Logging & Debugging

Optain Serial Logs

DroneBridge for ESP32, like all other ESP32 projects, logs data via the serial output. In case of bugs or errors you can read those logs in real time.

For officially supported boards just connect the USB port of the board to your computer. Alternatively you can connect a serial to USB adapter to the debugging port of the board (TX & RX pins).

Any serial monitor application will work, however for ease of use I do recommend esptool-js or the ESPHome WebTools. This will only work on Chrome based browsers (e.g. Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge).

Steps for esptool-js

1. Connect the ESP32 board to your computer (USB or serial to USB adapter)
2. Go to esptool-js using Chrome or Edge as a browser
3. Under Console click connect selecting 115200 as the baud rate
4. Select the connected serial device
5. Once the console opens click Reset to reboot the esp32 and start logging

Steps for ESPHome WebTools

1. Connect the ESP32 board to your computer (USB or serial to USB adapter)
2. Go to ESPHome WebTools using Chrome or Edge as a browser
3. Under "Try a live demo" Click connect and select the serial device that represents your ESP32 board
   The button will be invisible if your browser is not Chrome-based
4. Select Logs & Console
5. Click "Reset Device" on the bottom right corner to trigger a reboot an start logging

Now you can observe the startup sequence of the device and check for any errors!