Killed my drone on first day of vacation.

[Oleg Filippov]

So, we rented a beautiful 3 story luxury cabin in North Carolina mountains with breath taking views. So I flew the drone a bit around, did a panorama shot. Called some people over for selfie shot - did that. At that point it told me that battery is at 25% and I noticed that GoPro setting was at photo and didnt record a selfie video. So I changed it to video and thinking that I still have enough battery left for the shot - I went for it. Recorded a nice selfie - decided to land on a porch - guided the drone to the spot - and when it was about foot or two from the floor and a when I was thinking about pushing that fly button for landing it gave me a beep (or many beeps - don't remember exactly) went skyrocking up to the ceiling - hitting the roof and dropping down on the floor like a rock braking the body apart and killing 3 propellers. I believe I've read somewhere that it would return to home location when the battery would get close to dead or when signal lost, but I think it would be alot better if they would let me know about the situation ( with some crazy beeps or some ) and make me push that home button or fly back myself before it would do some stuff by itself. It may be a smart drone, but it still doesn't know the surroundings.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

Failing to read the manual, watch any of the videos, and disregard all the warning messages is called gross operator error. Seriously, you screwed up and not a shred of this can be brushed of as a poorly thought out design.

 

[Dogman1973]

Welcome to the forum... consider yourself judged ;-)

Whilst I sigh at the instant judgment, pedals is right in that you screwed up... attempting to land on a porch with a ceiling? You're assuming that the 'smart drone' should know where it is (using GPS) with a limited view of the sky?

The only way to land in those circumstances is in manual mode. I think most here would recommend you at least learn some basic flying in manual mode (ie landing) whilst in an open area first. Assuming you get it repaired and in the air again that is!

 

[djsergeatl]

I would hurry up an get another one for 299 while they're still available.... Did your GoPro survive?

 

[Dan_Solo]

A bit of time with the Solo Simulator App will help you understand what the drone will do automatically, and how to override the return home functions. Also, before each flight the return home parameters should be updated.

I suggest you spend a bit of time with the user manual : User Manual | 3D Robotics - Drone & UAV Technology

 

[Sid nguyen]

So I'm confused. U hit fly and solo popped up to ceiling? Don't think I ever seen that.

Why didn't you just push down on left and land it on the deck?

Change the props and fly again. Bestbuy has them in stock.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

The battery failsafe RTH/RTM will kick in regardless of what mode you happen to be in. If you're in manual to land under a roof, if the battery gets below the failsafe threshold, the failsafe will engage.

Newbies make newbie mistakes. Which I will chuckle at. But he's taking it a step beyond and blaming everyone else for him not knowing what he's doing.

 

[Oleg Filippov]

I probably didn't said correctly. There were no ceiling - I know that I can't fly it indoors and that it needs a satellite view to operate. There were some kind of roof extension similar to the picture in a front of the house that it hit.

I do have couple of month experience with it - it wasn't my first time, but of course I am not a pro yet.

I also understand that it was all my fault, but on other hand if not for that "smart" feature - none of that would happened - I would safely land replaced the battery and went for another round.

Yes - GoPro survived, and the drone all glued up and looks like ready to fly as soon as I receive propellers in the mail. It's only sad that I lost all that footage that I could have recorded during our stay there.

I've learned my lesson the hard way. No more pushing past 25% of the battery

 

[Oleg Filippov]

So I'm confused. U hit fly and solo popped up to ceiling? Don't think I ever seen that.

Why didn't you just push down on left and land it on the deck?

Change the props and fly again. Bestbuy has them in stock.

No I said I was thinking about pushing the fly button for landing when the drone engaged return-to-home mode by itself

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

I probably didn't said correctly. There were no ceiling - I know that I can't fly it indoors and that it needs a satellite view to operate. There were some kind of roof extension similar to the picture in a front of the house that it hit.

You flew it directly next to a building, under roof. It doesn't get any more wrong than that. That is just as bad as trying to fly indoors. GPS cannot work properly, and you were probably on the verge of losing it to begin with. How exactly do you think the overhang roof is somehow different than the roof over the indoors?

