehicle, overridden by rc.mc_defaults). The airframe type announced over MAVLink. Not super critical.

MC: Multicopter Autotune

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
MC_AT_EN	1	Autotune module enabled	❌	Default 0 (disabled). Allows autotuning the control cascade from QGC. This does not mean the quad tunes continuously in flight. Do not run it unless there is a reason to suspect poor control performance, which there really should not be.

MIS: Mission

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
MIS_TAKEOFF_ALT	2.5 m	Take off to 2.5 m from ground level	✅	Default 2.5 m. Take off to 2.5 m from ground level

MOTFAIL: Motor Failure

Replacement parameters for FD_ACT_MOT_*. All stay at their defaults and are inert while FD_ACT_EN is 0. The main descriptions of these three still mention the old FD_ACT_* names, so read them with that in mind.

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
MOTFAIL_C2T	35 A/%	Current-to-throttle scale 35 A/%	✅	Default 35 (range 0 to 50). The slope between the expected steady-state current and the linearized, normalized thrust command. The old FD_ACT_MOT_C2T default was 2, so the number is not comparable. Leave at default.
MOTFAIL_OFF	10 A	Over/under-current offset 10 A	✅	Default 10 A (range 0 to 30). The check triggers if the difference between the expected and measured current is above this value. Leave at default.
MOTFAIL_TIME	1.0 s	Violation must last 1.0 s	✅	Default 1.0 s (range 0.01 to 10). The current thresholds must be exceeded for this long before a motor failure triggers. The old FD_ACT_MOT_TOUT was in milliseconds (default 100). Leave at default.

MPC: Multicopter Position Control

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
MPC_AUTO_NUDGING	0	Stick nudging in auto modes disabled	✅	Default 0. Replaces MPC_LAND_RC_HELP (0 in 1.16.2, so nothing is lost; a nonzero old value would have migrated to bit 1). Bitmask: bit 0 yaw nudging in all auto modes, bit 1 landing nudging (pitch/roll move the vehicle horizontally, the throttle stick scales the descent speed from 0 to 2 times MPC_LAND_SPEED, yaw rotates the heading). Deliberately left off: the main description says stick override must be disabled (MAN_OVERRIDE_SPD = -1) for nudging to work, and Commander::manualControlCheck() has no exception for nudging, so the two are mutually exclusive in practice. Max prefers the override. Other points from the 1.16.2 reasoning that still apply if this is ever enabled: the throttle stick on a Taranis QX7 does not spring back to center, so an RC left on with throttle low would double the descent speed of every Land, including a battery failsafe Land (COM_LOW_BAT_ACT) (my inference from the description), and it has no effect in Offboard. MPC_LAND_RADIUS, which limits how far landing nudging can move the quad, now defaults to -1 (no limit); it was 1000 m in 1.16.2.

NAV: Navigator

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
NAV_DLL_ACT	0	Disabled (no GCS-loss failsafe)	✅	Default 0. Removes the need for QGC to stay connected. Required for multi-agent setups.
NAV_RCL_ACT	3	Land mode on RC loss	❌	Default 2 (Return mode). Land in place instead of returning. Option 7 ("Hold mode (no failsafe)") is new on main and not used.

PLD: Precision Landing

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
PLD_SRCH_ALT	2.5 m	Climb to 2.5 m above home when searching for the landing target	❌	Default 10 m. Our flight space has a net at 8 m.

PWM: Motor Outputs

These are what the motors for this quadcopter need. Output functions 101 to 104 are Motor 1 to Motor 4.

