Supported Platforms and File Formats#

LogHat is designed for drone operators and engineers working with industry-standard open-source flight controller firmware. This page describes which platforms are currently supported, the expected file format, and how to locate and export your log files.

Currently Supported: ArduPilot#

ArduPilot is the primary supported platform. LogHat is designed and tested against ArduPilot's DataFlash binary log format, which is used across all ArduPilot vehicle types:

| Vehicle Type | Firmware Name | Supported | |---|---|---| | Multirotor (quadcopter, hexacopter, octocopter) | ArduCopter | Yes | | Fixed-wing | ArduPlane | Yes | | Ground vehicle / rover | ArduRover | Yes | | Underwater vehicle | ArduSub | Yes | | VTOL (tiltrotor, tailsitter) | ArduCopter / ArduPlane | Yes |

Firmware Version Compatibility#

LogHat parses the DataFlash binary format generated by ArduPilot firmware versions 3.5 and above. Older firmware may produce .bin files with slightly different message structures. If you encounter processing errors with logs from older firmware, see the FAQ for guidance.

Contemporary firmware versions (4.x and above) are fully supported and produce the richest log data for analysis.

PX4#

Supported file types: .ulg, .ulog

PX4 ULog format is fully supported. Upload a .ulg file from PX4 Autopilot and LogHat parses all standard subscribed topics — attitude, local position, battery status, estimator status, GPS position, actuator outputs, and CPU load.

What you will get#

• All standard ULog topics parsed and structured
• EKF estimator health and innovation analysis
• Battery profile and current tracking
• Actuator output spread (motor balance)
• 3D flight replay from GPS position data
• Vector AI conversational diagnostics
• Forensic PDF report (10 sections)

How to upload#

1. Pull the .ulg file from your Pixhawk SD card, or use QGroundControl (Analyze > Log Download) to retrieve it over USB.
2. Go to Dashboard > Upload Log and drag the .ulg or .ulog file into the upload area.
3. LogHat auto-detects the ULog format and begins parsing immediately.

The .bin File Format#

A .bin file is a binary-encoded flight log in ArduPilot's DataFlash format. It is written continuously by the flight controller during a powered flight session and stored on the SD card mounted inside the flight controller.

File Characteristics#

• Extension: .bin
• Encoding: Binary (not human-readable as plain text)
• Average size for a 10-minute flight: 20–60MB
• Average size for a 30-minute mission: 60–200MB
• Maximum supported upload size: Large files (1GB+) are supported via chunked, resumable upload

Each .bin file corresponds to a single power-on session of the flight controller. If you arm and disarm multiple times in a single session without powering the controller off, all flights within that session are contained in the same .bin file.

How to Locate Your Log File#

On an SD Card (Direct Access)#

1. Power off your flight controller.
2. Remove the SD card and insert it into a computer using an SD card reader.
3. Navigate to the APM/LOGS/ directory on the card.
4. Log files are numbered sequentially: 00000001.bin, 00000002.bin, and so on. The highest-numbered file is your most recent flight session.
5. Copy the desired .bin file to your computer.

In Mission Planner#

1. Connect your flight controller to your computer via USB and open Mission Planner.
2. Connect to the flight controller using the Connect button in the top right.
3. Navigate to DataFlash Logs in the top navigation bar.
4. Select Download DataFlash Log Via Mavlink.
5. A list of available logs will appear with their index numbers and sizes.
6. Select the desired log and click Download Selected Logs.
7. Choose a save location on your computer.

In QGroundControl#

1. Connect your vehicle and open QGroundControl.
2. Click the Q application icon, then navigate to Analyze Tools.
3. Select Log Download.
4. A list of available logs will appear with timestamps and file sizes.
5. Select the log you want and click Download.
6. The file will be saved to your configured download folder.

In MAVProxy (Command Line)#

log download <log_number>

Use log list first to see all available logs and their sizes. Downloaded logs are saved to the current working directory.

File Naming and Organization#

When you upload a file to LogHat, you can assign it a drone name, mission type, and notes during the upload wizard. These fields become the searchable metadata for the log in your flight history — the raw filename is secondary.

It is good practice to maintain an organized archive of your raw .bin files on your local storage or a network-attached storage system, organized by date and drone name. LogHat does not serve as a raw data archive — it stores processed analysis data and the original .bin file for the purpose of generating the forensic report and replay.

File Upload Requirements#

| Requirement | Value | |---|---| | Accepted file extensions | .bin, .log, .tlog, .ulg, .ulog | | Minimum file size | No minimum | | Maximum file size | No hard limit (chunked upload supports 1GB+) | | Supported encodings | ArduPilot DataFlash binary format, PX4 ULog binary format |

Files that do not conform to a supported format will fail processing. If your file uploads successfully but processing fails, the most common causes are: corrupted log file (partial write due to SD card removal while logging), non-standard firmware variant, or a file that is not a valid DataFlash .bin or ULog .ulg.

Currently Unsupported Platforms#

The following log formats are not currently supported by LogHat:

| Platform | Format | Status | |---|---|---| | DJI (all models) | .dat, .csv | Not supported | | Betaflight / Cleanflight | .bfl, .csv | Not supported | | iNav | .bbl | Not supported | | Kiss FC | .csv | Not supported |

If you fly one of these platforms, LogHat cannot process your logs at this time. Support for additional formats is planned — use the Feature Request tool in your dashboard to vote for the format you need.

Next: FAQ — answers to frequently asked questions about LogHat.