Sorry to hear that your having dramas. I also had the exact same issue Customer support replaced my gimble never had any more problems.
Frustrated, needing some help.
- Thread starter DattaGroover
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These scrolling/freezing/black video issues seem to be more and more common, I guess more flight hours the higher likelihood that eventually something will fail.
It could be one of the 3 HDMI connections, it could be the cable, gimbal or GoPro HDMI port. In my case all of these video feed issues always came down to the HDMI cable (or its connections).
Since February I went through 2 stock HDMI cables and 4 flat ribbon cables, but I've been flying almost every day (5 batteries a day).
When my original HDMI failed, I ordered new one from 3DR but they took forever to ship it so I've ordered 2 flat ribbon cables, first one lasted me only a week, second one lasted only a day.
I ordered 2 more ribbon cables and sent the 2 faulty ones for replacement, so then I received 4 new ribbon cables and in the meantime I finally also received the replacement stock HDMI cable from 3DR.
I installed the stock HDMI cable and this one lasted the longest, about 2 months which is relatively long in flight hours considering I was flying almost every day. I went away for a trip and brought with me 2 ribbon cables just in case. When the stock cable failed I ordered another one from 3DR but that's now 5 weeks ago, they are still out of stock. I installed another of those ribbon cables and I guess I had same experience as @pyrate (it failed on install), so then I installed my last ribbon cable and again it lasted only a day.
When diagnosing faulty HDMI cable, first I remove gimbal and connect HDMI cable directly to GoPro and also check for HDMI connection to the main board, if still not working then I remove the cable and connect it directly between GoPro and TV/monitor, if still not working then I throw it away.
It's hard to exactly pin-point where the issue is, on few occasions it was just bad/loose connection either at the gimbal end or at the main board end, in which case after re-install it would work for a while and then the problem re-appears again. When my 2nd stock HDMI cable failed first time and I tested it directly between GoPro and TV it still worked, so I put it back in but I made HDMI connections tighter (I squeezed the female connector on the gimbal as well on the main board with long nose pliers before inserting the male connectors on the cable), this gave me extra week or two but eventually HDMI cable failed completely anyway.
It's been now 5-6 weeks that I'm waiting for new stock cable from 3DR and only have minimum use of the Solo, you can still do Follow me even when flying blind because camera is always pointing at you but it's nerve wrecking since you have no live feed and no idea how high/low Solo is flying as the terrain changes, you really only do it when Solo is ahead of you and you have it LOS. Other than that you can't do much without live feed, some simple 2-point MPCC with camera in fixed position.
While waiting for 3DR to send me another replacement cable, as a last resort I ordered 2 other ribbon cables, this time from Aerial Pixels, one was supposed to be with straight ends (but unlike relish3D cable I meant to order one where one end is not upside down from the other (if you know what I mean - when one end connector is upside down then you need to twist the cable somewhere during the install, I don't like that, it mangles and folds the cable once you reinstall the gimbal), unfortunately AerialPixels sent me that cable exactly how I didn't want it, anyway I had another cable on order - one end straight and the other in right angle and this one I installed yesterday, cable length is same as relish3D, connectors seem to be same make, but the cable itself looks different material. I have also put little bit of SuperX glue on the mainboard connection and I'm hoping this will last at least until I receive the new stock cable from 3DR.
It could be one of the 3 HDMI connections, it could be the cable, gimbal or GoPro HDMI port. In my case all of these video feed issues always came down to the HDMI cable (or its connections).
Since February I went through 2 stock HDMI cables and 4 flat ribbon cables, but I've been flying almost every day (5 batteries a day).
When my original HDMI failed, I ordered new one from 3DR but they took forever to ship it so I've ordered 2 flat ribbon cables, first one lasted me only a week, second one lasted only a day.
I ordered 2 more ribbon cables and sent the 2 faulty ones for replacement, so then I received 4 new ribbon cables and in the meantime I finally also received the replacement stock HDMI cable from 3DR.
I installed the stock HDMI cable and this one lasted the longest, about 2 months which is relatively long in flight hours considering I was flying almost every day. I went away for a trip and brought with me 2 ribbon cables just in case. When the stock cable failed I ordered another one from 3DR but that's now 5 weeks ago, they are still out of stock. I installed another of those ribbon cables and I guess I had same experience as @pyrate (it failed on install), so then I installed my last ribbon cable and again it lasted only a day.
When diagnosing faulty HDMI cable, first I remove gimbal and connect HDMI cable directly to GoPro and also check for HDMI connection to the main board, if still not working then I remove the cable and connect it directly between GoPro and TV/monitor, if still not working then I throw it away.
