Pro variant

Summary¶

libdrone Pro is the reference platform of the libdrone family — the 6-inch, 6S, research and commercial variant around which the GX12-7 payload interface standard, the five-layer airframe architecture, and the full documentation stack were designed. Where Core teaches the fundamentals and Bandit enables autonomous missions, Pro is the platform that carries real payloads to real operational tasks: environmental monitoring, aerial survey, research instrumentation, and civilian situational awareness. It is the most capable and most expensive family member, and the one that defines what every other variant is compared against.

Concept¶

What Pro is for¶

Pro is a payload platform first and a flying platform second. The 330mm True-X wheelbase, 6S 1800mAh power system, and PC-CF arm construction exist to support 150–250g of sensor payload reliably in the conditions where that payload is useful — not to achieve maximum flight time or minimum weight. Every structural and electronics decision traces to the payload requirement: the five-layer airframe creates the Platform and Backplane geometry that the GX12-7 payload interface requires; the 6S power system provides the current capacity for high-draw payloads; the HDZero digital FPV system provides the clean live feed the payload operator needs.

The GX12-7 payload interface¶

Pro's defining commercial feature is the dual GX12-7 payload interface — two 7-pin aviation connectors, one carrying power and primary communications (Connector A, left), one carrying secondary communications and auxiliary GPIO (Connector B, right). Any payload built to the ICD LD-PAY-002 specification works on Pro without modification, and the same payload works on Bandit, Ghost, and Wing — the standard is family-wide.

This interface is what makes Pro a platform rather than a drone. A payload developer writes to the GX12-7 standard once and gets access to all four capable family members as deployment targets. See → gx12-connector-standard and → gx12-icd for the full specification.

The intelligence layer¶

Every Pro is built Pi-ready from the first print: a 6mm PETG tray above the Backplane, a pre-wired 4-wire companion harness to FC UART6, and a dedicated buck converter on the battery rail — installed whether or not a Pi Zero 2W is ordered. When the LCM-1 companion module is fitted, Pro gains onboard compute: MAVLink bridge, sensor data aggregation, contextual alerting, and WiFi hotspot for live payload data streaming. See → lcm1-spec.

PC-CF arms¶

Pro uses PC-CF (polycarbonate carbon fibre) printed arms rather than PETG. The higher modulus of PC-CF reduces arm flex at the 330mm wheelbase, keeping the IMU vibration profile clean. The trade-off is printer requirements: PC-CF needs a hardened steel nozzle and a heated enclosure. This is why Core uses PETG — the educational context cannot assume enclosed printers, and 220mm arms do not need the stiffness that 330mm arms do.

Reference¶

Shared SKUs with Core and Bandit: Matek H7A3-SLIM, Happymodel EP2 Nano, 3mm CF rod stock, M2/M3 hardware.

Procedure¶

Rationale¶

Pro is the platform from which all others diverge. Core removes capability to reduce cost and regulatory weight. Bandit replaces Betaflight with ArduPilot to enable autonomous missions. Ghost scales up for endurance. Wing changes airframe class entirely. Each departure is defined relative to Pro's baseline. The Pro specification is therefore the single most important platform document in the family — it defines what "standard" means for every comparison that follows.

Connections¶

requires: - platform-overview related: - platform-selection - gx12-connector-standard - gx12-icd - lcm1-spec - sandwich-structure - pccf - digital-fpv - betaflight-setup - sk-complete-build-guide leads_to: - gx12-connector-standard - payload-architecture - sk-complete-build-guide