Weird Solo video freezing issues

Joined
Jan 16, 2017
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Age
36
I know this seems a common topic but I haven't been able to find anything that mimics my situation and decided to post to see if anyone had any pointers..

I have a Solo with a GoPro Hero4 Silver and a Sandisk Extreme Plus 64GB card.

When I fly using 2.7K 30 FPS or 1080P 30 FPS I don't have any issues. However when I try 1080P 60 FPS the video feed on the 3DR Solo app seems to freeze after a few minutes of flight. The drone itself remains in communication with the controller and things like distance, altitude, etc. are updated normally. Just the video itself is frozen as well as the settings/record overlay for it.

The GoPro ends up being unresponsive and I have to hard-reboot it, it then goes through a "Reparing File" process and I sometimes even have to reboot it again to get the "File Repaired" watermark message off the video feed.

I have replaced the gimbal and made extremely sure the cables are tucked away and secured properly. I have filmed with the GoPro by itself at 1080P 60 FPS and it seems to do just fine.

I'm not sure if it's app related since the GoPro itself needs a hard reboot and such when this happens.

Does anyone have any suggestions?
 
Hi bobrob- welcome to the forum. I have the same setup you do except I have the 32GB card.

Removing the GoPro battery will clear the file repair message if you haven't already tried that.

What version of GoPro firmware do you have?
So, if I understand this, the freeze affects the recording onto the GoPro as well as the screen on the controller, right?

There are threads here that deal with GoPro freezing. Although the symptoms might not be exactly like yours, they might point out something helpful.

I'm thinking it may be related to conflicts between GoPro and solo firmware.

If you are on GoPro v4 or 5, there are threads here that show how to downgrade back to 3 to see if that helps.

Heading out right now but will see what I can find when I get back.
 
I am having the same problem here. Everything is connected, feed is good, fly the drone, start recording and then the video freezes. Freezing may happen at 10 seconds or 2 minutes or anywhere in between. I take off the Go Pro, hard reboot, turn it back on, and the Go Pro says "repairing file", and I can see the video from start to the point it freezes.

I had this problem with a GoPro I returned, and read all the threads about having a GoPro approved SD card. I bought one of the new v30 cards, which is way better than anything that GoPro recommends. I know it is not a factor of the write speed.

Initially, with all the known issues with hero 4 freezing, I assumed that this may be the problem. However, I tried recording without it being in the 3DR, and there are absolutely no problems. I can record for 4 or 5 minutes without an issue.

I am going to put in the drone and record without flying, record in at different resolutions and fps, and perhaps pull the gimbal apart and see if I may have a bad connection. At this point though, I feel that the issues lies somewhere in the connection/communication between the 3DR and the GoPro. Both systems work fine independently from one another but not with one another.

I'm all ears if anyone has any ideas. At this point I have NEVER had my drone work, and this an investment, not a toy, for me. I really need to get this resolved.
 
Quick update. I set the 3DR on my kitchen table and just started recording and got 4 minutes of video without an issue.

I took it outside and flew it, and it froze up. After freezing up, i reset it, started recording while it was on the ground, and it froze. I repeated this multiple times and always froze. I took the GoPro off the drone, hit record, and got 6 minutes of video with no issues at all.

It has to be an issue with the communication between the drone and the GoPro.

I'm taking the gimbal off and checking all connections now.
 
Another update. I took the gimbal off, made sure all the wires were tight put it back together, and uhg, still froze. Then I changed the frame rate to 30 fps, and it worked fine. Changed it back to 60 fps, and it worked fine again. I dont know why that would matter, but it does seem to be working currently...will post again if anything changes.
 
Which GoPro model are you using and with what settings when it was freezing?

Hero 4 silver. So I ran this thing all day long on Saturday, and it seems as if it is working fine if I put it on anything but 1080 60 FPS. What is really strange though, is if I land it, shut everything off, and then go through the process to get it er back in the air with 1080 30 FPS, record, and then switch to 1080 60 FPS it will record without issues. If I just start out recording at 60 FPS it will freeze up somewhere between 10 seconds and a 1.xx minutes.

Right after it freezes, if I turn the gopro off, or do a hard reset, and starting recording at the same settings it will freeze over and over. If I take it out of the 3DR, and just start recording without changing any settings it will record without freezing.

I would assume that 1080 60 FPS is the most taxing setting for the GoPro. Initially, I thought maybe it is having write issues and bought a super fast sd card, and considering it records fine while not in the 3DR, it is clearly not a writing issue. My best guess is that issue has something to do with the GoPro having to both write a lot of data and communicate with 3DR all at once. However, the fact that it will record in 60 fps after recording 30 fps seems to blow this theory out of the water.
 
That is really odd. I use 1080/60/medium on my 4S all the time and have never had an issue. If it's working fine out of the gimbal it has to be a problem with the gimbal or something in Solo.

I don't know if anybody has found a fix for that.
 
