SoloLink w/ Pixhawk Cube for Rover?

I have been searching everywhere for info on using the Sololink IMX6 board from the 3DR Solo with the Pixhawk Black Cube and cannot find much of anything.

I am hoping to use Sololink and the Solo controller (Artoo) from a crashed Solo with my 4wd rover project. It seems like a waste to have it and not use it. It also seems like a fairly decent companion computer for stuff like ROS, OpenCV, etc.

I have the original Mavlink telemetry from APM 2.6 as well as a Wifi telemetry board and ESP8266 available, but I’d really like to have the streaming video.

This is my basic setup:

  • Black Cube with mini carrier board
  • (4) VESC 4.12 ESCs
  • (4) 400w 60v wheel motors
  • Solo OEM GPS unit
  • Legacy GPS from APM 2.6 package
  • (4) 36v to 12v stepdown converters
  • (2) APM power module 1.0
  • (4) 36v Lipo battery packs
  • (2) 60v 12Amp DC-DC step-down converters
  • Custom aluminum/composite rover frame
  • Solex app on Android
  • Solo controller

I’m hoping to make this all work together rather than using an FrSky tx/rx + 5.8ghz fpv tx/rx + Telemetry.

Can this be done? Any tips?

Thanks in advance.

PS: I also need to figure out how to make the VESC ESC hall sensor data from the wheel encoders back to Pixhawk via UAVCAN.

I will also be adding a PX4Flow, proximity sensors, 360 2D LIDAR, a 6dof arm, a sprayer, a Storm32 gimbal and some other stuff once I get the rover put together and running missions.

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I will be following this and I have five Solo’s and I am looking to do the same with the rover code. It has been done.

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This is what I have been using to put IMX6 boards into drones using PH1 and PH2.1
Just use Serial1

Works well.
I have found it necessary to use 4 wires to the serial port.
tried with a Pixracer that doesn’t have the RTS/CTS but could not get it to work.

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There is a person on the 3DR Pilots web community who has used the Solo’s cube and iMX6 and Artoo controller and used it for a rover. Thanks for the info.

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