I updated my galaxy s8 to Oreo last week and after that my solo promoted to update the firmware to 2.4.2. The updates did something to my gps as now I cannot use follow me mode at all. Whenever I engage follow me mode the solo just hovers on autopilot with an alert at the bottom of the phone stating “waiting for mobile device gps”. I also tried a galaxy s5 and a galaxy s7 (neither on android oreo) and both had the same issue as my s8 so its possible it was the solo firmware that broke the follow me mode. As a side note I tested an iPhone with iOS 11 and the follow me worked but the video from the GoPro4 didn’t. So not sure at this point. Still waiting for guidance from support. Any help or advice would be appreciated. FYI everything worked flawlessly before those updates.
It is a stock solo. I've only had it for a couple weeks as I bought it from a buddy of mine who barely ever flew it. I believe he bought it new Christmas of 2016.
I have already uninstalled the app and reinstalled but I havnt tried it via the app manager as well as clearing the cache and data first. I will try that this evening and post back.
Does the solex app have follow me functionality? That is my primary requirement since I film a a lot of wakeboarding from the boat. I am pretty new and this so I havnt had a chance to really evaluate other apps yet.
Ok. That explains a few things.
There are some issues with what you want to do with the stock Solo.
It's entirely possible then that it was still on an earlier version of the firmware. I don't use follow me myself so it's never been an issue for me but from what I understand, the problem with 2.4.2 and follow me is that it doesn't work with the GPS on Samsung phones. So even Solex won't solve that problem. Another issue you may not be aware of is that the stock Solo doesn't have a boat mode. You can't launch and land on boats. As long as you're able to launch and land from solid ground, then you'll be ok there.
That said, it is possible to upgrade the Solo hardware so that it has boat mode. There's a thing called the Green Cube which is an updated flight controller. This requires some surgery on the aircraft as well as updating some software.
Solex itself has several follow me modes that work well with compatible devices, just not Samsung devices. So your options there are get a different Android device or alternatively, get SidePilot for your iOS device. Again, like Solex for Android, this third party app is better than the 3DR app and it doesn't have the screen blackout issue. It's not as good as Solex though.
There is apparently a workaround for the blackout issue on the iOS version of the app. After starting recording, close the app and reopen it. I also understand if you record in 1080p, 30 fps, it doesn't black out.
The last option, of course, is forget about using the Solo for that purpose and get a different drone altogether for it. But even then, every drone has it's share of issues.
Bottom line, you have some work and probably more expense ahead of you to do what you want to do.
Much obliged for the detailed information above. I did not realize drones had an actual boat mode. We have been able to launch from the boat before but it has to be extremely calm or it wont work. Definitely had our fair share of frustration trying to get it to take off from the boat. I will look into green cube like you just mentioned above. As well, I will test out an extra iphone i got with the gopro settings mentioned above and see if that solves the black out issue. Just of out of curiosity, is there a recommended android tablet? I would not mind having a bigger screen to work with.
Uninstalled and reinstalled solo app for Android after clearing the cache and data.....still no luck. However I was able to make it work with the iPhone I mentioned and just as you said I was able to get around the black screen issue by restarting the app so thats positive news for once. Gonna go with this setup for now but I’m gonna look pretty seriously into the flight controller upgrade you mentioned. Have you done it yourself? Well worth the extra steps (doesn’t look to terribly difficult from what I saw)? Also thoughts on getting the 3dr gps shield to help with gps acquisition?
So GPS upgrade as well as the flight controller upgrade is the way to go?
With what you want to do, that would be my recommendation, yes. I forgot to ask, you have the gimbal and a Gopro?
I do have a gimbal and a hero 4 black. The updated flight controller would require solex at that point correct? As well I would still need a compatible phone/tablet too?
You can use SidePilot on iOS as well from what I understand. But yes, the best combination is with Solex and an Android device from everything I've read.
Hopefully you're technically inclined because this isn't plug and play. You'll be getting your hands dirty. If you decide to go for it, make sure you read and understand all relevant documentation and instructions thoroughly before proceeding. Do research on this site and join relevant Facebook groups. Here are some links:
3DR Solo - ArduCopter Master Upgrade — Copter documentation
OpenSolo/documentation
I read up on the install procedures for the upgraded flight controller and it looks a little in depth, but not too difficult. I do IT work for a living so I can follow instructions with the best of them! That being said I believe I'm gonna start with the mRo GPS upgrade and see how much of a difference that makes first. Looks pretty straight forward and easy. Only question.......Is that mRo plug and play to the point where I dont need to do any firmware/software updates afterwards? Just physically swap the GPS module and then fire up the stock app and go fly? I have been researching the heck outta this site and I also joined the facebook group like you mentioned. I truly appreciate all your guidance as well!
would you recommend the mRo over the Here? I read some threads talking about the Here GPS (since it is external to the drone) eliminating the leg compass, the less issues with magnetic interference.
My apologies. What I meant to say is the Here doesnt eliminate the compass, rather moves it to above the drone on the mast instead of the leg, thus cutting down on magnetic interference. Do you use solex with open solo? Will solex work with the stock solo firmware 2.4.2?
FYI
I just ordered the mRo as well as the v2 shield. gonna start with that setup and see how it works. I promise the questions above will be my last for now. Truly appreciate your wisdom and guidance. If you're ever in Dallas get at me and I'll buy ya a beer!
J-
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