Modules Reference: Command
bl_update
Source: systemcmds/bl_update
Utility to flash the bootloader from a file
Usage
bl_update [arguments...]
setopt Set option bits to unlock the FLASH (only needed if in locked
state)
<file> Bootloader bin file
config
Source: systemcmds/config
Configure a sensor driver (sampling & publication rate, range, etc.)
Usage
config <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
The <file:dev> argument is typically one of /dev/{gyro,accel,mag}i
block Block sensor topic publication
<file:dev> Sensor device file
unblock Unblock sensor topic publication
<file:dev> Sensor device file
sampling Set sensor sampling rate
<file:dev> <rate> Sensor device file and sampling rate in Hz
rate Set sensor publication rate
<file:dev> <rate> Sensor device file and publication rate in Hz
range Set sensor measurement range
<file:dev> <rate> Sensor device file and range
check Perform sensor self-test (and print info)
<file:dev> Sensor device file
dumpfile
Source: systemcmds/dumpfile
Dump file utility. Prints file size and contents in binary mode (don't replace LF with CR LF) to stdout.
Usage
dumpfile [arguments...]
<file> File to dump
esc_calib
Source: systemcmds/esc_calib
Tool for ESC calibration
Calibration procedure (running the command will guide you through it):
- Remove props, power off the ESC's
- Stop attitude controllers: mc_att_control stop, fw_att_control stop
- Make sure safety is off
- Run this command
Usage
esc_calib [arguments...]
[-d <val>] Select PWM output device
values: <file:dev>, default: /dev/pwm_output0
[-l <val>] Low PWM value in us
default: 1000
[-h <val>] High PWM value in us
default: 2000
[-c <val>] select channels in the form: 1234 (1 digit per channel,
1=first)
[-m <val>] Select channels via bitmask (eg. 0xF, 3)
default: 0
[-a] Select all channels
hardfault_log
Source: systemcmds/hardfault_log
Hardfault utility
Used in startup scripts to handle hardfaults
Usage
hardfault_log <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
check Check if there's an uncommited hardfault
rearm Drop an uncommited hardfault
fault Generate a hardfault (this command crashes the system :)
[0|1] Hardfault type: 0=divide by 0, 1=Assertion (default=0)
commit Write uncommited hardfault to /fs/microsd/fault_%i.txt (and
rearm, but don't reset)
count Read the reboot counter, counts the number of reboots of an
uncommited hardfault (returned as the exit code of the program)
reset Reset the reboot counter
led_control
Source: systemcmds/led_control
Description
Command-line tool to control & test the (external) LED's.
To use it make sure there's a driver running, which handles the led_control uorb topic.
There are different priorities, such that for example one module can set a color with low priority, and another
module can blink N times with high priority, and the LED's automatically return to the lower priority state
after the blinking. The reset command can also be used to return to a lower priority.
Examples
Blink the first LED 5 times in blue:
led_control blink -c blue -l 0 -n 5
Usage
led_control <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
test Run a test pattern
on Turn LED on
off Turn LED off
reset Reset LED priority
blink Blink LED N times
[-n <val>] Number of blinks
default: 3
[-s <val>] Set blinking speed
values: fast|normal|slow, default: normal
breathe Continuously fade LED in & out
flash Two fast blinks and then off with frequency of 1Hz
The following arguments apply to all of the above commands except for 'test':
[-c <val>] color
values: red|blue|green|yellow|purple|amber|cyan|white, default:
white
[-l <val>] Which LED to control: 0, 1, 2, ... (default=all)
default: -1
[-p <val>] Priority
default: 2
listener
Source: systemcmds/topic_listener
Utility to listen on uORB topics and print the data to the console.
Limitation: it can only listen to the first instance of a topic.
Usage
listener [arguments...]
<topic_name> [<num_msgs>] uORB topic name and optionally number of messages
(default=1)
mixer
Source: systemcmds/mixer
Description
Load or append mixer files to the ESC driver.
Note that the driver must support the used ioctl's, which is the case on NuttX, but for example not on RPi.
