Emlid is proud to announce Navio2 - the new version of Navio autopilot.

Navio was the first Raspberry Pi based autopilot and grew up to become the main Linux APM platform. With Navio APM flight stack runs directly on Raspberry Pi under real-time Linux kernel. Compared to classic microcontroller-based autopilots this gives more CPU and memory resources as well as incredible Linux networking capabilities.

With Navio you can connect an LTE modem or high-power WiFi to obtain full network access to the autopilot. Stream video from Raspberry Pi camera, download photos or run your software alongside the APM.

We have listened closely to our community and included numerous improvements in Navio2.

New features in Navio2:

Dual IMU. We’ve added second IMU chip to improve flight experience and for redundancy.

Advanced power circuitry. Triple ideal diode or-ing scheme was already present on Navio+, but Navio2 also features overvoltage and overcurrent protection circuitry on the power module port to protect both the board and your Raspberry Pi.

Improved MS5611 performance. Transactions from other chips on the bus, which MS5611 is connected to, can produce noise during the conversion. We left MS5611 the only sensor on the I2C bus to overcome this.

PCA9685 PWM generator replaced with a microcontroller. On previous Navio version PWM generation was handled by PCA9685 chip. Main limitation of this chip is the inability to control frequencies for separate channels. This lead to problems with motors and servos that work on different frequencies. To eliminate that problem we used a microcontroller that allows to set frequencies for output channels by groups.

PPM\SBUS decoding done by microcontroller instead of DMA. On Navio+ we used DMA to sample PPM signal which was quite heavy on system resources. On Navio2 a microcontroller handles PPM\SBUS sampling leaving processor cores of Raspberry Pi 2 for your tasks.

AUX SPI. Navio2 is the first HAT to utilize AUX SPI controller on Raspberry Pi. Using two SPI controllers allows us to distribute sensors more efficiently. Having twice the bandwidth of other Raspberry Pi based solutions, we are managing to move more data at a greater speed.

ADC port. Using additional ADC channels on Navio+ was not user friendly due to ADC channels being only available on pads at the bottom of the board. On Navio2 these channels are easily accessible on a DF13 port.

Better Linux integration. PWM, ADC, SBUS and PPM are integrated in Linux sysfs allowing for easy access from any programming language. Even deeper integration is coming in the future.

Other small changes:

Right angle servo header

RGB LED position in the board center for better LED visibility

Pulled up pins in UART port to allow easy 3DR Radio connection

Nylon screws in the package to avoid magnetic interference

Camera cable cutout

PWM channels are protected by ESD clamps

All these new features come at the same price and Navio2 is also available with 30% edu discount.

You can find more information and order Navio2 at emlid.com.

Best regards,

Emlid team