Someone manage to fix lack of gopro control ?

[porlock]

Gimbal control works fine, i can pan it down and up, but can't to turn off/on recording and change camera settings. Im 100% sure that this is not a fault of camera, gimbal, application of phone. I have a couple of Solos with gimbal and i test it in many configurations, it is 100% bird fault.
I wast thinking about cold joints of gimabal data cable on Solo MBO, what do You think ? Someone manage to fix this kind of issue ?

 

[User Name]

What model GoPro are you using? The Hero 3 Black and Hero 4 Silver and Black were the only models that supported full control through the gimbal/app. Hero 3 Silver would work very basically - you'd have to manually start recording before taking off and it'd just run through the whole flight. And you couldn't change any settings or switch between video and photo modes.

You didn't state the camera model you're using, but the issues you've described sure sounds like the known limitations of the Hero 3 Silver.

If you're using a supported camera, and have moved the camera between several Solos and the issues follow, it's hard to state that it's 100% the fault of the Solo. It's just far more likely that it's a problem with the camera than an identical fault on several Solos, of which you were unlikely to receive all of.

The camera control is facilitated through the GoPro connector on the back of the camera, so I'd start by inspecting that very carefully for possible damage.

 

[porlock]

It is a Gopro Hero3+black, and problem occurs only oh this specific solo unit. Like i write before camera, gimbal, and phone is fine i test all of it on another solo.

 

[User Name]

It is a Gopro Hero3+black, and problem occurs only oh this specific solo unit. Like i write before camera, gimbal, and phone is fine i test all of it on another solo.

Ok, it wasn't entirely clear that it was working in the other Solos.

So I would inspect the GoPro connector in the gimbal that's giving you problems for any damage. As for cold solder joints on the data cable, is this something you've observed specifically, or are you speculating? You'd have to have removed the main board completely, removed the plastic shield and inspected the cable connector/wires from the bottom to tell for sure. If they look cold, by all means, take a soldering iron and reflow them. Honestly though, unless the joints were virtually loose, I don't see even a cold joint being an issue. The data wires aren't carrying any significant current, which even a cold joint could hndle without issue.

If the solder joints are ok and the connector looks fine, then I'd suspect an internal fault of some sort and would contact 3DR Support. If they're of no help (a distinct possibility), then the only saving grace is that the gimbals are pretty cheap these days.

 

[porlock]

I have some experience with electronic, cold joint is hard to see by bare eye, even with inspection microscope sometimes can be missed. It is my speculation but best i got, that i why i ask that maybe some one have solve this kind of issue.
Like i write above it is not gimbal fault, i have two gimbals.. bot with the same effect on flauty unit, and both work fine on another.

 

[User Name]

Ok, so if you've swapped components and the problem stays with just the one Solo, then yea, it sounds like it's that particular unit. Have you tried a factory reset on that Solo? There's a video detailing the procedure here:

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If that doesn't work, and you've eliminated the possibility of cold solder joints on the cable by reflowing them, I'm afraid I'm out of ideas.

 

[porlock]

I have confirmation from 3dr that this is hardware issue of my Solo unit, factory reset will not help.
My best shot so fare is that cold joints, i will re solder them when i will have some spare time , in mean time my initial question is still open.
Does someone have similar problem and manage to solve it ?

 

[User Name]

If you have confirmation from 3DR that it's a fault with the Solo, is there a reason you're not pursuing a replacement with them? Attempting a repair with a soldering iron would give them an easy reason to deny a repair or replacement. If it's out of warranty, then you're pretty much on your own. A factory reset can't hurt, and unless 3DR has examined it and found the actual hardware fault, it's premature to state that a reset wouldn't help.

As I said, with how little current the data wires are carrying, even a cold solder joint wouldn't likely cause an issue. But it seems you've zero'd in on that, so yea, go ahead and try to reflow them.

 

[porlock]

Before I write something more pls explain why do you think that cold joint problem affect only high power connections ?please be specific as fare you can, some sources of this judgment will be required I think, because i totally dissagre with You in this matter. Please do not answer by asking me opposite question. That will lead us nothing.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

I suspect he's thinking of the type of cold joint that makes contact at rest but when it heats up under heavy load, it breaks.

 

[User Name]

Before I write something more pls explain why do you think that cold joint problem affect only high power connections ?please be specific as fare you can, some sources of this judgment will be required I think, because i totally dissagre with You in this matter. Please do not answer by asking me opposite question. That will lead us nothing.

First, I question that a cold joint even exists, and you haven't confirmed that you've disassembled your Solo enough to even make a visual examination, therefore the cold joint theory is entirely speculative.

Second, cold solders can range from insufficiently melted solder but a solid connection nonetheless, to a clear break. In the first case, a break may form over time. The current begin carried by the data wires is so small, that a non-broken but cold joint would have no problem carrying said current. And if there was an actual break, the problem would likely be intermittent as the parts make and loose contact. This could be easily tested without disassembly beyond removing the battery tray by wigging the wire as you test.

