Solex for Solo

At a guess, he's using the MAC address of the bird as the identifier... which will be unique regardless of SSID (which i think by default uses the last few octets of the controllers mac).
 
At a guess, he's using the MAC address of the bird as the identifier... which will be unique regardless of SSID (which i think by default uses the last few octets of the controllers mac).
The Solo app also reads the serial number, so that's a possibity... Kelly may be calling the s/n. But the SSID and renaming is within the controller.
 
Hello Kelly,

I'm curious if you have any interest in adding an MOB (man overboard) button or touch the Lat/Lon data to make a marker that can be used for search and rescue types of operations.
Also, any idea when there might be a fix for the selfie shots where it rotates 180 degrees before it takes off?

Thanks..

Don.
 
Hello Kelly,

I'm curious if you have any interest in adding an MOB (man overboard) button or touch the Lat/Lon data to make a marker that can be used for search and rescue types of operations...
I could see using an MOB-type function for SAR, if those coordinates could be read and stored for later (quick) review. But I would suggest the Lat/Long coordinates should have the built-in ability to be displayed in several formats.

I would suggest the ability to display GPS coordinates in the most widely used standard 'seagoing'/Nav Plotting, Coast Guard format'. This is the format that the CG looks for(hopes for) when you contact them, and the format we (CG/CGAIR/CG Aux/CGAuxAir) use for SAR and any position reporting (every 15 minutes for aircraft, every 30 minutes for boat).

Degrees and Decimal Minutes:
DDD° MM.MMM'
32° 18.385' N 122° 36.875' W

This is the format most commonly used when working with electronic navigation equipment, and therefore the format used by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Lat/Lon Formats and Symbols
 
Hi,

I will first say my first solo is in the mail on its way to me. I am very familiar with the Ardupilot and pixhawk flight controllers though.

I am curious if there is a record flight path mode that can be used? Say you want to get some good shots of unknown territory but want to actually fly it first to get the movements around obstacles correctly or adjust altitude where you feel will be best. Then you could play it over again and just control the camera for the best shot. It would be much easier and safer than planning a mission on the app, mission planner or a point and fly type action.

I have researched a lot on the solo about 2 months ago and with the BestBuy sale going on took the gamble (I have high intentions for it though) and I do not believe this is an option with the standard tower app.

Thoughts?

Cannot wait to get my solo and will be purchasing your app shortly after it arrives.
 
Hi,

I will first say my first solo is in the mail on its way to me. I am very familiar with the Ardupilot and pixhawk flight controllers though.

I am curious if there is a record flight path mode that can be used? Say you want to get some good shots of unknown territory but want to actually fly it first to get the movements around obstacles correctly or adjust altitude where you feel will be best. Then you could play it over again and just control the camera for the best shot. It would be much easier and safer than planning a mission on the app, mission planner or a point and fly type action.

I have researched a lot on the solo about 2 months ago and with the BestBuy sale going on took the gamble (I have high intentions for it though) and I do not believe this is an option with the standard tower app.

Thoughts?

Cannot wait to get my solo and will be purchasing your app shortly after it arrives.
Yes, what you are describing is the Multi Point Cable Cam (MPCC). You fly it first to record your exact WPs and camera angles. You can then re-fly it as needed, as the MPCCs are recorded on your tablet for later recall.
 
Here's a post with the latest Solex documentation. I'll make a point of updating this on regular occasions in case someone wants to read the documentation without having to open the app, or share it from the app to their email or something.
1f642.png
:)

solex_doc.html
File
DownloadUpload Revision
 
Love Solex, thank you . only issue I have is that Gopro 4 black locks up after each time I use HDR shot. I have to take the gopro out of the gimbal and power it off. Any fix?
 
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About maps:
Ive asked Kelly, and he directed me to the documentation, but I simply don't understand how to get a map next to my FPV. What has bluetooth got to do with it? On the Solo app, you just cache a map and drag it out onto the screen. Please halp! mahalo.

