mRobotics M8N GPS

[User Name]

A $90 upgrade on a $299 drone is a significant percentage. .

A few points:

-The $299 price for the Solo is out of the ordinary - a result of 3DR's business fortunes, not a reasonable price for the platform. It really is an $800 to $1000 drone selling on clearance for $299. When they're gone, they're gone, and other drones still have yet to match Solo's capabilities. Personally, I want to keep mine, and keep them undamaged, as long as possible, and $85 is a small amount of money to do just that. If someone gave you a new car for free, would you not bother changing the oil because the cost of doing so would be more than your investment in the car?

-The new GPS improves both the time-to-fly, as well as the accuracy of the smartshots. As a camera platform, this is virtually the whole point, and $85 is, again, a small amount of money for such improvements.

-When your Solo takes to the air with your ~$400 camera, it's not just a $299 drone anymore. Since GoPros cost more than new Solos at this point, I definitely don't want to have to replace the camera on top of the drone.

-Solo is a heavy chunk of metal and plastic flying through the air, and could cause significant injury if it were to fly away and out of control. $85 is a tiny cost to reduce the chance of this.

It's also for all those reasons I wouldn't cheap out by buying a highly likely counterfeit GPS from some unknown Chinese eBay seller for $20.

I don't mean to criticize, but it amazes me how little people really think things through.

 

[andrew.baker.142]

Something else to consider; even if you think $85 is too much for the mRobotics GPS, spending your money with mRobotics will hopefully encourage Jordi to develop even more upgrades for the Solo!

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

 

[SARDG]

...The board where you'd have to wire it yourself seems much more reasonably priced, what's everyone's thoughts on that, vs the plug and play option.

Well gee... not counting @User Name's review (post 261) there are 259 posts prior to yours where the $20 to $80 GPS' virtues and shortcomings are discussed.

 

[Maddog]

I've flown with the Rev A board, without any issues, however like a lot of the members here, I'm looking to upgrade for the security of a lower HDOP. While I believe the M8N plug and play board is vastly superior to the stock Rev A board, is it really necessary? Spending $$85 to prevent a fly away drone is certainly worth it, but what's everyone's opinion on just keeping it stock? A $90 upgrade on a $299 drone is a significant percentage. Plus, if you throw in the GPS Shield at another $29.99 plus shipping, it's almost 1/2 the current price of the drone package.

The board where you'd have to wire it yourself seems much more reasonably priced, what's everyone's thoughts on that, vs the plug and play option.

I don't think the shield is necessary with the plug & play M8N and don't forget, cutting wires will likely void the warranty.

 

[RickP]

mRO's GPS replacement board is out of stock so I will check back to see if and when they are available. In the meantime, I may explore this replacement option which uses the Drobek Ublox Neo-8 card. I would modify the included cable to use this connector which would create a plug compatible jumper so no cuts would be made to the original harness in case the original GPS module needed to be reinstalled.

The writer of the instructions did mention that vibration might be an issue. I was wondering if using double-sided thick (1/4") foam tape to hold the module in place might provide some relief.

There isn't much of a cost saving since you will have to pay about $20 shipping on top of the Drobek unit cost and another $4 for the connector as well as your time. But it does look to be a viable option for people familiar with basic electronic fabrication skills.

If you wanted to do this upgrade to multiple Solos, it might be more financially compelling.

I will check back in another week to see if mRo has their card back in stock. Thanks for the discussions and tips!

 

[CoolDad5]

Bummer! I was just about to pull the trigger on this. I guess I'll have to wait a couple weeks. Hopefully it'll be in stock then.

 

[User Name]

It's worth the wait. He's sold out several times, but seems to get them back in quickly.

 

[stricklerjosh]

Yes and no. Counterfeit modules will work fine, but often not as well as genuine and/or higher quality units. I have several, including one of the ~$20 RTFQ M8Ns, and tested it against the Solo's stock GPS, as well as a Drotek M8N. The Drotek got considerably more satellites than stock (not surprisingly) had quite a bit lower HDOP and drifted less. The RTFQ got similar satellites as the Drotek, but had a higher HDOP and drifted more than the stock Solo GPS. Additionally, when the uBlox 3.01 firmware came out that added support for a 3rd satellite system, I updated all my M8Ns... All the genuine units updated fine, while the counterfeit RTFQ M8N was bricked in the process.

So they do work, and I'm fine with them on cheap home built quads, but I personally wouldn't trust them with my Solo, carrying my $400 camera, and don't expect to be able to update the firmware. Everyone's free to do as they please, of course.

