Downlink Decoder

MD Cockpit is a program designed and built by Microdrones. This program operates in conjunction with the microdrone to allow the operator to have access real time information about the Microdrones systems, location, operating parameters, warnings, temperatures, heights, battery conditions and many more Microdrone parameters.

The Microdrone is constantly monitoring and collecting all of this in flight data and transmitting it through the audio side of the 2.4gig downlink system. When received at the base station this data is converted through a special module. Once converted this raw data is then displayed as readable text, audio and numbers through the MD Cockpit program providing the operator with all the real time information they will need to carry out a flight.

The downlink decoder also allows the operator to do things like convert and export current and previous GPS coordinates into programs like Google Earth so you can monitor your flight path in Google Earth in real time.

It also provides the data for the following fields in MD Cockpit.

Flight display

  • Artificial horizon for viewing the current flight conditions, e.g. the pitch, roll and yaw angles as well as the flight general direction. With onboard video overlay.
  • Large, well readable displays for current flight conditions, like altitude or distance to the starting point of the flight, as well as the current speed of the drone.
  • Large compass for the display of the current flight direction with orientation marking

 Technical display

  • Detailed display of all received GPS information.
  • Display of RC channels and the signal quality.
  • Graphical display of the engine speeds.

3D flight-tracking path

  • Real time evaluation of the flight information and conversion to a 3D graph.
  • Exact state information to every point of the flight.
  • Assistance for finding the drone after range excess.

 Real-time data export to Google EarthTM

  • Exporting the flight route to Google EarthTM, based on the GPS positions, every 15 seconds while flying.
  • Creating polygons in Google EarthTM to view the flight path.
  • Finding the drone if it was flown out of viewing range.