user: I want to control a cheap proprietary quadcopter drone with a usb flightstick from my computer, can you give me a few solution on how to achieve this? I wanted to try connecting the analogue joystick connections on the remote to arduino gpio to control it via software, but it seems I broke the remote...

assistant: I'm sorry to hear about your broken remote. There are still a few ways you can control your quadcopter drone using a USB flight stick from your computer. Here are three potential solutions:

1. Use a USB-to-PPM/S.Bus converter:
Some flight controllers can accept PPM (Pulse Position Modulation) or S.Bus signals as input. You can use a USB-to-PPM/S.Bus converter to connect your flight stick to the flight controller directly. This way, you can bypass the remote control and send commands directly from your computer. Make sure your drone's flight controller is compatible with PPM or S.Bus signals before trying this method.
2. Use an Arduino or other microcontroller with a compatible radio module:
Since you mentioned you have an Arduino, you could use it to communicate with the drone by connecting a compatible radio module (e.g., NRF24L01, HC-12, or ESP8266) to the Arduino. You'll also need a USB-to-Serial converter to connect the flight stick to your computer.

Here's a high-level process to follow:

a. Connect the USB flight stick to your computer.
b. Write a program to read the flight stick inputs and convert them to drone control signals.
c. Send the control signals to the Arduino via the USB-to-Serial converter.
d. Write an Arduino sketch to receive the control signals and transmit them using the radio module.
e. Make sure your drone's flight controller is set up to receive and interpret the transmitted signals.

1. Use a software-defined radio (SDR) device:
An SDR device can be used to transmit and receive radio signals. You can use it to reverse-engineer the drone's communication protocol and transmit control signals directly from your computer. This method requires a good understanding of radio communication protocols and might be more complex than the previous options.
    
    a. Identify the frequency and communication protocol used by your drone.
    b. Connect the USB flight stick to your computer.
    c. Write a program to read the flight stick inputs and convert them to drone control signals.
    d. Use an SDR device and software (e.g., GNU Radio) to transmit the control signals to the drone.
    

Note that depending on the proprietary drone model, some of these solutions may not be applicable or may require modifications. Always ensure that you follow local regulations and safety guidelines when working with drones and radio communication equipment.

user: Are there other ways to transmit the control signals to the drone?

assistant: Radio signals are the only type of communication that is practical for drones due to the limited power & weight constraints.

However there are a few other methods to transmit the control signals to the drone that use a different form of radio:
- LoRA modules allow you to to transmit at longer range than the modules previously mentioned which is often useful for drones
- 4G/5G module to transmit the signals over the internet; this typically introduces more latency which isn't always desirable, but is quite common on GPS missions.
- Aftermarket drone RF transceiver; this typically require significant modification on the hardware side for proprietary drones but comes with improved compatibility for other drone equipment.