3dr Solo coming today

[jaymst]

Hi Guys ... I am Jay from NC and never flown before. I've read & watched tons of videos. My 3dr Solo, gimbal & extra battery are coming today!!! Yah ... Any tips on batteries on sustaining life & flight times? Also any other tip/info will be greatly appreciated... Jay

 

[IrishmanPDX]

Aye, here's my tips (still a newbie myself, so others can feel free to correct me), of course the first thing you need to do is register your drone, after that, make sure you RTFM! here's my other tips:

1: Inspect the GPS board you have. If it's REV A, replace it! If it's REV B, I understand that's better, but you may still need to replace the GPS Shield for better accuracy. I went with this GPS myself : mRo GPS u-Blox Neo-M8N / 3DR SOLO Upgrade and I'm pretty darn happy with it. Also got the Ver 2 GPS shield from 3DR.

2: Learn to land manually. I've had two flip overs on landings so far and luckily the drone wasn't damaged, landing manually is the way to go though.

3: Learn how to kill your engines immediately. (hold A&B and Pause). This is handy if you do have a flip over and the engines don't stop.

4: Assign one of your buttons (A or B) to fly manual mode. This is essential should your SOLO ever lose GPS signal, it will also help stop flyaway's. You can do this by enabling the "Advance" flight modes in the app, and then you can assign a shortcut button (without advance flight more options enabled, I think the defaults for A & B are Selfie and Orbit).

5: Learn how to use a program called "Solex" for android. It's not free, but compared to the 3DR flight app, it's actually a whole lot better and it's only improving.

6: I had problems getting video from my Gopro to the app, but If found that putting it into 1080P, 60 FPS and a Medium FOV cleared it up immediately, I was then able to adjust settings from the app later.

7: Buy extra props!

8: Flight times vary with wind conditions etc, it also depends on which batteries you use. I got some 3DR branded replacement batteries that appear to be chinese? I got them from Amazon, and while they do work, I'm not sure the performance is up there with the US branded 3DR batteries. So Number your batteries and rotate them as you use them (Solex actually can log your battery use for you).

9: Start slow! Get used to your drone and don't be in too much of a rush! The more used to it you get, the better a pilot you'll become.

10: Get some leg extenders! It will give the gimbal a little more clearance from the ground when taking off or landing.

11: Read the forums and use the search function. There's a whole host of solutions to questions that pop up and there's some great tips on here too. If you come up with any idea's or tips yourself, post them, there's newbies like myself who appreciate the great advice on here!

12: Have fun! Post some photo's or video of your flights. Let people know how you're getting on.

 

[andrew.baker.142]

You don't need to replace your GPS, even if it is a Rev A. Fly it and see how well it performs for you. Most likely the "cardboard" mod will be all you might want ( and need) to do.
Read the manual. I believe it is available on the 3DR website but if not do a search on this forum for the link.

Oh yea... welcome!

 

[jaymst]

Aye, here's my tips (still a newbie myself, so others can feel free to correct me), of course the first thing you need to do is register your drone, after that, make sure you RTFM! here's my other tips:

1: Inspect the GPS board you have. If it's REV A, replace it! If it's REV B, I understand that's better, but you may still need to replace the GPS Shield for better accuracy. I went with this GPS myself : mRo GPS u-Blox Neo-M8N / 3DR SOLO Upgrade and I'm pretty darn happy with it. Also got the Ver 2 GPS shield from 3DR.

2: Learn to land manually. I've had two flip overs on landings so far and luckily the drone wasn't damaged, landing manually is the way to go though.

3: Learn how to kill your engines immediately. (hold A&B and Pause). This is handy if you do have a flip over and the engines don't stop.

4: Assign one of your buttons (A or B) to fly manual mode. This is essential should your SOLO ever lose GPS signal, it will also help stop flyaway's. You can do this by enabling the "Advance" flight modes in the app, and then you can assign a shortcut button (without advance flight more options enabled, I think the defaults for A & B are Selfie and Orbit).

5: Learn how to use a program called "Solex" for android. It's not free, but compared to the 3DR flight app, it's actually a whole lot better and it's only improving.

6: I had problems getting video from my Gopro to the app, but If found that putting it into 1080P, 60 FPS and a Medium FOV cleared it up immediately, I was then able to adjust settings from the app later.

7: Buy extra props!

