Brand new Solo w/ gimbal - "gimbal not found" No gimbal response

Joined
Mar 12, 2016
Messages
12
Reaction score
3
Just got a brand new 3dr Solo, did the software update as required. Everything works just fine, finds 11 sats indoor.

Then I removed the solid plastic camera mount and installed the gimbal, which to my surprise came in a separate box instead having been installed and tested already.

Gimbal has power and has a slowly blinking green light in the back. It seems to stabilize the camera fine, but the Solo does not detect it. When I try to tilt it up or down, a green highlighted text on the controller lcd display saying "gimbal not found" or something like that.

Under "System info" in the 3dr solo app, there are version numbers for everything but for the gimbal. It is that way before the gimbal installation, and it is that way after. I have plugged in both the gimbal hdmi cable AND the 8-pin gimbal data cable. Obviously it has power otherwise it wouldn't stabilize.

The only 2 strange things:

  1. The gopro does not charge while it's plugged into the gimbal
  2. There is no streaming video from the camera on the video display. If I unplug the gimbal and plug in the hdmi cable straight into the camera, there is video, but wi like over a minute, yes, minute! delay.
When I first got the Solo, before the required initial update, the video stream worked just fine, maybe with 1/4 of a second delay. After the initial firmware update, the video seems to not work properly. Anyway, I never plugged in the gimbal before the update, so I don't know if it would have worked then or not. It seems the gimbal is powered, but does not communicate with he Solo.

Any suggestions? Has this happened to anyone else?

I've contacted 3dr Support and asked for help, that was a few hours ago, still no response. I'm guessing it'll be a while before they respond, so I thought maybe someone has come across this.

This is very frustrating, almost a deal breaker, was not expecting this kind of trouble right out of the box, considering returning it unless it's an easy fix. I'm not gonna deal with months of sending it back and forth and still not having a functional product. If it's not addressed promptly, it's going back. Any help would be great.

Thank you to all helpful members here!
 
I'd power everything up and let it sit there for around five minutes with the phone/tablet connected. Then from your phone/tablet record your firmware, there in setting-System info. Here's mine:

IMG_0315.PNG
 
Where did you buy it? You can get the Solo and Gimbal now directly from 3dr for $799.

Also which GoPro, and make sure it has the latest firmware via the phone/tablet app.
 
Got it from an authorized dealer. I was under the impression the Solo is now $799 and gimbal is $199 even from 3dr?

Anyway, I have a 30-day money back guarantee, but that won't do any good, I'd like to get a working unit, not just return it.

I have a gopro 4 black edition. It has the latest updated firmware, but that should not affect the detection of the gimbal, right? The gimbal should be visible to the Solo and tilt up and down regardless of the gopro version or firmware. As far as my solo os concerned, the gimbal is not there at, it's not being detected. I'm wondering if there's something wrong with this gimbal, or if there's a data communication disconnect between the gimbal and Solo somewhere.

Where did you buy it? You can get the Solo and Gimbal now directly from 3dr for $799.

Also which GoPro, and make sure it has the latest firmware via the phone/tablet app.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tpierce
I'd power everything up and let it sit there for around five minutes with the phone/tablet connected. Then from your phone/tablet record your firmware, there in setting-System info. Here's mine:

View attachment 2785

I let it sit for almost 45 min last night, it still doesn't see the gimbal.

I have gone into the "System info" several times now after letting it sit for a while, it looks exactly like yours, except there's no number next to the gimbal, it's just blank. All the other numbers are exactly the same as what you have. I'm not sure why the quad won't see the gimbal. I really think it's a hardware error.
 
I am sure you have done this already. You may want to check the connector on your gimbal. Also, you may want to check the other end where it connects to Solo. I would also double check the other end of your HDMI cable you plugged that in as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tpierce
I believe the Gimbal Cable is solder on the other end. He also stated without the Gimbal plugged in the HDMI works.

Brad J., there's a 20% coupon at 3dr now so $799 with Gimbal good until April.

You need to start a work/support ticket if you keep it.
 
I thought that coupon expired in Jan, is there a new coupon code? Do you know what it is or have it?

Thanks

I believe the Gimbal Cable is solder on the other end. He also stated without the Gimbal plugged in the HDMI works.

Brad J., there's a 20% coupon at 3dr now so $799 with Gimbal good until April.

You need to start a work/support ticket if you keep it.
 
I thought that coupon expired in Jan, is there a new coupon code? Do you know what it is or have it?

I ordered mine directly from 3DR on Wednesday using the discount code DIYD20OFF. Brought the price down to $800 for the camera and gimbal. They hit me for another $12 for shipping, but it arrived in two days.
 
  • Like
Reactions: divemasterphil
I let it sit for almost 45 min last night, it still doesn't see the gimbal.

I have gone into the "System info" several times now after letting it sit for a while, it looks exactly like yours, except there's no number next to the gimbal, it's just blank. All the other numbers are exactly the same as what you have. I'm not sure why the quad won't see the gimbal. I really think it's a hardware error.
There is no version number next to the gimbal because it was not installed when you ran the update. I would try deleting and reinstalling the Solo app on your mobile device.
Tech support is taking about a week to respond.
 
