Brand New Gimbal - Bad First Flight out of the box

[Jubalr]

Thanks for posting that. I'm so glad I finally returned mine. Watching the die hard fans here slowly jumping ship is my reward. I was way ahead of my time.

Yes Michael, we are all well aware of your experiences and same general advice in every post. Not sure why you enjoy hanging out in a product thread of a product you no longer own, but what ever makes you happy.

It always amazes me when people go to any product forum and take the people posting with an issue as 'Wow, XXX manufacturer really has an issue here!" And XXX can be any manufacturer from Mercedes to DJI. Simple fact is that those with an issue are more apt to post and find threads than those that are using a product without issue. There are 1000s of Solos in the wild, and as of today conservative estimate of 2000 gimbals or more have shipped. But take 10-20 people on here that have posted gimbal issues and boy does 3DR have a problem! Certainly couldn't find that many DJI owners with problems in the DJI forums could we?

Been flying RC since 1983 and MRs for the past 5 or so. Had 3 different DJI products and will not again, just my choice and opinion. But have I ever gone to a DJI product forum since then? Nope, no need. I have a life.

And for reference, I have had my Solo since first shipments and my Gimbal over a month. Installed fine first try and didn't take out the battery tray. Install per the video worked fine and so has the gimbal since.

 

[GoodnNuff]

My advice is to return it and get yourself and Phantom 3. Way back in June I had a Solo, for all of about a week. Had a bunch of issues with it and returned the unit to Best Buy. I said I would never by DJI again, great product shitty customer service. Well I did, bought a Phantom 3 Pro and love it, I also think its a much better value. Its been dam near flawless, excellent app etc....

I feel bad for the people who have hung onto the 3DR promises while riding this train wreck, and really thats what the "Solo" project is.....One big train wreck. Broken promises, due dates missed, equipment not working......sad. I want to like 3DR

Any stress cracks in your P3Pro yet? I really like my Phantom P3P as well (I own a Phantom 1 and a Phantom 2 also), but the Smart Mode release was a joke, don't you think? It doesn't even hold a candle to the Solo's Smart Modes. Of course I can pay $15 for the Litchi app to simulate what my Solo does.
But what I wanted to ask is if you are having video lag since DJI's last firmware update? My video now is freezing and lagging making it useless - I can't fly FPV with it, let alone even frame a shot. I see on the forum that the video lag/freezing seems to be a pretty common problem. Are you having any of these issues - the cracking frame or the useless video feed?
I guess we are all at the mercy of DJI and will have to wait for another firmware update/patch...

 

[Raybro]

User ignored. Has been for several weeks and I am sure by lots of others.

Talk to the hand Steven!

 

[ndfellow]

I had mine shipped back nothing seemed to fix it. Not happy about having to wait yet again

 

[Axidrain]

Any stress cracks in your P3Pro yet? I really like my Phantom P3P as well (I own a Phantom 1 and a Phantom 2 also), but the Smart Mode release was a joke, don't you think? It doesn't even hold a candle to the Solo's Smart Modes. Of course I can pay $15 for the Litchi app to simulate what my Solo does.
But what I wanted to ask is if you are having video lag since DJI's last firmware update? My video now is freezing and lagging making it useless - I can't fly FPV with it, let alone even frame a shot. I see on the forum that the video lag/freezing seems to be a pretty common problem. Are you having any of these issues - the cracking frame or the useless video feed?
I guess we are all at the mercy of DJI and will have to wait for another firmware update/patch...

You sure you have the p3p?

 

[Earldgrayjr]

Yes Michael, we are all well aware of your experiences and same general advice in every post. Not sure why you enjoy hanging out in a product thread of a product you no longer own, but what ever makes you happy.

It always amazes me when people go to any product forum and take the people posting with an issue as 'Wow, XXX manufacturer really has an issue here!" And XXX can be any manufacturer from Mercedes to DJI. Simple fact is that those with an issue are more apt to post and find threads than those that are using a product without issue. There are 1000s of Solos in the wild, and as of today conservative estimate of 2000 gimbals or more have shipped. But take 10-20 people on here that have posted gimbal issues and boy does 3DR have a problem! Certainly couldn't find that many DJI owners with problems in the DJI forums could we?

