Are drones like coffee shops?

So I started it up on my kitchen counter in fly manual (with no props of course) and started the motors. I didn't use any kind of equipment to measure vibration other than my hands and putting each motor close to my ear. One motor is noticeably louder than the others. I couldn't hear it without putting my ear right by it, but it has a pulsating abnormality compared to the other 3. motors. Bearings perhaps?
Curious, which motor is the one in questions?

Really the table test is somewhat misleading in my opinion. The bird is given flight throttle but the sensors see no changes, so it is waiting for something to confirm movement, the logic is static with no movements. A better test is through Mission Planner with one motor at a time. You won't need to rest your ear near the motors to "kind of hear" any anomalies, you'll hear and feel it if there are any motor related issues..using MP.
 
Curious, which motor is the one in questions?

Really the table test is somewhat misleading in my opinion. The bird is given flight throttle but the sensors see no changes, so it is waiting for something to confirm movement, the logic is static with no movements. A better test is through Mission Planner with one motor at a time. You won't need to rest your ear near the motors to "kind of hear" any anomalies, you'll hear and feel it if there are any motor related issues..using MP.
It is the right rear motor. Maybe I'll try MP while I wait for an answer from 3DR. I listened with it on the counter and picked it up and rotated it while it was running. Either way the one motor was definitely pulsating and louder.

I haven't used mission planner except for once on my desktop to review a flight. Is there a MP app to download on my tab and use that to troubleshoot?
 
Never mind. I see Earldgrayjr detailed the MP connection instructions
 
That actually looks (and sounds) like "macro" vibration to me (rather than micro vibrations) that usually come from cables etc. Usually that means something big (like a bad motor) or less often one that is sevrely out of balance and could be balanced. Normally the wires touching cause the "micro" vibrations. Not always, but most often.

What "I" would do, is take a vibration analyser to it, to see where the vibrations are coming from. In this case, "I" might even hover the thing in front of me and gently feel for vibrations on each leg and arm, although that isn't for the faint of heart (or the slow). That would give you an idea where to start.

Have you had any crashes? If so, you might need to replace a motor, and you might even be able to see it. Look for dents and gashes...I have seen some motors (after crashes) that were so bad they couldn't be balanced. In that case, replace it. The bearings will go out on it anyway, and it is better/cheaper to do that on the ground.

In any case, I would aslo balance the motors. This is a thing I do instinctively (from decades with doing video and RC) but many people skip this. That is OK if you get lucky, but not if you don't. It can be more important than balancing props, as motors can be more out of whack. You can get lucky (and many people do) but it doesn't look like you did.

I now use an IOS app called Vibration to test for vibrations and balance. It is $5, and uses the accelerometers in the phone. You can use any vibration analyser, as long as you can start and stop it, keeping a "recording" over a period of time, and measure it against a set of numbers .

I use double sided tape on the back of my phone, to stick the phone to each arm of the Solo I also use soft foam blocks under the legs (pulled from other doodad boxes) to isolate the Solo from the bench.

Use this video as a guide.

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I then use the motor test function of Mission Planner to run a set of motors up and down to see the midpoint area that has the worst vibration, and to test each motor indivisually, and to balance them. The speed you are looking for is where your motors are likely to be running when you are filming. Typically that is about 50%, and balancing Solo motors seems to work well there. I start the motor for 30 seconds and record it, noting the highest vibration. I also use metal tape, as it is heavier, and tends not to get soft when warm.

To connect Mission Planner, connect the PC to the Sololink network, and after that follow this guide to connect. You only need to change the connection type to UDP and connect.

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I am not at the Solo right now, but at that point, I "believe" after connecting it, go to initial setup, and I "think" optional hardware, and then motor test. It could be somewhere slightly different, but close to that. In any case, there is a row of buttons,. The first 4 will be your motors Change the value to 50 and the duration to 30 seconds. and hit the buttons one at a time (1-4) to start each motor.