Usage
mixer <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
load
<file:dev> <file> Output device (eg. /dev/pwm_output0) and mixer file
append
<file:dev> <file> Output device (eg. /dev/pwm_output0) and mixer file
motor_ramp
Source: systemcmds/motor_ramp
Description
Application to test motor ramp up.
Before starting, make sure to stop any running attitude controller:
mc_att_control stop
fw_att_control stop
When starting, a background task is started, runs for several seconds (as specified), then exits.
Note: this command currently only supports the /dev/pwm_output0 output.
Example
motor_ramp sine 1100 0.5
Usage
motor_ramp [arguments...]
ramp|sine|square mode
<min_pwm> <time> [<max_pwm>] pwm value in us, time in sec
WARNING: motors will ramp up to full speed!
motor_test
Source: systemcmds/motor_test
Utility to test motors.
Note: this can only be used for drivers which support the motor_test uorb topic (currently uavcan and tap_esc)
Usage
motor_test <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
test Set motor(s) to a specific output value
[-m <val>] Motor to test (0...7, all if not specified)
default: -1
[-p <val>] Power (0...100)
default: 0
stop Stop all motors
iterate Iterate all motors starting and stopping one after the other
mtd
Source: systemcmds/mtd
Utility to mount and test partitions (based on FRAM/EEPROM storage as defined by the board)
Usage
mtd <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
status Print status information
start Mount partitions
readtest Perform read test
rwtest Perform read-write test
erase Erase partition(s)
The commands 'start', 'readtest', 'rwtest' and 'erase' have an optional
parameter:
[<partition_name1> [<partition_name2> ...]] Partition names (eg.
/fs/mtd_params), use system default if not provided
nshterm
Source: systemcmds/nshterm
Start an NSH shell on a given port.
This was previously used to start a shell on the USB serial port. Now there runs mavlink, and it is possible to use a shell over mavlink.
Usage
nshterm [arguments...]
<file:dev> Device on which to start the shell (eg. /dev/ttyACM0)
param
Source: systemcmds/param
Description
Command to access and manipulate parameters via shell or script.
This is used for example in the startup script to set airframe-specific parameters.
Parameters are automatically saved when changed, eg. with param set. They are typically stored to FRAM
or to the SD card. param select can be used to change the storage location for subsequent saves (this will
need to be (re-)configured on every boot).
Each parameter has a 'used' flag, which is set when it's read during boot. It is used to only show relevant parameters to a ground control station.
Examples
Change the airframe and make sure the airframe's default parameters are loaded:
param set SYS_AUTOSTART 4001
param set SYS_AUTOCONFIG 1
reboot
Usage
param <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
load Load params from a file (overwrite all)
[<file>] File name (use default if not given)
import Import params from a file
[<file>] File name (use default if not given)
save Save params to a file
[<file>] File name (use default if not given)
select Select default file
[<file>] File name (use <root>/eeprom/parameters if not given)
show Show parameter values
[-c] Show only changed params
[<filter>] Filter by param name (wildcard at end allowed, eg. sys_*)
set Set parameter to a value
<param_name> <value> Parameter name and value to set
[fail] If provided, let the command fail if param is not found
compare Compare a param with a value. Command will succeed if equal
<param_name> <value> Parameter name and value to compare
greater Compare a param with a value. Command will succeed if param is
greater than the value
<param_name> <value> Parameter name and value to compare
reset Reset params to default
[<exclude1> [<exclude2>]] Do not reset matching params (wildcard at end
allowed)
reset_nostart Reset params to default, but keep SYS_AUTOSTART and
SYS_AUTOCONFIG
[<exclude1> [<exclude2>]] Do not reset matching params (wildcard at end
allowed)
index Show param for a given index
<index> Index: an integer >= 0
index_used Show used param for a given index
<index> Index: an integer >= 0
find Show index of a param
<param> param name
perf
Source: systemcmds/perf
Tool to print performance counters
Usage
perf [arguments...]
reset Reset all counters
latency Print HRT timer latency histogram
Prints all performance counters if no arguments given
pwm
Source: systemcmds/pwm
Description
This command is used to configure PWM outputs for servo and ESC control.