It's hard to exactly pin-point where the issue is, on few occasions it was just bad/loose connection either at the gimbal end or at the main board end, in which case after re-install it would work for a while and then the problem re-appears again. When my 2nd stock HDMI cable failed first time and I tested it directly between GoPro and TV it still worked, so I put it back in but I made HDMI connections tighter (I squeezed the female connector on the gimbal as well on the main board with long nose pliers before inserting the male connectors on the cable), this gave me extra week or two but eventually HDMI cable failed completely anyway.
It's been now 5-6 weeks that I'm waiting for new stock cable from 3DR and only have minimum use of the Solo, you can still do Follow me even when flying blind because camera is always pointing at you but it's nerve wrecking since you have no live feed and no idea how high/low Solo is flying as the terrain changes, you really only do it when Solo is ahead of you and you have it LOS. Other than that you can't do much without live feed, some simple 2-point MPCC with camera in fixed position.
While waiting for 3DR to send me another replacement cable, as a last resort I ordered 2 other ribbon cables, this time from Aerial Pixels, one was supposed to be with straight ends (but unlike relish3D cable I meant to order one where one end is not upside down from the other (if you know what I mean - when one end connector is upside down then you need to twist the cable somewhere during the install, I don't like that, it mangles and folds the cable once you reinstall the gimbal), unfortunately AerialPixels sent me that cable exactly how I didn't want it, anyway I had another cable on order - one end straight and the other in right angle and this one I installed yesterday, cable length is same as relish3D, connectors seem to be same make, but the cable itself looks different material. I have also put little bit of SuperX glue on the mainboard connection and I'm hoping this will last at least until I receive the new stock cable from 3DR.
Pete, so the video is good for a while and then turns bad until you replace the HDMI cable?
The only explanation is that your HDMI plugs on either the main board, or the gimbal have become compromised. Due to manufacturing tolerances, combined with vibrations the connectors of the respective new cable wear out and become loose over time.
1. monitor the vibration around X, Y, and U axis in the Tower, or MP monitor. You can do that in flight by connecting MP to Solo wifi.
2. Balance your props if there is an unusual vibe level
3. Test it with another gimbal to rule out the gimbal connector side
If the root cause is on the main board side, get someone who is a pro in SMD soldering to replace the HDMI connector on the board or send it in to 3DR.
Hi Steve, yes I definitely think that due to wear the connections become loose over time and eventually this happens to every connection, it's just a matter of time.
My second stock cable lasted 2 months, it doesn't sound as much but I was flying every day, usually 5 batteries so I would've done around 50 hours with that cable, somebody else may do 50 hours in 2 years, it's all relative.
Solo is relatively new, as more users reach more flight hours this problem may become more apparent, if it hasn't already.
I'm on iOS so I have no Tower app, I check for vibrations from the logs occassionaly (AccX, AccY, AccZ) and the values are within the norm. (diagnosing logs for vibrations : Diagnosing problems using Logs — Copter documentation )
My videos are fairly stable and props are balanced. I have not done motor balancing yet because can't run Mission Planner on Mac and in APM Planner you cannot run single motor at time (I installed brand new motorpods before this trip).
But obviously as with any drone there are vibrations regardless and other forces (acceleration, braking, wind, occasional crash) that also contribute to wear.
I have a 2nd Gimbal (brand new with me), at times of desperation I put that one on, to no effect.
Connections are only one part of the issue though, eventually the cable itself fails (must be internal wiring that eventually weakens and breaks), re-installing same cable and making connections tighter only works for certain period of time, eventually the cable itself becomes defective over time.
(that's when I don't get a video feed even when GoPro is connected directly via HDMI cable to TV monitor).
With that last cable I installed yesterday, I secured the connection to the main board with SuperX glue (it's easy to peal off if I need to replace cable again), I didn't do the same yet for the gimbal HDMI connection, but I might do it at some point as well if I suspect that connection to be problematic.
Anyway, I'm not whinging about it, just saying. With so many flights I expected few things to go wrong and brought with me quite a lot of spares, I thought I had enough HDMI cables but obviously not, simply because those ribbon cables didn't last at all, but I think once I get the new stock cable from 3DR I'll be good for another 2 months of flying.
@pete, I feel your frustrations. Have you tried to make sure your HDMI connection from gimbal to GoPro is secure? From reading your posts it reminds me of the same things I was trying to resolve video feed issues. I've replaced several of the HDMI cables that are connected to gimbal & board. Made several attempts w/making sure those ends were secure. Over & over w/this same scenario. I finally focused on the GP. When I secured the HDMI cable from gimbal to GP, my issues w/video feed are gone. As you know HDMI circuits are very sensitive. Literally the slightest of vibration (movement) to the connections are gonna cause issues.