Shouldn't it be able to detect the gimbal though if it is installed after the update? Let's say someone on firmware version 2.1.0 doesn't have a gimbal yet, then they buy one later and install it once the Solo is already up to date, shouldn't it still see the gimbal once it is plugged in?

If that's the case, it is very poor design, that's like saying I didn't have my new sound card when I first installed the the operating system on my computer, it would make it impossible to upgrade later.

U did try to factory reset (remove all firmware updates) and update again from the earliest factory firmware. It started from firmware version 0.6.12, still didn't find the gimbal.

There is no version number next to the gimbal because it was not installed when you ran the update. I would try deleting and reinstalling the Solo app on your mobile device.
Tech support is taking about a week to respond.
 
Shouldn't it be able to detect the gimbal though if it is installed after the update? Let's say someone on firmware version 2.1.0 doesn't have a gimbal yet, then they buy one later and install it once the Solo is already up to date, shouldn't it still see the gimbal once it is plugged in?

If that's the case, it is very poor design, that's like saying I didn't have my new sound card when I first installed the the operating system on my computer, it would make it impossible to upgrade later.

U did try to factory reset (remove all firmware updates) and update again from the earliest factory firmware. It started from firmware version 0.6.12, still didn't find the gimbal.
Mine didn't..
 
It went all the way to the initial conditions when I factory reset it, to the point that it said "preflight update" again on the controller display.

Thanks for your help. I'm sure that could be the reason, it just seems stupid that they design it to where you have to add all your hardware before you update it. What if someone updated theirs before the gimbal was even available yet?

There is no version number next to the gimbal because it was not installed when you ran the update. I would try deleting and reinstalling the Solo app on your mobile device.
Tech support is taking about a week to respond.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tpierce
Yours didn't detect the gimbal or it didn't have this issue?

If it also didn't detect the gimbal after the preflight update, then it is the exact same problem I have. How'd you resolve it?

Thank you

Mine didn't..
 
It went all the way to the initial conditions when I factory reset it, to the point that it said "preflight update" again on the controller display.

Thanks for your help. I'm sure that could be the reason, it just seems stupid that they design it to where you have to add all your hardware before you update it. What if someone updated theirs before the gimbal was even available yet?
I don't know- I sent my GoPro on for replacement about a month ago. While waiting, I replaced my gimbal with the fixed mount. During that time an update came out and I updated everything without the gimbal. When I reinstalled the gimbal, it was not recognized. I had to do the update to iPad, solo & controller all over again to fix it.

I'm not sure if that's causing your issue but it's a place to start until somebody else comes up with something.
 
I have a feeling you could be right, this kinda of thing happens a lot nowadays, where it doesn't make sense, but it's the cause. However, this guy Gimbal not connected has the same exact problem, and it seems that a replacement gimbal fixed his problem. It seems that the gimbal could also be the cause. I'm gonna try to delete the app from my iPad, factory reset everything, then start from scratch and update with the gimbal installed. If that doesn't work, then I'll ask 3dr Support for a replacement gimbal.

Thanks so much for your help again.

I don't know- I sent my GoPro on for replacement about a month ago. While waiting, I replaced my gimbal with the fixed mount. During that time an update came out and I updated everything without the gimbal. When I reinstalled the gimbal, it was not recognized. I had to do the update to iPad, solo & controller all over again to fix it.

I'm not sure if that's causing your issue but it's a place to start until somebody else comes up with something.
 
I have had my GoPro 4 Silver go AWOL on me a couple of times, both in the gimbal and outside of it. If you haven't done so already, I suggest a hard reboot : pop the battery out and re-insert it. That usually does the trick for me.
Some other problems I've had:
I've also had a lot of problems with it corrupting its file system when Solo shuts down. I now make sure I stop recording and wait a bit before shutting down Solo.
I've had a lot of problems connecting GoPro to Windows via USB 3. When it starts acting up, I take the microSD card out and stick it directly into my computer.
In general I would describe GoPro software as "not robust".
 
Well, I know gopros can have problems, but I doubt it has anything with my Solo not detecting the gimbal. The Solo should detect the actual physical presence of the gimbal even without a camera in it.

I have had my GoPro 4 Silver go AWOL on me a couple of times, both in the gimbal and outside of it. If you haven't done so already, I suggest a hard reboot : pop the battery out and re-insert it. That usually does the trick for me.
Some other problems I've had:
I've also had a lot of problems with it corrupting its file system when Solo shuts down. I now make sure I stop recording and wait a bit before shutting down Solo.
I've had a lot of problems connecting GoPro to Windows via USB 3. When it starts acting up, I take the microSD card out and stick it directly into my computer.
In general I would describe GoPro software as "not robust".
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
13,093
Messages
147,741
Members
16,048
Latest member
ihatethatihavetomakeanacc