Remnants of Solo for Sale

No crash...I installed it exactly like the video instructed and right from new, the gimbal would make a noise like the motor was constantly running. The instalation was not the issue. Bought a new gopro 4 black and when in the gimbal recording in 4k, the gopro would overheat within 10 minutues to the point it would shut itself down (hot to touch). Recording outside the gimbal for 15 minutes and the gopro had no issues. No matter what I tried the gimbal would only center itself when it felt like it. The majority of the time it would sit about 10° off center. I read every recommendation and tried everything possible but issues still there. I made a video of all the issues I was having and sent it to 3DR. At that point, after about 30 hours of troubleshooting and convincing the FedEx lady that the gimbal wasn't a bomb, I was able to send it back to 3DR for either repair, refund or return. It's been 10 days now and I'm still waiting for a decision from 3DR as to what they're going to do with it. The control cable inside the gimbal Bay is in a black sheath.
Good luck, i eventually just washed my hands of the company. Hope you have better experience than I.
 
3DR Solo is a NoGo - Drone Flyers

Metrics and Indications for Dot-Drone Bust - Drone Flyers

I didn't want to admit i got ripped off either, and it is a fact that 3dr discontinued their entire product line besides Solo. Why do you think that is? Straight garbage for $1400. If it cost around 700, it may have been accepted. No one thinks their baby is ugly.
Unfortunately, both those articles you cited were by the guy Ian referenced above. His attack on 3DR and the Solo is personal and his analysis in the articles debunked. In the first article, he so badly misrepresented an owner that he was chastised by that owner online.
 
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3DR Solo is a NoGo - Drone Flyers

Metrics and Indications for Dot-Drone Bust - Drone Flyers

I didn't want to admit i got ripped off either, and it is a fact that 3dr discontinued their entire product line besides Solo. Why do you think that is? Straight garbage for $1400. If it cost around 700, it may have been accepted. No one thinks their baby is ugly.

You've proven my point, both are those are written by Craig, both wrong.

I've posted on the Solo FB group exactly why legacy stock was being sold off cheap, that was to close down the warehouse in Mexico. It costs more money to hold excess stock, the building costs, the staff and security. Thousands of parts for legacy lines (approx a years worth of replacements) is held by 3DR's support.

I've already posted the evidence that the Solo user used for Craig's blog himself said he was misquoted, the full text is here: Expert cited in "Solo NoGo" blog, says it's "DJI propaganda" & "A disservice to the UAV community"
 
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There's so many articles on 3DR's sales antics and false promises, I can start a forum. If you can use Google, all the sources you require will keep you reading for a month. Since my Solo is sitting in its backpack and I can't fly, I had plenty time to read.
 
There's so many articles on 3DR's sales antics and false promises, I can start a forum. If you can use Google, all the sources you require will keep you reading for a month. Since my Solo is sitting in its backpack and I can't fly, I had plenty time to read.
That's nonsense all you get is the same comments from the same sources regurgitated.

I tell you what you can find, Inspires falling out of the sky with such regularity now the official DJI Facebook group asked users to stop posting on the issue within the last few days. Then there's the critical bug in the API which DJI didn't even tell people about and left it to a third party to do so.
 
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3DR Solo is a NoGo - Drone Flyers

Metrics and Indications for Dot-Drone Bust - Drone Flyers

I didn't want to admit i got ripped off either, and it is a fact that 3dr discontinued their entire product line besides Solo. Why do you think that is? Straight garbage for $1400. If it cost around 700, it may have been accepted. No one thinks their baby is ugly.
One thing about price: IMHO, 3DRs price is a bargain. My aircraft went into the ocean and they gave me a new one, AND a Gopro. Yes, there were some major bugs, but this company stands behind their product. When I wrote the CEO, I got an answer back from him. Try that with DJI. #DR has accountability, serious 24-7 service and American innovation. I like em.
 