...if not for that "smart" feature - none of that would happened - I would safely land replaced the battery and went for another round.

If not for your failure to comprehend the simple instructions and warnings, none of that would have happened. The drone did exactly what it was supposed to do. It did exactly what all the instructions, guides, and training videos said it would do, which you apparently chose to ignore. It did exactly what you could have and should have known it would do. You attempt to blame the inanimate object is like saying if the brakes failed on the car in front of you, you would have never rear ended them while following too closely in traffic, therefore it's the other car's fault.

I've learned my lesson the hard way. No more pushing past 25% of the battery

Well once again that is wrong. You can push it as far you want. As long as you understand what it will do.

 

[Oleg Filippov]

If not for your failure to comprehend the simple instructions and warnings, none of that would have happened. The drone did exactly what it was supposed to do. It did exactly what all the instructions, guides, and training videos said it would do, which you apparently chose to ignore. It did exactly what you could have and should have known it would do. You attempt to blame the inanimate object is like saying if the brakes failed on the car in front of you, you would have never rear ended them while following too closely in traffic, therefore it's the other car's fault.

Well, I have completely different opinion about it and, i guess, we can argue about it indefinitely. Not everybody was born as a professional drone pilot like you. And since you are soooo good at it even you probably don't need that automatic return to home feature because all you was saying is a workarounds about it. Once again, It is my opinion, that I believe many people will agree too, the drone is not smart enough to engage the RTH feature by itself. Let the pilot know about the situation and let him take actions about it. If bad suppose to happen that it would be his fault. And like with the car example - I'll give you one too: Please do not make the cars that will start driving to the gas station by itself when it was running low on fuel - let the operator know about the situation and let him handle it! Hey - that is how its been done and proved working so far.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

You can keep drawing at straws to justify your own personal failure all you want. The facts will not change.

Not everybody was born as a professional drone pilot like you.

I wasn't either. But I read the guides and instructions that clearly explain what will happen and what not to do. Then afterwards, it chose not to ignore them. As such, I am an informed and responsible drone pilot. You should try it some day.

And since you are soooo good at it even you probably don't need that automatic return to home feature because all you was saying is a workarounds about it.

This sentence doesn't make much sense. But I can tell you that I generally do not need it. And I often override it and continue flying manually and land it myself. However, I always know it will be kicking in, and act accordingly. Because I'm responsible for my actions, and don't ignore all the instructions.

Once again, It is my opinion, that I believe many people will agree too, the drone is not smart enough to engage the RTH feature by itself.

You are entitled to your opinion, even if it is wrong... The drone is quite smart. Apparently smarter than the human in this case. The drone did everything it was supposed to do. The human, not so much.

Let the pilot know about the situation and let him take actions about it.

It does let you know. The controller vibrates. The app and controller both warn you of the battery level several times. And the battery status is always front and center on the app and controller. You simply chose to ignore all of that, and ignore what you could have and should have known it would do in response. You screwed up. 100%.

If bad suppose to happen that it would be his fault.

Unacceptable. And no modern advanced consumer drone will just say "let the human be a moron and crash me with a dead battery." Safety features like this are what prevent people like you from hurting people.

And like with the car example - I'll give you one too: Please do not make the cars that will start driving to the gas station by itself when it was running low on fuel - let the operator know about the situation and let him handle it! Hey - that is how its been done and proved working so far.

When you ignore all the low fuel warning messages like an idiot and run out of gas, the car doesn't fall out of the sky onto whatever and whomever happens to be under you causing property damage, injury, or even death. Invalid comparison.

 

[n8lbv]

I would truly hope and also expect that if I am in complete manual mode no GPS assist mode selected that
It would not initiate an automatic RTH at 10% battery.
Granted I'd do everything possible to avoid being in that situation in the first place.
But still.
And in my won opinion manual mode should be fully manual.

