Solo GPS Isolation Plate Mod Kit--Does this work?

dogfood1 · Apr 5, 2016

skyhigh said:
Yes. Original foil goes back and notice that the longer screws hold everything together.

Let us know if you notice any difference in GPS signal!

So that's the thing. Yes, there was a noticeable increase in the number of satellites and speed of lock, which is a vast improvement. I was waiting 10 minutes before. However the first flight with the mod went badly. It took off and strayed almost immediately. I hit 'HOME' and it tried to land about 10' away, crashing into my deck, and destroying the blades. Granted it was a bad time/place to test (night, out on the deck, cloudy skies) so I'll try a more scientific test when I get a chance, but that sort of freaked me out.

Jubalr · Apr 5, 2016

dogfood1 said:
So that's the thing. Yes, there was a noticeable increase in the number of satellites and speed of lock, which is a vast improvement. I was waiting 10 minutes before. However the first flight with the mod went badly. It took off and strayed almost immediately. I hit 'HOME' and it tried to land about 10' away, crashing into my deck, and destroying the blades. Granted it was a bad time/place to test (night, out on the deck, cloudy skies) so I'll try a more scientific test when I get a chance, but that sort of freaked me out.

Learn to use Manual mode and get comfortable with it. Assign it to A or B and use that anytime you don't believe Solo is acting as it should or appears to have any GPS problems. Home, Pause & Fly all rely on GPS, so if you are having a position problem they likely will not help. Hit the Manual key at the first sign of trouble. Here is a Video I did last summer (Pre Gimbal Days) if you are unsure how Manual works. Practice first with little or no wind and get comfortable.

dogfood1 · Apr 5, 2016

Thanks for the advice and the video. Took the Solo out this morning, clear sunny skies, worked perfectly. Connected faster than ever to 10+ satellites, landed within 3' of the takeoff point. I think all is well.

I give the mod a thumbs up!

TheBasicPilot · Apr 16, 2016

Put the original foil back on

Mr. FAME · Apr 21, 2016

Thanks everyone!
I installed mine this morning and my average time for GPS lock in front of my office building went down from 7-8 minutes to less than 2!

Great mod!!

Orin · Apr 21, 2016

I received the isolation plate this afternoon and installed it as well as the original foil shield.
I don't see any difference in the time it takes to get 7-8 sat lock, 8 - 10 minutes,
It took around 6 minutes for it to get 6 sats and when it finally got to 8 it would flip back and forth between 7 and 8 sats.
It finally locked onto 8 after 10 minutes.

Essentially no improvement.

Nisouck · Apr 22, 2016

Same for me; no improvement!

tomnjfl · Apr 22, 2016

Nisouck said:
Same for me; no improvement!

I think you guys are definitely the exception and not the norm. Almost everyone else who has installed this mod (including myself) have seen a dramatic decrease in the time from powering up Solo to getting sat lock. For me it's down to under a minute most times, and maybe 2-3 minutes at most if I'm in a new location.

Did you double check the foil shielding? You have to careful when installing it to make sure nothing is touching the board. Maybe just take it out and reinstall? Some people have tried that and seen the positive results the second time around after double checking the foil shielding.

Orin · Apr 22, 2016

@tomnjfl I made all of the checks you suggested even though I was careful when initially installed. The supplied foil was trimmed to exactly match the outline of the plate and the original foil placed where removed with the plate correctly installed beneath it. Physical installation is correct.

I just checked it again, after the inspection, and the results are the same as before.

As you well know, not all electronic devices coming out of China meet the same spec and it may be that some of us have received GPS modules that don't meet spec or are on the cusp of not meeting spec.

Nisouck · Apr 23, 2016

Same for me ...... but I have to say that the modified plate was made by me not a IMP concept one!

tomnjfl · Apr 25, 2016

Orin said:
@tomnjfl I made all of the checks you suggested even though I was careful when initially installed. The supplied foil was trimmed to exactly match the outline of the plate and the original foil placed where removed with the plate correctly installed beneath it. Physical installation is correct.

I just checked it again, after the inspection, and the results are the same as before.

As you well know, not all electronic devices coming out of China meet the same spec and it may be that some of us have received GPS modules that don't meet spec or are on the cusp of not meeting spec.

That's a real bummer. I would do this: Take Solo outside to an open area where there's no obstructions, and a clear view of the sky, etc etc. Then power it up and wait until you get Sat lock. Once you get sat lock, just power it down right away and send that log to 3DR. Maybe they'll see something in there that will give a clue about why it's taking so long. Maybe they'll replace your GPS module? It's worth a try.

Pedals2Paddles · Apr 25, 2016

I went 150 miles away, got a lock in 2 minutes. Came home 200 miles away the next day and got a lock in 2 minutes again. Without any modification at all on a brand new Solo.

Orin · Apr 25, 2016

I just finished getting my Solo to lock onto 9 satellites in the time it takes to get the controller and Android tablet linked.

I contacted Solo support after I tried to get the system up and it took 7:30 minutes for a satellite lock.
We discussed doing a factory reset and after doing that the system is working fine. YAHOO!!!

The only issue I have now is that the GP4S will not pass video to the tablet until I start recording. I updated the GoPro about a month ago and will check later to see if it's still up-to-date.

I did remove the IPS Concepts GPS spacer and replaced it with a simple piece of Mylar I cut from a static protective bag. That will prevent any short between the electronics and the shield.