DroneCAN_ESP32: An Arduino Library for ESP32 DroneCAN Communication

Hardware CAN Devices
1

I’m excited to share DroneCAN_ESP32, a lightweight Arduino/PlatformIO library that brings full DroneCAN protocol support to ESP32 microcontrollers.

Key Features

  • Complete DRONECAN Stack — Built on Libcanard, a well-established DRONECAN implementation

  • Flexible Transfer Types — Broadcast messages, service requests, and responses

  • Complete Standard Message Types — Ready-to-use definitions for BatteryInfo, NodeStatus, GNSS, ESC, LightsCommand, and more

  • Callback-based Architecture — Clean receive hooks and accept filters for custom filtering logic

Architecture

The library integrates two open-source components:

  • Libcanard — Core DRONECAN protocol handling (transfers, CRC, deduplication)

  • ACAN_ESP32 — ESP32 CAN hardware driver

This means you get a complete protocol stack from application down to the CAN transceiver, with no extra dependencies.

Quick Start

#include <DroneCAN_ESP32.h>
DroneCAN_ESP32 dronecan;

void onReceive(CanardInstance* ins, CanardRxTransfer* transfer) {
    Serial.printf("Received data_type=%u\n", transfer->data_type_id);
}

void setup() {
    Serial.begin(115200);
    dronecan.setReceiveCallback(onReceive);
    dronecan.begin(1000000, 42);  // 1Mbps, Node ID 42
}

void loop() {
    dronecan.update();  // Process CAN frames regularly
}

Supported Message Types

The library includes pre-generated headers for common UAVCAN messages:

Category Examples
Power BatteryInfo, CircuitStatus, PrimaryPowerSupplyStatus
GNSS Fix, RTCMStream, ECEFPositionVelocity
Node Management GetNodeInfo, NodeStatus, RestartNode
Actuators Command, RawCommand, Status
ESC RPMCommand, Status, StatusExtended
Debug LogMessage, KeyValue, LogLevel

Installation

The library is published to the Arduino Library Manager. Search for DroneCAN_ESP32 in the Library Manager, or install manually by copying this repository to your libraries/ folder.

Repository: DroneCAN_ESP32

Feel free to ask questions or open issues on GitHub. Happy CANning!