Sorry I'm taking this way off topic.
But that is my thought.

I also understand the other way of thinking and the safety points.

 

[Oleg Filippov]

You are entitled to your opinion, even if it is wrong... The drone is quite smart. Apparently smarter than the human in this case. The drone did everything it was supposed to do. The human, not so much.

Thats why it is opinion - it is not up to you to decide if it is right or wrong.
The drone is smart - yes, but not smart enough to engage fly by itself mode on its own. In my opinion, even the home button should not be on a remote. I only used it a few times to impress spectators - I always fly back myself and land. If it can not see where its gonna go - it should not do that. The drone did everything it was suppose to do - yes - because it was programmed that way - which is wrong, crashing itself and could have some damage to people or property if they would be around. (that doesn't comply only to my situation - it could hit some trees or obstacles on the way to the home location if operator didn't set the correct "safe" altitude and still crash on other people or property). The "human" would land it in 2 seconds perfectly and safely.

It does let you know. The controller vibrates. The app and controller both warn you of the battery level several times. And the battery status is always front and center on the app and controller. You simply chose to ignore all of that, and ignore what you could have and should have known it would do in response. You screwed up. 100%.

Totaly agree on this one. I never said that i didn't. It was all my fault. The only thing I was saying that I had more then enough "fuel" to land safely without drone taking control over itself.

Unacceptable. And no modern advanced consumer drone will just say "let the human be a moron and crash me with a dead battery." Safety features like this are what prevent people like you from hurting people.

Totally wrong. "Safety" features like this will make "people like me" hurt the other people. Once again the drone is not that modern and advanced which is expected for the price. You don't drive a car just by looking at the gps screen - if you don't see where you going - you don't, so shouldn't a dron - if it don't see where it flies - it shouldn't.

When you ignore all the low fuel warning messages like an idiot and run out of gas, the car doesn't fall out of the sky onto whatever and whomever happens to be under you causing property damage, injury, or even death. Invalid comparison.

I didn't compare you to anything offensive - so please watch you language.
This is totally valid comparison - the cars do much more fatal damage because of the size and weight. The comparison is from different dimensions - but you started it - so I just continued

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

I would truly hope and also expect that if I am in complete manual mode no GPS assist mode selected that
It would not initiate an automatic RTH at 10% battery.
Granted I'd do everything possible to avoid being in that situation in the first place.

The failsafes will engage regardless of what mode you are in. Also, the RTH isn't at 10%. It is a fixed amount of milliamp hours battery remaining. That amount is 520mah, which about what is required for 1.5 to 2 minutes of flying home and landing safely. The is coincidentally about 10% of the battery's total capacity, plus or minus 1-2 percent depending on the condition of the battery. So you can expect the failsafe to kick in around 9 to 11%.

The solo does not have any means to totally disable the low battery failsafe. On a custom built multirotor with a Pixhawk flight controller, you can certainly enable and disable the failsafes to your heart's content. You can also totally disable to GPS so it will never attempt to use it if you so wish. These however are not options you can readily access or reliably change on the Solo.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

Thats why it is opinion - it is not up to you to decide if it is right or wrong.

The drone is smart - yes, but not smart enough to engage fly by itself mode on its own. In my opinion, even the home button should not be on a remote. I only used it a few times to impress spectators - I always fly back myself and land. If it can not see where its gonna go - it should not do that. The drone did everything it was suppose to do - yes - because it was programmed that way - which is wrong, crashing itself and could have some damage to people or property if they would be around. (that doesn't comply only to my situation - it could hit some trees or obstacles on the way to the home location if operator didn't set the correct "safe" altitude and still crash on other people or property). The "human" would land it in 2 seconds perfectly and safely.