None of this is an an exact guide for Solo, but you should be able (as I was) to piece together what you need to balance the motors.

"I" would also take this opportunity to make a VERY close inspection of the Solo when the individual motors are running, feeling the motors, arms, legs, gimbal, camera, etc. for vibrations, and noting the worst, and how the vibrations are traveling. That is ultimately your problem. You can (as an example) swap motors, to verify that large vibrations go with the motors. I haven't seen it, but I have heard of people (on various copters) having "reasonant" vibrations on things like legs, where they act like tuning forks. In those cases, you can change the resonance by adding sorbothane. I have also seen people do this on GoPros and gimbals. I have done this on bike mounts etc.

In the end, if you think about it, Solo isn't really any different than any other multirotor in this regard. The gimbal will get rid of quite a bit, but can only do so much. It has four motors, and one or more of them is originally generating the problem, and then it is transmitting to the camera causing your problem. Obviously not all off them do it, so you know it "can" work, and your job is to find the vibration(s) find how itehya are transmitting. then get rid of them/it.

The tools above will help you find it/them. What you do to get rid of them depends on what you find/.

Good luck!!

PS: We might want to add this (or something like it) to the sticky guide. Or "maybe" an enterprising video person would want to make a Solo specific motor balancing video? Just a thought ")
I'm stuck at step #1 - "To connect Mission Planner, connect the PC to the Sololink network"
 
I'm stuck at step #1 - "To connect Mission Planner, connect the PC to the Sololink network"

Jon,

Once your bird and RC are powered up go to your wireless network on your computer, disconnect from your normal network and connect to the Soloxxxx network. The default password is sololink (I think). I changed mine. I'm not at my computer right now but up in the upper right hand corner of Mission Planner there is a selection for a connection, change it to UDP.

Jerry
 
I'm feeling like the difference between DJI and 3DR is like choosing between Starbucks and the little mom-and-pop coffee shops. DJI is like Starbucks. Choose Starbucks and you are extremely likely to get a consistently very good product with the rare exception that it will not be what you expected or something is wrong with it. 3DR is like the mom-and-pop coffee shop. You take your chances with the lesser known name. You might end up with something truly excellent. But you might end up wishing you had just gone with Starbucks. At this point with 3DR it's like I took the chance, didn't like my latte, I have asked the barista to fix it, but I'm not sure that the next will be better than the first.

But the real question is why do some Solos, according to their owners, work flawlessly while others have so many problems? With coffee shops, from one owner to the next, there are a lot of variables. How can one product rolling off of one production line in China have so much inconsistency?

Perhaps the tastebuds of the guy ordering coffee are on the fritz. Maybe had brushed his teeth before ordering up that first latte? Maybe he doesn't know what espresso tastes like and was using gas station coffee as the litmus test for good coffee. I think a lot of people should have gone with DJI over 3DR. I feel that you sort of need to be geeky and understand technology. I hate the 3DR videos as they mislead the noobies. I've bumped into Solo owners who dont know the difference between the Solo app and 3DR services. Some guys I talked to were many versions behind in their software and don't necessarily do the leg work and reading required. Those guys are better off with DJI to some extent as that product has been out longer and tends to be more idiot proof. Not calling anyone an idiot but some people are totally ignorant of the fact that there's a lot of technolgy on board making this all possible. Kinda like the guys that ask you "how high can it go?" and those that say "Thats it?" when you tell them that your drone can stay in the air for 20 minutes. I dont think those people should ever touch something like a phantom or a Solo. Then we have people who take the flight school videos literally and haven't got a clue what manual mode is and crash their first day out. Again, 3DR partly to blame here.

