109 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
109 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
# DongLoRa
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**/ˈdɒŋ.ɡəl.ɔːr.ə/** — a [portmanteau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portmanteau) of **dongle** and **LoRa**.
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Transparent LoRa radio over USB. Plug in a supported board, talk LoRa
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from your host. The firmware is a dumb pipe — it exposes clean LoRa
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parameters (frequency, bandwidth, spreading factor, coding rate, TX power)
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and gets out of the way. No mesh logic, no protocol opinions, no config files.
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## Quick Start
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1. Get a [supported board](#supported-boards)
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2. Install toolchain (see [Building](#building))
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3. Build and flash: `just flash heltec_v4`
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4. Run an example: `uv run examples/simple_rx.py`
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5. See packets
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## Supported Boards
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| Board | MCU | Radio | Display |
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|-------|-----|-------|---------|
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| Heltec V3 | ESP32-S3 | SX1262 | SSD1306 OLED |
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| Heltec V4 | ESP32-S3 | SX1262 | SSD1315 OLED |
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| RAK WisBlock 4631 | nRF52840 | SX1262 | SSD1306 OLED (optional) |
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## Protocol
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DongLoRa speaks a binary protocol over USB CDC-ACM: COBS-framed,
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fixed-size little-endian messages. 8 commands, 6 response types —
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everything you need to configure the radio, transmit, and receive.
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See **[docs/PROTOCOL.md](docs/PROTOCOL.md)** for the complete wire format
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specification with worked examples.
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## Examples
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All examples use [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/) for dependency management:
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| Script | Description |
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|--------|-------------|
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| [`all_commands.py`](examples/all_commands.py) | Exercise all 8 commands (Ping, SetConfig, GetConfig, StartRx, StopRx, Transmit, DisplayOn/Off) |
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| [`simple_rx.py`](examples/simple_rx.py) | Configure radio, receive and print packets |
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| [`simple_tx.py`](examples/simple_tx.py) | Transmit a single packet |
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| [`ping_pong.py`](examples/ping_pong.py) | Two-dongle demo (`--role tx` / `--role rx`) |
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| [`lora_bridge.py`](examples/lora_bridge.py) | Two-way LoRa bridge over TCP (works over Tailscale, WireGuard, etc.) |
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| [`meshcore/`](examples/meshcore/) | Full MeshCore packet decoder (advanced example) |
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## Building
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Requires [just](https://github.com/casey/just) and Rust.
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```sh
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just build-all # build firmware for all boards (skips unavailable toolchains)
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just build heltec_v4 # build a specific board
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just check-all # compile-check only (no firmware output)
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just flash heltec_v4 # build + flash
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just clippy heltec_v4 # lint
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```
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### Xtensa boards (Heltec V3/V4)
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Requires the [ESP toolchain](https://github.com/esp-rs/espup):
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```sh
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cargo install espup
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espup install --toolchain-version 1.82.0.3
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```
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### ARM boards (RAK 4631)
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Stock Rust stable. Targets are installed automatically.
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<details>
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<summary><strong>Board Roadmap</strong></summary>
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### Next Up
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| Board | MCU | Radio |
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|-------|-----|-------|
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| Heltec V2 | ESP32 | SX1276 |
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| Heltec Wireless Tracker | ESP32-S3 | SX1262 |
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| Heltec Vision Master E213/E290 | ESP32-S3 | SX1262 |
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| LilyGo T-Beam (SX1262) | ESP32 | SX1262 |
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| LilyGo T-Beam Supreme | ESP32-S3 | SX1262 |
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| LilyGo T-Echo | nRF52840 | SX1262 |
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| LilyGo T3 S3 | ESP32-S3 | SX1262 |
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| Seeed Studio Xiao nRF52 WIO | nRF52840 | SX1262 |
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### Future
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| Board | MCU | Radio |
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|-------|-----|-------|
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| Elecrow ThinkNode M1-M6 | various | various |
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| Heltec Wireless Paper / MeshPocket / T114 | various | SX1262 |
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| LilyGo T-Deck / T-Echo Lite / LoRa32 | various | various |
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| RAK WisBlock 3112 / WisMesh variants | various | SX1262 |
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| RPI Pico 2040 + WaveShare SX1262 | RP2040 | SX1262 |
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| Seeed Studio SenseCAP / Xiao variants | various | SX1262 |
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</details>
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## Contributing
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See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md).
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## License
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[MIT](LICENSE) — Stephen Waits
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