Software · Firmware · Tools

Open Source.
All of It.

The ground station application, Pico firmware, and CC1110 firmware are all fully open source on GitHub. Download, modify, extend, and share.

Windows Application

OpenLST Ground Station

A full-featured Windows ground station application built in C# .NET 8. No prerequisites — the installer bundles everything needed to run on Windows 10 or later.

Windows 10/11 · x64

Ground Station v1.0.0

💻

Self-contained installer — includes .NET 8 runtime. No prerequisites required. Installs per-user, no admin rights needed.

⬇ Download Installer (.exe · ~50MB)

Windows 10 version 1809 or later required

Open Source · GPLv3

View Source Code

Full Visual Studio 2022 solution on GitHub. Fork it, extend it, build on it.

View on GitHub →

Application Features

📡
Home Tab

Live telemetry — uptime, RSSI, LQI, ADC readings, packet counters. Auto-polls every 5 seconds.

⌨️
Commands Tab

Get telem, reboot, get/set time, get/set callsign. Direct access to all standard OpenLST commands.

🔧
Custom Commands Tab

Send any opcode with any payload. JSON-persistent. Pre-loaded with Pico imaging commands.

📁
Files Tab

List, download, and delete files from remote Pico SD card — all over RF. Progress bar, retry logic, auto-opens Images folder.

Firmware Tab

Build, sign, and flash firmware OTA. AES-CBC-MAC signing. Page-level progress and retry.

🔑
Provision Tab

Flash bootloader onto fresh CC1110 boards via TI CC Debugger + SmartRF Flash Programmer.

Pico Firmware

Raspberry Pi Pico MicroPython

MicroPython firmware for the Raspberry Pi Pico. Handles ESP framing, camera capture, SD card file management, and chunked RF file transfer.

MicroPython · Raspberry Pi Pico

main.py

Main pipeline firmware. ESP framing, all sub-opcode handlers (PING, TEMP, SNAP, LIST, GET_INFO, GET_CHUNK, DELETE), camera init, SD card management.

⬇ Download main.py
MicroPython · SPI SD Driver

sdcard.py

MicroPython SPI SD card driver. Required dependency for main.py. Must be installed on the Pico filesystem before main.py.

⬇ Download sdcard.py
💡
Installation

Use Thonny to copy both files to the Pico. Install sdcard.py first, then main.py. The Pico runs main.py automatically on power-up. See the Pico Project page for full setup instructions.

CC1110 Firmware

Radio Firmware Source

The CC1110 radio firmware is based on the OpenLST project with our custom PICO_MSG command handler added. Build with SDCC on Windows.

Custom Firmware Source

board.c, board.h, Board.mk — the three files that add PICO_MSG support to the OpenLST radio app. Clone and build with SDCC.

View on GitHub →
🔨

Build Instructions

Full build instructions including SDCC setup, mingw32-make configuration, and signing/flashing workflow in the Developer Guide.

Developer Guide PDF →
🗂️

Inno Setup Script

Want to rebuild the installer from source? The Inno Setup 6 script is included in the repository with full build instructions.

View Installer Files →
Required Tools

Third-Party Tools

These free tools are required for firmware development and board provisioning. Not needed for basic kit operation.

Firmware Compiler

SDCC

Small Device C Compiler for the CC1110 8051 core. Required for building the radio firmware.

Download →
Flash Programmer

SmartRF Flash Programmer

TI tool for flashing the bootloader onto fresh CC1110 boards via CC Debugger.

Download →
GNU Make

mingw32-make

GNU Make for Windows. Required to run the OpenLST build system on Windows.

Download →
Pico IDE

Thonny

MicroPython IDE for loading firmware onto the Raspberry Pi Pico.

Download →
Installer Builder

Inno Setup 6

Free Windows installer builder. Only needed to rebuild the ground station installer from source.

Download →