Terms they ship to Hawaii if you need a 2nd card.
Yes, they ship to hawaii, but UPS is ridiculously expensive. Especially in the case of a silly little card. It could go in an envelope for 1or 2 bucks. Nope, not gonna do that. There's actually a bit of a movement here in Hawaii regarding UPS verses USPS. Let's do the [email protected]
 
One thing about price: IMHO, 3DRs price is a bargain. My aircraft went into the ocean and they gave me a new one, AND a Gopro. Yes, there were some major bugs, but this company stands behind their product. When I wrote the CEO, I got an answer back from him. Try that with DJI. #DR has accountability, serious 24-7 service and American innovation. I like em.
You lost your $2,500 - $3,000 drone in the ocean because of a fly away I assume. For a company that claims to do 175 things better than the competition, I guess fly aways isn't one of them. Such a bargain. I'm not claiming that DJI has a better machine, I'm saying 3DR has, and continues to claim they have a superior product.
 
You lost your $2,500 - $3,000 drone in the ocean because of a fly away I assume. For a company that claims to do 175 things better than the competition, I guess fly aways isn't one of them. Such a bargain. I'm not claiming that DJI has a better machine, I'm saying 3DR has, and continues to claim they have a superior product.

I am absolutely saying DJI has a better machine, and for the record, I have had both, and a Yuneec and have no vested interest in any of them. I bought the Solo second, so for whatever that's worth I was hoping it was indeed better. Just look at the range and the GPS strength. Not to mention DJI Go and/or Litchi. Also, the Inspire is about the same difference in price to the Solo with GoPro as the Phantom, maybe the bulk of comparisons should be Inspire Solo? It's not the fault of 3DR as far as camera control goes, but the Phantom is far superior there as well. What got me hooked on photography was learning how adjusting the shutter speed in low light situations works, I was really surprised when I bought my first GoPro and that wasnt available, not to mention the limited ISO settings. The Solo I will say however, is extremely durable, recovers from "situations" in incredible fashion, and is definitely faster. I was wondering each time I flew it what would go wrong. It cost me like $150 because of the lack of altitude hold. I can fly my Phantom in Attitude mode without GPS lock and it doesnt lose a foot in height literally, but the Solo was sporadic in this regard and sometimes lost altitude sometimes didnt in the exact same location and conditions. Jubalr wrote a great description of how their Manual mode works, but the description should have come from 3DR IMO. The real rub is the hubris displayed by 3DR, that is what is most bothersome to me. It does three things better than others that I can see, but far more things in poorer fashion. The way 3DR is, if they had met or beat any of their fantasy goals that they advertised, you know we would have heard about it, but all I have heard is.......
 
Know this is a bit late for this thread but do you still have the battery? I'll give you $85+shipping.
 
I am sorry still laughing about the better machine and service at DJI
you guys are seriously funny, sad but hilarious
 
What I find most interesting is that DJI is up to what, the 5th variant of the Phantom and DJI was well known as the flyaway king for a very long time. In fact Phantoms and Inspires were still falling out of the sky last month because of a battery sensor software bug.

3DR probably should have put the Solo through an open source type testing first, but compared to YEARS of Phantom defects, unexplained flyaways, cracking arms, motors physically falling off and a myriad of other problems, 3DR fixed things quite well IMO and in a timely manner.

All these flying robots are going to have problems, but to say the Solo had more than DJI is just laughable.


I have had two Solo's. Neither gave me problems, but ultimately I returned them (December) because of the FAA registration and yet to be determined official regulations which I believe will be draconian. In fact, those complaining about Solo's lack of range will be unpleasantly surprised when they discover geofencing will be enforced which includes limiting distance from home. Oh yes, it's coming, count on it. The government wants a way to ground every drone with a flick of a switch. DJI already has the ability. It's only a matter of time before we hobbyists are confined to getting not only permission but also provide a flight plan. It may not happen to small drones, but I'll bet it's in the works.

FWIW, I still have 4 other MR's, all AC FC but have no plans to register at this time. The outcome of John Taylor's lawsuit may determine whether I get back out of the hobby again for the second time in 37 years, but there's always micro-drones :)
 
What I find most interesting is that DJI is up to what, the 5th variant of the Phantom and DJI was well known as the flyaway king for a very long time. In fact Phantoms and Inspires were still falling out of the sky last month because of a battery sensor software bug.

3DR probably should have put the Solo through an open source type testing first, but compared to YEARS of Phantom defects, unexplained flyaways, cracking arms, motors physically falling off and a myriad of other problems, 3DR fixed things quite well IMO and in a timely manner.

All these flying robots are going to have problems, but to say the Solo had more than DJI is just laughable.