Been flying RC since 1983 and MRs for the past 5 or so. Had 3 different DJI products and will not again, just my choice and opinion. But have I ever gone to a DJI product forum since then? Nope, no need. I have a life.

And for reference, I have had my Solo since first shipments and my Gimbal over a month. Installed fine first try and didn't take out the battery tray. Install per the video worked fine and so has the gimbal since.

Exactly... (Shaking head) As much time as he spends here dissing Solo, he apparently doesn't fly his Phantom much

 

[GoodnNuff]

You sure you have the p3p?

LOL, yes, quite sure.

Are you saying you were not aware of these issues with the Phantom 3 line????

Oh, and the props are clearly visible in many shots with the Phantoms. But it seems I actually notice it more on the P3 than I do on my P2 or P1, probably because of the more powerful motors on the P3, causing more tilt (which brings the props into the frame) when accelerating. They really need to change the frame - it hasn't had any changes since the Phantom 1 (except to increase the size of the battery bay), and they are using the same polysterine for the shell. Many are attributing the arm cracks to that fact, much more powerful motors, but the arms holding them were not beefed up, the result is stress cracks.
I'd suggest you join the PhantomPilots forum to learn about these issues. At least two P3 owners have had their motors actually break free from the arms, resulting in catastrophic crashes. Of course DJI is denying any responsibility.

 

[Eye in the Sky]

Well, I took all the advice everyone has been great and kind enough to take the time to post, and indeed I think it might be fixed. I believe it was a cable routing issue. And I was extra careful during the initial install because I'd read all about the cable routing issues prior.

So after re-routing the cables another 3 times, it seems to be fixed. Installing this thing should NOT be that difficult/picky. And the online instructions along with the video of Colon doing the install should be completely re-done with much more detailed instructions and stressing the importance of how the cables are routed. Coming up with a better method than trial and error would be most helpful as well (maybe the battery tray removal and top down visual inspection...what a hassle though).

 

[Eye in the Sky]

Hey there just signed up to the forum. I have to say every one on here that posts useful info has been excellent in helping me on my way to getting the solo doing what I expected, even though it never worked out of the box and I had to rip apart the controller to fix the wifi card with no previous experience. I have recently received my gimbal and it was taking forever to update (flashing orange light) and after the third time ripping it apart finally seemed to get the wires into the right spot and it fired up no problem. First flight it did droop a bit after some pretty aggressive flying but only for a second and not as dramatically as some of the videos I have seen and just like most of you are saying it seem that a cord just rubbed it a bit the wrong way but overall pretty satisfied with the performance. Thanks for all the advice. P.S. Does any one know if the wifi mod will affect the gimbal at all?

 

[Earldgrayjr]

Hey there just signed up to the forum. I have to say every one on here that posts useful info has been excellent in helping me on my way to getting the solo doing what I expected, even though it never worked out of the box and I had to rip apart the controller to fix the wifi card with no previous experience. I have recently received my gimbal and it was taking forever to update (flashing orange light) and after the third time ripping it apart finally seemed to get the wires into the right spot and it fired up no problem. First flight it did droop a bit after some pretty aggressive flying but only for a second and not as dramatically as some of the videos I have seen and just like most of you are saying it seem that a cord just rubbed it a bit the wrong way but overall pretty satisfied with the performance. Thanks for all the advice. P.S. Does any one know if the wifi mod will affect the gimbal at all?

It shouldn't effect it at all. It just allows Solo to chose from more channels.

 

[Eye in the Sky]

It shouldn't effect it at all. It just allows Solo to chose from more channels.

Nice thanks very much. Also will the controls function the same or should I upgrade to an extended range antennae mod as well.

 

[Earldgrayjr]

Nice thanks very much. Also will the controls function the same or should I upgrade to an extended range antennae mod as well.

The controls should work fine. Whether you need extended range antenna really depends on if you need extended range. If you are happy now, nothing should change. If you need more range, start with the FPVLR.

