Build Guides

The how-to section: step-by-step recipes for getting hardware built, flashed, and talking to DCS. Where the reference sections explain what things are, these guides walk you through doing them.

Start here

• Your First Panel — the end-to-end walkthrough using the working E2E_DCS_Test example: one LED, one switch, real DCS-BIOS IDs. Do this first.

Building a panel

• PCB Ordering (JLCPCB) — export fab files and place an order
• Assembly & Soldering — populate and inspect a board
• Flashing Firmware — get firmware onto STM32 and RP2040 boards
• Bring-Up & Testing — first power-on through a verified DCS connection

Extending the project

• Adding a New Panel Group — a new CAN node, NODE_ID first
• Adding a New Control Type — a new input/output firmware class

Some guides are partial

The assembly and bring-up guides need real build photos, which are still being produced — photo placeholders are marked TBD. Kit-specific assembly lives separately under Kit Assembly.