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
PWM_MAIN_FUNC1	101	Motor 1	❌	Default 0 (disabled). What the motors for this quadcopter need.
PWM_MAIN_FUNC2	102	Motor 2	❌	Default 0 (disabled). What the motors for this quadcopter need.
PWM_MAIN_FUNC3	103	Motor 3	❌	Default 0 (disabled). What the motors for this quadcopter need.
PWM_MAIN_FUNC4	104	Motor 4	❌	Default 0 (disabled). What the motors for this quadcopter need.
PWM_MAIN_MAX1	1900	Output 1 maximum 1900 µs	❌	Default 2000. What the motors for this quadcopter need.
PWM_MAIN_MAX2	1900	Output 2 maximum 1900 µs	❌	Default 2000. What the motors for this quadcopter need.
PWM_MAIN_MAX3	1900	Output 3 maximum 1900 µs	❌	Default 2000. What the motors for this quadcopter need.
PWM_MAIN_MAX4	1900	Output 4 maximum 1900 µs	❌	Default 2000. What the motors for this quadcopter need.
PWM_MAIN_MIN1	1100	Output 1 minimum 1100 µs	❌	Default 1000. What the motors for this quadcopter need.
PWM_MAIN_MIN2	1100	Output 2 minimum 1100 µs	❌	Default 1000. What the motors for this quadcopter need.
PWM_MAIN_MIN3	1100	Output 3 minimum 1100 µs	❌	Default 1000. What the motors for this quadcopter need.
PWM_MAIN_MIN4	1100	Output 4 minimum 1100 µs	❌	Default 1000. What the motors for this quadcopter need.

RC: Radio Control

These are the Taranis QX7 template needed to use the radio with this quadcopter.

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
RC_CHAN_CNT	18	18 RC channels saved at RC calibration	❌	Default 0. Taranis QX7 template needed to use this radio with the quadcopter.
RC_KILLSWITCH_TH	0.75	Kill switch threshold 0.75	✅	Default 0.75. Fine as is.
RC_MAP_ARM_SW	9	Arm switch on RC channel 9	❌	Default 0 (unassigned). Taranis QX7 template needed to use this radio with the quadcopter.
RC_MAP_AUX1	0	AUX1 unassigned	✅	Default 0 (unassigned). Channel 10 is the kill switch (RC_MAP_KILL_SW), so AUX1 must not also use it.
RC_MAP_FLTMODE	5	Flight mode selection on RC channel 5	❌	Default 0 (unassigned). Taranis QX7 template needed to use this radio with the quadcopter.
RC_MAP_KILL_SW	10	Kill switch on RC channel 10	❌	Default 0 (unassigned). Channel 10 is the right switch on the Taranis QX7. On main, kill zeroes the motor outputs immediately (mixer_module.cpp). Flipping the switch back within 5 seconds restarts the motors; after 5 seconds the vehicle disarms. That 5 s is hardcoded (COM_KILL_DISARM no longer exists, see the removed-parameters table). Be careful!!!
RC_MAP_PITCH	2	Pitch on RC channel 2	❌	Default 0 (unassigned). Taranis QX7 template needed to use this radio with the quadcopter.
RC_MAP_ROLL	1	Roll on RC channel 1	❌	Default 0 (unassigned). Taranis QX7 template needed to use this radio with the quadcopter.
RC_MAP_THROTTLE	3	Throttle on RC channel 3	❌	Default 0 (unassigned). Taranis QX7 template needed to use this radio with the quadcopter.
RC_MAP_YAW	4	Yaw on RC channel 4	❌	Default 0 (unassigned). Taranis QX7 template needed to use this radio with the quadcopter.

RTL: Return Mode

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
RTL_DESCEND_ALT	2 m	2 m (≈ 6.6 ft)	❌	MC default 10 m (metadata 30 m, overridden by rc.mc_defaults). The net is 8 m tall, so this keeps the vehicle clear of it.
RTL_RETURN_ALT	2 m	2 m (≈ 6.6 ft)	❌	MC default 30 m (metadata 60 m, overridden by rc.mc_defaults). The net is 8 m tall, so this keeps the vehicle clear of it.