@pete your videos are typically the best, at least your making the most of the Solo regarding videos. It's killing me that you're having problems with the video feed, I want more of your videos. Just offering some thoughts, not selling my solutions, just a work around to what I've seen as an issue.
It seems the HDMI connector on the gimbal is the main culprit. My theory, as you alluded to is time and things wearing out. So what is causing the loading failure on the HDMI cable or connector? I understand the vibration is the cause, but why would that be an issue if the cable is floating with the gimbal? The HDMI connection on the main board is relatively rigid, so it shouldn't be under any stress or the point of failure.
During my initial discoveries, regarding gimbal vibration, I ID that the HDMi cable is hitting a main board support. This contact is slight, but in time I could assume it would transfer some issues to the gimbal connector itself or the HDMI cable connector. The constant movement of the gimbal and the cable tapping the connector, just a matter of time til a failure of some sorts. The HDMI connector itself has been robust, but I did finally have a failure after about 300+ gimbal removals. It wasn't the cable, it was the connector on the gimbal....
Here is a thread I created to show the cable impact on a main board support and then you can see the impact transferred to the gimbal's HDMI connector. The gimbal rotates when the cable impacts the support. I exaggerate the gimbal's movement in the video, but it was to make the point that it is effecting the gimbal's movement. It's possible this is the source of the issue.
Macro vibe reduction?
It seems the HDMI connector on the gimbal is the main culprit. My theory, as you alluded to is time and things wearing out. So what is causing the loading failure on the HDMI cable or connector? I understand the vibration is the cause, but why would that be an issue if the cable is floating with the gimbal? The HDMI connection on the main board is relatively rigid, so it shouldn't be under any stress or the point of failure.
During my initial discoveries, regarding gimbal vibration, I ID that the HDMi cable is hitting a main board support. This contact is slight, but in time I could assume it would transfer some issues to the gimbal connector itself or the HDMI cable connector. The constant movement of the gimbal and the cable tapping the connector, just a matter of time til a failure of some sorts. The HDMI connector itself has been robust, but I did finally have a failure after about 300+ gimbal removals. It wasn't the cable, it was the connector on the gimbal....
Here is a thread I created to show the cable impact on a main board support and then you can see the impact transferred to the gimbal's HDMI connector. The gimbal rotates when the cable impacts the support. I exaggerate the gimbal's movement in the video, but it was to make the point that it is effecting the gimbal's movement. It's possible this is the source of the issue.
Macro vibe reduction?
well, I have not done that yet, so far I was mainly trying to secure properly the HDMI cable between main board and gimbal. I do make sure the actual connector to GoPro sits in properly and when wiggling with it while watching live video feed it had no effect, but yes it worth exploring this as well, how did you secure yours ? I can only think of taping tightly the flange with the connector to the GoPro.
when these issues start to happen, it usually works for a while then it stops working and then it works again, it gets progressively worse and eventually fails completely (no video feed at all), at that point I remove the cable and test the cable directly between my GoPro and TV monitor, when there is no video feed then I determine the cable is faulty.
I do have another GoPro and other cameras with micro HDMI ports and therefore I'm able to verify that it's not my GoPro HDMI port that's faulty.
Thanks for making that video, very helpful in understanding what's going on inside.
Then it doesn't surprise me at all that
a) connection on the gimbal PCB loosens over time and may wear out
and
b) that the actual cable fails eventually - all those compression against the inside structure (bottom left of your video) may eventually damage the internal wires inside the cable. I'm sure when you squeeze (compress) the HDMI cable with pliers then it will affect the video feed as well.
I'll be looking at this mod when I finally receive replacement stock cable from 3DR, at the moment I'm flying with the "right angle" flat ribbon cable from Aerial Pixels and that one is routed differently, I installed it 2 days ago and so far it's holding up well.
@pete, thanks for your detailed posts on this problem. I have never seen one of these ribbon cables. Do you think after time, the "ribbon wire to ribbon wire connector" connection fails or is one or more of the wires breaking inside the insulation? Is it possible to test the continuity of the individual wires after a failure? I don't know how small they are.
I'm wondering if the problem is with the wire used to make the cable or the connection to the connector?
Also, if I understand this correctly, you have had several cables from Relish 3D fail? If so, have they offered any explanation for the failure? I presume you are not returning failed cables to them so they can look at them? (I wouldn't expect you to). Might be a good way to learn why they are failing.
I'm wondering if the problem is with the wire used to make the cable or the connection to the connector?