Just a few things I noticed filming with multiple go pro hero 4 blacks. Hopefully it may help.

1: When using an external power source (such as the power jack in the car plugged into the gopro via a USB charging cable), if the power is shut off (engine and accessories turned off) without stopping the camera from recording, this can cause the camera to freeze. When you start it again, you'll get the "file repairing" message. So wondering if it's possible that there's an intermittent power supply problem present to the camera on the solo? I've never had this issue with any of my own solo's (power wise) but have had the camera freeze from another issue (listed below). So not sure if the camera receives a constant supply of power from the drone or if a power spike or drop out could be causing your camera to freeze. Tell me, once you land your drone, is the camera still recording (ie. it's just the feed that froze) or has the camera itself froze? (ie. stuck on 3.39 recording time and not moving). It may be hard to tell if your camera powers off once you land, but it might be worthwhile checking if you can.

2: If you do get the "file repairing" and "file repaired" message, you'll actually have to run a "scan disc" on your memory card once via the PC. I've read a lot of people claiming "don't do this, always format the card in your camera". Even the gopro site itself states this. However, all that does is erase and "quick format" the card. It does not recover or fix any file issues (which are now present on your card since the video froze). I had numerous problems with my camera freezing (at random intervals) due to this. I managed to recently confirm this by having a 2nd gopro freeze when subjected to the same circumstances. I find the following has solved a lot of issues for me. Place your memory card in your pc. Run a scan disc on it and make sure you check the option to automatically fix any errors. Once this runs (and it should find a few errors), then remove the card and format it in your camera. This has stopped me from getting any camera freeze issues during normal recording. However once in a while I will forget to stop recording before cutting power and bam, same issue again.

The above would tie in with the randomness of the camera freezing, before I managed to solve this I had thought I'd gotten a refurbished GoPro or something and was wanting to send the darn thing back. I thought at one stage it may be a memory card issue, so I even changed brand and make of cards to another "recommended" card by Gopro, but same issues popped up. Luckily I stumbled across the solutions and haven't had issues since.

Hopefully the above helps point you in the right direction, but keep us updated as to what you find or what works for you!
 
Just a few things I noticed filming with multiple go pro hero 4 blacks. Hopefully it may help.
....
Hopefully the above helps point you in the right direction, but keep us updated as to what you find or what works for you!

Thanks for your reply. Regarding point 1, I only get the file repairing/repaired message after the recording has frozen within solo. Once I remove it from solo, the gopro is still frozen, at which point I hard reset, and get the message.

Regarding point 2, this is the first time I have heard that solution. Previously, I did the same as you...bought a faster memory card, experienced same issue, sent back my gopro. With the new gopro and new card I am not having issues like the old one (the old one would freeze when just cycling through menu settings).

I'll try running the scan disk and repair to see if that helps with this issue.
 
Thanks for your reply. Regarding point 1, I only get the file repairing/repaired message after the recording has frozen within solo. Once I remove it from solo, the gopro is still frozen, at which point I hard reset, and get the message.

Regarding point 2, this is the first time I have heard that solution. Previously, I did the same as you...bought a faster memory card, experienced same issue, sent back my gopro. With the new gopro and new card I am not having issues like the old one (the old one would freeze when just cycling through menu settings).

I'll try running the scan disk and repair to see if that helps with this issue.
Sean,
I'm having similar issues with GoPro Silver 4. I've been wondering if mine are related to changing the gimbal angle....I have been freezing up within 1 min of flying, but have also noticed that I definitely freeze when I toggle the camera angle. I can repair the file and see the video up to the point of freezing. Have you noticed anything similar?
 
Sean,
I'm having similar issues with GoPro Silver 4. I've been wondering if mine are related to changing the gimbal angle....I have been freezing up within 1 min of flying, but have also noticed that I definitely freeze when I toggle the camera angle. I can repair the file and see the video up to the point of freezing. Have you noticed anything similar?

Mine wasn't related to the Gimbal movement, as it would freeze without doing anything at all....it just had to be in the drone.

I pulled the gimbal off and made sure all the wires were tucked away nicely, and still seemed to be having problems, however, if I shoot at 1080 30 fps first and then switch to 60 fps, all seems to be peachy. Very weird. Outside of the drone there is no problems with this GoPro.

Since finding the trick to keep it from freezing Ive probably only given it a few hours of flight time, so for all I know it is a fluke. I have to shoot a 11 mile pipeline on Tuesday and will report back with any findings.
 
So has anyone run a scan disc on their memory card to see if it found errors that formatting in a gopro didn't address? Also that problem with the gimbal is interesting. Usually if a gopro is plugged in and power is shut off without the recording being stopped, this will result in the gopro freezing. In turn the video will stop recording without being ended properly (hence the "File repairing" message on startup). Is it possible there's a power supply issue with the gimbal once the angle is adjusted? Maybe a micro tear on the cable? Do you have a spare gimbal you can swap out to test this with? May be worth looking into.
 
