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Getting started

This page takes a new Crazyflie 2.1 Brushless with an AI-deck attached to a drone that runs cf-lab firmware on all three processors.

What you need

  • A Crazyflie 2.1 Brushless with an AI-deck 1.1 attached, and a Crazyradio.
  • A Linux computer (tested on Ubuntu 24.04) with Python 3.11 or newer, Docker, and arm-none-eabi-gcc for STM32 builds. On Ubuntu:
sudo apt-get install -y git python3-venv docker.io gcc-arm-none-eabi
sudo usermod -aG docker "$USER"   # then log out and back in

The GAP8, ESP32, NEMO and DORY toolchains run in Docker; nothing else is installed on your computer.

Install

git clone https://github.com/IllinoisReliableAutonomyGroup/Crazyflie-Lab cf-lab && cd cf-lab
git submodule update --init --recursive external/crazyflie-firmware
git submodule update --init external/aideck-esp-firmware
python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .

Run the cf-lab commands below from this directory: they read the drone's radio address from configs/drone.yaml. A new Crazyflie answers at radio://0/80/2M/E7E7E7E7E7, the address already there; if yours has another, set radio.uri to it.

Set up the drone

Turn the drone on with the AI-deck attached, plug in the Crazyradio, and flash the three processors in this order:

cf-lab flash controller --example idle   # 1. STM32
cf-lab flash gap8 --example idle         # 2. GAP8
cf-lab flash esp                         # 3. ESP32
  1. STM32 first. cf-lab flash gap8 confirms every GAP8 flash with an MD5 that cf-lab's STM32 firmware reports. Stock firmware does not report it, and its asserts can reboot the STM32 in the middle of a deck flash.
  2. GAP8 next. The idle app parks the GAP8, so it stays quiet while the ESP32 is flashed.
  3. ESP32 last, and at least once for every deck. This is the step that matters most. cf-lab's WiFi features need its ESP32 firmware: video that keeps streaming (the stock firmware stops transmitting under sustained streaming), UDP, the access point channel, and finding the deck by name. The ESP32 keeps it until you flash it again; STM32 and GAP8 flashes do not touch it.

Each command builds before it flashes. The first GAP8 and ESP32 builds download their Docker images, which takes a while. The STM32 and GAP8 flashes take under a minute, the ESP32 flash about four minutes.

See it work

The camera is a quick check that the deck works end to end. Flash the camera_stream example with the deck as its own WiFi network and JPEG video, join that network, and open the viewer:

cf-lab flash gap8 --example camera_stream --wifi-mode access_point --make-args "FORMAT=JPEG JPEG=CLUSTER"
# join the open WiFi network "camera-stream", then:
cf-lab view

Joining the deck's network takes this computer off its other WiFi; a wired connection keeps the internet. To have the deck join your own network instead, set camera.mode: station, station_ssid and station_key in configs/drone.yaml; the ESP32 only works on 2.4 GHz.

If a flash fails

  • A GAP8 flash that stalls is retried once on its own. If it fails again, power-cycle the drone and rerun the command, or add --cold-boot, which power-cycles the drone first.
  • If GAP8 flashes stop at 0%, flash the ESP32 again (cf-lab flash esp), then cf-lab flash gap8 --example idle.

Next

  • Your own project sets up a repository that uses cf-lab.
  • Where to look lists the examples; each one's README has its build, flash and run steps.
  • Read Safety before anything flies.