MicoAir NxtPX4v2 Flight Controller Stack H743&BMI088 with 4in1 33A Bluejay 48K ESC FC&ESC Support PX4/Ardupilot

NxtPX4v2 — Research-Grade Open-Source Flight Controller Stack

The NxtPX4v2 is an open-source hardware designed and maintained by HKUST Aerial Robotics Group and produced by MicoAir Tech. The NxtPX4v2 flight controller has been officially merged into the PX4 mainline under the board target name “hkust_nxt-dual”. You can find all open-source resources related to this flight controller on the HKUST Aerial Robotics Group GitHub, including hardware designs, firmware, tutorials, and reproducible research cases that other developers and researchers can reference.

Default firmware: PX4. ArduPilot can also be flashed by users.

Key features:

• Research-focused, Open Hardware — Designed and maintained by HKUST Aerial Robotics Group for lab research, teaching, and algorithm validation.
• High-quality IMU data for VIO & perception — Dual BMI088 high-precision IMUs deliver superior data for Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO) and perception algorithms.
• Extensive expansion & compatibility — 7x UART, 8x PWM, I2C, SPI and more enable easy integration with GPS, optical flow, O3 transmission, Raspberry Pi onboard computers, LiDAR, 3D cameras, and other research peripherals.
• Compact & lightweight — Standard 20×20 mm mounting holes, small footprint and low weight for micro UAV platforms and experimental rigs.
• Optional integrated ESC — Bluejay 4-in-1 ESC variant provides a compact, high-response power solution for small platforms.

Specifications (Flight Controller)

• MCU: STM32H743VIH6, 480 MHz, 2 MB Flash
• IMU: BMI088 + BMI088 (Dual)
• Barometer: SPL06
• Storage: MicroSD card slot
• UART: 7 × UART
• PWM outputs: 8 × PWM (channels 1–8 support DShot)
• I/O: 1 × I2C, 1 × SPI, 1 × SWD, 2 × ADC (VBAT, Current)
• USB: USB Type-C
• BEC outputs: 5V @ 2.5A (controller, receiver, GPS, optical flow, etc.) and 12V @ 2.5A (VTx, camera)
• Mounting: 20 × 20 mm, Φ3 mm
• Dimensions: 27 × 32 × 8 mm
• Weight: 6.5 g
• 3D model: STP file available for mechanical integration

UART mapping — ArduPilot

• SERIAL0 → USB
• SERIAL1 → UART2
• SERIAL2 → UART4
• SERIAL3 → UART1 (GPS)
• SERIAL4 → UART3 (DJI-O3)
• SERIAL5 → UART7 (ESC Telemetry)
• SERIAL6 → UART5 (RCIN)
• SERIAL7 → UART8

UART mapping — PX4

• TELEM1 → UART2
• TELEM2 → UART4
• TELEM3 → UART7 (ESC Telemetry)
• SERIAL4 → UART8
• GPS1 → UART1
• GPS2 → UART3
• Radio Controller → UART5 (RCIN)

RC Input

• The default RC input port supports SBUS and CRSF protocols.
• For ArduPilot set SERIAL6_PROTOCOL=23, or set RC_INPUT_PROTO = Auto on PX4.

VTX Support

• The SH1.0-6P connector supports a DJI O3 Air Unit connection.
• Pin 1 of the connector is 12V — do not connect this pin to peripherals that require 5V.

PWM Output

• The NxtPX4v2 supports up to 8 PWM outputs. Channels 1–8 support DShot protocols.

Battery Monitoring

• On-board internal voltage sensing is provided.
• Connections on the ESC connector support an external current sensor input.

Compass

• The NxtPX4v2 does not include a built-in compass.
• An external compass can be attached via I2C (SDA/SCL).

Note: This hardware is intended for researchers and developers building small UAV platforms, visual-inertial systems, and perception research. For tutorials, example projects and reproducible research based on this hardware, please refer to the HKUST Aerial Robotics Group GitHub.

Bluejay 4-in-1 ESC (Optional Stack)

• Firmware: Bluejay_0.19.2_JH40
• PWM Frequency: 48 kHz
• ESC Protocol: DShot300 / DShot600
• Power Input: 2–6S LiPo
• Continuous Current: 33 A × 4 channels
• MOSFET RDS(on): 1.2 mΩ
• Current Sensor Output: 12.75 mV/A
• Mounting: 20 × 20 mm (Φ3 mm)
• Dimensions: 29 × 31 × 5.3 mm
• Weight: 5 g

Final reminder: Default firmware is PX4; ArduPilot can be flashed by end users. For additional examples, hardware files, firmware and tutorials, visit the HKUST Aerial Robotics Group GitHub repository.