SENS: Sensors

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
SENS_BOARD_ROT	2	Autopilot board rotated Yaw 90°	❌	Default 0 (no rotation). Required for how the CubePilot is placed in the case. Requires reboot.
SENS_EN_PMW3901	0	Local PMW3901 optical flow driver disabled	✅	Default 0 (disabled). This enables a PMW3901 wired to the Cube's SPI bus. The optical flow sensor is on CAN instead (see UAVCAN_SUB_FLOW).
SENS_EN_SF0X	8	LW20/c	❌	Default 1 (SF02). Selects the model of the serial LightWare lidar. It only appears when SENS_SF0X_CFG is not disabled, so it does not need to be set (and is not in the .params file).
SENS_EN_SF1XX	6	SF/LW20/c	❌	Default 0 (disabled). The LW20/c on I2C is the only distance sensor used for estimation. Requires reboot. Options 8 (GRF250) and 9 (GRF500) are new on main; our value 6 is unchanged.
SENS_FLOW_ROT	0	No rotation	✅	Default 0 (no rotation). Rotation of the optical flow sensor relative to the airframe. It seems to work fine at 0, but Max was not able to verify which direction the optical flow sensor faces.
SENS_GNSS0_DELAY	110 ms	GNSS 0 delay 110 ms	✅	Default 110 ms (range 0 to 300). Replaces EKF2_GPS_DELAY, which the migration copies to both SENS_GNSS0_DELAY and SENS_GNSS1_DELAY; only slot 0 is set here since there is no second receiver. The type changed from float to int32 with the rename. GNSS measurement delay relative to the IMU measurements. No motivation to change.
SENS_GNSS0_OFFX	0.010 m	GNSS antenna 0.010 m forward of CG	❌	Default 0.0. Measured antenna offset. Replaces EKF2_GPS_POS_X (named SENS_GPS0_OFFX on release/1.18). Slot matching: the offset slot is matched to the receiver by device ID (SENS_GNSS0_ID). When all ID slots are 0 it falls back to the uORB instance index, which the main description calls "only reliable for serial GPS"; the Here4 is DroneCAN. If no slot matches, the offsets stay zero (VehicleGPSPosition::findParamSlot). SENS_GNSS0_ID is the receiver's device ID, a per-drone value, so it is not in the template. Bench-check that the offsets reach vehicle_gnss.antenna_offset.
SENS_GNSS0_OFFY	0.000 m	GNSS antenna on centerline	✅	Default 0.0. Replaces EKF2_GPS_POS_Y. Same slot-matching caveat as SENS_GNSS0_OFFX.
SENS_GNSS0_OFFZ	0.217 m	GNSS antenna 0.217 m below CG (body Z points down)	❌	Default 0.0. Measured antenna offset. Replaces EKF2_GPS_POS_Z. Same slot-matching caveat as SENS_GNSS0_OFFX.
SENS_IMU_MODE	0	Sensors hub does not select the primary IMU (needed for multi-EKF)	❌	Default 1 (publish primary IMU selection). Required by EKF2_MULTI_IMU = 3: the v1.16 description of EKF2_MULTI_IMU says "Requires SENS_IMU_MODE 0". Requires reboot.
SENS_SF0X_CFG	0	Disabled	✅	Default 0 (disabled). Serial port configuration for the LightWare lidar (that is, UART). Since the LW20/c is on I2C (SENS_EN_SF1XX), this stays disabled to prevent PX4 from getting confused.

SEP: Septentrio GPS

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
SEP_PORT1_CFG	0	Septentrio driver disabled	✅	Default 0 (disabled). The GPS is the Here4 on DroneCAN, so the Septentrio serial driver stays off.

SER: Serial Ports

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
SER_TEL1_BAUD	57600	TELEM 1 at 57600 baud	✅	Default 57600. The QGC telemetry radio on TELEM 1 (MAV_0_CONFIG); the radio must use the same baud rate. Requires reboot.
SER_TEL2_BAUD	921600	TELEM 2 at 921600 baud	✅	Default 921600. The Jetson link on TELEM 2 (MAV_1_CONFIG). Requires reboot.

SF1XX: LightWare Lidar (I2C)

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
SF1XX_MODE	1	Enabled	✅	Default 1 (enabled). Operation mode of the LightWare lidar driver. The other option, 2 (disabled during VTOL fast forward flight), is for VTOL vehicles and is not relevant here.

