B&H photo deal

[Sherm]

Got mine in. Totally dead. One motor bad (physically difficult to move), won't even light up the LEDs with a fresh battery. But, I believe I'll get three motor packs out of it, plus a few other spare parts in there.

I also purchased one of the as-is SOLO’s on eBay for parts. When I applied power, it was totally dead too. One of the motor pods was defective (burned out MOSFETs). When I disconnected the pod and plugged in the battery the SOLO came to life. Since everything checked out and everything was in excellent condition, I decided to purchase a motor pod on eBay for $32. Got the replacement motor yesterday, plugged it in and everything works. Had several excellent flights today.

I learned that a burned out motor controller will prevent the SOLO from getting power to turn on. The smart battery has a preset current limit. If exceeded, it turns itself off.

 

[Maxheadspace]

I also purchased one of the as-is SOLO’s on eBay for parts. When I applied power, it was totally dead too. One of the motor pods was defective (burned out MOSFETs). When I disconnected the pod and plugged in the battery the SOLO came to life. Since everything checked out and everything was in excellent condition, I decided to purchase a motor pod on eBay for $32.

Yeah, I dismantled the Solo down to its components and found not only was the one motor bad, but it apparently shorted and fried the ESC cable on that arm. I plugged a USB cable into the Pixhawk 2 board with Mission Planner and it came to life. I pulled the flash logs and pieced together the last flight, which apparently ended in not one, but three crashes! If I had the telemetry logs I'd be able to actually plot the flight on Google Earth, but I don't think I can access Tlogs without the controller. Like you, I believe I could get it flying if I replaced the one motor pod and ESC cable, but that would bring the total to about $115. I think I'll just keep all the parts as spares.

 

[Gargoile]

Thats a good deal B&H has really fast and affordable shipping too, good catch..

B&H has great customer service too "if" you ever need them.

 

[KDan]

Got my "parts" Solo from the $79 eBay seller mentioned earlier in this thread.
No packing at all. Just the bare Solo laying in an otherwise totally empty cardboard box.

Initially I was having magnetic interference and inconsistent compass errors but after a complete dismantle, factory reset, and much messing around I seem to have finally gotten rid of that problem.

Everything looked great and I figured it was ready to fly. However, when I went to install a set of props, I noticed that the threaded tip of both front motors (01 and 03) were bent. I spun up the motors and it was obvious that the front prop blades were not tracking. No point in trying to takeoff with it like that. Clearly, this Solo has been crashed - although you really won't know it to look at it.

I plan to take the motors out of the pods to see if I can bend them back straight again without breaking them. I figure I have nothing to loose. If it doesn't work, I can always put in a new set of cheap 2216-11's from Hobbyking, Banggood, or eBay.

It has a Rev B GPS and seems to work at least as well, or better than my new Solo that also has a Rev B GPS. It sees 7 inside the house and actually gets a lock, outside it gets 12-14 within a minute or two.

 

[XevetS]

Got my "parts" Solo from the $79 eBay seller mentioned earlier in this thread.
No packing at all. Just the bare Solo laying in an otherwise totally empty cardboard box.

Initially I was having magnetic interference and inconsistent compass errors but after a complete dismantle, factory reset, and much messing around I seem to have finally gotten rid of that problem.

Everything looked great and I figured it was ready to fly. However, when I went to install a set of props, I noticed that the threaded tip of both front motors (01 and 03) were bent. I spun up the motors and it was obvious that the front prop blades were not tracking. No point in trying to takeoff with it like that. Clearly, this Solo has been crashed - although you really won't know it to look at it.

I plan to take the motors out of the pods to see if I can bend them back straight again without breaking them. I figure I have nothing to loose. If it doesn't work, I can always put in a new set of cheap 2216-11's from Hobbyking, Banggood, or eBay.

It has a Rev B GPS and seems to work at least as well, or better than my new Solo that also has a Rev B GPS. It sees 7 inside the house and actually gets a lock, outside it gets 12-14 within a minute or two.

Was the box damaged at all maybe the motors got trashed in transit? I too received mine in a ripped torn no packing at all box. I Don't know what these Ebay sellers are thinking when they pack something? Oh BTW mine works perfectly.....

 

[KDan]

Was the box damaged at all maybe the motors got trashed in transit? I too received mine in a ripped torn no packing at all box. I Don't know what these Ebay sellers are thinking when they pack something? Oh BTW mine works perfectly.....

