3dr

Lman85 · Oct 10, 2023

hello,

As im sure there has been plenty of discussion on this i apologies if its a repeat question. I recently received this drone and know nothing about it. was told it was hard to fly. I did see it fly a short distance so i know it works. As I'm new to the drone world i have no clue about this thing. I did see where it was discontinued , does it make it useless ?

CharlieKeck · Oct 10, 2023

It's discontinued, but definitely not obsolete. If you saw it fly, assuming from it's previous owner,
get a lesson and don't change or modify anything yet. There is a very active group here that is dedicated to keeping the SOLO community flying. Don't be discouraged by some negative comments you may find...

The SOLO is not hard to fly...it is actually a gentle flyer and unless you try to crash it you'll be fine.
For example, when one takes off it will pop straight up about 10' and just hover in place until one moves it. Start practice in a reasonaby open area...you'll get the feel.

Far from useless!!

Ask all questions here - someone will pop up.

Happy Flying!

Lman85 · Oct 10, 2023

Thank you for the reply, I flew it today for a very short distance and it handles about the same as my much smaller one. I understand that the original app is no loner available , is there another app available for updated and such? I see there's supposed to be a gopro with this also but unfortunately I don't have it. I don't have a charger for the remote either is there somewhere i could purchase one ? sorry for all the questions lol

CharlieKeck · Oct 10, 2023

Lman85 said:
Thank you for the reply, I flew it today for a very short distance and it handles about the same as my much smaller one. I understand that the original app is no loner available , is there another app available for updated and such? I see there's supposed to be a gopro with this also but unfortunately I don't have it. I don't have a charger for the remote either is there somewhere i could purchase one ? sorry for all the questions lol

Glad you're flying! Yes, the original app from 3DR is unsupported, gone, history. The current app is called " SOLEX ". It has mixed, but mostly positive reviews. I would search this forum for SOLEX and judge for yourself...I don't use it here and have no personal opinion. I do know it costs USD 30...

Questions: Is your SOLO running the original 3DR firmware? On the controller, when it boots up, does it say "OPEN SOLO 4" or something else?

The controller battery is a LiPo and requires a balance charger for lithium chemistry. Possibly on E-Bay, or ask in the classified section here.

Lman85 · Oct 10, 2023

Yes it does say open solo 4

CharlieKeck · Oct 11, 2023

Lman85 said:
Yes it does say open solo 4

That's a good thing - your Solo and controller have been updated to stable and upgradable firmware.

OK, I just checked an original 3DR controller charger. It is marked as follows: INPUT 100-240 V, 0.5A max OUTPUT 8.3V 1.5A Model Number GQ15-083150-AU

The coaxial plug is center positive(+) . They are on EBay, I just checked...

AC Adapter For 3DR Controller GQ15-083150-AU Solo Quadcopter Drone Remote Cord 753263675194 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for AC Adapter For 3DR Controller GQ15-083150-AU Solo Quadcopter Drone Remote Cord at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Hope this helps...

jonbrotherton · Oct 14, 2023

We have consolidated everything needed for Solo to keep flying in a FB group. Log into Facebook

You need to be aware of the battery situation and options. The batteries were all made in 2015 and are dying off. There are a couple of good solutions, the Battery Mod is a refurbished Solo battery and is more maintenance free than the other option which is a BMSOne. The BMSOne allows you to use whatever batteries that are readily available to you, but you must maintain them and charge them with a different charger.

Battery Mod DIY tutorial

Solo Battery Mod for Dummies (Rev).pdf

bit.ly

Battery Mod

3DR Solo Battery Mod

This is a mod to essentially refurbish your stock Solo battery with new cells. The cells used are the Tattu 4S 5200mAh 35C. For a fully ready to fly Solo smart battery choose the default options, then send in your Solo battery or BMS to: Jon Brotherton 4142 Cedar Dr. Grapevine, TX 76051 Please...

jonbrotherton.fws.store

BMSOne

BMSOne V3 Plug and Play

This is our newest Plug-and-Play version of Madhacker's BMSOne V3 . It can be used on any Ardupilot vehicle, not just Solo and supports batteries 2S-6S, any capacity, any chemistry . 3DR Solo does not support 2S, 3S, or 6S. Only use 4S or 5S on a Solo. For Solo it can be used to plug a common...

jonbrotherton.fws.store

skixc · Oct 14, 2023

jonbrotherton said:
We have consolidated everything needed for Solo to keep flying in a FB group. Log into Facebook

You need to be aware of the battery situation and options. The batteries were all made in 2015 and are dying off. There are a couple of good solutions, the Battery Mod is a refurbished Solo battery and is more maintenance free than the other option which is a BMSOne. The BMSOne allows you to use whatever batteries that are readily available to you, but you must maintain them and charge them with a different charger.

