[Pixhawk Cube Orange Power Issue – Possible Damage Due to Shared Power Supply]
Hello everyone,
I would like to share a recent issue I experienced with my system and ask for technical advice and possible recovery options.
Setup Description:
I connected two Pixhawk flight controllers (one is Pixhawk Cube Orange, the other is a Pixhawk 2.4.8) to the same battery power source. At the same time, I had an RFD900ux telemetry module connected to the Cube Orange via the UART port.
What Went Wrong:
After powering on the system:
- My Cube Orange stopped functioning properly.
- The RFD900ux telemetry module was burned and is no longer responsive.
- The Pixhawk 2.4.8 is still operational.
- The SD card in Cube Orange was also damaged.
Current Status of the Cube Orange:
- When connected to a PC via USB, the LED remains solid green, which I believe means the bootloader is still active.
- The original SD card was damaged, so I inserted a new FAT32-formatted microSD card (16GB).
- I have not yet attempted to re-flash the firmware.
- Cube does not show any activity on telemetry ports anymore.
My Questions / Request for Help:
- Could the shared battery connection between two Pixhawks and the telemetry module have caused a GND loop or voltage backfeed, damaging the Cube?
- What parts of the Cube Orange might be damaged in such a scenario (SD circuit, UARTs, power distribution)?
- Now that the bootloader LED is solid green, is it safe to attempt a firmware reinstallation with a new SD card?
- Is there a safe procedure to test UART/telemetry ports after such an event, or are they likely permanently damaged?
- Can the RFD900ux module be tested or repaired, or should I consider it fully damaged?
Additional Info:
- The Cube Orange shows up on the COM port when connected via USB.
- I want to use Cube Orange actively again and would like to understand the safest way to proceed with firmware installation and checking other subsystems.
Thank you in advance for your guidance. I’m happy to share any logs, photos, or test results needed to better diagnose the situation.
