iOS Update with Multi Point Cable Cam, Save & Load Cables, Time Lapse & Free Look

[Ed Beck]

I'm doing another this morning to survey a 20 acre tract of pine timber after a controlled burn yesterday - with camera at 0° tilt. Oughta be interesting since i don't think the devs had this application in mind. LOL

If this is a one time survey setting up the cable cam would take just about as long as doing the shoot. Now if you're going to survey the same area multiple times multi point cable cam is awesome.

 

[Troiano27]

I'm with you... mine does not Orbit nor does the camera feed the Samsung Tab4... says disconnected and searches for another wifi.

Question... Did you also update 3dr services on your android device? Have to update that along with the solo app.

 

[Gregg deLong]

All functions are working and showing as promised on Proprietary I pad Mini and the I Phpone 6 Plus , after having so many issues with the Phantom 2and 3 Quad Copters I am now flying and learning with some confidence !

 

[twitchyzero]

when you land with sticks in fly/RTH mode, do you pull your left stick all the way to descend it? or do you ease off as you get close to the ground then only pull stick all the way down once it touches down so it doesn't smack down hard?

Well lets be clear. The language can be a bit confusing.

Auto
When the Solo is doing all the flying (including an Auto mission, or Auto landing). In Auto, the solo uses GPS and its other sensors to fly to way points, or do things like an Auto landing.

For some reason, the few times I've allowed Solo to *Auto* land, its exhibited bad behavior. Usually hopping/bouncing on the ground, which could easily lead to a flip.

Fly
For those of us who flew 3DR before Solo, this used to be called "Loiter." This is a mode where the Solo uses GPS to hold its current position, uses the barometer to maintain altitude, uses the compass to maintain heading, and uses the IMU to stay level. This is the easiest mode to fly around in because as soon as you let go of the sticks, the Solo will stay in that spot (it will loiter in place).

Manual - before the Solo, this was called "ALT Hold." In this mode the drone does not use GPS to hold its position. It will drift with the wind. It does use the baro to hold its altitude (thus the original name "Alt hold"). And it keeps it self level (using the IMU). For the record, there are additional manual modes (like stabilize, sport and acro).

Then there is "Landing Manually"... this can be confusing because we don't mean that you switch to Fly:Manual (aka Alt hold) and then land. We mean that you stay in the GPS assisted Fly mode (aka Loiter), and then land yourself (manually) using the sticks on the controller to set the Solo down gently (keeping the left stick down until the motors shut off). This manual landing is still done with the benefit of GPS in Fly mode to help you fight the wind and keep your position.

The reason why a lot of us land "manually" while in Fly mode, is because Auto Landing seems to lead to so many accidents and tip overs.

There are folks (mostly old timers), who will tell you that you should always take off and land fully manually. These guys really mean that you should be in a true manual mode like Fly:Manual (aka Alt Hold). I used to recommend that myself. It avoided sudden accidents caused by gps glitches. But I don't recommend that anymore. The Solo has enough redundancy built in, that even if you lose GPS near the ground, it won't shoot off like older drones did.

So to sum it up, to "land manually":
- Keep your Solo in FLY mode.
- Reduce altitude slowly until the Solo is on the ground.
- Keep the left stick down until the Solo detects it is on the ground and shuts off the motors. It may take 3 to 5 seconds.

To take off "manually":
- Keep you Solo in FLY mode.
- Push up on the left stick.

 

[Jubalr]

I'm with you... mine does not Orbit nor does the camera feed the Samsung Tab4... says disconnected and searches for another wifi.

You need to double check the settings on your phone/tablet. By default, many of them will not stay connected to a WiFi without internet and you have to set it to not scan for other networks.

 

[erikgraham]

when you land with sticks in fly/RTH mode, do you pull your left stick all the way to descend it? or do you ease off as you get close to the ground then only pull stick all the way down once it touches down so it doesn't smack down hard?