The default device /dev/pwm_output0 are the Main channels, AUX channels are on /dev/pwm_output1 (-d parameter).
It is used in the startup script to make sure the PWM parameters (PWM_*) are applied (or the ones provided
by the airframe config if specified). pwm info shows the current settings (the trim value is an offset
and configured with PWM_MAIN_TRIMx and PWM_AUX_TRIMx).
The disarmed value should be set such that the motors don't spin (it's also used for the kill switch), at the minimum value they should spin.
Channels are assigned to a group. Due to hardware limitations, the update rate can only be set per group. Use
pwm info to display the groups. If the -c argument is used, all channels of any included group must be included.
The parameters -p and -r can be set to a parameter instead of specifying an integer: use -p p:PWM_MIN for example.
Note that in OneShot mode, the PWM range [1000, 2000] is automatically mapped to [125, 250].
Examples
Set the PWM rate for all channels to 400 Hz:
pwm rate -a -r 400
Test the outputs of eg. channels 1 and 3, and set the PWM value to 1200 us:
pwm arm
pwm test -c 13 -p 1200
Usage
pwm <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
arm Arm output
disarm Disarm output
info Print current configuration of all channels
forcefail Force Failsafe mode
on|off Turn on or off
terminatefail Force Termination Failsafe mode
on|off Turn on or off
rate Configure PWM rates
-r <val> PWM Rate in Hz (0 = Oneshot, otherwise 50 to 400Hz)
oneshot Configure Oneshot125 (rate is set to 0)
failsafe Set Failsafe PWM value
disarmed Set Disarmed PWM value
min Set Minimum PWM value
max Set Maximum PWM value
test Set Output to a specific value until 'q' or 'c' or 'ctrl-c'
pressed
steps Run 5 steps from 0 to 100%
The commands 'failsafe', 'disarmed', 'min', 'max' and 'test' require a PWM
value:
-p <val> PWM value (eg. 1100)
The commands 'rate', 'oneshot', 'failsafe', 'disarmed', 'min', 'max', 'test'
and 'steps' additionally require to specify the channels with one of the
following commands:
[-c <val>] select channels in the form: 1234 (1 digit per channel,
1=first)
[-m <val>] Select channels via bitmask (eg. 0xF, 3)
default: 0
[-g <val>] Select channels by group (eg. 0, 1, 2. use 'pwm info' to show
groups)
default: 0
[-a] Select all channels
These parameters apply to all commands:
[-d <val>] Select PWM output device
values: <file:dev>, default: /dev/pwm_output0
[-v] Verbose output
[-e] Exit with 1 instead of 0 on error
reboot
Source: systemcmds/reboot
Reboot the system
Usage
reboot [arguments...]
[-b] Reboot into bootloader
[lock|unlock] Take/release the shutdown lock (for testing)
sd_bench
Source: systemcmds/sd_bench
Test the speed of an SD Card
Usage
sd_bench [arguments...]
[-b <val>] Block size for each read/write
default: 4096
[-r <val>] Number of runs
default: 5
[-d <val>] Duration of a run in ms
default: 2000
[-s] Call fsync after each block (default=at end of each run)
top
Source: systemcmds/top
Monitor running processes and their CPU, stack usage, priority and state
Usage
top [arguments...]
once print load only once
usb_connected
Source: systemcmds/usb_connected
Utility to check if USB is connected. Was previously used in startup scripts. A return value of 0 means USB is connected, 1 otherwise.
Usage
usb_connected [arguments...]
ver
Source: systemcmds/ver
Tool to print various version information
Usage
ver <command> [arguments...]
Commands:
hw Hardware architecture
mcu MCU info
git git version information
bdate Build date and time
gcc Compiler info
bdate Build date and time
uid UUID
mfguid Manufacturer UUID
uri Build URI
all Print all versions
hwcmp Compare hardware version (returns 0 on match)
<hw> [<hw2>] Hardware to compare against (eg. PX4FMU_V4). An OR comparison
is used if multiple are specified
hwtypecmp Compare hardware type (returns 0 on match)
<hwtype> [<hwtype2>] Hardware type to compare against (eg. V2). An OR
comparison is used if multiple are specified