DroneCAN Python Library

1.0.27 verified Fri May 01 auth: no python

Python implementation of the DroneCAN protocol stack (v1.0.27). Provides DSDL parsing, CAN bus communication, node management, and MAVLink bridging. Release cadence is irregular with occasional patches.

pip install dronecan

Common errors

error ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'dronecan.uavcan' ↓

cause Missing DSDL compilation or using wrong import path.

fix

Run dronecan_dsdlc <path-to-dsdl-dir> to compile DroneCAN DSDL definitions first.

error AttributeError: module 'dronecan' has no attribute 'make_node' ↓

cause Using an older version of dronecan that does not have `make_node`.

fix

Upgrade dronecan to >=1.0.0 with pip install --upgrade dronecan.

Warnings

gotcha The import path for DSDL types changed. Use `dronecan.uavcan.protocol.NodeStatus` instead of `dronecan.node.NodeStatus` after DSDL compilation. ↓

fix Use `from dronecan.uavcan.protocol import NodeStatus` after compiling DSDL.

breaking In Python 3.11+, the slcan driver may have issues. A fix was applied in v1.0.18, but ensure you are using a supported python-can version. ↓

fix Upgrade to dronecan >=1.0.18 and ensure python-can is up-to-date.

deprecated The old `dronecan.driver.slcan` driver is deprecated in favor of `dronecan.driver.slcan.Serial`. ↓

fix Use `dronecan.driver.slcan.Serial` instead of `dronecan.driver.slcan`.

Imports

dronecan
```
import dronecan
```
Standard import.

Quickstart

Initialize a DroneCAN node on a SLCAN interface, subscribe to NodeStatus, and spin.

import dronecan

# Initialize a node
node = dronecan.make_node('slcan0', node_id=100, bitrate=1000000)

# Start node
node.start()

# Subscribe to node status messages
def on_node_status(msg):
    print(msg)
node.add_handler(dronecan.uavcan.protocol.NodeStatus, on_node_status)

# Spin forever
import time
while True:
    try:
        node.spin(timeout=1)
        time.sleep(1)
    except KeyboardInterrupt:
        break
node.close()