Acquired a NIB 3DR Solo. Simply get SOLEX or do an SD flash?

[DroneU3DR]

Hello, first time poster here. I recently got a NIB Solo and gimbal and bought an Onn 7" gen 3 tablet. I've done a LOT of reading trying to make sure I'm putting myself on the path to success, but I don't use Facebook so I can't access the Solo group there, which seems to be where the most current info lives, thus I've hit some roadblocks.
My first question may be a preposterously simple one: Do I simply download SOLEX and away I go? Or is there some reason why I should be doing something more in-depth such as manually re-flashing the SD cards and upgrading/modifying hardware?
I'm suspecting the answer may depend upon my anticipated use, which is just plain, simple "fly and film"; nothing fancy or elaborate as of yet.

Thanks in advance for any help and insights.

 

[GFields]

Greetings from Birmingham Alabama USA, welcome to the forum! We look forward to hearing from you!

 

[CharlieKeck]

Welcome! If it is NIB, you have some work to do. Everything you need to know is in these pages on this site..

None of the original 3DR support sites exist today, an issue as your new Solo is going to try and update as soon as you power up. It will stall there.

I'm not a SOLEX user. I've brought four Solos back to life by reflashing both the SD cards (controller has one as well as the companion computer in the bird) to OpenSolo 4.01. It's not painful, but extracting the cards and cleaning off the hot glue is a bit tedious. After flashing you can fly after doing the magnetometer and compass calibrations.

The existing cards can be remotely updated using a PC and "WinSCP" - the files are linked below.

Also, be very careful with the old batteries - they may appear good and show all the lights, but they are getting ancient for LiPOs. An old battery can go from 40% to 10% or less in 30 seconds. See link below on that subject.

Get her flying! Best luck!

SD Files For Direct Flash: Open Solo 4 SD Card Images

Battery Info!! : A quick tutorial on Solo battery maintenance.pdf

Solo Parts, start here: JB Mod Parts | Home

WINSCP: WinSCP

 

[CharlieKeck]

Welcome! If it is NIB, you have some work to do. Everything you need to know is in these pages on this site..

None of the original 3DR support sites exist today, an issue as your new Solo is going to try and update as soon as you power up. It will stall there.

I'm not a SOLEX user. I've brought four Solos back to life by reflashing both the SD cards (controller has one as well as the companion computer in the bird) to OpenSolo 4.01. It's not painful, but extracting the cards and cleaning off the hot glue is a bit tedious. After flashing you can fly after doing the magnetometer and compass calibrations.

The existing cards can be remotely updated using a PC and "WinSCP" - the files are linked below.

Also, be very careful with the old batteries - they may appear good and show all the lights, but they are getting ancient for LiPOs. An old battery can go from 40% to 10% or less in 30 seconds. See link below on that subject.

Get her flying! Best luck!

SD Files For Direct Flash: Open Solo 4 SD Card Images

Battery Info!! : A quick tutorial on Solo battery maintenance.pdf

Solo Parts, start here: JB Mod Parts | Home

WINSCP: WinSCP

Magnetometer and Accel/Gyro calibration it should have said...

 

[DroneU3DR]

Awesome. thanks for the info; I certainly appreciate it. Now it's just a matter of finding free time to do it (50-hour work weeks, twin newborns, and a 2-year-old keep a guy busy!).

 

[CharlieKeck]

Twins - that'll keep you busy for a few years...congrats! Now you have a side project! Jump in anytime. Fortunately Solo has a significant support group.

 

[MrRags]

Awesome. thanks for the info; I certainly appreciate it. Now it's just a matter of finding free time to do it (50-hour work weeks, twin newborns, and a 2-year-old keep a guy busy!).

Hey DroneU3DR, I am in the exact same boat as you are as i just received a 3DR for free and of course can't fly it yet. Sounds like we both have alot of work to do to use them. Please let me know if you run into any issues or have any suggestions and i shall do the same for you. I am not all that good at doing this type of stuff so definitely need advice. So far CharlieKeck has been very helpful. Sounds lie this might be a chore to do

 

[CharlieKeck]

Hey DroneU3DR, I am in the exact same boat as you are as i just received a 3DR for free and of course can't fly it yet. Sounds like we both have alot of work to do to use them. Please let me know if you run into any issues or have any suggestions and i shall do the same for you. I am not all that good at doing this type of stuff so definitely need advice. So far CharlieKeck has been very helpful. Sounds lie this might be a chore to do

GM guys - yeah, it is a bit of a chore but is necessary to get flying safely. There is going to be some positive activity...but by all means please fully read the manual so we're all on the same page.

 

[jonbrotherton]

You can use Solex or SidePilot to update the firmware if it is asking for Preflight Update. To do so you will need to update to Open Solo 4. Here are the instructions. Install Open Solo

You can also do it by manually flashing the SD cards and Cube. Here are the files for that:
This is the link for 3dr solo SD card file https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZMgLhbewqSj-vbF6h3fFvdNwO3t_Pw5n/view?usp=drivesdk
This is the link for Controller SD card file
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nI7VDKplWnR3xdN2CUyd_qBZMHDWoRD2/view?usp=drivesdk
This is the link for the black cube file CubeSolo4.0.1.apj

Attached is a tutorial for flashing the firmware. You can use the files in the above links instead of the stock files in the tutorial.