SYS: System

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
SYS_AUTOSTART	4001	Generic Quadcopter (airframe 4001_quad_x)	❌	Default 0 (none). Uses the multicopter for PX4 default parameters. Requires reboot.
SYS_HAS_BARO	1	Barometer expected	✅	Default 1 (on). Pre-flight check for a barometer; if disabled, the preflight checks do not look for one. Requires reboot.
SYS_HAS_GPS	1	GPS expected	✅	Default 1 (on). Controls whether the vehicle has a GPS. If disabled, the sensors hub does not process sensor_gps at all and GPS is not available to the rest of the system, so this must stay on. Requires reboot.
SYS_HAS_MAG	1	One magnetometer expected	✅	Default 1 (on). Number of magnetometers the pre-flight check requires: 0 means none is expected, and 1 to N require N magnetometers to be present. Requires reboot.
SYS_HAS_NUM_DIST	1	One distance sensor required	❌	Default 0 (check disabled). The preflight check fails if fewer than this number of distance sensors with valid data are present. Set to 1 so that a missing or silent LW20/c is caught before flight.
SYS_HAS_NUM_OF	1	One optical flow sensor required	❌	Default 0 (check disabled). The preflight check fails if fewer than this number of optical flow sensors with valid data are present (the maximum is 1). Set to 1 so that a missing or silent flow sensor is caught before flight.
SYS_USB_AUTO	2	MAVLink starts on USB right away	✅	Default 2 (MAVLink). Per the PX4 serial configuration documentation, it selects whether the USB port runs no particular protocol, auto-detects the protocol, or is set to MAVLink. With MAVLink, PX4 starts MAVLink on USB as soon as USB is available instead of waiting to receive data first. Keep it at default so the USB link works right away.

THR: Thrust Model

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
THR_MDL_FAC	0.3	Thrust model factor 0.3 (30% quadratic term)	❌	Default 0. Usually determined by a bench thrust test. This value is a good guess that works in flight, so there is no motivation to change it.

UAVCAN: DroneCAN

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
UAVCAN_ENABLE	2	Sensors, automatic config	❌	Default 0 (disabled). DroneCAN must be on for the Here4 and the flow/rangefinder node. Value 2 allocates node IDs dynamically. Requires reboot.
UAVCAN_PUB_RTCM	1	Publish RTCM stream	❌	Default 0. Required for PX4 to accept RTK corrections over DroneCAN. Requires reboot.
UAVCAN_RNG_MAX	100 m	Rangefinder maximum range 100 m	❌	Default 999 m. The maximum valid range accepted from a rangefinder connected over DroneCAN. 100 m is the rated maximum range of the LW20/c. As far as I can tell from the description, it only applies to a DroneCAN rangefinder (UAVCAN_SUB_RNG, which is 0 here) and not to the LW20/c on I2C.
UAVCAN_RNG_MIN	0 m	Rangefinder minimum range 0 m	✅	Default 0 m. The minimum valid range accepted from a rangefinder connected over DroneCAN. Technically the rated minimum for the LW20/c is 0.2 m, but this works so it is fine. The same caveat as for UAVCAN_RNG_MAX applies.
UAVCAN_SUB_FLOW	1	Optical flow subscription enabled	❌	Default 0. The optical flow sensor is on the CAN bus. This subscribes to its flow data only; its distance sensor is controlled separately by UAVCAN_SUB_RNG. Requires reboot.
UAVCAN_SUB_GPS	1	GPS subscription enabled	✅	Default 1. The Here4 provides GPS over DroneCAN. Requires reboot.
UAVCAN_SUB_IMU	0	IMU subscription disabled	✅	Default 0. No external IMU on CAN; the IMUs are inside the Cube. Requires reboot.
UAVCAN_SUB_MAG	1	Magnetometer subscription enabled	✅	Default 1. The Here4 provides a compass over DroneCAN. Max is not sure this compass is actually the one being used (see EKF2_MULTI_MAG). Requires reboot.
UAVCAN_SUB_RNG	0	Range finder subscription disabled	✅	Default 0. The only distance sensor is the LW20/c on I2C. The optical flow sensor's own distance sensor must never be used for estimation. Requires reboot.