I have had two Solo's. Neither gave me problems, but ultimately I returned them (December) because of the FAA registration and yet to be determined official regulations which I believe will be draconian. In fact, those complaining about Solo's lack of range will be unpleasantly surprised when they discover geofencing will be enforced which includes limiting distance from home. Oh yes, it's coming, count on it. The government wants a way to ground every drone with a flick of a switch. DJI already has the ability. It's only a matter of time before we hobbyists are confined to getting not only permission but also provide a flight plan. It may not happen to small drones, but I'll bet it's in the works.

FWIW, I still have 4 other MR's, all AC FC but have no plans to register at this time. The outcome of John Taylor's lawsuit may determine whether I get back out of the hobby again for the second time in 37 years, but there's always micro-drones :)

All good points, i think for myself at least it was the way 3DR advertises. I actually had a P3 flyaway on me and DJI took a while to get back to me but the end result is satisfactory. Another factor affecting users is the fact that with the Solo there is minimal installation needed for gimbal, as compared to the phantom that is fully assembled. I feel 3DR could of done a much better job in that area. As far as the FAA goes, i enjoy flying these things and will continue to do so until they start arresting people, whats one more case? ;)
 
After a month and a half of frustration I decided to finally give up on the Solo. First I had purchased a gimbal and could not get it to work properly. Mid flight it kept going limp making the video appear like the Solo was going down, wobbling everywhere. I had installed it three times trying to get the HDMI cord placed properly. It was not until I saw a 3rd party video that explained how to seat it properly that showed how you had to remove the top and unseat the main board, then I was able to get it to work. Really? What a bad joke (on myself and other people who bought Solo) a $2000 drone should not have issues like that. Given the price of the Solo, I was able to lie to myself for a while and convinced myself that it was as good or better than the Phantom. I extolled the virtues of its 55 MPH top speed (which it had never reached) until I realized that it was only supposedly attainable in Manual mode. I had a Yuneec Q500, and without the GPS it was much faster than the Solo. Difference being 3dr uses shady advertising techniques to reel people in, while Yuneec doesn't even mention their top speed. The gimbal feels fragile and I felt like much care needed to be taken when inserting or removing the camera. So I moved my attention to the expansion bay. This would be the feature that made it worth the money. NOT! To this point I have seen nothing special produced for the bay. The best Solo mod I have seen is a way to get the legs out of the picture.
I figured I may as well keep flying and I was beat down again by 3dr false advertising. Long story short, it does not hold altitude in FLY:MANUAL mode and it went sailing into a tree. I bought a new shell and rebuilt it, and the Gimbal worked but was slightly bent so I went out and bought another one. It wouldn't install and kept blinking red. 3dr said it was bad so I went and exchanged it. Guess what? Same problem plus it kept telling me I was using an incompatible Gopro version (Hero 4 Silver). 3dr service is responsive and polite, but in my experience from solution and culpability accepting standpoints, they are no better than DJI.
My Phantom is much quieter, much more responsive, the DJI Go App is far far superior, the GPS puts the Solo to shame as does the range, the camera control is much better than the Gopro, and the Smart Shots were nothing like they said they would be. I use Litchi Magic Leash for Follow me mode as it is useless for me if the Controller needs to be held. I really, really tried to like it, but at the end of the day it just doesn't measure up, especially for the price and I have no tolerance for companies like 3dr with their shady tactics. Obviously nothing personal if you like your Solo, just not for me. So....I have a new gimbal, a slightly bent for parts gimbal, an extra battery, FPVLR antenna, and an upgraded wifi card for sale. If interested let me know.
Still got the battery?
 
ARE YOU A 3DR FANBOY?

I don't blame you for being the fanboy that you are because you spent money on it and now have to justify it.

Btw, I think the Phantom is also crap too because of the shell cracking issue...bad customer service ...questionable build quality...etc

2016 will expose DJI and 3DR weaknesses. The new competition is going to be great for all of us. Can't wait to see the ProDrone Byrd and Typhoon H


Actually, you are in the minority. Tens of Thousands of Solos are in the field. The ones that complain will always be the loudest and on the forums looking for help. How many can you find? 50 or 100 different owners with your experience? Most Solo owners simply use them as intended and don't get online or join forums. Most estimates have put the return rate at 5-7%. Certainly high for some products and should be lower, but a long way from the 51% you claim.
 