 

[Eye in the Sky]

The controls should work fine. Whether you need extended range antenna really depends on if you need extended range. If you are happy now, nothing should change be if you need more range, start with the FPVLR.

Excellent thank you.

 

[Axidrain]

LOL, yes, quite sure.

Are you saying you were not aware of these issues with the Phantom 3 line????

Oh, and the props are clearly visible in many shots with the Phantoms. But it seems I actually notice it more on the P3 than I do on my P2 or P1, probably because of the more powerful motors on the P3, causing more tilt (which brings the props into the frame) when accelerating. They really need to change the frame - it hasn't had any changes since the Phantom 1 (except to increase the size of the battery bay), and they are using the same polysterine for the shell. Many are attributing the arm cracks to that fact, much more powerful motors, but the arms holding them were not beefed up, the result is stress cracks.
I'd suggest you join the PhantomPilots forum to learn about these issues. At least two P3 owners have had their motors actually break free from the arms, resulting in catastrophic crashes. Of course DJI is denying any responsibility.

Well thing is, I have a group of buddies who fly quads. A lot of them have phantom 3's. Your examples are on the extreme end. There's no way you would get props in the frame unless you're heading upwind at full throttle.

The live feed is far from useless, at most I've seen 200ms delay at 1 mile. As for the feed breaking up, Yes it does if your mobile device overheats or if its a lower spec'd machine. This issue can be solved by hooking up an external monitor with the hdmi module and the video will never break unless you fly it out of range.

Stress cracks however are a pretty common issue for those who stick with the stock active breaking rate. Some of my buddies who lowered the active breaking never had any cracks till now.

So yeah. A bit skeptical here

 

[tesmithp]

...Watching the die hard fans here slowly jumping ship is my reward...

Enjoy watching others fail? What kind of person says something like that?

 

[Earldgrayjr]

Well thing is, I have a group of buddies who fly quads. A lot of them have phantom 3's. Your examples are on the extreme end. There's no way you would get props in the frame unless you're heading upwind at full throttle.

The live feed is far from useless, at most I've seen 200ms delay at 1 mile. As for the feed breaking up, Yes it does if your mobile device overheats or if its a lower spec'd machine. This issue can be solved by hooking up an external monitor with the hdmi module and the video will never break unless you fly it out of range.

Stress cracks however are a pretty common issue for those who stick with the stock active breaking rate. Some of my buddies who lowered the active breaking never had any cracks till now.

So yeah. A bit skeptical here

Ummm....I have a P3P, and I concur with everything he said.

1. You do NOT have to be full throttle at all to have props in the picture, in fact you have to be very careful not to. Setting up the P3 to be "turtle" for filming is also not NEARLY as simple as Solo, and is not for the faint of heart. With Solo I shoot in 4K W and a 5.44 lensse and have never had a prop or leg in the picture. With Solo I also just chnage the slider to turtle, change the pan speed wheel and I am setup for filming.

2. I have had the P3 for 16 weeks now, and it has spent 8 weeks in China (after 3 weeks of flying) due to stress cracks in the back legs requiring a shell replacement, that could only be done by shipping it off if I wanted to maintain the (such as it is) warranty. I fly 100% for filming, much of it backwards, which means slow and steady except for getting from shot to shot. I can assure you it is in no way "extreme". What he said about the motors, legs, and cracks is exactly right. It is a design flaw (bigger motors and not a stronger frame with brittle plastic) and DJI (in their classic style) is not admitting to it.

3. I also agree that something happened with the live video in the last update. It was the strong point before and now it is the weak point. It is choppy and gets "stetched out" constantly, close in with zero interferance (most recently in wheat feilds miles form anyone). Not sure if that will get fixed, but as always with DJI, you don;t actually get any admission they have any problems, you just get an update and hope it fixes it.

I still fly and appreciate both, but the P3P is getting worse, and the Solo is getting better.

 

[Bigskyflyer]

Ummm....I have a P3P, and I concur with everything he said.

