SOLO SNOW FLIGHT CRASH.

[CanadianSolo]

I flew the solo in -8c. Flew up 12' and did some quick stick tests. left right forward back just as usual. Went right and it sunk out of the air. crashed on the ground bounced and fliped over. breaking a prop. 3dr says that the motor pod 3 failed and it was due to the cold weather and want me to replace the pod. I powered it up inside the house after (Propless) and all motors spin fine. What do you guys think?

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[InspiredOne]

Did you send 3DR the flight log for them to determine pod three failed, I couldn't see -8 doing this honestly but who knows.

 

[Bob I.]

I just flew my Solo in similar temps in Minnesota, out twice (Having just gotten the bird) I had absolutely no issues. Just sayin'

 

[Nerius]

-8 was not an issue IMO: maybe motor pod was already failing and colder weather just made problem visible. Sounds like ESC electronics problem (maybe some ESC component is bad and not tollerant to lower temperature).

 

[CanadianSolo]

hmm I plan on giving it another go. Thanks for the tips guys!

 

[Rodney Johnson]

I no longer own a Solo but I have flown and still fly 3DR pixhawks for many winters in -10 F and colder that is around -23 C without issues.
I have also flown my Goblin 770 and other electrics at -20 without electrical failure.

Lipos are the downfall of an aircraft because they can't handle the cold and must be kept warm before flight.
If you fly with a cold lipo you won't have the power output nor will you get the flight times. I would also look at the battery performance in your flight logs. Just to make sure. REMEMBER flight logs are a very good tool to trouble shoot issues.

 

[erikgraham]

I flew the solo in -8c. Flew up 12' and did some quick stick tests. left right forward back just as usual. Went right and it sunk out of the air. crashed on the ground bounced and fliped over. breaking a prop. 3dr says that the motor pod 3 failed and it was due to the cold weather and want me to replace the pod. I powered it up inside the house after (Propless) and all motors spin fine. What do you guys think?

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Just a theory, but based on A LOT of experience flying in winter (but not with the Solo yet) when you take off from snow you have to be careful not to kick up snow that can settle into the motor. Maybe you got a little clump of snow into the pod, it melted and the water worked its way in and shorted out the ESC/motor.

I either pack the snow down the snow really well, or take off from a piece of cardboard.

Regarding cold temps: I've flown the 3DR Iris and Iris+ and some variations I built in the extreme (-10f and even -20f) cold very often. If you keep the batteries warm before flight, once it gets up in the air it heats up on its own. As such my rule of thumb is to expect only a 20% reduction in flight time. BUT unlike the Solo, all those drones had internal battery set ups, which I can only assume helped retain heat. At least the Solo batteries come in a plastic case, so maybe that will help. I'll be curious to see how the Solo does with its battery.

Other winter tips is to leave the drone out as long as possible (at least 15 minutes) before flight. I leave mine in the car over night. The issues is that the barometers get frazzled easily by the cold (condensation) so they need some time to slowly cool down and acclimate before you take off.

As for keeping the batteries warm, I find that keeping them in a jacket pocket is not enough - even an internal pocket. I leave them in the car, or if I'm snow shoeing/skiing, in an insulated bag with a bunch of hand warmers.

 

[rassalas]

About the motor pods, I understand Mission Planner has a function for testing motor fitness. Replacement motors cost what? 50 or 60 bucks?
They're easy to replace, might be good to order a spare set just in case anyways.

 

[CanadianSolo]

Ok boys and girls. I did another flight today out on the lake while Ice fishing. It was beautiful, not a cloud in site and no wind couldn't ask for better weather. Yes I am well aware of the LiPo chemistry and my batteries literally just came from room temp. And when im done flying yes motor pods are warm to touch and so is the LiPo Pack. The plastic casing does keep in some of the heat. As the top is cold to touch and the bottom is warm, its nice after a 16min flight in the cold!!!

Batt voltage in the logs is good, current is good, matching my throttle throw. Then when the Crash was marked in the log it all just slowed down till it crashed. What I did find though contradicts what 3dr said, it shows the Magnetrometer had a huge variance! This would indicate why it did a 360 before it bounced landed then flipped over.

However, i still want to know where the main temperature sensor is read from. That is very good data to have on hand.

And I did get a magnetic interference at first!!!. So I moved the quad off the concrete pad there, and put it on the dirt/snow ground. Error disappeared. I have since now done a Compass Calibration and the flight today! Absolutely PERFECT.

There was absolutely zero chance that any snow/ice got into the motor. Im Anal! lol.

What did I learn: When travelling long distances away from normal geographical flight area, do a compass calibration. Face Palm, I'm smarter than that I should have known! HAHA

Thanks for the tips guys!

