Programming the DJI Ryze Tello drone with Python
Fleet Flyer
© Lead Image © Leonid Eremeychuk, 123RF.com
Drones are more fun if you can program the unmanned aerial vehicle yourself. The DJI Ryze Tello and Python make this possible.
In this article, I work with the DJI Ryze Tello drone, which is available on Amazon [1] and from other vendors for around $99 (£99/EUR100). Why this model? The drone was designed for educational use and has open interfaces for that purpose. In other words, you can develop programs for the drone in Scratch or Python.
To familiarize yourself with the drone's capabilities, you first need to download the app that gives you manual control of the drone. The drone's battery lasts about 13 minutes, and the control range is about 100 meters. Because it is intended for operation inside buildings, this range is fine. If you get lost, the built-in 720p camera with electronic image stabilizer lets you view your current location.
For more intensive use, a Tello with the indispensable boost combo add-on adds $49 (£39/EUR45) to the price. Among other things, you get two extra batteries and a propeller protection set. During your first programming attempts, the propeller guards will definitely help prevent serious damage (Figure 1). Further information about the DJI Ryze Tello can be found on the manufacturer's website [2]; the essential technical data is shown in Table 1.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.
-
Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux
If you've ever wanted to use a rolling release distribution with WSL, now's your chance.
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.