If this is how you think, you are not responsible enough to be operating this kind of device. Please just leave it in a broken heap and don't buy a new one. For the good of everyone else in this hobby that is responsible for their actions. All of what you keep calling a flaw and dangerous is nothing more than you screwing up. You are responsible for knowing where you can and cannot operate it safely based on how the drone operates. You are responsible for setting the RTH altitude higher than the trees. You are responsible for maintaining LOS. You are responsible for recognizing the battery is getting low, and what it will do in response. The safe operation of the solo, and any aircraft is YOUR responsibility. So you can dislike what it does all you want. You're welcome to not fly it. But you could and should know all those things. And all of those things are perfectly reasonable and not complex. All of those failures are YOUR negligence. Period.

Totally wrong. "Safety" features like this will make "people like me" hurt the other people.

This is without a doubt the most ignorant statement I have ever read on here or anywhere regarding UAS operation. You are not responsible enough for this hobby.

Once again the drone is not that modern and advanced which is expected for the price.

Maybe your expectations would have been managed better if you didn't ignore all the instructions, videos, warnings, and instrumentation. Nowhere does anything say or imply that it can or will compensate for you incompetence and fly itself perfectly even under conditions you're specifically told to avoid. Your assumptions and negligence based on price isn't helping your case.

You don't drive a car just by looking at the gps screen - if you don't see where you going - you don't, so shouldn't a dron - if it don't see where it flies - it shouldn't.

YOU are operating the drone. YOU are the pilot in command of the aircraft. YOU are responsible for what it does, including it's automatic functions. The pilot of a 747 doesn't take a nap while it's on auto pilot. The pilot is responsible for knowing what the auto pilot is going to do. And the pilot is responsible for not flying the plane into conditions it cannot operate safely in. The cars with automatic cruise control, auto braking, etc all require the DRIVER to be attentive and know what it can and cannot do. If a driver is negligent in handling the automatic features and hits something, that is not the inanimate car's fault. It's the negligent driver's fault.

I didn't compare you to anything offensive - so please watch you language.

Stating a fact. If the shoe is uncomfortable, stop wearing it.

This is totally valid comparison - the cars do much more fatal damage because of the size and weight. The comparison is from different dimensions - but you started it - so I just continued

Once again, when a car runs out of gas, it doesn't crash into things causing property damage and injury.

 

[n8lbv]

The failsafes will engage regardless of what mode you are in. Also, the RTH isn't at 10%. It is a fixed amount of milliamp hours battery remaining. That amount is 520mah, which about what is required for 1.5 to 2 minutes of flying home and landing safely. The is coincidentally about 10% of the battery's total capacity, plus or minus 1-2 percent depending on the condition of the battery. So you can expect the failsafe to kick in around 9 to 11%.

The solo does not have any means to totally disable the low battery failsafe. On a custom built multirotor with a Pixhawk flight controller, you can certainly enable and disable the failsafes to your heart's content. You can also totally disable to GPS so it will never attempt to use it if you so wish. These however are not options you can readily access or reliably change on the Solo.

Thank you!
All very good data and good to know.
I'm used to stopping flying or bringing it back when the batteries are at ~3.8V per cell.
From memory I *think* 3.7V/cell is 11%

 

[dml931]

The solo does not have any means to totally disable the low battery failsafe.

Normally I'm on board with your advice that I read (although you're approach can be harsh at times, you still make sense most, if not all of the times I read your comments), but I have to disagree with you here.

The other day I was flying in a remote loacation but not taking the solo too far away (500-800' distances) and I ignored the 25% warning. When the second warning came, I started to bring it in to land, and just as it was about to touch the ground, the battery failsafe engaged. Not wanting it to climb to 180' then back down on a very low battery (and surrounded by water) I instinctively pressed the "fly" button on the controller by the time the solo reached 10'. The solo paused and hovered there until I controlled it to the ground and landed. I'm assuming I did in fact override the battery failsafe and regained control and landed safely. Or did something else happen?

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

You overrode the failsafe by changing modes, which of course you can do. Totally disable, as in make it so it never happens in the first place, is not something you can do on the solo.

You could go into Tower and disable it in on the Pixhawk. But I believe the companion computer will ignore that and do it anyway.

 

[dml931]

Ah, now I understand your original comment.