I went with 3DR on the premise of open source and I know that there would be some issues but I'd easily pay double for something that wasn't a Phantom. I dont want to fly what everyone else has. Solo is special. I read so much before even opening the box yet alone taking it out on its first flight. I did the legwork with toy quads and as a result minimized my chances of having a problem.
Have I run into my share of software issues? Yes - especially on Android. But you know what - I reported them to 3DR and shared my experience on forums and FB groups so that people could be aware of what was going on. At the end of the day I'm happy with Solo and still prefer a good Starbucks now and again but I mainly support mom and pops as much as possible.
 
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I feel that you sort of need to be geeky and understand technology. I hate the 3DR videos as they mislead the noobies.
This is an excellent point. I think to a great extent 3DR shot themselves in the foot with their own marketing for Solo. First of all, they launched it at NAB. This is an association of people who mostly have no experience at all with model aircraft unless by coincidence. They are people looking for user friendly tools for video production. If they had launched Solo instead at an AMA convention they would have been targeting a group of people who were able and willing to tinker, modify, replace parts, take apart, rebuild and troubleshoot all the issues. I just realized the other day, as experienced as I have become taking apart and reassembling Solo, I have no idea what the inside of a Phantom looks like because I haven't needed to open one up yet. Furthermore, like you said, they misled everyone about the product. I saw Colin and company over and over pushing the idea that Solo would be the easiest to use, most user friendly, take it out of the box and get amazing shots product. I'm now 3 1/2 months into having Solo and I'm still tweaking with it every day but have not yet achieved usable video. I know certain people here get their panties in a bunch whenever someone mentions DJI, but I have to say that me experience so far with my 3 phantoms has been take it out of the box, charge batteries and start shooting great video. No, Phantom doesn't do everything that Solo was promised to do. But neither does Solo. At least not yet. Hopefully I'll get my RMA soon and the third Solo will be the charm.
 
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Jon,

Once your bird and RC are powered up go to your wireless network on your computer, disconnect from your normal network and connect to the Soloxxxx network. The default password is sololink (I think). I changed mine. I'm not at my computer right now but up in the upper right hand corner of Mission Planner there is a selection for a connection, change it to UDP.

Jerry
Thanks for the help guys but I still can't figure it out. I tried to connect the PC to the Sololink network but I can't find it. The computer doesn't seem to see it. I tried "add network" and "add wireless device" but I don't see Sololink come up. It says it's searching for available devices but I get nothing. I guess I'm not enough of an IT guy. This Solo "hobby" sure requires a lot of skills - pilot, engineer, model aircraft builder/modder, IT network administrator. I think I'm better of sending it back to 3DR to let the experts handle it.

But again, thanks!
 
Thanks for the help guys but I still can't figure it out. I tried to connect the PC to the Sololink network but I can't find it. The computer doesn't seem to see it. I tried "add network" and "add wireless device" but I don't see Sololink come up. It says it's searching for available devices but I get nothing. I guess I'm not enough of an IT guy. This Solo "hobby" sure requires a lot of skills - pilot, engineer, model aircraft builder/modder, IT network administrator. I think I'm better of sending it back to 3DR to let the experts handle it.

But again, thanks!
This is going to sound ridiculous, but... are both your Solo and controller powered up?
 
Wow! you put some time into that, and I appreciate it. I am not sure that I am prepared to go quite to the modifying lengths that you have, but I think you have helped me to identify the problem.

To start, I flew this morning after yesterday's gimbal re-install and meticulous cable routing. No improvement over last flight. Still shaking badly.

My solo has had no crashes or tip overs. No prop has ever come in contact with anything while spinning.

So I started it up on my kitchen counter in fly manual (with no props of course) and started the motors. I didn't use any kind of equipment to measure vibration other than my hands and putting each motor close to my ear. One motor is noticeably louder than the others. I couldn't hear it without putting my ear right by it, but it has a pulsating abnormality compared to the other 3. motors. Bearings perhaps?

I'm hoping this explains the shakiness as well as my Solo's struggle to hold a stable position while hovering. With hands off the sticks it will wander about 6-8 feet in every lateral direction.