8: Flight times vary with wind conditions etc, it also depends on which batteries you use. I got some 3DR branded replacement batteries that appear to be chinese? I got them from Amazon, and while they do work, I'm not sure the performance is up there with the US branded 3DR batteries. So Number your batteries and rotate them as you use them (Solex actually can log your battery use for you).

9: Start slow! Get used to your drone and don't be in too much of a rush! The more used to it you get, the better a pilot you'll become.

10: Get some leg extenders! It will give the gimbal a little more clearance from the ground when taking off or landing.

11: Read the forums and use the search function. There's a whole host of solutions to questions that pop up and there's some great tips on here too. If you come up with any idea's or tips yourself, post them, there's newbies like myself who appreciate the great advice on here!

12: Have fun! Post some photo's or video of your flights. Let people know how you're getting on.

Thanks ... definitely ..slow start. Looking forward to learning ...

 

[jaymst]

You don't need to replace your GPS, even if it is a Rev A. Fly it and see how well it performs for you. Most likely the "cardboard" mod will be all you might want ( and need) to do.
Read the manual. I believe it is available on the 3DR website but if not do a search on this forum for the link.

Oh yea... welcome!

Don't know how to tell what I have Rev A or B ... found 8 satelites sitting on my den floor ... yea. THANKS

 

[pyrate]

pyrates 100% foolproof new owner test
you are ready to fly when you can answer the following
What happens when solo loses GPS lock in flight
what happens when solo loses contact with the controller
What is the pause button for
What happens when you long press fly
What actions do you take if any wen the first two incidents happen
What is manual mode and why do I need it

 

[jaymst]

First flight .....

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[Robpower]

First flight .....

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Congrats, always good to get that first flight done successfully.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Hello,
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the 3DRPilots forum.
I hope that you will be able to use the forum to further your safety knowledge and for the exchange of innovative ideas and as a resource for
current developments in 3DR quadcopter’s. If you're new to RC aircraft be sure to read the manual a few times and watch lots of Youtube videos on the subject to give yourself a good start.
Enjoy!

 

[IrishmanPDX]

pyrates 100% foolproof new owner test
you are ready to fly when you can answer the following
What happens when solo loses GPS lock in flight
what happens when solo loses contact with the controller
What is the pause button for
What happens when you long press fly
What actions do you take if any wen the first two incidents happen
What is manual mode and why do I need it

Ok, I'm ready to take this test and see how I do....

What happens when solo loses GPS lock in flight
It will find the nearest tree or solid building and fly into it at top speed, thus maintaining it's reputation as found on the one star review on Amazon......... or it will go into manual mode... one of the other.

what happens when solo loses contact with the controller
It suddenly realizes the value of being fully independent in a relationship and not being controlled or dominated by just one party. This enables it to explore it's own self worth and to continue to expand it's horizons while being a partner....... or it initiates an RTL.

What is the pause button for
The pause button acts as an emergency brake for when you are about to royally screw up. Such as "Oh I've totally configured this mission so there's no chance my solo will crash into that tree.........hmmm........ it is getting awfully close though..... hey what do you know, my solo CAN prune a few twigs!...... hmmm... looks like it didn't have much luck against that branch.... oh wow... the top speed IS 55mph... when it's tumbling down towards the ground....wish I'd pressed the Pause button sooner....."

What happens when you long press fly
I'm asked to get off the bus and usually barred from riding that line again.......... oh wait, you mean on the controller... oh ok, the Solo initiates an "Auto-land" which means it will attempt to land, hit the ground, bounce, and flip over on it's back.

What actions do you take if any when the first two incidents happen
Loss of GPS lock requires you DON'T pray... as you'll need both hands on the controller to maintain it's position and speed as it will drift with wind currents if you don't. Loss of signal to the controller means you can pray because the solo will initiate an RTL... which is great until you realize you're on a boat and your launch position was about 80 meters away... so ya had better either start rowing or regain control over your solo when it gets back into range.

What is manual mode and why do I need it
Nah... that joke is just TOO bad... manual mode is just like standard flight but without GPS lock, so drifting occurs. Everyone should learn to fly manual to they know how to handle their solo should it ever lose GPS lock. It will help in the event of fly away's etc. Oh and you need to make sure you shortcut it to a button on the controller.......... oh ok, I'm going with the joke anyway............ manual mode is what you use when your other half is out of town.... BOOM BOOM!

Ok, so how did I do?