Yuneec Q500 Zigbee Protocol Decoded

jaltice · Feb 5, 2019

This may have already been done but I spent some time to decode the Zigbee protocol and was successful. I have a video showing the project and how I did it.

You can download the spreadsheet for the protocol. I haven't figured out everything but most of it. So help would be awesome!
http://www.codemakesitgo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Yuneec-Protocol.xlsx

This protocol includes the ST10 & ST10+ controller and the Q500 quad. This information allows us to be able to fly the quad using Google Earth as a navigation aid (as in the video) or to even write our own custom controller!

Here is the video, hope you enjoy. Please let me know.

Thanks!

Steve Carr · Feb 5, 2019

Very impressive work.

AH-1G · Feb 6, 2019

Fantastic! Can this be done for the H?
Lockheed Martin is looking for Software Programmers. For Real!

jaltice · Feb 9, 2019

AH-1G said:
Fantastic! Can this be done for the H?
Lockheed Martin is looking for Software Programmers. For Real!

After doing some quick research I think that it could. This is because people are saying the ST12 can fly the H. I've tested this protocol on the ST12 and it works. Also interested in potential opportunities with LM. My Linkedin is https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaltice/. Let me know, thanks!

Matman · May 3, 2022

Steve Carr said:
Very impressive work.

Very cool. How is this done?
I am not nearly as gifted with computer skills as you, so, in layman's terms please

cabinfourus · Oct 25, 2023

jaltice said:
This may have already been done but I spent some time to decode the Zigbee protocol and was successful. I have a video showing the project and how I did it.

You can download the spreadsheet for the protocol. I haven't figured out everything but most of it. So help would be awesome!
http://www.codemakesitgo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Yuneec-Protocol.xlsx

This protocol includes the ST10 & ST10+ controller and the Q500 quad. This information allows us to be able to fly the quad using Google Earth as a navigation aid (as in the video) or to even write our own custom controller!

Here is the video, hope you enjoy. Please let me know.

Thanks!

I love your video. Great work!
I am actually trying to repurpose some of my Yuneec controllers and use the receiver and controller with other applications. What other protocols would work with these controllers or are they limited to just the one? I tried to download the spreadsheet but it seems to be a dead link now. Do you still have it?

h-elsner · Oct 26, 2023

If you want to reuse the STxx controllers (without changing their FW) you must remain at the Yuneec message format. The ZigBee protocol is one level deeper and only needed for the coding of the messages for ZigBee "transport". This is made by FW of the SR24.

By the way, I have tried to read the SR24 FW from CC2531 but with no success. But one cam write another FW to it. The debug connections are there.

The message format of legacy STxx is well known. But there are some more messages that came with ST16 for example to switch sonar. Some of them that will be sent I found, but the answers from drone are not well known.

A spredsheet of the message format is here: SR24_decode/Doc/UART_ST24_raw.ods at main · h-elsner/SR24_decode
(Download button on the very right side of the screen).

It is not related to ZigBee transport layer but that what at the end is communicated vie serial connection on the SR24. If you reuse ST16 then you should send back some fake telemetry data to avoid unnecessary error messages on the ST16. This is described in the ST24_decode project: GitHub - h-elsner/SR24_decode: Read and decode data from Yuneec ZigBee receiver SR24. Test tool for Raspberry Pi.

br HE

h-elsner · Oct 26, 2023

Some thoughts about using ST16 / St16S for other drones.

Of course it is possible to transport other protocols over ZigBee. I found a lot MQTT firmware for that but none for MAVlink which may the preferred protocol for other drones. MAVlink messages are used to control camera and as backup the drone over WiFi for PX4 bases drones like Typhoon H Plus. H Plus, H520 with ST16+ can handle 2.4GHz WiFi too.
For WiFi a MAVlink bridge is available: GitHub - alexgalstyan/MavLinkBridgeEsp8266: ESP8266 WiFi Access Point and MAVLink Bridge

For ZigBee CC2531 not (or better to say I didn't found it). If there would be a MAVbridge for CC2531 or someone can make one, it would be possible to control any PX4 compatible drone with QGroundControl. QGC can be installed and is is running on ST16 or ST16S. Using the ST16 sticks is another question. Here I think it is again necessary to chabge the ST16 FW. Maybe the ST16S with Yuneec's downsized and adapted QGC called DataPilot is able to do that. I don't know.

However, the easiest way is to use the SR24 - SBUS converter. It has limited functionality (no telemetry).

Typhantoom

This may be the dumbest thing you see all day :) But it works!

yuneecpilots.com

br HE

cabinfourus · Oct 26, 2023

h-elsner said:
Some thoughts about using ST16 / St16S for other drones.

Of course it is possible to transport other protocols over ZigBee. I found a lot MQTT firmware for that but none for MAVlink which may the preferred protocol for other drones. MAVlink messages are used to control camera and as backup the drone over WiFi for PX4 bases drones like Typhoon H Plus. H Plus, H520 with ST16+ can handle 2.4GHz WiFi too.
For WiFi a MAVlink bridge is available: GitHub - alexgalstyan/MavLinkBridgeEsp8266: ESP8266 WiFi Access Point and MAVLink Bridge

For ZigBee CC2531 not (or better to say I didn't found it). If there would be a MAVbridge for CC2531 or someone can make one, it would be possible to control any PX4 compatible drone with QGroundControl. QGC can be installed and is is running on ST16 or ST16S. Using the ST16 sticks is another question. Here I think it is again necessary to chabge the ST16 FW. Maybe the ST16S with Yuneec's downsized and adapted QGC called DataPilot is able to do that. I don't know.

However, the easiest way is to use the SR24 - SBUS converter. It has limited functionality (no telemetry).

Typhantoom

This may be the dumbest thing you see all day :) But it works!

yuneecpilots.com

br HE