Writing a Driver

Guide to creating a custom driver for a new device type.

When to Write a Driver

Write a custom driver when:

• No existing driver supports your device
• OEM provides proprietary protocol
• Custom data fields needed

Driver Development Steps

1. Protocol Analysis

• Document message format
• Identify all fields
• Note encoding (binary, text, etc.)
• Handle edge cases

2. Parser Implementation

• Decode message structure
• Extract field values
• Handle variable-length data
• Validate checksums if present

3. Mapping Definition

• Map fields to canonical keys
• Define unit conversions
• Handle optional fields
• Document unmapped fields

4. Validation Rules

• Required field checks
• Value range validation
• Timestamp validation
• Cross-field consistency

5. Testing

• Unit tests with sample data
• Edge case coverage
• Performance testing
• Integration testing

Best Practices

• Keep parsing separate from mapping
• Log unknown fields for future enhancement
• Handle partial data gracefully
• Version your driver for updates

Deployment

See Reference > API Reference for driver registration details.