 

[Rodney Johnson]

Ok boys and girls. I did another flight today out on the lake while Ice fishing. It was beautiful, not a cloud in site and no wind couldn't ask for better weather. Yes I am well aware of the LiPo chemistry and my batteries literally just came from room temp. And when im done flying yes motor pods are warm to touch and so is the LiPo Pack. The plastic casing does keep in some of the heat. As the top is cold to touch and the bottom is warm, its nice after a 16min flight in the cold!!!

Batt voltage in the logs is good, current is good, matching my throttle throw. Then when the Crash was marked in the log it all just slowed down till it crashed. What I did find though contradicts what 3dr said, it shows the Magnetrometer had a huge variance! This would indicate why it did a 360 before it bounced landed then flipped over.

However, i still want to know where the main temperature sensor is read from. That is very good data to have on hand.

And I did get a magnetic interference at first!!!. So I moved the quad off the concrete pad there, and put it on the dirt/snow ground. Error disappeared. I have since now done a Compass Calibration and the flight today! Absolutely PERFECT.

There was absolutely zero chance that any snow/ice got into the motor. Im Anal! lol.

What did I learn: When travelling long distances away from normal geographical flight area, do a compass calibration. Face Palm, I'm smarter than that I should have known! HAHA

Thanks for the tips guys!

Great to hear that everything worked for the best.

Yes concrete slabs have rebar in them as most everyone knows, But most don't know it causes mag interference.

You did the right think by simply moving it off the slab. You will find that even out in open areas you can get mag interference showing you that there is something underground causing a mag field.

Also if your driving 20 miles or more away from your initial calibration point it's good to recalibrate the compass.

On anything that I have that flys pixhawk I personally recalibrate mag and gyros everyday before flying because of weather change and location and I have yet to have any issues in 3 years with my original Pixhawks.
Its easy to do and is a piece of mind so if something happends you now have a benchmark to work with in your logs.

 

[CanadianSolo]

Great to hear that everything worked for the best.

Yes concrete slabs have rebar in them as most everyone knows, But most don't know it causes mag interference.

You did the right think by simply moving it off the slab. You will find that even out in open areas you can get mag interference showing you that there is something underground causing a mag field.

Also if your driving 20 miles or more away from your initial calibration point it's good to recalibrate the compass.

On anything that I have that flys pixhawk I personally recalibrate mag and gyros everyday before flying because of weather change and location and I have yet to have any issues in 3 years with my original Pixhawks.
Its easy to do and is a piece of mind so if something happends you now have a benchmark to work with in your logs.

Ahh yes, Actually I was talking at work, to a fellow Hobbyist flyer and he gave me some useful information! If you go to here: Space Weather Enthusiasts Dashboard | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center It explains what happened. On that day I was flying, I looked up the geomagnetic activity and it was VERY HIGH on Boxing Day in my area. (Since I live in Canada) High geomagnetic activity causes havoc on GPS and anything to do with the magnetic field on earth. Best to fly when its small and green!

Just a small tip to share with everyone!!

 

[Rodney Johnson]

Ahh yes, Actually I was talking at work, to a fellow Hobbyist flyer and he gave me some useful information! If you go to here: Space Weather Enthusiasts Dashboard | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center It explains what happened. On that day I was flying, I looked up the geomagnetic activity and it was VERY HIGH on Boxing Day in my area. (Since I live in Canada) High geomagnetic activity causes havoc on GPS and anything to do with the magnetic field on earth. Best to fly when its small and green!

Just a small tip to share with everyone!!

Thats funny, I have that very same page saved to my phone for doing exactly what your friends suggest.. I guess the secrets out, LOL.

One other little tip that I have posted before is to use your phone as a preflight tool.
You can use your smartphones compass and compare that to what your Pixhawk is reading if you're running MP or solo app.
It should be very close in comparison and if it's not check for a reason why it's not.

Also pic up an app that shows GPS satellite location and signal strength so you can see what you're dealing with the particular moment. It works well.

 

[PdxSteve]

Ahh yes, Actually I was talking at work, to a fellow Hobbyist flyer and he gave me some useful information! If you go to here: Space Weather Enthusiasts Dashboard | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center It explains what happened. On that day I was flying, I looked up the geomagnetic activity and it was VERY HIGH on Boxing Day in my area. (Since I live in Canada) High geomagnetic activity causes havoc on GPS and anything to do with the magnetic field on earth. Best to fly when its small and green!

Just a small tip to share with everyone!!

Have you examined the flight logs to confirm that speculation? It should show your compass(es) going a bit crazy if that indeed was the case.