1. You do NOT have to be full throttle at all to have props in the picture, in fact you have to be very careful not to. Setting up the P3 to be "turtle" for filming is also not NEARLY as simple as Solo, and is not for the faint of heart. With Solo I shoot in 4K W and a 5.44 lensse and have never had a prop or leg in the picture. With Solo I also just chnage the slider to turtle, change the pan speed wheel and I am setup for filming.

2. I have had the P3 for 16 weeks now, and it has spent 8 weeks in China (after 3 weeks of flying) due to stress cracks in the back legs requiring a shell replacement, that could only be done by shipping it off if I wanted to maintain the (such as it is) warranty. I fly 100% for filming, much of it backwards, which means slow and steady except for getting from shot to shot. I can assure you it is in no way "extreme". What he said about the motors, legs, and cracks is exactly right. It is a design flaw (bigger motors and not a stronger frame with brittle plastic) and DJI (in their classic style) is not admitting to it.

3. I also agree that something happened with the live video in the last update. It was the strong point before and now it is the weak point. It is choppy and gets "stetched out" constantly, close in with zero interferance (most recently in wheat feilds miles form anyone). Not sure if that will get fixed, but as always with DJI, you don;t actually get any admission they have any problems, you just get an update and hope it fixes it.

I still fly and appreciate both, but the P3P is getting worse, and the Solo is getting better.

You obviously don't own a p3

Ummm....I have a P3P, and I concur with everything he said.

1. You do NOT have to be full throttle at all to have props in the picture, in fact you have to be very careful not to. Setting up the P3 to be "turtle" for filming is also not NEARLY as simple as Solo, and is not for the faint of heart. With Solo I shoot in 4K W and a 5.44 lensse and have never had a prop or leg in the picture. With Solo I also just chnage the slider to turtle, change the pan speed wheel and I am setup for filming.

2. I have had the P3 for 16 weeks now, and it has spent 8 weeks in China (after 3 weeks of flying) due to stress cracks in the back legs requiring a shell replacement, that could only be done by shipping it off if I wanted to maintain the (such as it is) warranty. I fly 100% for filming, much of it backwards, which means slow and steady except for getting from shot to shot. I can assure you it is in no way "extreme". What he said about the motors, legs, and cracks is exactly right. It is a design flaw (bigger motors and not a stronger frame with brittle plastic) and DJI (in their classic style) is not admitting to it.

3. I also agree that something happened with the live video in the last update. It was the strong point before and now it is the weak point. It is choppy and gets "stetched out" constantly, close in with zero interferance (most recently in wheat feilds miles form anyone). Not sure if that will get fixed, but as always with DJI, you don;t actually get any admission they have any problems, you just get an update and hope it fixes it.

I still fly and appreciate both, but the P3P is getting worse, and the Solo is getting better.

Either you don't own a P3 or you don't know how to fly it. If you leave the gimbal in its default travel of 90 degrees instead of the 120 degree setting you most certainly will not see the props unless at full throttle. I have not had the misfortune of having to send mine in for repair, it has been flawless since new. I have never had a problem flying mine slow for filming, just takes some practice on how to use the controls. My live feed has been fine since the latest update. The cracking issue is a definite design problem but can be fixed with a simple 25.00 strong arm kit, which is still a lot less than I have invested in my solo to get it up to par with my P3 for distance and video feed. So before giving out a bunch of bad info on the other product you should either fly your P3 or keep your negative comments to yourself. When people come here for advice they are looking for honesty, not a grudge opinion of the other product. Some of you are starting to sound like the other forum more and more every day. Funny how things change when the product you love starts having a few expected problems and you feel like you have to defend its shortcomings by bad mouthing the competition.

