Solo dropped out of the sky

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image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg First post is not a happy one ,My solo just dropped out of the sky following software and firmware update 2.0.0 , finished updating solo took off as normal then flew straight forward then when I went to come straight back it shutdown and dropped like a stone .

The Crash twisted the body ,snapped 3 props , twisted the legs , bent the main gimbal arm smashed the hdmi connection point and worst of all destroyed my GoPro 4 silver ,

I have since removed the gimbal and put on another set of props , and solo flys ok but the gimbal and GoPro are cactus , the force of the crash snapped my SD card inside the GoPro so I can't even review the footage as I don't record to my phone to save on storage :(

Lodged a ticket with 3dr will wait to see what the logs say . Very disappointed !

On a side note following the update multi point cable cam was not available only the old A-B cable cam ... Despite the update saying multi point !
 
Ouch! The multipoint cable cam requires you to keep pressing A to set points them press B to set the end point. Did you do this or only set one A point then B?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
View attachment 2503 View attachment 2504 View attachment 2505 View attachment 2506 View attachment 2507 View attachment 2503 View attachment 2504 View attachment 2503 View attachment 2504 First post is not a happy one ,My solo just dropped out of the sky following software and firmware update 2.0.0 , finished updating solo took off as normal then flew straight forward then when I went to come straight back it shutdown and dropped like a stone .

The Crash twisted the body ,snapped 3 props , twisted the legs , bent the main gimbal arm smashed the hdmi connection point and worst of all destroyed my GoPro 4 silver ,

I have since removed the gimbal and put on another set of props , and solo flys ok but the gimbal and GoPro are cactus , the force of the crash snapped my SD card inside the GoPro so I can't even review the footage as I don't record to my phone to save on storage :(

Lodged a ticket with 3dr will wait to see what the logs say . Very disappointed !

On a side note following the update multi point cable cam was not available only the old A-B cable cam ... Despite the update saying multi point !
If you tried the Cablecam and it was the previous version, it sounds like your update was not complete. Let us know what 3DR says..
 
Ouch! The multipoint cable cam requires you to keep pressing A to set points them press B to set the end point. Did you do this or only set one A point then B?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I thought the same thing... Where the heck is multicam!? Until I realized that you need to keep pressing A...
 
3dr replied today saying

"After analysing the logs sent, we saw that the overhead power lines on the location affected the sensors in Solo causing it to fell from the sky. This incident as said in the User Manual could have been avoided by flying far from the power lines.

As this incident is not catalogued as a hardware malfunction, we can offer an RMA for repairs charging only the shipping and parts cost, no damage diagnostic nor manual labour fees. This way our expert technicians will check the unit, repairs it, test it, and send it back"

I do not agree with this as I have flown in the same place many many times without issue it seems strange to me the solo behaves like this following an update . i am confused why this would happen this time and not the other times I have flown in this area ... Has anyone else experienced strange behaviour following firmware update 2.0.0?
 
Can you share how close you were to the powerlines in question and what type they were? Normal street lines or something more major?

I've flown in the vicinity of some without issue, and I've flown really close with my smaller quad, again without issue.
 
Can you share how close you were to the powerlines in question and what type they were? Normal street lines or something more major?

I've flown in the vicinity of some without issue, and I've flown really close with my smaller quad, again without issue.

Just regular street powerlines , I would say the closest I got was within about 10 meters
 
"After analysing the logs sent, we saw that the overhead power lines on the location affected the sensors in Solo causing it to fell from the sky. This incident as said in the User Manual could have been avoided by flying far from the power lines.

Here is the language in the manual: "3.1 Location Don’t fly Solo indoors. Always fly outside in clear, open areas at a safe distance from yourself, other people, power lines, animals, vehicles, trees, and buildings. When flying in areas with potential hazards, maintain 100 feet (30 m) from any people, vehicles, or structures. As the operator, you are responsible for navigating Solo to avoid obstacles, including during Smart Shots."

Upon reading 3.1, it reads that maintaining a safe distance from the listed objects is for safety purposes, not maintaining sensor function purposes. If 3DR is claiming that being inside of 30 meters to a powerline, "affected the sensors in Solo causing it to fell from the sky", are we to draw the conclusion that flying inside of 30 meters from an animal (also listed) will also cause the Solo to "fell from the sky"? Better yet, "yourself" is listed in 3.1. Should we stay 100 feet away from Solo before taking off as to not disrupt the sensors??!!

That response reeks of BS. Do we have any recourse if we feel the response is not inline with product documentation?

Here is their warranty exclusions:
"This Warranty does not apply to: (1) Product subjected to abnormal use or conditions, accident (including without limitation, collision, crash or fire), alteration, or improper repair; (2) damage from exposure to moisture or extreme environmental conditions; (3) damage from use with any accessory, software or other product not expressly authorized by 3D Robotics; (4) damage from external causes such as dirt, sand, battery leakage, blown fuse, or improper usage of any electrical source; (5) commercial use; or (6) use in violation of law or ordinances in effect in the jurisdiction in which the Product is used."

No mention of flying inside of 30 meters of powerlines...
 
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That response reeks of BS. Do we have any recourse if we feel the response is not inline with product documentation?

I'll agree the response doesn't strike me as very legitimate. I could accept flying very close to power lines may effect the compass, but not 30 feet away and under no circumstances should it cause the motors to simply shut down.

I'd say it's worth requesting another opinion and/or escalating the issue.
 