No damage to the box - although I guess it could have been kicked around. Did seem odd to open a box with absolutely no packing material.
I see the seller relisted more of them and dropped the price to $74.99. It's tempting to order another one to get the motors. But then, I'd want to get that one flying too...

 

[Maxheadspace]

Oh BTW mine works perfectly.....

Kinda like a box of CrackerJacks. Never know what inside until you open it... Or maybe the lottery is a better analogy!

 

[KDan]

No, you don't know exactly what you will get. But from a parts standpoint it looks like the best deal to be found. The seller guarantees that it will power up, which probably means that none of the motor pods are shorted. You'll likely get a couple of good ones, if not all four. You'll get a good body and legs. You'll get a GPS (I got a Rev B that works great). The functionality of the electronics as a whole is not guaranteed, but I bet that in most cases you can get it working.
You'll likely pay close to $75 for a some of these individual parts. At $75 for all of them, it seems like a good investment. You might even end up with a fully functional Solo after a little fiddling around.
The only downside for me is the temptation to buy another - like you said, it's sort of like gambling

 

[Maxheadspace]

The seller guarantees that it will power up, which probably means that none of the motor pods are shorted.

Only select few sellers are guaranteeing power up. But you are right. Considering that I love to tinker, the remaining functional parts are worth the investment. Or just to parse it out and sell the parts to those in need.

 

[NightStorm]

I also purchased one of the as-is SOLO’s on eBay for parts.

I purchased one of these as well. Mine powered up but would not pair with a controller. Did two or three factory resets and then it paired and everything worked.

 

[jbrunel]

I purchased one of these as well. Mine powered up but would not pair with a controller. Did two or three factory resets and then it paired and everything worked.

The fun part is making something work that's other people gave up on

 

[davemh]

I also purchased one knowing it was for parts. BUT, I like tinkering with things so am trying to get it to boot up. I get normal tones with solid green lights, all 4 are solid green. Need to try resetting and see what happens. It did come with the rev B GPS. Not a mark on it - doubt that it has ever flown.

 

[Maxheadspace]

I ended up buying two, one turned out to be damaged from a crash, and one would not link with a controller. I did end up with a fully functional Solo in the end, but only after completely tearing down both of them to smallest components and re-building. If a person is not mechanically inclined, I would think twice about buying one of these "for parts only" Solos with the expectation of getting it flying simply with factory re-sets. I enjoy tinkering as much as flying, so it was all good for me. And now I have some extra parts for repairs, or maybe for eBay.

 

[cosmic explorer]

Received mine today as well, shipped in original shipping carton and box. Other than a small scratch on one of the legs, everything else visually is excellent. I haven't hovered it yet, but was able to pair it and spin all the motors up just fine in the house, has RevA GPS. For being sold and purchased as parts/not working for $65, it has certainly exceeded my expectations thus far. If I can get it to fly with no motor or other issues, definitely a plus.

That is awesome!

Hope B&H brings back the extra battery offer.
Clearly four solos is not enough. I'm thinking one for everyday of the week and two for Sunday!

Till I saw how well many have done on the for parts only I may roll the dice. Just with refurb at 200.00 and we get everything including warranty hard to pass it up.

I asked 3DR why should we have to pay for the gps cover? All of mine take a long time to acquire enough says just to launch. No reply.

Anyone in so cal who is into scuba diving /spear fishing and need of gear I may have what you need.
Have Ktm enduro too. Hard to let good gear go yet health stuff.... sucks!

Fly safe and enjoy all

Blue skies..

 

[Pantherarmsar10]

I just bit the bullet and bought a parts only on eBay for $99. We shall see what I get.

 

[Maxheadspace]

Too funny, the ups and downs of the Solo price. This thread started in April with the announcement of a new Solo package with gimbal for $299 at B&H Photo. Now, at the end of July, they have the Solo with gimbal again for $299, new.

But what's insane is the cost of a new gimbal by itself. I bought a new gimbal in box for $39 in May. Now it's $199 at B&H Photo!!! Can't hardly find them on eBay anymore for under $150. Supply and demand...

3DR Solo Quadcopter with 3-Axis Gimbal for GoPro HERO3+ / HERO4

 

[RichWest]

Kind of ironic how the gimbal turns out to be the premium item from Solo... I guess everyone now wishes they had bought more when they were cheaper... Wonder if batteries will end up the same....

 

[just_bruce]

Someone needs to get out their 3D printer and knock out a replacement casing that has screws, methinks. Just transplant the brain board and connector, install new cells.