 

[Earldgrayjr]

You obviously don't own a p3

Either you don't own a P3 or you don't know how to fly it. If you leave the gimbal in its default travel of 90 degrees instead of the 120 degree setting you most certainly will not see the props unless at full throttle. I have not had the misfortune of having to send mine in for repair, it has been flawless since new. I have never had a problem flying mine slow for filming, just takes some practice on how to use the controls. My live feed has been fine since the latest update. The cracking issue is a definite design problem but can be fixed with a simple 25.00 strong arm kit, which is still a lot less than I have invested in my solo to get it up to par with my P3 for distance and video feed. So before giving out a bunch of bad info on the other product you should either fly your P3 or keep your negative comments to yourself. When people come here for advice they are looking for honesty, not a grudge opinion of the other product. Some of you are starting to sound like the other forum more and more every day. Funny how things change when the product you love starts having a few expected problems and you feel like you have to defend its shortcomings by bad mouthing the competition.

BS.. What this shows is that your judgement is flawed....

I am afraid it is you that must not own a P3, if you don't see exactly what I do...For reference, I have been flying quads since they were invented, and built my first several because they didn't exist commercially. I also have owned P1 and P2.. I have flown my P3 PLENTY (as much as was possible considering it spent 8 weeks getting repaired) and I'm sorry, but If you don't know what I am talking about, you are either not flying, or in denial.

You are also nobody to get snippy and tell others what their experiences have been, or tell others to keep their mouths shut..... If anyone, it is you that might take your own advice and should keep your thoughts to yourself, though I personally am happy to hear all thoughts and experiences

Pretty funny also that you talk about "defending shortcomings" when i didn't say ANYTHING about Solo at all...other than it is getting better... LOL....

And it is you my friend that is defending shortcomings.... Project much?

PS: Love your participation here. Your 19 (negative) posts defending your P3 have been VERY helpful to Solo owners.. Keep it up!

 

[Bigskyflyer]

View attachment 1225
BS.. What this shows is that your judgement is flawed....

I am afraid it is you that must not own a P3, if you don't see exactly what I do...For reference, I have been flying quads since they were invented, and built my first several because they didn't exist commercially. I also have owned P1 and P2.. I have flown my P3 PLENTY (as much as was possible considering it spent 8 weeks getting repaired) and I'm sorry, but If you don't know what I am talking about, you are either not flying, or in denial.

You are also nobody to get snippy and tell others what their experiences have been, or tell others to keep their mouths shut..... If anyone, it is you that might take your own advice and should keep your thoughts to yourself, though I personally am happy to hear all thoughts and experiences

Pretty funny also that you talk about "defending shortcomings" when i didn't say ANYTHING about Solo at all...other than it is getting better... LOL....

And it is you my friend that is defending shortcomings.... Project much?

PS: Love your participation here. Your 19 posts have been VERY helpful.. Keep it up!

Been reading your posts quite some time and you regularly bash the other brand and definitely have a solo agenda. My 19 posts have probably been just as productive as your hundreds of posts since they do not hold as much negativity as yours. When solo has sold even a fraction of the units of the P3 then we will have a good comparison of issues. Until now it seems that the solo is keeping up pretty well with its own issues. So lets be fair to both and at least give honest comparisons. You are comparing issues that you and very few, in the overall picture, are having with their P3's.

 

[Earldgrayjr]

Been reading your posts quite some time and you regularly bash the other brand and definitely have a solo agenda. My 19 posts have probably been just as productive as your hundreds of posts since they do not hold as much negativity as yours. When solo has sold even a fraction of the units of the P3 then we will have a good comparison of issues. Until now it seems that the solo is keeping up pretty well with its own issues. So lets be fair to both and at least give honest comparisons. You are comparing issues that you and very few, in the overall picture, are having with their P3's.

It is quite hillarious to watch you bash Solo... And acuse me... And then go on a pro P3 rant... All in the same paragraph

Now THAT is funny...... (PS: no comment on my picture?) LOL...

Ohh and the bashing the messenger bit? (me in this case)

I think anyone reading my posts here can see the reality of what I have posted in the posts themselves, and I COMPLETEY stand by that. I spend most of my time helping people. What little I have said about P3 is 100% true, and based my direct personal experience.

Obviously you can't see that reality either, which tells volumes...

I don't think you can learn anything from me, and I am certain with your nearly 100% negative posts, I can't from you. Given they are so few, I won't be missing much, so I will just ignore you from here on out. Carry on...

Good luck!!