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk
 
Just to clarify:

Solex doesn't allow a single controller to be paired with multiple birds. One controller, one bird, that's how it works. What Solex does is tracks each individual vehicle by SSID, so you can use the same tablet and instance of Solex with multiple Solos. That's really all it is. It didn't do a great job of that before, and that's what the change is talking about.

So, you have it right: Solex tracks the multiple controllers.

Thanks,
Kelly
 
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Hi,

Has anyone asked Kelly to include a map view in the Solex app similar to the core Solo app? It would be nice to have a map view both to orientate yourself and also see exactly where the geofence is located.

It would be great if those who are interested to put in the request to Kelly. I've already put my bid in. Kelly mentioned that he may put it in eventually. I thought if more people asked for this capability, hopefully this may encourage Kelly to include it earlier than later.

Hopefully I've sparked some interest!

Cheers!
 
About maps:
Ive asked Kelly, and he directed me to the documentation, but I simply don't understand how to get a map next to my FPV. What has bluetooth got to do with it? On the Solo app, you just cache a map and drag it out onto the screen. Please halp! mahalo.

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

Hi, Unfortunately there isn't one. I've asked Kelly to add this capability and he said that he may later. I've replied to the main post by asking people who would like this functionality to solicit Kelly directly and hopefully there will be enough people asking that will encourage Kelly to include it earlier rather then later.
 
I would be interested as it is one way I like to pilot the quad as it gives me better situational awareness.
 
The best way is to ask Kelly directly. Hopefully enough people will do the same that way there is a very good chance that we'll get it. Thanks for your support.
 
upload_2016-11-9_21-56-27.png
Soles Update 1.1.9​
WHAT'S NEW
New in this version:
. Fix multiple vehicles with the same SSID
. Fix crash in Start screen
. Remove unneeded 6.0 write-permission setting
Previous
. Flight Profiles!
. Battery stats
. Moved high message traffic warning
. HUD color palette update (auto-hide)
 
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See below for quote from Solex documentation...

Of course I have a Samsung Tab S 8.4 and I want run Solex. Any work around or patch for the fatal error mentioned below?

"The Android APIs explicitly allow for an application to make use of multiple networks at a time, as of Android 5.0. On all non-Samsung devices where this has been tested, the feature works flawlessly; Connect to Solo, open Bluetooth settings, connect to a paired device running a tethered internet connection over Bluetooth, and all is well (if a little slow because of Bluetooth). On Samsung devices, you see the following message: "Unable to connect to Bluetooth while on Wi-Fi"... which is the entire point of multi-networking in Android 5.0 and above. The fault here is fatal, and lies entirely with Samsung. If you find yourself reading this document prior to buying Solex and/or a tablet to run it on, you are urged not to buy a Samsung device. Instead, use something that works the way it's intended to work, such as a Nexus or Nvidia device."
 
See below for quote from Solex documentation...

Of course I have a Samsung Tab S 8.4 and I want run Solex. Any work around or patch for the fatal error mentioned below?

"The Android APIs explicitly allow for an application to make use of multiple networks at a time, as of Android 5.0. On all non-Samsung devices where this has been tested, the feature works flawlessly; Connect to Solo, open Bluetooth settings, connect to a paired device running a tethered internet connection over Bluetooth, and all is well (if a little slow because of Bluetooth). On Samsung devices, you see the following message: "Unable to connect to Bluetooth while on Wi-Fi"... which is the entire point of multi-networking in Android 5.0 and above. The fault here is fatal, and lies entirely with Samsung. If you find yourself reading this document prior to buying Solex and/or a tablet to run it on, you are urged not to buy a Samsung device. Instead, use something that works the way it's intended to work, such as a Nexus or Nvidia device."
I also have Samsung Tab S 8.4 and have begun using Solex. I have not tried any of the "smart shots" yet, but for flying by hand it is working flawlessly. I have never had wifi on my tablet when flying nor 4G. Looking at a post from Kelly on FB it looks like the only things we cannot do are "see maps" and use follow'remote. Not a big deal for me at this time.
 
Last edited:
Big Update!
Optical recognition!
Max-altitude fix

*** Make Follow Optical Again ***

1.2.0 is on its way to your devices.