Well I never really use RTL (RTH). But when I do, as soon as the drone gets close, I take back over and land it myself. So on a Solo that would mean that when the RTL brings it close enough, I hit the FLY button and take over.

As for the left stick, I generally crank it all the way down until about 10 or 15 feet above ground. Then I back off and bring down to 2 or 3 feet more gently. I may be adjusting the right sticks at this point for position. Once it's in position 2 or 3 feet above the landing spot, I bring it down all the way. Fully down on the left stick. Keeping it down until the motors shut off.

 

[rassalas]

I've had this problem ever since I got a replacement solo after a controller issue. I've been through several firmware restorations, 3 full sets of propellers, 4 support tickets, and support doesn't seem to be too interested other than to send me new props (and motors on the last ticket). At first they said it was user input, so I took that out of the question by landing full auto. Did it again & they said it didn't get the signal that it was on the ground, actually they've said it's had that error every time, so I started landing on hard flat ground. The last support ticket they asked me to send it in, but the last time I did that it took them well over a month to return it (including transit time), so I'm quite hesitant to go through that again.

Now, I've just resolved to only landing with full manual control and haven't had any more issues.

I don't recall seeing another thread on this issue, is there one? If other people are having the problem, we should compare notes.

Ok, you're really in the wrong thread, but let me humor you for a minute. I had this problem on my first flight, I was trying to land it on a sidewalk intersection with a muddy spot off the side of it. My landing came down slightly off the place I was expecting, (noted to self, don't hit the land button from 15 feet up, because where it appears to should land is not where it does) because it was windy, motors didn't shut down, leg caught on side of sidewalk and bird flipped. Had to reach in grab and then try to stop it. I complained to 3DR explaining just that, and next update had a change to automatically shut down motors if contact with land is detected. So you shouldn't be having this issue unless your bird is flying wacky, perhaps because a motor is bad..?, perhaps from flying it upside down? Send it back. Let them fix it. Don't be that guy we have to read about in the newspapers.

 

[rassalas]

3DR to date have never forced a feature on users that can't be turned off, I don't see that changing in future.

Not true, you used to be able to mail yourself a given flight log post flight. Not available any more. I contacted 3DR and they told me Solo customers were too stupid to be able to deal with entering their email for datalog, so they made the change to keep everyone happy, and no they were not going to add the functionality back in. In the process of investigating that issue, I met some interesting "Special" pretending supervisor 3DR operatives that made me glad I don't work there.

 

[rassalas]

I also am using the Hero4 Black firmware 3.00 and I have to manually turn the GoPro on. If I land and power down the Solo before I stop recording the GoPro does not properly close the file, and it is unusable. To fix the file I turn the GoPro on, and a Band-Aid icon shows while it repairs the file structure. I am going to switch to a Hero 4 Silver and see whether this issue is only with the Black model.

Sometimes I've found flying out of range or a bumpy landing, can cause the gopro control to drop out of the app. So although it's recording you can't stop it from the app. in which case, you have to remove the camera and power down manually. of course gopro does a good fix with the bandaid procedure, I've often just tried to move the files without checking them first. Then you've moved the file, it doesn't work on your desktop/laptop, and you can't bandaid it without doing some restore on sim card first.
My solution, try to turn it off before landing. If it fails to stop recording manual switch, then power down the bird.

 

[rassalas]

Ever since I have the SOLO, I had the problem of flip During landing reported for lot of you. Always land without problems, but never use the AUTO land, always manual. Why do they happen?

Read back we've already answered your question.

 

[rassalas]

Ed there's tons of info...ArduCopter is a subset of ArduPilot - ArduPilot | Open source autopilot

To get to the point of Solo, which is a branch of ArduCopter, you'll need to dig into the Solo GitHub branch - GitHub - 3drobotics/ardupilot-solo

Everything is absolute regarding autonomous flights, which MPCC is. Mission Planner, Tower and others use the GPS coordinates to find the defined waypoint. Further it's more efficient.