Also, if I understand this correctly, you have had several cables from Relish 3D fail? If so, have they offered any explanation for the failure? I presume you are not returning failed cables to them so they can look at them? (I wouldn't expect you to). Might be a good way to learn why they are failing.
originally I had 2 ribbon cables from relish3D, first one failed after 1 week, second one failed after 1 day.
I contacted relish3d to let them know and at the same time I ordered 2 more cables, they contacted me back and asked me to return those 2 failed cables and sent me 2 more cables as replacement (in other words on my second order I purchased another 2 cables and they sent me 4 cables, thereby replacing 2 of the originally failed ones free of charge).
I've returned failed cables to them and they have not informed me why the original 2 cables failed, but I guess that's because I never asked for explanation.
of the new 4 cables that I received I took only 2 with me as spares for my trip and left the other 2 at home. I didn't install new cables initially because in the meantime I also received new stock cable from 3DR and was using that one, when that one finally failed (6 weeks ago), I installed again relish3D cable but the connector came off during installation so then I installed my last relish3D cable that I carried with me and that one lasted only 1 day. (I still have the other 2 cables that they sent me extra, but those are back at home).
so 1 cable failed during installation and of the other 3 ribbon cables that failed I don't know why/how, there is no visible damage. I installed the cables exactly as shown on their instructional video. I don't exactly like the way this cable needs to be installed - because the 2 connectors are reversed therefore you have to twist the cable 180 degrees somewhere along the path, on their video it shows they make the twist just before inserting the connector to gimbal female connector. when installed this way the cable folds over (it creates sharp edge/crease as if you fold paper over), this happens the moment you install the gimbal in place (you don't see it but when you uninstall the gimbal next time, the crease is there exactly in the place on the cable where the 180deg twist was). I believe it's possible that the tiny wires get damaged right there. it could be in the connector as well but it's not possible to tell.
I wouldn't know (and have no such tools anyway) whether it's possible to test individual wires.
EDIT : the new ribbon cable with 1 right angle connector that I received from Aerial Pixels does not require the 180deg twist along the path, because this was custom build and I've ordered it exactly the way I want with both connectors facing correctly so that the cable does not require the twist. This cable works for now, but I had it in only for few days, if anything I would prefer if the cable was only 8-9cm long (it's 10cm because that's the minimum length for custom builds from Aerial Pixels)
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Thanks Pete. I'm surprised Relish hasn't redesigned the cable to avoid twisting. That sounds like a good place for a wire to break inside the insulation.
I've been reading about wire for a while and am surprised at the differences in quality. Apparently there is a lot of Chinese made wire of very poor quality in wide use. The "formula" for wire varies widely from manufacturers. Cheap wire has cheap elements added to the copper. Don't really know how to spot cheap wire.
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Am following this as well, thanks Pete for your info you mailed me a few days back. I'm on my second Solo, and have the exact same interference problem as I had initially with the first. The process is slow with 3DR, I log it with them and await a reply... This replacement Solo is brand new and flown about 3 minutes as the fault was apparent straightaway. I have swapped out everything, from Android back to IOS, gimbal out so original mount with no stability and different GoPro! Sitting on my hands waiting response from 3DR... Visual of my fault is here:
Dropbox - V_20160621_081017.mp4
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I have another gimbal at home in Colorado, but I'm in Japan at the moment. I will try the swap after trying some things to bolster the connections (putting some foam under the cable part of the connection to put some steady pressure on it)
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Thanks. Please keep us updated. I can't speak for anyone else, but this lack of working HDMI is driving me nuts.
. . . and that's not long drive, either!
@pete have you tried the Cemedine adhesive in any of those connections?
@DattaGroover while you are in Japan, pick up some of this & save on shipping! Lol it's very useful for working on Solo.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111900773416?
@DattaGroover while you are in Japan, pick up some of this & save on shipping! Lol it's very useful for working on Solo.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111900773416?
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Thanks! I probably won't have time to get some (we are running bac-to-back events here, but I could order it now and have it waiting for me when I get back. Perfectly timed, as I was going to order a good epoxy for Solo work.
If you want a good, hard epoxy, try this:
View media item 330
I have used it before. It comes with a self-mixing tip which is great for tight spots. No squirting onto a piece of cardboard and mixing with a Popsicle stick!
Tip is only good for one use or "session" unless you can clean it out before the epoxy dries.
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Thanks!If you want a good, hard epoxy, try this:
View media item 330
I have used it before. It comes with a self-mixing tip which is great for tight spots. No squirting onto a piece of cardboard and mixing with a Popsicle stick!
Tip is only good for one use or "session" unless you can clean it out before the epoxy dries.
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