If the mRo's $80 price is too much, I would highly recommend a Drotek unit over an eBay counterfeit. The standard M8N without compass (which you don't need on a Solo anyway) is only $11 more than the eBay ones, AND you'll be able to update the firmware: Ublox NEO-M8 GPS breakout board

Is the drotek plug and play or does it have to be adjusted?

 

[User Name]

Is the drotek plug and play or does it have to be adjusted?

It's plug and play with regard to settings/configuration. Solo's flight controller should configure it accordingly on boot, so you don't have to change anything.

But you do need to make up a cable. It'll come with a cable with the appropriate connector on the GPS side. You'll need to splice into Solo's GPS cable to connect it on the Solo side. It's not hard to do, but if it were me, before anything, I'd send an e-mail to Jordi to see if/when he might have his in stock. His are truly plug and play, both software and hardware wise - the connectors are the same as Solo's GPS, so it's literally unplug the old and plug in the new.

 

[JB Slimp]

Most of you probably know about this unit, designed by Jordi Munoz, one of the founders of 3D Robotics. When it was initially described as "beta" or something like that, I held off awaiting whatever improvements might be made.

I noticed last week that it dropped the beta tag, is now listed as "Release 2", and I figured what the heck... While I've never had an issue with the stock GPS beside sometimes long lock times, the fact that it often wouldn't pick up more than 6 or 8 satellites concerned me. I've read all the arguments about the susceptibility of the M8N to interference and loss of satellites, but in my thinking, having a narrow band unit that's less susceptible to interference, but is at times only 1 to 2 satellites away from loosing a fix, isn't all together better than a wide band unit that might loose a satellite or two, but is still comfortably 10 satellites away from loosing a fix.

Anyway, I replaced one of my GPSs with a Drotek M8N with decent results, but this one is amazing. I started up my Solo in our townhouse courtyard, which is surrounded by 2 story units, so not the clearest view of the sky. Within a minute of the first start, I had 15 satellites and an HDOP of 1... with the stock, I'd never see more than 7 in this location. I then took the Solo to a local field with a nice clear view of the sky, turned it on and before I could clip my phone into the controller, it was ready to fly with 20 satellites and an HDOP of .6. There was no twitching, no wandering, position holds were rock steady.

Really impressed and if I had the need to have more than one Solo in the sky at the same time, I wouldn't hesitate buying these for the others.

If anyone else was holding off waiting for other's experiences, count me in the satisfied column. Here's a link to the unit:

mRo GPS u-Blox Neo-M8N (Release 2)

Do you have a shield for stock GPS, I have heard small cardboard helps ---but maybe something a little more custom like what you did for the mRo?

 

[User Name]

Do you have a shield for stock GPS, I have heard small cardboard helps ---but maybe something a little more custom like what you did for the mRo?

There's a few different things people have done:

Cardboard "shield". This was just to address supposed occurrences of the bare copper of the stock foil shield from contacting and shorting components on the GPS. The problem I have is that the back of the foil shield isn't bare copper, there's an adhesive on it. I'm not saying there couldn't or hasn't been cases where sharp edges have worn though the foil, but I don't think it common. Other people say they noticed a difference with cardboard, foam or plastic spacers to prevent this, but I personally did not.

3DR "V2 shield". This is a thicker, non-conductive shield made from some type of material that blocks RF interference, meant to replace the stock foil copper shield. It can't hurt, and it's better than the copper foil, and some people say they noticed an improvement, but again, I didn't, at least not enough of a difference to make the stock GPS perform at what I would consider an optimal level.

I still bought the V2 shields for all my Solos, but only at the 1/2 off price of ~$15. I don't think they make enough difference to justify $30. For that, you're within a few dollars of a Drotek M8N which, with the stock copper foil shield, will far outperform the stock GPS with the V2 shield.

I know people hem and haw about the price of the mRo GPS, but it really is the last word with regards to addressing GPS quality on the Solo. It's a one purchase, drop-in replacement that will give you the best GPS fix you can get short of new RTK setups costing several hundreds of dollars.

 

[JB Slimp]

There's a few different things people have done:

Cardboard "shield". This was just to address supposed occurrences of the bare copper of the stock foil shield from contacting and shorting components on the GPS. The problem I have is that the back of the foil shield isn't bare copper, there's an adhesive on it. I'm not saying there couldn't or hasn't been cases where sharp edges have worn though the foil, but I don't think it common. Other people say they noticed a difference with cardboard, foam or plastic spacers to prevent this, but I personally did not.