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All good points, i think for myself at least it was the way 3DR advertises. I actually had a P3 flyaway on me and DJI took a while to get back to me but the end result is satisfactory. Another factor affecting users is the fact that with the Solo there is minimal installation needed for gimbal, as compared to the phantom that is fully assembled. I feel 3DR could of done a much better job in that area. As far as the FAA goes, i enjoy flying these things and will continue to do so until they start arresting people, whats one more case? ;)

3DR should have contracted out and come up with their own camera, and for the gimbal the Tiny2 is the best out there for the money, but it isn't easy to retrofit a 3rd party gimbal I'm told. If they had done that a lot of the complaining wouldn't exist. However, 3DR probably had a deal going with GoPro and couldn't back out if they wanted to. As a pure flying machine, the Solo is very good with the latest firmware.

They definitely released the Solo too early, but that's what happens when bean counters run the show, if that was the case.

The FAA can't arrest anybody, but they can, without due process, fine you and use LEA to arrest you if criminally charged, then tack on additional fines as they deem fit. It's a nice little racket they have going. The recent incident with the sheriff patrol helicopter should be a warning to all model aircraft flyers out there. I sure don't have the finances to sue the FAA if fined and/or arrested. Guilty until proven innocent. The full weight of the government on you isn't easy to fight.
 
ARE YOU A 3DR FANBOY?

I don't blame you for being the fanboy that you are because you spent money on it and now have to justify it.

Btw, I think the Phantom is also crap too because of the shell cracking issue...bad customer service ...questionable build quality...etc

2016 will expose DJI and 3DR weaknesses. The new competition is going to be great for all of us. Can't wait to see the ProDrone Byrd and Typhoon H

I don't know who you are directing your yelling at, but as stated there's nothing for me to justify; I don't own a Solo now.

Whether you want to admit it or not, there is no other FC system currently out there that has the capabilities of Arducopter. While Solo uses much Arducopter code that is open source, there are features that are not open source such as cable cam. No other drone mfr has anything like that of Solo. Then there's mission planning. Yuneec has nothing and as my friend owns a Q500, not being computer savvy he asked me to help him update the firmware and get it ready to fly. Talk about a PITA. Compared to Solo it's a nightmare.While the Typhoon is a nice machine in its basic form, it's features are not that impressive and auto landing is awkward (bounces). In wind, auto landing is horrid, at least when I flew it. Other than that, I like it. (Edited: originally said Typhoon.....is a Q500).

So I ask what FC system can compare to Arducopter/Solo in the consumer market? What FC system has more features, more flight modes, more flexibility, more options than what 3DR has virtually given away for free to the model aircraft/land rover hobbyist? Nobody.

Check out Dronecode, which Chris Anderson is the chair for. Home | Dronecode Yep, there's Yuneec in there as Platinum member, which is a good thing, but 3DR leads the way. Sorry if that hurts. Unfortunately, the consumer market is going to take a back seat now. Commercial is the future. We hobbyists will have fewer and fewer choices as time goes on, and we'll be forced into smaller and smaller units.
 
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3DR should have contracted out and come up with their own camera, and for the gimbal the Tiny2 is the best out there for the money, but it isn't easy to retrofit a 3rd party gimbal I'm told. If they had done that a lot of the complaining wouldn't exist. However, 3DR probably had a deal going with GoPro and couldn't back out if they wanted to. As a pure flying machine, the Solo is very good with the latest firmware.

They definitely released the Solo too early, but that's what happens when bean counters run the show, if that was the case.

The FAA can't arrest anybody, but they can, without due process, fine you and use LEA to arrest you if criminally charged, then tack on additional fines as they deem fit. It's a nice little racket they have going. The recent incident with the sheriff patrol helicopter should be a warning to all model aircraft flyers out there. I sure don't have the finances to sue the FAA if fined and/or arrested. Guilty until proven innocent. The full weight of the government on you isn't easy to fight.
Well said, in my experience the prosecutors run the courtroom in the Federal arena. I've not heard of the Tiny2 I'll check it out. Definitely agree about a premature release, all tech companties do it. I already stated my opinions and will not sit here and bash the Solo in a Solo focused thread. It is after all just my opinion and all the people with other opinions here have been cool about keeping our discussions on the level without hurling insults so out of respect for them I will no longer bash the Solo nor extol the virtues of any other copter. Just can be frustrating as I'm sure we all know!
 
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