Pixhawk Will Not Arm: 3 Common Issues Solved!

You have set up your drone and are very excited to fly it. But disaster strikes when the drone fails to arm. It won’t arm at any cost.

You might start panicking and thinking, what went wrong? Why my pixhawk will not arm? 

Pixhawk may not arm for several reasons. Inputting wrong communications can be a reason for the problem. Also, compatibility issues of the receiver might not arm the pixhawk. Even wrong throttle positioning of the transmitter will prevent an arming. Or you might have disabled the prearm.

Worry not, we have covered the reasons and solutions for the problem. Just spare five minutes with us and you will fix your pixhawk in no time.

Let’s jump into the discussion.

Steps for Arming Your Pixhawk Drone

In order to arm your pixhawk drone properly, you need to follow some simple steps. The steps are given below for your ease of use.

• Turn on your RC Transmitter 
• Turn on the Li-po Batteries of the drone. The red and green lights will flash for a few seconds. Do not move the drone during this phase. The gyros calibrate during this phase.
• The pre-arm checks will automatically start. If there are problems, RGB yellow will blink. The fail code will display in the ground station.
• Verify that the mode selector is set to Stabilize, ACRO, AltHold, Loiter, or PosHold.
• If you are using a safety switch, press it until the light goes solid.
• If you want to use autonomous mode, switch to Loiter or PosHold. Wait till the LED blinks green. It indicates a good GPS lock.
• Hold the throttle down, and rudder right for 5 seconds to arm the motors. Do not hold the rudder right for more than 15 seconds. It will start the auto-trim feature.
• If the drone is properly armed, The LED will be solid and propellers will begin to work.

Hopefully, you will be able to arm your drone following this procedure. However, if your Pixhawk still won’t arm, then 3 reasons can cause the problems.

In the next steps, I will discuss those issues and provide a solution.

So, let’s move on!

Reasons Why Your Pixhawk Is Not Arming 

Arming a pixhawk drone can be tricky at times. It becomes frustrating when the drone connects turns on but doesn’t arm.

Here are four major reasons why your pixhawk drone is not arming and ways of solving them.

Reason 1 of 3: Incorrect Communications Parameter

One of the main reasons for pixhawk not arming is setting wrong communications parameters. 

Giving wrong parameters will result in a communication error and your drone won’t arm.

The solution is simple like fixing the Li-Po battery charging problem.

Solution:

1. First, install QGround Control onto another pc.
2. Run the configuration options again. 
3. Restart your device and your drone should arm correctly.

Reason 2 of 3: Receiver Incompatibility With Pixhawk Firmware 

Another reason for not arming is that your RC receiver is not compatible with the pixhawk firmware. For that connecting a drone to the controller also becomes troublesome.

The firmware is compatible with specific receivers. Do keep this in mind while selecting receivers.

Solution:

It supports SBUS and PPM signal inputs. Hence, you need to use receivers that support PPM and SBUS. Some of the best signal input receivers are listed below.

• For multiple channels option go for Radiolink R6DS 2.4GHz RC Receiver.
• A smart yet reliable receiver is FrSky Yaapu.

You’ll get to choose the signal inputs for Futaba 2.4G FHSS Telemetry Receiver.

Reason 3 of 3: Disabled Pre-arm Checks 

Your pixhawk will not connect if you disable the pre-arm checks. Pre-arm checks are there for your and the device’s safety. Disabling it will prevent the drone from arming. 

Solution: 

If you have your pre-arm check disabled, enable it. Pre-arm is usually turned on or off by the safety switch.

Check the safety switch and turn it on. When you attempt to arm it, you should check the GCS. It should inform you why it isn’t arming.

Reason 4: Wrong Throttle Position 

A wrong throttle position during the arming phase will prevent the drone from arming. This usually happens due to overlooking. 

Solution:

First, see if the throttle phase is reversed on the transmitter. If the problem isn’t with the throttle phase, check the RadioLink Mission Planner.

See if there is a message. If you do what the notice says, the problem can be fixed. Also, check for throttle problems as an extra precaution.

Tips on Arming Pixhawk Drone

I am not done yet. Here I have added some additional tips which will ease up your pixhawk operation

• In Stabilize, ACRO, AltHold, Loiter, and PosHold modes, you can only arm or disarm. In AUTO mode, you can’t arm your drone.
• Leaving your throttle at minimum for more than 15 seconds will disarm the motors.
• You are advised to use pre-arm to prevent accidental arming, unlike the T arm.
• The flags that stop you from arming can be seen right on your OSD screen. If you put “Warnings” on the OSD layout, it will tell you the reason. From the “OSD” tab, you can turn on the OSD Warnings element.

Hopefully, the given tips will ease things up. Here’s someone who built a beautiful Pixhawk drone.

 Now let’s move on to the FAQ.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How does my pixhawk drone work?

Pixhawk uses sensors to determine the drone’s state. It is needed for stabilization & autonomous control. The system minimally requires a gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer (compass), and barometer. GPS is required for autonomous modes and some assisted modes.

How do you set the arming switch in mission planner?

You can do it by rudder arming, GCS arming, or RC channel configuration. Holding rudder full right and throttle full down for 2 seconds will enable rudder arming. Holding the arming button on the ground station is GCS arming. Binding an RC channel can also be used for arming.

Can I arm my pixhawk without GPS?

Yes, you can arm your pixhawk drone without GPS. You need to connect your flight controller system and click on the gears on the left. There you will find a preferences list. From there search GPS & set CBRK_GPSFAIL to 240024. Then click save and reboot your device.

Conclusion

Setting up a drone can become frustrating when the drone does not arm after turning on. Troubleshooting can also become lengthy & irritating.

Worry not, if your Pixhawk drone is not arming, just follow these simple steps. Your drone should arm & start flying in no time.

Have a great day flying.