mavsdk_drone_show

MAVSDK Drone Show Documentation

Complete documentation index for MDS 3.6

Welcome to the MAVSDK Drone Show documentation! This index will help you find the right guide for your needs.

---

📋 Table of Contents

• Getting Started
• Setup Guides
• Features
• Configuration
• Hardware
• API & Integration
• Version Management
• Archived Documentation

---

🚀 Getting Started

New to MDS?

Start here to get your first drone show simulation running:

1. Quick Start Guide (Coming Soon)
   • Condensed essential steps to run SITL demo
   • Perfect for quick evaluation
   • 15-minute setup
2. SITL Comprehensive Guide
   • Complete step-by-step SITL setup
   • Detailed explanations of each component
   • Network configuration, Docker setup, dashboard startup
   • Recommended for first-time users

Choose Your Path

I want to…	Start with…
Try MDS quickly (SITL)	Quick Start Guide (Coming Soon)
Understand MDS deeply (SITL)	SITL Comprehensive Guide
Deploy on real hardware	Contact for assistance
Customize deployment	Advanced SITL Guide
Understand features	Features Section

---

📖 Setup Guides

SITL (Simulation)

Guide	Description	Audience
SITL Comprehensive	Complete SITL setup from scratch	Beginners
Advanced SITL	Custom configuration, environment variables, production deployments	Advanced users
Deployment Quick Reference	Quick command reference for deployment	All users

Configuration

Guide	Description
CSV Migration Guide	Migrating from 10-column to 8-column CSV format
Python Compatibility	Python version requirements (3.11-3.13)

---

✨ Features

Detailed documentation for MDS features:

Feature	Description
Swarm Trajectory	Smart swarm mode, leader-follower clustering, Kalman filters
Origin System	Coordinate system implementation and global positioning
Control Modes and Coordinates	Comprehensive guide to control modes, coordinate systems, Phase 2 auto-correction, and time synchronization

---

⚙️ Configuration

Configuration Files

• config.csv - Main drone configuration file (8-column format)
  • Hardware ID, Serial port, Baudrate, Drone ID, etc.
  • See CSV Migration Guide for details

Environment Variables

MDS supports environment variable overrides for advanced configuration:

Variable	Purpose	Default
MDS_REPO_URL	Custom git repository URL	Official repo
MDS_BRANCH	Custom git branch	main-candidate
MDS_DOCKER_IMAGE	Custom Docker image	Official image

See Advanced SITL Guide for usage examples.

---

🔧 Hardware

Supported Platforms

• Raspberry Pi (4 & 5)
• NVIDIA Jetson series
• Any Linux-based companion computer

Hardware-Specific Guides

Platform	Serial Port	Baudrate	Guide Status
Raspberry Pi 4	/dev/ttyS0	57600 / 921600	(Documentation TBD)
Raspberry Pi 5	/dev/ttyAMA0	57600 / 921600	(Documentation TBD)
Jetson (Orin/Xavier)	/dev/ttyTHS1	57600 / 921600	(Documentation TBD)

Note: Real hardware deployment requires professional expertise. See Contact for assistance.

---

🔌 API & Integration

Available APIs

• Flask Backend - REST API for configuration and control
  • Endpoint documentation: (TBD)
• MAVLink2REST - REST API for MAVLink messages
  • Official Documentation
• WebSocket - Real-time telemetry streaming
  • Protocol documentation: (TBD)

Integration Examples

(Coming soon - integration examples with external tools and platforms)

---

📦 Version Management

Understanding how MDS manages versions:

Versioning Guide - Complete versioning workflow

Topics covered:

• Version numbering scheme (X.Y)
• How to bump versions
• Release process (main-candidate → main → GitHub release)
• Automated version synchronization
• Manual override capabilities

Current Version: 3.6

Changelog: See CHANGELOG.md for complete version history.

---

📁 Archived Documentation

Historical documentation and implementation summaries are preserved for reference:

Implementation Summaries

Detailed reports of major implementations and bug fixes (chronologically organized):

• 2025-09-04: Flight Mode Fix
• 2025-09-06: Mission State Rename
• 2025-09-20: Robustness Summary
• 2025-09-20: Container Fixes
• 2025-11-04: Processing Validation
• 2025-11-05: Bug Fix Report
• 2025-11-05: Implementation Summary
• 2025-11-06: Cleanup Summary

Deprecated Documentation

Older versions retained for historical reference:

• DEPRECATED: Version 2.0 SITL Guide

Legacy Documentation

Original documentation from early versions:

• Version 0.1 Documentation (PDF)
• Version 0.7 Documentation (HTML)
• Version 0.8 Server Documentation (HTML)

Located in: archives/legacy-versions/

---

🎯 Quick Navigation

By User Type

Beginners:

1. Start with SITL Comprehensive Guide
2. Review Python Compatibility
3. Explore Features Documentation

Experienced Users:

1. Check Advanced SITL Guide
2. Review Swarm Trajectory Features
3. Consult API Documentation

Developers/Contributors:

1. Read Versioning Guide
2. Review Configuration Guides
3. Check Archived Implementation Summaries

---

🔍 Can’t Find What You’re Looking For?

• Search the repository: Use GitHub’s search function
• Check the main README: ../README.md
• Browse the codebase: Inline documentation in source files
• Ask for help: See Contact & Contributions

---

📝 Contributing to Documentation

Documentation improvements are always welcome! If you:

• Found an error or outdated information
• Want to add a new guide
• Have suggestions for better organization

Please submit a pull request or open an issue on GitHub.

---

Last Updated: November 2025 (Version 3.6)

© 2025 Alireza Ghaderi

Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

This site is open source. Improve this page.