Pixhawk 2 Second release?

Hi Tim
about the 3rd week of Feb is the current schedule,
Thanks

Thanks for the update! I must say im more than excited to cut my teeth on the pixhawk2. Already have a frame “800 heli” waiting and the ground station is nearly complete.

Is the Pixhawk 2 still on schedule for release this month?

Almost toying with the idea of picking up Pixhawk 1 to get an airframe up and running, but that just seems counter productive as id have to tear it apart and rebuild as soon as the Pixhawk 2 arrives, and im sure they will require different vibration dampening so it just seems a waste. :confused:
Tim

not quite going to make the end of feb, but early march is looking good, the batch production has started.

Wow…that’s hiw many date changes? And with problems?
Sounds like time to find a new manufacturing facility.

Lance_B considering all the reports on this forum and others (facebook), the Pixhawk 2.1 is still under construction. Working out interference in the IMU, driver/software issues. .

I don’t mind waiting for my Pixhawk 2.1.

My criticism is the opposite of yours. I think they are maybe rushing too fast to get the hardware out.

I am eager to get my hands on it though.

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Hi guys, there are no hardware changes due, and no outstanding issues.

What I think a few of you may fail to realise, is that this is a community based effort, so getting it just right with fewer people takes time.

Claims of flyaways etc is just totally rubbish! This is hardware, it is a 3 year proven design, and runs really well when correctly setup with Ardupilot latest.

This is the most tested Autopilot in its class, ever, we are taking zero shortcuts. It will be ready when we are happy to release. There is no rush, that’s just ridiculous.

But a big thankyou to those that did get the Beta batch, and to those that found the manufacturing issues that we have sorted out.

I am still yet to be sent a log of any crash due to any hardware issues. We have had 1 parachute deployed which sparked the Service Bulletin, and that’s it. So far everything else has been configuration issues.

So please, before posting, contact us and get facts… we are easy to get in contact with.

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Sounds good then proficnc.

I do have a question, is the final design to have the second barometer external? in the documentation it is not clear yet what direction you went with, and I don’t see any mention on facebook or the discussion here what the final decision was.

Patiently awaiting pixhawk 2.1 for my VTOL.

there are two internal barometers, and the Here+ has a barometer inside it. but it depends on your firmware choice, and your settings on how these get used.

I can agree with your thought process, However, I don’t feel like it would’ve been released to mfg if it wasn’t ready. It’s not like the hardware is bleeding edge new tech.
I’m of the mindset that the issues are more firmware related due simply to lack of a proper, somewhat larger test base - but then again that just my opinion.

I’m not casting blame, and I’m waiting patiently as well. And after my little update email this morning, I’ll stick by my original statement, due to nothing more than the horrible wording.
If I were to miss project deadlines like this, put out product with mistakes, and then provide a BS excuse of a letter like that…I can’t imagine how many clients I’d lose in the fallout.

So again - it seems like if you can’t get your contractor to fulfill a contract on time, and without build issues after what? 6 mos?, then maybe it’s time to look for a better one - and one who can compose a letter that doesn’t look like something a 7yo would write.

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So i was just on Profi cnc webpage and noticed pixhawk 2.1 is referencing a “late april batch”, is this when i should expect a unit i ordered in december? Just wondering as this narrows my build window considerably. :confused:
Tim

finally …did you get your pixhawk 2 ?
we , me and my wife ordered 12 of them in 12/21/17 , then delay after delay and delayed again ,but no email from the company. dont know when it will be shipped, nothing at all from proficnc,, it seem s that mr rowse doesnt care about his customers so my wife wants to cancel the order next week, affraid to deal with unreliable companies…thanks

I trust that profinc will eventually solve their production problems. Not making excuses but they are a small shop with small resources that are trying to do some ambitious things.

That said I see Dropix have released a Pixhawk 3 Pro with a heavy nod to PX4. Maybe it is time to call Pixhawk 2.1 Pixhawk Cube, or just Cube 2.1. The Pixhawk name is becoming a mess.

If anyone is desperate I have a bench tested, virgin Pixhawk 2.1 from the first batch that I will not be using for some months. Happy to sell it for what I paid and repurchase later. You can ping me here by replying to this post.

Hi Rick
Sorry if you haven’t seen any of my updates. I am flying to Taiwan on Wednesday this week, and will be going over everything, and addressing where production is up to.

We are very keen to deliver, Hex don’t get paid if they cannot deliver goods.

As far as the late April date, that’s for new orders, not current orders.

And thanks @Marc_Dornan, totally agree. The pixhawk name is a mess, and the numbering is totally screwed up.

