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Installation

How to flash the DLSE firmware to your ESP32 module.

Before you flash: Make sure you have read the Safety & Integration Guideline and completed the Hardware & Wiring steps first.

What You Will Flash

The DLSE firmware is distributed as a set of binary files - one set per supported chip (C3, C5, C6). Each set contains all the firmware partitions needed to fully program the ESP32.

By default, a freshly flashed ESP32 starts in TRIAL license mode, which cuts the MAVLink connection after 10 minutes. This is sufficient for initial setup and bench testing, but you will need to obtain a proper license before using the device in a show. Register at drone-bridge.com/dlse, buy license credits, and then activate each ESP32 individually. See License.

Flashing Methods

For deploying DLSE across many drones, use the open-source Commercial Support Suite:

DroneBridge DLSE Commercial Support Suite on GitHub

The suite provides Python scripts for:

  • Bulk flashing, activation & configuration over USB

  • Bulk Over-The-Air Updates

  • Automated configuration via the REST API

  • License activation for multiple ESP32 devices

The online flasher runs in your browser and requires no software installation. It works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

1

Open the flasher

Go to https://drone-bridge.com/flasher/ in a Chrome or Edge browser (Web Serial API required - Firefox is not supported).

2

Connect your ESP32

Plug the ESP32 into your computer via USB. If this is the first time connecting, your OS may need to install a USB-to-Serial driver (usually happens automatically on Windows; may require cp210x or ch340 driver depending on your module).

3

Select the firmware

Click Connect, allow the browser to access the serial port, and select your device from the list. The flasher will auto-detect the chip and present the available DLSE firmware releases. Select the desired DLSE release.

4

Flash

Click Flash and wait for the process to complete. Do not disconnect the ESP32 during flashing. Once done, unplug and re-plug the ESP32 to reboot into the new firmware.

Use this method if the online flasher is unavailable or if you need to automate flashing across a large fleet.

1

Install Python and esptool

You need Python 3.10 or newer.

pip install esptool
pip install setuptools

Verify the installation:

esptool.py version
2

Download the firmware

Download the latest DLSE beta release from https://drone-bridge.com/dlse/.

Extract the archive. Inside you will find:

  • Firmware binary files (one set per chip)

  • A flashing_instructions.txt file with the exact esptool command for your chip

3

Connect your ESP32

Plug the ESP32 into your computer via USB. Identify the serial port:

  • Linux/macOS: Usually /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyACM0. Run ls /dev/tty* before and after connecting to find it.

  • Windows: Check Device Manager for the COM port number (e.g., COM3).

4

Flash the firmware

Open flashing_instructions.txt and copy the command for your chip. It will look similar to this (your command may differ - always use the one from the instructions file):

esptool.py --chip esp32c6 --port /dev/ttyUSB0 --baud 460800 \
  write_flash --flash_mode dio --flash_size 4MB \
  0x0 bootloader.bin \
  0x8000 partition-table.bin \
  0x10000 dronebridge_dlse.bin

Replace /dev/ttyUSB0 with your actual serial port. Run the command and wait for it to complete.

5

Reboot

Once flashing is complete, unplug and re-plug the ESP32. It will boot into the DLSE firmware.

Verifying the Installation

After rebooting, the DLSE firmware starts a Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) by default. You can verify the firmware is running correctly:

1

Connect to the ESP32 Wi-Fi AP

On your laptop or phone, scan for Wi-Fi networks. You should see a new network named DroneBridgeESP32 (or similar, depending on the configured SSID). Connect to it using the default password dronebridge.

2

Open the web interface

Open a browser and navigate to http://192.168.2.1. You should see the DLSE configuration web interface. If you see it, the firmware is running correctly.

3

Check the license status

In the web interface, find the License section. It should show TRIAL as the current license type. This confirms the firmware is active.

After confirming the device boots correctly in TRIAL mode, the next step is usually to register your DLSE account, purchase license credits, and activate the module before flight use.

Next Steps

Read Safety & Integration Guideline Wire to Flight Controller Configure the Firmware ->

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