So now the question is do I request an RMA to have 3DR work it out or request a replacement motor pod? I have heard that the motors are still hard to come by. I'm inclined to send the whole bird back for them to repair or replace it. I wonder about having issues down the line with warranty if I do repairs on my own.

Anyway, not the result I was hoping for today, but maybe on the path to a Solo that works properly. So I think I have gained some ground.

The thing is, I haven't really modded mine much at all. Balancing motors is really just part of the multirotor game. Like I said, many times you can get lucky, but sometimes not. As an example, there are dozens of videos out there to balance Phantom motors, and for the same reason

You could likely do either, ( send it in or get a motor) but you will have to convince them. Look at it from their side. How do you know a motor is bad? You will likely need to show video and work through it. I personally would do more investigation. Then I would get the parts, as it is faster. But I also know I would have to (obviously) talk it through with them.

I also still feel strongly that you should hook up Mission Planner (free) and test the motors 1 at a time. .
There is just to much going on to work it in any detail with all four running beyond the very basic look. I also strongly suggest the vibration test and app. You can also get versions of those apps free. Sound is a good tool, but it isn't the final test. Vibration is. Use all the tools available. You can actually do all that I showed (especially on the testing side) at no cost (except some double sided tape) assuming you don't have that.

If you plan on owning a multi for any length of time, you will do this sooner or later anyway. Since you are having a problem, now is a good time.
 
This is going to sound ridiculous, but... are both your Solo and controller powered up?
That, sir, is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Just kidding! Yes, Solo and controller on.
 
Progress, but still not sure if I can fix this. So I got out a laptop that I never use. It found Sololink - no problem. Had to update .net framework then downloaded MP. Added vibration monitoring app to my phone. I stuck my phone to the top of the battery with double stick

Running each motor individually at 50% they all sound completely different in pitch and sound quality. Each has a distinctly different mechanical sound. The one that I thought sounded bad was introducing the most vibration. I was able to minimize it with a small strip of tape. Now 3 of the motors show similar, low level sine waves while the 4th motor shows a slightly higher amplitude sawtooth wave which doesn't seem to respond to a small tape strip at any position on the hub. Would you assume that this motor is bad and is the source of my vibrations?
 
Progress, but still not sure if I can fix this.

Jon,

As a side note, I posted this on a different thread but wanted you to see it:

"Well 2 HDMI cables down! The "ultra-thin" turned out to be not as thin as I thought. Actually about the same as the OEM. It didn't have the ferrite on it and was also slightly longer. I gave it a good go anyway. The ends are too bulky and the extra length just made things worse. I thought maybe the extra would give me a little more to flexibility when routing but it didn't.

Cable 2. I didn't even bother installing it. Same length and thickness as the OEM without the ferrite and with bulkier ends. Both go into the cable inventory under HDMI misc.

That leaves me with the Relish3d ribbon cable which is the one I had the highest hopes for anyway. Unfortunately, since its coming from Singapore I'm not sure when I'll have it in my hands. As soon as I have it and can test it, I'll give a shout out."

Jerry
 
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Jon,

As a side note, I posted this on a different thread but wanted you to see it:

"Well 2 HDMI cables down! The "ultra-thin" turned out to be not as thin as I thought. Actually about the same as the OEM. It didn't have the ferrite on it and was also slightly longer. I gave it a good go anyway. The ends are too bulky and the extra length just made things worse. I thought maybe the extra would give me a little more to flexibility when routing but it didn't.

Cable 2. I didn't even bother installing it. Same length and thickness as the OEM without the ferrite and with bulkier ends. Both go into the cable inventory under HDMI misc.

That leaves me with the Relish3d ribbon cable which is the one I had the highest hopes for anyway. Unfortunately, since its coming from Singapore I'm not sure when I'll have it in my hands. As soon as I have it and can test it, I'll give a shout out."

Jerry
I hope #3 is a charm. For now my problems seem to be above and beyond the hdmi cable, but it's good to know for future reference.
 

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