Battery Mod DIY tutorial

Solo Battery Mod for Dummies (Rev).pdf

bit.ly

Battery Mod

3DR Solo Battery Mod

This is a mod to essentially refurbish your stock Solo battery with new cells. The cells used are the Tattu 4S 5200mAh 35C. For a fully ready to fly Solo smart battery choose the default options, then send in your Solo battery or BMS to: Jon Brotherton 4142 Cedar Dr. Grapevine, TX 76051 Please...

jonbrotherton.fws.store

BMSOne

BMSOne V3 Plug and Play

This is our newest Plug-and-Play version of Madhacker's BMSOne V3 . It can be used on any Ardupilot vehicle, not just Solo and supports batteries 2S-6S, any capacity, any chemistry . 3DR Solo does not support 2S, 3S, or 6S. Only use 4S or 5S on a Solo. For Solo it can be used to plug a common...

jonbrotherton.fws.store

Hi Jon - Follow up question on the battery info you provide above - I am currently trying to decide between the two options you offer. What maintenance is required for batteries used with the BMSOne? If I went with the BMSOne would you recommend LiIon or LiPo batteries? Finally, do you have an opinion on which solution is preferable? It seems as though the BMSone is maybe more future proof?

Thanks so much!

jonbrotherton · Oct 14, 2023

skixc said:
Hi Jon - Follow up question on the battery info you provide above - I am currently trying to decide between the two options you offer. What maintenance is required for batteries used with the BMSOne? If I went with the BMSOne would you recommend LiIon or LiPo batteries? Finally, do you have an opinion on which solution is preferable? It seems as though the BMSone is maybe more future proof?

Thanks so much!

Maintenance on Lipo and Li-ion mainly consists of making sure they are at the correct voltage when not in use. The Solo BMS does that for you as long as you charge them after use. The BMSOne doesn't do that. You have to put the battery on the charger and charge or discharge it to correct storage level for the cells you have.

Lipo vs Li-ion: The recommended Lipo is about $60 vs a comparable Li-ion would be closer to $90. A good Lipo will fly a Solo for about 15 minutes vs a good Li-ion will fly a Solo about 20 minutes.

Yes the BMSOne is much more future proof. It is programmable to any battery chemistry. The Solo BMS is hard coded to only one battery spec.

CharlieKeck · Oct 14, 2023

Hi Jon,
Is there any chance the content on Facebook could be moved to an open site, or as a blog here?

There are a number of folks, myself included, that will not have anything to do with FB for a number of reasons...

TU!

Benjamin7719 · Oct 17, 2023

How can I modify my 3dr iris drone for higher altitude

Benjamin7719 · Oct 17, 2023

We're can I order some good propellers for the 3dr iris drone

CharlieKeck · Oct 17, 2023

Benjamin7719 said:
We're can I order some good propellers for the 3dr iris drone

1045 and 1047 props are all over EBay...take your choice.

jonbrotherton · Oct 17, 2023

CharlieKeck said:
Hi Jon,
Is there any chance the content on Facebook could be moved to an open site, or as a blog here?

There are a number of folks, myself included, that will not have anything to do with FB for a number of reasons...

TU!

Even if I could figure out how to move it all over and make it easily usable, it would be more work to maintain it all in yet another platform. Also I find this platform harder to use, and confusing.

CharlieKeck · Oct 17, 2023

jonbrotherton said:
Even if I could figure out how to move it all over and make it easily usable, it would be more work to maintain it all in yet another platform. Also I find this platform harder to use, and confusing.

Understand.

Benjamin7719 · Oct 17, 2023

CharlieKeck said:
1045 and 1047 props are all over EBay...take your choice.

Benjamin7719 · Oct 17, 2023

Do they have 3 bladed propellers

CharlieKeck · Oct 17, 2023

"GOOGLE is your friend. Here is your gift for today...took 15 seconds:

3DR Solo 3-Blade Upgrade Propellers - 3MR-SL - 9x4.5 Prop Set x4 Black

3-Blade Performance Propellers for 3DR SOLO with Built-In Nut Upgrade your 3DR Solo with our latest 3-Blade propellers for improved performance, longer flight time and quiet operation.Recognized by thousands of 3DR Solo pilots for both professional or personal use, this propeller set is the...

www.masterairscrew.com