3DR "V2 shield". This is a thicker, non-conductive shield made from some type of material that blocks RF interference, meant to replace the stock foil copper shield. It can't hurt, and it's better than the copper foil, and some people say they noticed an improvement, but again, I didn't, at least not enough of a difference to make the stock GPS perform at what I would consider an optimal level.

I still bought the V2 shields for all my Solos, but only at the 1/2 off price of ~$15. I don't think they make enough difference to justify $30. For that, you're within a few dollars of a Drotek M8N which, with the stock copper foil shield, will far outperform the stock GPS with the V2 shield.

I know people hem and haw about the price of the mRo GPS, but it really is the last word with regards to addressing GPS quality on the Solo. It's a one purchase, drop-in replacement that will give you the best GPS fix you can get short of new RTK setups costing several hundreds of dollars.

PROB is that the mRo is now out of stock or I would be getting a couple!

 

[SARDG]

There's a few different things people have done:

Cardboard "shield". This was just to address supposed occurrences of the bare copper of the stock foil shield from contacting and shorting components on the GPS. The problem I have is that the back of the foil shield isn't bare copper, there's an adhesive on it. I'm not saying there couldn't or hasn't been cases where sharp edges have worn though the foil, but I don't think it common. Other people say they noticed a difference with cardboard, foam or plastic spacers.

I still say that the cardboard is not to discourage shorts, but to increase the shielding effect of the copper from RFI with that small additional space. That's the story I'm sticking with.

 

[SARDG]

PROB is that the mRo is now out of stock or I would be getting a couple!

They are usually back in stock within a few days. Can hardly imagine a need so great that waiting a few days would affect. If you have an overwhelming desire to disassemble Solo and improve GPS, use the cardboard mod while you are waiting.

 

[JB Slimp]

They are usually back in stock within a few days. Can hardly imagine a need so great that waiting a few days would affect. If you have an overwhelming desire to disassemble Solo and improve GPS, use the cardboard mod while you are waiting.

Good to know. I'll check back soon


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[FVidrine]

When I called and spoke with the guys at mRo, they told me they make to order so dont worry about whats in stock and order it even if you dont see any stock. They are all ready in the process of making more and you will get your order shipped.

 

[TexasDJ]

Just ordered! Cant wait

 

[dhodgeh]

Greetings, this is my first post, but want to share my experience with ordering the mRo GPS board.

I contacted mRo this past Thursday inquiring as to when the boards would be back in stock. Was told they were in the process on preparing another batch. I went ahead and placed an order on Thursday and received the unit on Saturday.

FYI

D

 

[Aginzu]

mRO's GPS replacement board is out of stock so I will check back to see if and when they are available. In the meantime, I may explore this replacement option which uses the Drobek Ublox Neo-8 card. I would modify the included cable to use this connector which would create a plug compatible jumper so no cuts would be made to the original harness in case the original GPS module needed to be reinstalled.

The writer of the instructions did mention that vibration might be an issue. I was wondering if using double-sided thick (1/4") foam tape to hold the module in place might provide some relief.

There isn't much of a cost saving since you will have to pay about $20 shipping on top of the Drobek unit cost and another $4 for the connector as well as your time. But it does look to be a viable option for people familiar with basic electronic fabrication skills.

If you wanted to do this upgrade to multiple Solos, it might be more financially compelling.

I will check back in another week to see if mRo has their card back in stock. Thanks for the discussions and tips!

I wonder if this device:

UBLOX NEO-M8N HMC5983 GPS Module GYGPSV5-NEO For Pixhawk APM

Could be adapted for the Solo? It seems to have 6 pins, but is only $25 with free shipping.

 

[User Name]

I wonder if this device:
Could be adapted for the Solo? It seems to have 6 pins, but is only $25 with free shipping.

It could. The 6 pins will be 5v, ground, SDA, SCL, TX and RX. The SDA/SCL pins will be the magnetometer (compass) which the Solo won't use... it already has several and doesn't need another. The TX/RX pins will be for the GPS data. You'd just wire 5v to 5v, ground to ground, TX to RX and RX to TX. The extra wires on the Solo side would just not connect to anything on the GPS.

But think about what you're doing - sending a $300 (minimum) drone, carrying a roughly $400 camera (assuming a GoPro 4), so $700 total, up in the air, and trusting it all to a $25 bargain basement, Chinese GPS receiver.

If you can't swing the mRobotics GPS, at least buy this one for just $11 more than your Chinese knockoff:
Ublox NEO-M8 GPS breakout board