Memory card is good. This happened on multiple brand new top of the line memory cards. The problem with shutting off the GoPro before stopping recording is that the GoPro is already frozen so you have to turn it off. That said, I have this problem only when the GoPro is in the drone and only at 1080 60 FPS. Outside of the drone it works fine.

60 FPS probably puts more stress on the GoPro, and also requires the 3DR to process more info to send the feed. Personally, I feel that is where the issue lies...processing requirements are higher than the GoPro is capable of handling. I could be way off, but it makes sense to me....most taxing recording setting being used and it has to send data in real-time through the drone.
 
Is it possible that problems could be temperature related?

The GoPro can work in the Solo without its battery and will run cooler this way. The gimbal will need to be re-balanced and the Solo startup order will now need to be changed - start Solo first, then the GoPro, controller, tablet\phone, app.
 
Memory card is good. This happened on multiple brand new top of the line memory cards. The problem with shutting off the GoPro before stopping recording is that the GoPro is already frozen so you have to turn it off.
Yup, and once you do that (which you have no choice to do of course) you corrupt the memory card in which case you'll experience random freezes when recording video. Have you actually put the memory card into a PC and run error-checking on it from the properties section (error checking can be found under the tools tab). If so, run the scan but deselect the options to automatically fix file system errors. That way the error checking will then inform you of the errors it finds and will prompt you to fix them.

60 FPS probably puts more stress on the GoPro, and also requires the 3DR to process more info to send the feed. Personally, I feel that is where the issue lies...processing requirements are higher than the GoPro is capable of handling. I could be way off, but it makes sense to me....most taxing recording setting being used and it has to send data in real-time through the drone.
I only record in 60FPS and haven't had this issue at all. Have 3 different working birds, 3 different controllers, haven't had this issue at all unless using a corrupt card. It's a vicious circle in a way. video freezing corrupts the card, card corruption causes video freezing.

The only other thing that I can think of is overheating. Recording @ 60fps does put more strain on the camera hardware, also depending on the speed of the card, the camera can overheat in which case it can lock up or just shut down (and since the GP usually powers off when the solo lands, it may not be possible to see right away if it's shutting down before it lands).

What happens when you record @ 60fps when it's not connected to your bird? Can you free up one of the cards, plug a USB cable into the camera and let it record until the card fills up?
 
What happens when you record @ 60fps when it's not connected to your bird? Can you free up one of the cards, plug a USB cable into the camera and let it record until the card fills up?

When it's not in the drone there are no issues at 60 FPS. I recorded for hours yesterday at 30 fps in the drone and no issues. I switched to 60, frozen.....baffling.
 
When it's not in the drone there are no issues at 60 FPS. I recorded for hours yesterday at 30 fps in the drone and no issues. I switched to 60, frozen.....baffling.
Yup, this is just getting stranger alright. What's the make and model of the memory card (exact model number) and what battery is in your gopro? Original or aftermarket?

I know that if you're recording @ 60FPS and using protune, that can really make the camera heat up. If it's getting too hot it will freeze. Sometimes evidence of this can be viewed in the LCD at the front, it can be very grey looking or corrupt. Some of the GP4 hero blacks were actually sent back due to overheating at time of release. Gopro did say that using a non recommended memory card could contribute to the overheating issue.

Maybe it's worth borrowing an infrared thermometer to get some readings on your gopro.
 
I believe speed of the memory card will effect how the GP performs once installed on the gimbal. I use a 16GB Sandisk U3 rated version, typically this is just the "Extreme" version. I found that the U1 or less rated cards, "Extreme Plus" as an example, do not perform consistently and will have write failures, as well as cause heating issues. I have 4 SD U1's and only one works... I have 3 SD U3's and they all work....hmmm.

Primarily I shoot at 2.7K 60 with a GP4B and absolutely have no issues with my Sandisk Extreme cards. Just as a reference, the GP outputs from the HDMI port @ 1080. Solo converts down to 720 to your FPV device....iirc

Much is being overlooked when stating the GP works fine stand alone with whatever memory card. The GP is processing two things once installed into the gimbal, HDMI out and recording to the memory card at the same time, a lot of processing is going on. Slower memory card will affect the camera's ability to maintain both processes and then something will fail.

I find fault when someone says they have a "top rated" or recommended memory card, that's a generic statement and offers no value to the conversation. State the brand and version so the conversation can have validity.

Collectively the forum members here, over the last two years, have concluded what is a top rated card....based on trial and error. Go with a minimum rating of U3 and pick a brand that has some confidence of quality. You get what you pay for with memory cards.

And why I just use 16GB cards? I'm forced to change out the card prior to every 4th flight, memory is near full. Larger capacity card means I swap out less often and have potential to lose more video if an accident occurs. Live and learn...

Peace.
 
  • Like
Reactions: IrishmanPDX

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
13,093
Messages
147,741
Members
16,048
Latest member
ihatethatihavetomakeanacc