Philip

BTW, I am not sure most people realize, but though I designed the cube, and manage the drawings etc, I get paid via contracting for professional users… the profits from the sales of the cube will be going to a fund to assist in future development. This is a community group, and we are not here for your cash.

@Proficnc. Thanks for the update and continued information. Any amount of transparency is not something im used to seeing when dealing with hardware, or software for that matter. The whole idea of the Pixhawk has intrigued me for some time and since im determined to use Pihawk 2 ill just patiently wait for delivery. Definatly excited to get moving forward with the projects i have in the works and cant wait to see what can be done with the system.
Tim

As someone who has been sitting on the sidelines for the last six months regarding PH2.1, I’m likely going to ruffle some feathers here.

First, in the beginning, I always felt that the progress of the project was not clearly communicated to those people interested. As alluded to above, it seems as if there were delay after delay after delay. Then, when finally being produced, a flaw was found.

Now, I understand that QA is not a perfect process. I’m in QA although it is not for manufacturing…that is a different process completely.

My complaint is not necessarily about the delays, but they way in which the communication about them to vendors/customers/etc has been handled. I’ve heard from a few vendors saying they feel this same frustration.

While this forum is a good means of communicating, as well as the FB page, it should never be your go-to method of communicating to your vendors and your customers. You need to find a better way to communicate issues that arise due to production matters.

Take that for what you will.

Hi Mark
So… communication from a community group via its community forum is not acceptable? Strange.

FYI, all the distributors have access directly to me via a group Skype chat, that is where any urgent information is conveyed.

I would like to ask though… I have communicated the delays, Hex have directly emailed distributors, and I have stated that I am flying to Taiwan TODAY.

What other information would you like?

Hi @proficnc,

I really appreciate all the time and effort you and the community have put in to making Pixhawk 2.1 available to the rest of us.

I think people are frustrated because, on the surface, it looks like just another commercial endeavour, and people have different expectations from a for-profit company than from a community project. I mean, I’ve been (albeit casually) following this and other pixhawk/ardupilot/px4 related forums, so I knew this was a community effort early on, but I did not know that you were not getting paid at all.

Like you mentioned above, I think many of us don’t realize that.

Case in point, there’s no mention of the “community effort” nature of the project on the main website, and just by looking at this site, I can’t tell it apart from other pixhawk clone manufacturers looking to make money.
http://pixhawk2.com

There’s a brief mention of HEX putting a percentage of the sales back in to ArduPilot project at the end of the following page, but that’s all I could find, and I don’t think the distributers have made it clear either.
http://www.proficnc.com/content/10-about-us

I think maybe if the top page had a brief description of how the project is being managed by the community, some info on manufacturing and distribution arrangements, or the fact that you are not making any money off of this, people might complain less. Some people will complain no matter what and you can’t help that, but at least I think it might lower the volume.

Just my 2 cents,

Have a safe trip to Taiwan and thanks again for your efforts!

@Marc_Dornan If you are not going to use your first batch Pixhawk 2.1, I know someone who would buy it.

To everyone else. I can’t say enough about Pixhawk 2.1 and the community efforts to get this product in the hands of users. In my opinion, there is nothing available which is comparable to this hardware in specs and price. I bought early and got a first batch which included some of the flaws. It took me about 15 minutes to “fix” all of the flaws using the detailed information provided. So I’m not sure why all the complaining about the flaws. Also, I have the Here GPS and it is completely rock solid with instant positioning on power-up. Not to mention the built-in safety switch, etc. I am excited for the continued hardware development from @proficnc and the community. Without them we would be stuck trying to find something else, which is very slim pickings and many levels lower on quality. I’m sure there are many others who feel the same way as me but are too busy using their hardware to comment. I thought I’d take a moment to share my experience.

Cheers,
Steve

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Look, my rub comes from the way the communication (or lack thereof) has been handled. I know someone on this board quite well who bought one of these items from a US distributor and it was like pulling teeth to get updates. He purchased the standard kit around Christmas and has yet to take delivery of it. Trying to get an update on status didn’t come when he asked the distributor; only status came via an email blast when it became apparent a second delay was upcoming. To that distributor’s credit, however, said distributor offered free shipping to offset the inconvenience.

Not everyone frequents this forum, or Facebook for that matter. I know the person I’m referring to rarely visits Facebook. Not all of us are on it I’m just saying it would be nice to get updates via an email list if something is going on.

Whether it’s between manufacturer and distributor, distributor and customer, there needs to be maybe a better effort and not taking foregranted that EVERYONE is using Facebook or this forum.

Just my opinion on the matter after watching the frustration this has all caused. Especially when you’ve paid for something nearly three months ago that hasn’t been delivered.