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SkyDash Real Drone Integration Guide

Overview

This guide shows you how to connect SkyDash to real drone hardware instead of the simulator.

Option 1: MAVLink Drones (ArduPilot, PX4)

Step 1: Install Dependencies

pip install pymavlink pyserial

Step 2: Update backend/main.py

Replace the simulation code:

from mavlink_adapter import MAVLinkDrone

# Choose your connection:
# - Serial: drone = MAVLinkDrone("/dev/ttyUSB0")  # Linux
# - Serial: drone = MAVLinkDrone("COM3")          # Windows
# - UDP: drone = MAVLinkDrone("udp:127.0.0.1:14550")  # SITL simulator
# - TCP: drone = MAVLinkDrone("tcp:192.168.1.100:5760")  # WiFi telemetry

drone = MAVLinkDrone("udp:127.0.0.1:14550")  # Change this!
drone.connect()

@app.get("/telemetry")
async def get_telemetry():
    return drone.get_telemetry()

Step 3: Connection Examples

Physical Serial Connection:

# Linux with USB telemetry radio
drone = MAVLinkDrone("/dev/ttyUSB0")

# Windows with USB telemetry radio
drone = MAVLinkDrone("COM3")

WiFi/Network Connection:

# Connect to drone over WiFi
drone = MAVLinkDrone("tcp:192.168.1.100:5760")

SITL Simulator (for testing):

# Connect to ArduPilot SITL
drone = MAVLinkDrone("udp:127.0.0.1:14550")

Option 2: DJI Drones

DJI requires a bridge application because they don't use MAVLink.

Approach A: DJI Mobile SDK (Android/iOS)

  1. Create an Android/iOS app using DJI Mobile SDK
  2. Implement HTTP endpoints in your app to expose telemetry
  3. Use dji_adapter.py to fetch data from your mobile app

Approach B: DJI Onboard SDK

  1. Install DJI Onboard SDK on companion computer (Raspberry Pi, etc.)
  2. Create a bridge service that exposes telemetry via HTTP
  3. Configure DJIDrone class with your bridge URL

Option 3: Custom UART/Serial Protocol

For custom drones with proprietary protocols:

import serial
import json

class CustomDrone:
    def __init__(self, port="/dev/ttyUSB0", baudrate=115200):
        self.serial = serial.Serial(port, baudrate)
    
    def get_telemetry(self):
        # Read from your drone's serial protocol
        line = self.serial.readline().decode('utf-8')
        data = json.loads(line)  # Adjust based on your format
        
        # Map to SkyDash format
        return {
            "altitude": data['alt'],
            "battery_voltage": data['bat'],
            "attitude": {
                "roll": data['roll'],
                "pitch": data['pitch'],
                "yaw": data['yaw']
            },
            # ... map other fields
        }

Option 4: ROS/ROS2 Integration

For drones using ROS:

import rclpy
from sensor_msgs.msg import NavSatFix, BatteryState
from geometry_msgs.msg import PoseStamped

class ROSDrone:
    def __init__(self):
        rclpy.init()
        self.node = rclpy.create_node('skydash_bridge')
        self.latest_data = {}
        
        # Subscribe to ROS topics
        self.node.create_subscription(
            NavSatFix, 
            '/mavros/global_position/global', 
            self.gps_callback, 
            10
        )
        # Add more subscriptions...
    
    def get_telemetry(self):
        return self.latest_data

Testing with ArduPilot SITL

Best way to test without real hardware:

Step 1: Install ArduPilot SITL

# Linux/Mac
git clone https://github.com/ArduPilot/ardupilot.git
cd ardupilot
Tools/environment_install/install-prereqs-ubuntu.sh -y
. ~/.profile
cd ArduCopter
sim_vehicle.py -w

Step 2: Connect SkyDash

# In main.py
from mavlink_adapter import MAVLinkDrone

drone = MAVLinkDrone("udp:127.0.0.1:14550")
drone.connect()

Step 3: Run

python backend/main.py

Configuration Reference

Connection Strings

Type Example Use Case
Serial COM3 or /dev/ttyUSB0 Direct USB/Radio connection
UDP udp:127.0.0.1:14550 SITL simulator
TCP tcp:192.168.1.100:5760 WiFi telemetry
UDP Broadcast udpout:127.0.0.1:14550 Send MAVLink commands

Baud Rates (Serial)

  • 57600: Common for 3DR radios
  • 115200: Most modern telemetry radios
  • 921600: High-speed serial (short cables)

Troubleshooting

"No heartbeat received"

  • Check connection string
  • Verify drone is powered on
  • Check firewall/port settings
  • Try different baud rate (serial)

"Permission denied" (Linux)

sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER
# Logout and login

CORS errors in browser

Already configured for localhost:5173-5175. If using different port:

app.add_middleware(
    CORSMiddleware,
    allow_origins=["http://localhost:YOUR_PORT"],
    # ...
)

Security Notes

⚠️ Important for Production:

  1. Never expose control commands without authentication
  2. Use HTTPS in production (not HTTP)
  3. Implement rate limiting on API endpoints
  4. Validate all inputs before sending to drone
  5. Add authentication (JWT tokens, API keys)

Next Steps

  1. Choose your drone type from options above
  2. Install required dependencies
  3. Update main.py with appropriate adapter
  4. Test connection
  5. Start SkyDash dashboard

For questions, refer to: