DroneCAN Batch Firmware Updater

A streamlined, interactive batch firmware update tool for CubeOrange/CubeOrangePlus autopilots and DroneCAN peripheral devices.

Features

• Two-Phase Operation:
  • Phase A: One-time Cube device detection & update
  • Phase B: Continuous DroneCAN device monitoring & auto-update
• Robust Device Detection: Multi-attempt retry logic handles USB re-enumeration and bootloader transitions
• Multiple Device Support: Parallel detection and updating of multiple Cube devices
• Minimal User Interaction: Single confirmation prompt then fully automated
• Real-time Progress Display: Grouped progress bars by device type
• Cross-platform: Single binary for Windows, macOS, and Linux with platform-specific optimizations
• Dynamic Node Allocation: Built-in DNA server for DroneCAN devices

Quick Start

1. Setup Environment

# Create and activate virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Prepare Firmware

Create the firmware directory structure:

firmware/
├── CubeOrange.apj                    # Cube firmware files
├── CubePilot-CubeOrangePlus.apj
├── com.cubepilot.gps/
│   └── firmware.bin
├── com.cubepilot.esc/
│   └── firmware.bin
└── com.cubepilot.compass/
    └── firmware.bin

3. Run the Tool

# Development mode
python src/main.py

# Or build and run executable
python build.py
./dist/dronecan-batch-updater

Firmware Structure

Cube Devices

• Place APJ firmware files directly in firmware/ directory
• Files should be named descriptively (e.g., CubeOrange.apj)
• Tool auto-matches firmware based on board ID

DroneCAN Devices

• Create subdirectories named after device identifier from GetNodeInfo
• Format: firmware/com.cubepilot.{device_name}/firmware.bin
• Device name extracted from GetNodeInfo response
• Tool auto-detects and updates when devices appear

Workflow

1. Startup: Tool scans for connected Cube devices
2. Version Check: Compares current firmware vs available firmware
3. User Confirmation: Single prompt for batch Cube updates
4. Cube Updates: Sequential update of all Cube devices with progress display
5. DroneCAN Mode: Starts DNA server and continuous monitoring
6. Auto-Updates: Automatically updates DroneCAN devices as they connect

Building Executables

# Build single executable for current platform
python build.py

# Clean build artifacts
python build.py clean

Executables are created in dist/ directory.

Configuration

Default settings in src/dronecan_monitor.py:

• CAN Port: /dev/ttyACM0
• Node ID: 100
• Bitrate: 1000000

Modify these values as needed for your setup.

Progress Display

Phase A - Cube Updates

CubeOrange Devices:
├── /dev/ttyACM0 [████████████████████] 100% Complete ✓
├── /dev/ttyACM1 [████████████░░░░░░░░] 65% Uploading
└── /dev/ttyACM2 [░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] 0% Queued

Phase B - DroneCAN Monitoring

DroneCAN Devices:
├── Node 42 (com.cubepilot.gps) [████████████████████] 100% Complete ✓
├── Node 43 (com.cubepilot.esc) [████████░░░░░░░░░░░░] 40% Uploading...
└── Node 44 (com.cubepilot.compass) [░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] 0% Detected, updating...

Platform-Specific Notes

Linux

• USB Device Detection: The tool uses robust retry logic to handle USB re-enumeration during bootloader transitions
• Multiple Devices: Supports detection and parallel updating of multiple Cube devices
• Permissions: Ensure user is in dialout group for serial port access:

  sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER
  newgrp dialout

Windows

• COM Port Scanning: Automatically scans COM1-COM255 for devices
• USB Drivers: Ensure proper USB drivers are installed for Cube devices

macOS

• USB Interface: Uses /dev/tty.usbmodem* pattern for device detection
• Security: May require approval for USB device access

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. No Cube devices detected

   • Check USB connections and try different ports
   • Verify device is in bootloader mode (rapid LED blinking)
   • On Linux: Check user permissions with groups command
   • Try unplugging and reconnecting USB cable

2. Linux-specific detection issues

   • Tool automatically retries detection with proper USB re-enumeration handling
   • Multiple USB interfaces (-if00, -if02) are handled automatically
   • Bootloader transitions are managed with appropriate delays

3. DroneCAN devices not appearing

   • Verify CAN bus connections and termination
   • Check CAN port configuration in source code
   • Ensure devices are powered and operational
   • Use mcast:0 for testing with single devices

4. Firmware not found

   • Check firmware directory structure matches expected format
   • Verify APJ file board IDs match detected devices
   • Ensure GetNodeInfo returns correct device identifier

Debug Mode

Uncomment DEBUG_PRINT statements in source files for detailed logging:

print(f"[DEBUG] Message here")

Dependencies

• dronecan>=1.0.0 - DroneCAN protocol support
• pymavlink>=2.4.0 - MAVLink communication
• pyserial>=3.5 - Serial port communication
• rich>=13.0.0 - Enhanced terminal UI
• pyinstaller>=5.0.0 - Binary building
• colorama>=0.4.0 - Cross-platform colors
• click>=8.0.0 - CLI framework

License

This project integrates existing PX4/ArduPilot uploader code which is licensed under BSD-3-Clause.