Relative waypoints would be a mistake waiting to happen, imho. Say for example the bird is turned 10 degrees off position, you've just made a calculation mistake. Those 10 degrees adds up to a large offset at 100'.

Thanks for the detailed video. It appeared to hit the mark at every turn.

Seems MPCC is everything I would have hoped for...game changer. #fly3dr

Rich, I think you miss the point, What 3DR is doing here is dangling the shiny bauble and sliding in some questionable code, with no real explanation of how it works.
We were told you could request clearance from control towers from the app. That doesn't seem to be happening, but is information about your bird powering up and arming being relayed somewhere without your knowledge?

 

[rassalas]

So forget the cable cam, investigate the boundaries. How does one request clearance for flight in a known safe area, below 400ft , That may be 4.5 miles away from the local city airport?

 

[erikgraham]

Sometimes I've found flying out of range or a bumpy landing, can cause the gopro control to drop out of the app. So although it's recording you can't stop it from the app. in which case, you have to remove the camera and power down manually.

You can click in on the tilt lever. That will stop and start recording on the GoPro. Works with or without the app. If that doesn't work, then do what you say.

 

[erikgraham]

How does one request clearance for flight in a known safe area, below 400ft , That may be 4.5 miles away from the local city airport?

Call the airport. It's literally that simple. You'll be connected to the tower or given the number. It's very easy at local airports where there is a small staff and very little red tape.

 

[pyrate]

Not true, you used to be able to mail yourself a given flight log post flight. Not available any more. I contacted 3DR and they told me Solo customers were too stupid to be able to deal with entering their email for datalog, so they made the change to keep everyone happy, and no they were not going to add the functionality back in. In the process of investigating that issue, I met some interesting "Special" pretending supervisor 3DR operatives that made me glad I don't work there.

I am glad you don't work there too.
When people say this about 3DR service it makes me laugh, you MAY have gotten a one off new person on the line. but 3DR stands by its products.
Making a change like this could hardly be considered forcing a no fly zone, to suggest those are the same is silly.
Not to mention, there are plenty of ways to get you logs IF you took the time to learn

 

[pyrate]

Rich, I think you miss the point, What 3DR is doing here is dangling the shiny bauble and sliding in some questionable code, with no real explanation of how it works.
We were told you could request clearance from control towers from the app. That doesn't seem to be happening, but is information about your bird powering up and arming being relayed somewhere without your knowledge?

Wow really?
LOL

 

[ERM]

These f**king idiots at 3DR have f**ked up as usual and are using us as their beta testers. Just got told by a 3DR rep that the reason my app doesn't display any of the new features is because some LG G3 phones are incompatible with the new update. So thanks 3DR, after buying the LG G3 specifically so that I could use it to fly this expensive toy (as recommended on your site). I am being told its useless for this function and I basically have to either get a new phone or wait god knows how long for a feature I should already have. Feels like the f**king gimbal all over again.

 

[RichWest]

I think you miss the point,

No, I get it. We have options, Solo is open source...

@ERM , curious you did update 3DR Services and the Solo app correct? FW update is one thing, updating the apps is required....

I'm using a MotoRazr that is at least three years old, and it works fine....and not on the approved list ever....

 

[ERM]

No, I get it. We have options, Solo is open source...

@ERM , curious you did update 3DR Services and the Solo app correct? FW update is one thing, updating the apps is required....

I'm using a MotoRazr that is at least three years old, and it works fine....and not on the approved list ever....

I did but it wouldn't function. So I deleted the app and attempted to download it again via the app store but was told that my device was incompatible. 3DR then suggested I download the old version with should be stable but would not have the newly added features using this link. 3DR Solo APK Download - Free Media & Video app for Android | APKPure.com
When I download the app using that link I somehow ended up with the new version of the app and though i haven't tried it, it now appears to have multi-point cable cam.

 

[RichWest]

and though i haven't tried it, it now appears to have multi-point cable cam.

Then, could you edit your previous tirade so not to offend younger viewers....