Build, Create & Learn: A Maker’s Journey

Ep.05 - S1|E5: From Zero to Flight-Ready - Drone Telemetry with CircuitPython

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This week on Build, Create & Learn – A Maker’s Journey, I finally put the Adafruit Feather RP2040 and CircuitPython to the test — and the results were a huge step forward for my drone telemetry project.

 

After weeks of SD card frustration on STM32, I’m relieved to say: the new setup just works. From a simple blinky app to logging environmental data and GPS coordinates straight to a microSD card, I now have the first version of a working telemetry logger. And with my mechanical engineering hat back on, I’ve also started sketching and 3D printing ideas for the enclosure that will carry it into a real drone flight.

 

What you’ll hear in this episode:
  • Setting up the Adafruit Feather RP2040 with CircuitPython
  • Running the first “blinky” and rainbow LED examples
  • Reading environmental data with the BME280 sensor
  • Finally getting reliable SD card logging with sdcardio
  • Adding GPS data to the logger with Adafruit’s GPS library
  • Why I chose not to solder everything down yet — a maker’s choice
  • Starting the design process for a flight-ready enclosure
    • It’s the most complete version of the telemetry system so far, and it feels amazing to see the pieces finally coming together.

     

    Companion blog article: https://herndlbauer.com/blog/a-makers-journey-podcast-episode-5/

     

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    Build, Create & Learn: A Maker’s JourneyBy Stefan Herndlbauer