USB: USB MAVLink

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
USB_MAV_MODE	2	Onboard message set on USB	✅	Default 2 (Onboard). The MAVLink profile used on the USB port when MAVLink is set or detected (SYS_USB_AUTO). The PX4 documentation says the USB port is by default a MAVLink port with the onboard profile meant for companion computers, the same message set as MAV_1_MODE.

uXRCE: A MAVROS Alternative

Parameter Name	Setting (Raw)	Setting (Word)	Is Default (MC)	Reason
UXRCE_DDS_CFG	0	Disabled	✅	Default 0. Turns on the UXRCE-DDS Client (alternative to MAVROS that allows torque-level control but foregoes RTK on main; PR #29368 adds an RTCM input topic, see MAV_0_CONFIG).
UXRCE_DDS_DOM_ID	0	ROS Domain ID	✅	Default 0. Must match ROS setup.
UXRCE_DDS_PTCFG	2	Custom participant	❌	Default 0. Required if using discovery server. Needs a XML config and file on fs/microsd/etc/. This parameter only appears if UXRCE_DDS_CFG is not zero. Ignore if not using uXCRE.

Removed or renamed since v1.16.2

Every name below was in the 1.16.2 template and does not exist on main. Verified by running the PX4 parameter metadata generator on both source trees.

1.16.2 parameter (value)	On main	What it means
EKF2_GPS_POS_X / Y / Z (0.01 / 0 / 0.217)	SENS_GNSS0_OFFX / Y / Z	Renamed twice (SENS_GPS0_* on release/1.18). Migrated automatically on import.
EKF2_GPS_DELAY (110)	SENS_GNSS0_DELAY, SENS_GNSS1_DELAY	Renamed; copied to both slots; float became int32.
EKF2_GPS_CHECK (1023)	GNSS_CHECK (2047)	Renamed, but the carried value would leave the new fix-type bit off; set explicitly.
EKF2_REQ_EPH / EPV / HDRIFT / NSATS / PDOP / SACC / VDRIFT	GNSS_REQ_*	Renamed, same defaults.
MPC_LAND_RC_HELP (0)	MPC_AUTO_NUDGING bit 1	A nonzero value migrates; 0 does not.
COM_RC_OVERRIDE (3), COM_RC_STICK_OV (30)	MAN_OVERRIDE_SPD	Only COM_RC_OVERRIDE = 0 migrates (to -1); 3 is dropped silently. Different unit (stick travel per second).
FD_ACT_MOT_C2T, FD_ACT_MOT_THR, FD_ACT_MOT_TOUT	MOTFAIL_C2T, MOTFAIL_OFF, MOTFAIL_TIME	Replaced, no migration, different defaults and units.
COM_KILL_DISARM (0 s)	hardcoded 5 s	Removed by PR #26736 (commit 6b5147110b, 2026-03-14, "remove needless parameter"). Kill still zeroes the motors immediately, but the vehicle now stays armed for 5 s, and flipping the switch back within that time restarts the motors. With 0 the disarm was immediate and the kill could not be undone.
COM_ARM_SDCARD (2)	hardcoded warning	A missing SD card never blocks arming now (sdcardCheck.cpp uses NavModes::None). The "no SD prevents arming" setting is lost.
COM_POSCTL_NAVL (1)	none	Removed in 1.17.0. Position mode falls back to Altitude, then Stabilized, never to Land.
COM_DISARM_MAN (1), COM_TAKEOFF_ACT (0), COM_OBC_LOSS_T (5), COM_IMB_PROP_ACT (0)	hardcoded	Our 1.16.2 values equal the new hardcoded behavior, so nothing is lost.
BAT2_I_CHANNEL (-1)	none	Removed together with BAT1_I_CHANNEL.