Any hope for my damaged drone ?

tracer · Aug 8, 2017

I have three Solos. All three fly great. Well, mostly. So, I popped one of them hard into a tree (dumb dumb dumb..) Anyways, long story short, had to replace the gimbal. I also replaced the HDMI cable with the 3DRelish one. Now the bird flies great - super range (better than the others) and very reliable *if* the gimbal is NOT on it. Once I add the gimbal, it will RTH due to the controller losing contact with the drone. Its random. Sometimes the drone is very close to me when it does it, sometimes not. The controller always shows strong signal (remember, i get great range without the gimbal). I am flying in my regular "practice" area close to home, so I know how the drone should behave.

I have torn it down several times. I have scrutinized the HDMI port inside the unit as well as all the cables and where the cables are located. Since the controller says the signal is strong, I feel the "break" is in the drone itself. I really need this drone to fly with the camera reliably. I hate to "lose" it to spare parts. I have googled this problem and I can't seem to find anyone else with the exact issue.

Suggestions?

hackbard23 · Aug 9, 2017

if the problem is just with attached gimbal, try to use another gimbal, if you have...

otherwise, have a look at the wifi card on the companion computer, if it is loose or the antenna cables are loose.

try to shake solo when connected and not airborne

just_bruce · Aug 9, 2017

Download the logs to see why the RTH is initiated.

Hansolo1977 · Aug 9, 2017

Since the gimbal motors are not brushless they have magnets in the motors this can cause wifi and satellite reception problems especially since the GPS receiver is not adequately shielded you can get a new gps chip just look on line cheap and easy fix as far as wifi goes

tracer · Aug 11, 2017

Got the logs, ran an analysis with MP. This is my first time with MP, but I think I got the most significant screen shot. There were 3 unscheduled RTL during this brief flight. Looks like each one is associated with a drop on RC Ch3. But I am very uncertain if I am reading this right. Comments?View media item 674

pyrate · Aug 11, 2017

where you directly over head

tracer · Aug 12, 2017

pyrate said:
where you directly over head

No. I did have my controller antennas pointed correctly as well. Without the gimbal, this drone is rock solid and gets great range on its stock antennas and controller.

I think I will swap out the 3DRelish hdmi cable for the original and see if that helps.

firenrescue · Aug 12, 2017

I have a very similar problem with one of my Solo's. I will have to print out my logs and have you guys take a look at them. I was thinking about binding another controller to and see if that fixes the problem. I do not think the gimbel is the culprit in my case.

hackbard23 · Aug 12, 2017

Hansolo1977 said:
Since the gimbal motors are not brushless they have magnets in the motors this can cause wifi and satellite reception problems especially since the GPS receiver is not adequately shielded you can get a new gps chip just look on line cheap and easy fix as far as wifi goes

you are wrong, they are brushless:
New Product Information | NAMIKI PRECISION JEWEL CO.,LTD.

Namiki SOBL23-1207

tracer · Aug 22, 2017

FYI, I swapped out the 3DRelish cable for the original cable. Flew it during the eclipse, and it was MUCH better. Video looked great. Will do more testing...

hackbard23 · Aug 23, 2017

wait a moment, you said you lost signal when you have the gimbal attached and everything is goog without the gimbal.

Did you try to fly with the 3DRelish hdmi cable and a gopro attached, or did you try to fly without a gopro ?

tracer · Aug 23, 2017

hackbard23 said:
wait a moment, you said you lost signal when you have the gimbal attached and everything is goog without the gimbal.

Did you try to fly with the 3DRelish hdmi cable and a gopro attached, or did you try to fly without a gopro ?

Both. I bought the 3DRelish when I noticed damage to the outer coating of the solo's HDMI cable after the big crash. So I bought a new gimbal and the 3DRelish cable. Installed both. Lots of RTH issues. Pulled off the gimbal (left 3DRelish cable hanging), drone flies great. Gimbal back on, I get lots of RTH. Before the eclipse, I replaced the 3DRelish cable with the original, albeit damaged, HDMI cable. Put yet a different brand new gimbal on, and it flew great on day of eclipse. But I want to test more. I have several drones and gimbals (obviously), so I need to check if the problem is following the gimbal or the cable. Will post back because I know that any pattern I find might help someone else.

hackbard23 · Aug 24, 2017

try to put the "static" gopro holder on the drone and attach a gopro to the Relish3D cable

andrew.baker.142 · Aug 25, 2017

Crazy problem. I'm still trying to figure out why an HDMI cable to camera is affecting your controller link.
Something in the mix must be putting out LOTS of noise (possibly on a frequency near 2.4GHz).

XevetS · Aug 25, 2017

Is it possible you have the WIFI turned on on the Gopro? This could lead to some issues when you have the gimbal and gopro installed, Just a thought?

tracer · Aug 25, 2017

I have come to an understanding now. I'm a problem solver, and my specialty is computers and computer networks. I have done this for decades. I have no fear working on these drones, but now, with trial and error, I have a better understanding of what I am facing here. I now understand why folks on here either have a wonderful experience with their Solo, or a truly awful one. I really empathize with both sides.

I have three drones. I got in the game late, bought them on the cheap for flying commercially, and each one has its own quirks. No two are alike and naming them (you laugh, but true!) helps me keep them straight. Mario and Luigi with their gimbals were bought new from B&H. Woodstock came later as a Best Buy open-box special (for training), no gimbal. All are stock. Only mods are the LED lights. Mario was my consistent, go-to bird. Luigi was my spare, but due to my lack of judgement had a massive crash into a tree early on, sending his gimbal into a head-tossing state that cannot be corrected. He's the one I am writing about in the thread above. I bought him a new gimbal and the 3DRelish cable and he would RTH a lot. Removed that gimbal, and 3DRelish cable, and he is much more stable. Bought another new gimbal for Luigi. Luigi likes this new gimbal and Woodstock is happy with the gimbal Luigi hated. OMG!

Oh, there's more!
Mario will not immediately RTH when the controller wi-fi icon goes red. Luigi and Woodstock will RTH when the controller wi-fi icon has one tick left. Luigi and Woodstock have a range that is about ~200' further than Mario, Luigi having the best range of all. Yes, I have taken them all out and flown the same paths on the same day to compare them. All three are very good and accurate when they do RTH. Thankfully!

The other pilot in my office has her own two-year old Solo with original gimbal. Even after several crashes, it flies, is very reliable and has better range than Luigi. The drone has never been opened or updated in any way. However, this drone didn't have a name, maybe that's why its happier.

Now Mario, with over 100 successful logged flights and many hours of great footage, is down because I have a breakdown in the video feed that is somewhere on the drone itself. I can't find it. I have googled and tried all the suggestions I could find. Mr. Reliable is not so reliable anymore.

Luigi and Woodstock are now my main drones. And both go with me to a shoot because I don't know when something will break.

It truly has to be a quality-control issue at the factory. This is crazy!

I believe it if someone writes they love their Solo. I believe it if someone writes their Solo is a nightmare.