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If you suspect they are wrong, then having an objective third person read of the logs would be best recourse
 
Yea sorry to hear about your crash, that had to be one hell of a hard hit. This is one of the worse I've seen and folks have slammed straight into walls and been in good shape. How high did it fall, just curious cause lines usually aren't that high. Guess it landed just right on I assume concrete.

Anyway see if you can find one of the posts here from VU or search him and send him your logs maybe. He's helped folks here in the past at least. Maybe worth a shot, it's really the only chance the customer service reply would likely be over ruled I'd assume. Could try calling as well its a lot easier to give bad news in an email than speaking to you. I'm sure they are getting a bunch of bs claims and trying to weed them out, it seems if your right and persistent folks have had things covered after getting a similar reply. Id think normal power lines are an easy out on something that shouldn't have happened imo, if your story was accurate to the logs I'd keep trying. Good luck

Posting logs here also a good idea from above.
 
Thanks for the support guys i appreciate everyones input ,

i would post the logs if
A: i knew how to get at them
and
B: i am away with work out at sea at the moment so i do not have physical access to the drone for now

the main loss i am annoyed about is the gopro i have already ordered a new gimbal on the advice provided from 3dr that repairs would be at my expense so i figured id prefer new equipment rather then having it refurbished .... 3dr gear has been glitchy in the past for me so id prefer new besides i was able to get the gimbal at the new price point so that took away a little bit of the pain . i have also ordered a new set of legs (aftermarket ones) and props , i should be back in the air by the time i return home utilising my Gopro 3+ black .... a little lighter in the pocket however!

Here is the language in the manual: "3.1 Location Don’t fly Solo indoors. Always fly outside in clear, open areas at a safe distance from yourself, other people, power lines, animals, vehicles, trees, and buildings. When flying in areas with potential hazards, maintain 100 feet (30 m) from any people, vehicles, or structures. As the operator, you are responsible for navigating Solo to avoid obstacles, including during Smart Shots."

Upon reading 3.1, it reads that maintaining a safe distance from the listed objects is for safety purposes, not maintaining sensor function purposes. If 3DR is claiming that being inside of 30 meters to a powerline, "affected the sensors in Solo causing it to fell from the sky", are we to draw the conclusion that flying inside of 30 meters from an animal (also listed) will also cause the Solo to "fell from the sky"? Better yet, "yourself" is listed in 3.1. Should we stay 100 feet away from Solo before taking off as to not disrupt the sensors??!!
...

you raise valid points i may still dispute / escalate my case to see if i can have any luck with my gopro 4
thanks for your input , i will be sure to post in here how it all works out ,

Kind Regards

Paul
 
I feel your pain (literally!)... I just got my Solo last week... When plugging in the gimbal, the HDMI port fell off the circuit board. Very frustrating... Luckily, Amazon was great at replacing it. Took it up without the gimbal, and the dog tried to bite it at about 3ft, but she got "bit" instead. 4 propellers lost, but otherwise no damage.

Finally got my replacement gimbal, and took it up... Flew around a bit (very tame, only second time up), and while hovering at about 5ft off the ground, the power just went out. All four props flew off (only 1 died), broke a foot and the gimbal retention clip, cracked my GP4 Black case and screen, and popped the battery off (flew 10 ft away). I think the frame or legs got tweaked as well because it won't sit even anymore.

I've got to hope this is a fluke... I'm scared to take it up again! Sent in my logs, so we'll see what happens.
 
I don't know why either... I assume if they were loose enough to "pop off" they would have done so while flying around, not wait for the power to short while hovering after 10 minutes of flight... When my dog bit it previously, it barely fell at all, but I lost all four props, just shattered. No other damage, as it landed exactly upside down.

I actually looked them over three times because I kept expecting chips or at least big scratches, but they are almost pristine. Very weird...
 
i would be very interested to see what response you get from 3DR concerning the shut-down ,

the props are weird as they are supposed to be self tightening .. although i had one prop do the exact same thing during my crash ... its still stuck in the tree next to the crash site :)
 
Thanks for the support guys i appreciate everyones input ,

i would post the logs if
A: i knew how to get at them
and
B: i am away with work out at sea at the moment so i do not have physical access to the drone for now

the main loss i am annoyed about is the gopro i have already ordered a new gimbal on the advice provided from 3dr that repairs would be at my expense so i figured id prefer new equipment rather then having it refurbished .... 3dr gear has been glitchy in the past for me so id prefer new besides i was able to get the gimbal at the new price point so that took away a little bit of the pain . i have also ordered a new set of legs (aftermarket ones) and props , i should be back in the air by the time i return home utilising my Gopro 3+ black .... a little lighter in the pocket however!



you raise valid points i may still dispute / escalate my case to see if i can have any luck with my gopro 4
thanks for your input , i will be sure to post in here how it all works out ,

Kind Regards

Paul
I had similar issue long time ago and according to the logs and 3dr support team it was due to one motor pod failure, but I was sure it was due to human error, I didn't tighten the props enough (even if they are self tightening it doesn't matter, I never found that prop from the motor pod in question and there was no signs that it broke off it was just gone, the other three were intact). luckily mine crash landed on beach sand and only one prop was damaged and a load of sand everywhere. They did respond and RMA my SOLO quickly.
 
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FYI, 3DR is RMA'ing my Solo and also promising to replace my GoPro... Should get my RMA number tomorrow, so hopefully a quick turnaround...
 

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