Third, the likelihood that a cold joint resulted in a total and persistent lack of continuity, and only on a camera data wire out of all the other power and gimbal data wires seems unlikely just by a matter of odds.

As for sources of this judgement, I can only offer 30+ years of working with/fixing/making electrical things of various kinds, and being a painfully logical problem solver when it comes to diagnosing issues of all types. I've made plenty of bad solder joints over those years. None have resulted in a persistent lack of continuity, always intermittent, if they resulted in issues at all.

Not going to argue or waste any more time. You think it's a cold solder joint based on.... from what you've offered, pure speculation. You can verify that by removing the board and reflowing the joints.

Please report back after you do, I'll be very interested in seeing if that was your problem.

 

[porlock]

I confirm that i do not disassembly my Solo yet, and what i already write i will do this when i find some time. I also already write that cold joint is my speculation and i'm counting on lucky guess.
Im not argue that this is cold joint fault or not, because it can (not always) be hard to tell before re flowing joint itself, like i write it at lest once before there is not always possible to see that there is cold join or there is not. I see on my own eyes situation that cold join cause permanent lack of some functions or permanent faulty behavior of unit. Data transfer does not work like a light bulb (work / do not work) if communication is broken even only from time to time, it is possible to cripple whole data transfer causing lack of some functions. I also see on my own eyes cold joints on very low current data lines. Solo gimbal data cable have two data lines with 4 cables. 2 (Rx/Tx) cables for gimabl control and 2 (USB D+/.USB D-) cables for gopro control so it is possible that gimbal pan down/up works and camera control does not.
You have your own experience and i respect that, but You will not convince me it can not be cold joint, it is possible but like i write it is only speculation, and what is more important i do not have a better guess for now.

Go back to the heart of the matter once more time my initial question is still open..
"Does someone have similar problem and manage to solve it ?"

 

[mowind]

I recently purchased a Solo w/Gimbal (came installed) and have been having similar problems - intermittent lack of video feed, and anomalies in the ability of the Solo app to change settings on the GoPro. Sometimes the setting changes seem to work (they show up on the lcd of the camera) but they don't show up in the video feed display (on the occasions the feed works). Other times the changes I try to make are ignored and nothing changes. I also get this message very often:



My setup is all current software and firmware, iPhone 6s+, GoPro Hero 3+ Black. I've removed the gimbal plate and reseated the data and hdmi connectors to no avail. The gimbal seems to work properly. When I first fired this system up I had a garbled video feed that was bright colors with horizontal lines (no hint of an actual image) but a change in the resolution settings seemed to fix that, and it hasn't happened again. I was able to complete two flights with video recorded properly, then set it aside for several days. Tried using it again yesterday and it has been 36 hours of utter frustration - can't see flying this thing without reliable video feed and without being able to control camera settings. Oh, and resetting the GoPro dozens of times has accomplished nothing...

 

[porlock]

About that lack of HDMI video feed, maybe You GoPro change resolution by when resting it also happens when You format SD card or remove all files.
Try to change it again this time manually, by go pro menu.

resolution: 1080p (not super)
fps: 50
fov: medium.

 

[rmasci]

First make absolutely sure the camera is in tight. I have a gimbal that had a loose screw to the green camera clip and the camera would pop off the connector giving me similar issues where it wouldn't record but I'd have video. Have you tried the gimbal in a different solo and see if it works?

 

[rmasci]

I recently purchased a Solo w/Gimbal (came installed) and have been having similar problems - intermittent lack of video feed, and anomalies in the ability of the Solo app to change settings on the GoPro. Sometimes the setting changes seem to work (they show up on the lcd of the camera) but they don't show up in the video feed display (on the occasions the feed works). Other times the changes I try to make are ignored and nothing changes. I also get this message very often:

View attachment 6699

My setup is all current software and firmware, iPhone 6s+, GoPro Hero 3+ Black. I've removed the gimbal plate and reseated the data and hdmi connectors to no avail. The gimbal seems to work properly. When I first fired this system up I had a garbled video feed that was bright colors with horizontal lines (no hint of an actual image) but a change in the resolution settings seemed to fix that, and it hasn't happened again. I was able to complete two flights with video recorded properly, then set it aside for several days. Tried using it again yesterday and it has been 36 hours of utter frustration - can't see flying this thing without reliable video feed and without being able to control camera settings. Oh, and resetting the GoPro dozens of times has accomplished nothing...

Have you tried taking off the gimbal and connecting it directly to the HDMI cable? Anther thing to check is the hdmi ribbon cable that connects to the main board of the gimbal. Looking at the gimbal from the front its on the right side under the board... This is from a broken gimbal I have where this connector is broken but hopefully it will show you what I am talking about. f the board.