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docs: clarify SET_MESSAGE_INTERVAL stream rate config per serial port #694

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docs: clarify SET_MESSAGE_INTERVAL stream rate config per serial port #694

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1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions en/SUMMARY.md
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Expand Up @@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
- [Redundancy/Message De-duplication](guide/redundancy_deduplication.md)
- [Packet Loss Calculation](guide/packet_loss.md)
- [General Telemetry](guide/general_telemetry.md)
- [Stream Rates](guide/stream_rates.md)
- [File Formats](file_formats/index.md)
- [UAVCAN Interaction](guide/uavcan_interaction.md)
- [Scripts](guide/scripts.md)
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27 changes: 27 additions & 0 deletions en/guide/stream_rates.md
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# Stream Rates

This section provides guidance on configuring MAVLink stream rates using the `MAV_CMD_SET_MESSAGE_INTERVAL` command.

## Configuring Stream Rates on a Specific Port

To avoid buffer overruns on high-baud serial links (e.g. 921600 baud TELEM2), you should explicitly configure only the streams required for your use case using `MAV_CMD_SET_MESSAGE_INTERVAL`.

To silence a stream, set `param2` (interval in microseconds) to `-1`. To restore the default rate, set the interval to `0`.
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hamishwillee marked this conversation as resolved.
Supported on PX4 v1.11+ and ArduPilot v4.0+. Behavior on older versions is undefined.

### Example Configuration

Disable all raw sensor streams on TELEM2, and keep only `RAW_IMU` at 200 Hz:

| Message | Interval (µs) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| `RAW_IMU` (id: 27) | 5000 | 200 Hz for EKF input |
| `SCALED_IMU2` (id: 116) | -1 | Disabled |
| `HIGHRES_IMU` (id: 105) | -1 | Disabled |

## Command-like Messages

Messages that are injected into the flight controller from a companion computer (such as `VISION_POSITION_ESTIMATE`) are conceptually different from the vehicle telemetry streams configured via `MAV_CMD_SET_MESSAGE_INTERVAL`.
For instance, you might send `VISION_POSITION_ESTIMATE` at 50-100Hz.

> **Note:** When injecting high-rate external estimates alongside pulling heavy telemetry (like `RAW_IMU`), you can use SET_MESSAGE_INTERVAL for QoS — reducing or increasing the rate of telemetry streams as needed for your setup. On ArduPilot, these correspond to `SR2_*` parameters. On PX4, equivalent rates are controlled via `MAV_*_RATE` parameters.