This update only has 3 things in it. I encountered a bit of a blocker this week. Since the time change, the sun goes down right about the time I'm free to start doing stuff outside. Normally this isn't much of an issue, but good light is pretty important for what I was working on this week.

. Optical Follow

This is the "feature" part of the update, and seems like a big deal, at least to me. Solex already allows following the pilot around (Follow/Me), following a pre-recorded track (Follow/Record), and following someone else's devices around (Follow/Remote), but one thing I always wanted to do was follow something I can *see* around. This code has been in place since before Solex was released, but it was hidden due to some performance issues I encountered with it. I found and fixed those, and also started using a more efficient tracking algorithm. So now it works (!)

I've watched some demos of the Phantom 4's ActiveTrack feature, and noticed it has some limitations. As it turns out, there's some pretty good reasons for those limitations, the main one being that computer vision is not as easy as it looks.
1f642.png
:) It seems to get a bit confused by shadows, drastic changes in background (e.g. grass to gravel), or moving past something that looks a lot like the thing being tracked.

Solex's tracking works about the same. It seems to work really consistently as long as you're in an area with consistent background color (grass, gravel, pavement, etc), and you can even use the sticks to orbit around while it's tracking. On the other hand, I was walking along wearing a blue shirt, Solo was following me, and it stopped to stare at my recycling bin (which is also blue).

Operating it is pretty simple: Get up in the air, point the camera down at yourself (gimbal has to be at least at a 30 degree angle), start the Follow/Optical shot (renamed from Follow/Manual), drag your finger over the target to draw a rectangle around it, and you should see a marker appear where Solex thinks the target is. The start button should enable at that point. Click it, and it should start tracking. I say "should" because sometimes the Solo jerks the camera when it starts the shot, which throws the tracking off. If it does that, just re-drag the rectangle and it will correct itself. (Tip: make the rectangle so it has just the target in it if possible. Too much background in the selection will make it harder to track.)

There's some "safety" built into this shot. The object tracker occasionally "loses the plot", but doesn't provide a way for Solex to know when that happens. In that case, the tracking rectangle will scoot around the screen. Without some safety built into the code, your Solo would scoot around in an alarming way. So it won't do anything with locations that appear more than 3 meters apart, and the tracking rectangle will turn red. When that happens, just re-select the target, and it will calm down.

Also, note that the default mode is "look at", where the Solo just hovers in place and pans to follow. Turn that off to have it actually follow. Any time you re-select the target, it switches back to "look at" mode to prevent any crazy behavior. In my testing, the worst it does is yaw back and forth. And as far as actual following, I was really pleased with how well it worked.

So, it's probably a good idea to regard this feature as somewhat experimental for now. Try it in a nice open area, and let me know what you think. I'm going to keep working on it between other things. I think it's pretty cool, and I want it to work really well.

. Max-altitude fix

Someone reported some difficulty getting their Solo to take off using Solex. As it happens, a specific combination of max-altitude and max-distance settings can cause a really low max altitude. The fix is in this update. This will also fix an issue I'd seen where I couldn't take off in Fly:Manual until I had a GPS fix (radius fence enabled when it shouldn't be).

. Vehicle settings menu fix

As it turns out, it's bad news to go into the Vehicle Settings screen while the "high message traffic" issue is being sorted out. So now you can't.
1f642.png
:)
15003419_10154733390223384_2446931882851671251_o.jpg
 
Hi Kelly and Steve

Just went out to do a practice video after buying solex yesterday. I drew in a box on the geofence and lo and behold it worked great! well done! it certainly struck me how much of a shuddering halt the bird does when its the wall!! :)

2 things that could possibly be further improvement:

- when trying to set up a cable cam and it touched the geofence, I lost the ability to input further waypoints and had to start again, as the app went back to default mode. can you design it so that all it does when it hits the fence is just pop back inside the field of play instead of killing the setup of a waypoint.

-barring that, a voice notification that it is getting close to the fence say within 5 metres, so adjustments can be made to not have it reset the waypoint inputting

- barring that (or additionally to the point above), can the fence be amended mid flight to allow for more room if required.

what say you to these things?
 
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