Charging GoPro battery

[Joe Horn]

... The GoPro battery should not be getting charged. And on a properly functioning Solo and gimbal, it will not be getting charged. Ever. Not under any circumstances. It doesn't matter which GoPro you use or what firmware you have on the GoPro.

But it DOES matter which firmware version your SOLO is, because the very early versions (2015) did recharge the GoPro... or at least they SEEMED to, because they made its "recharging" LED light up, as we old-timers noticed and commented on here in this forum. And we noticed when that STOPPED happening (I forget which firmware update that was) and we commented on it here. Unless I'm hallucinating again.

If you are saying that the HARDWARE of the gimbal is simply not capable of recharging the GoPro, then why did its "recharging" LED light up in the early firmware versions of Solo? Maybe it wasn't actually recharging, but something else was turning that LED on? I'm open to any suggestion ... other than downgrading my Solo to an obsolete firmware version for the sake of science.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

Yes, older firmware on the Solo and gimbal allowed for GoPro recharging. That went away about 10 months ago with a firmware update. It isn't a hardware limitation, and it did do it in the past, hence why the box says it. But the feature was removed. So if your solo is still charging the GoPro, something is wrong with it or you somehow have very very old firmware.

 

[richnat]

But....

According to my Solo App:

Solo -2.4.2
Controller - 2.4.2
Gimbal - 1.3.6
App - 2.4.0
Autopilot - 1.3.1
Controller firmware - 1.2.11

I just bought this a few weeks ago and updated it the day I bought it so I'd assume this is all the most current versions.

And yet....

Hmmm. I have two Solos and three gimbals and they all function the same.

Solo on, GoPro on. Looks like the little charging indicator on the LCD thinks the battery is being charged. In previous pictures the red charge light was on also but not here. In reading GoPro manuals in detail, the red charge light only comes on when the GP battery is below 80% and being charged.

(Sorry for the crappy video quality but you can at least see what's going on)

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[Pedals2Paddles]

But is the battery actually charging? Do you see the battery level increasing? Check the battery voltage with a voltmeter first. Then put in the solo for a while. Then check the battery voltage with a meter again. I suspect you will find it is not being charged.

 

[richnat]

I'll try that. I'll first discharge the GP a bit. I need to run down a few Solo batteries anyway since I won't be able to fly again for a week or more given the weather we have coming.

Does the Solo have an auto-off feature? Does it turn itself off after XX minutes of inactivity? I know the GP does but I believe it is a setting that can be defeated.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

The solo will stay on indefinitely. Which is why it's a good idea to leave the battery detached or not locked into the solo while it's in the bag.

 

[richnat]

The solo will stay on indefinitely. Which is why it's a good idea to leave the battery detached or not locked into the solo while it's in the bag.

I like to use that little foam pad that was between the battery and the Solo as it originally came out of the box. I wish the battery was not so loose when not attached, but the backpack seems to do a good job holding it in place. Just to be safe I wrap a Velcro wire tie strap around the Solo body to keep the battery in place even when not locked in.

 

[speatuk]

Numerous tests have been performed on this by myself and others to establish some facts that are more than anecdotal. Those tests were looking at both the GoPro battery charging and heat generation from the GoPro. The GoPro battery should not be getting charged. And on a properly functioning Solo and gimbal, it will not be getting charged. Ever. Not under any circumstances. It doesn't matter which GoPro you use or what firmware you have on the GoPro. Power is not being supplied to the charging pins by the Solo's gimbal, therefore the battery will not be charged. It does supply power to the power only pins. Which power the GoPro directly, bypassing the internal battery. The developers and engineers behind the Solo confirmed this a while back, although I do not have a link to that handy. So we're not jut seeing things here.

So, if your solo is actually charging the GoPro battery... as in you have tested to confirm the GoPro battery voltage is remarkably higher after being on the Solo for a while than it was before and the charging indicator is on... then your gimbal is malfunctioning. That isn't a feature. It's a problem.

Interesting
I was only posting a picture of the box, I do apologise.

I honestly do believe you.
Thank you for clarity.
(I actually have 4 GoPro batteries and I change them all the time, on a rotation basis so I actually haven't noticed at all if they are charging or not. But I will now check.)

To be totally honest with you I thought I had seen it on the box I just thought I would post a photo of it as, I, being naive, believed 3DR.

I do understand what your saying actually, as the GoPro is charged from the USB connection, not the hdmi. So I do understand what you are saying.

Thanks again.

-Steve


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SARDG]

Interesting
I was only posting a picture of the box, I do apologise.

To be totally honest with you I thought I had seen it on the box I just thought I would post a photo of it as, I, being naive, believed 3DR.

I do understand what your saying actually, as the GoPro is charged from the USB connection, not the hdmi. So I do understand what you are saying.

Why would you apologize for posting a pic of an actual box label?

At any rate, GP is charged (or powered... ) over the Hero Bus connector:

pin I/O label description remark
1 - GND ground
2 I/O I2CSCL I²C clock (pulled up by camera)
3 I/O I2CSDA I²C data (pulled up by camera)
4 - GND ground
5 I BATTIN battery input
6 I BATTIN battery input
7 O 3V8OUT unregulated power out 3.8V 0V when camera is off.
8 O 3V8STBY unregulated power out 3.8V always keep 3.8V unless battery is out.
9 I BPRDY bacpac ready set low I²C EEPROM to be read by camera. (pulled up by camera)
10 I VSYNC 3D genlock vertical sync [LCD touch bacpac only: pulled up. set low to sleep LCD touch bacpac]
11 - PIN11 [LCD touch bacpac only: low on audio ready]
12 - PIN12 [LCD touch bacpac only: high on video ready]
13 - PIN13
14 I TRIG 3D sync trigger
15 I I2CINT I²C interrupt read request from slave. (pulled up by camera)
16 I AUDIOIN_L left mic in impedance 2.2k, reserved power bias 3.3V, unbalanced
17 I AUDIOIN_R right mic in impedance 2.2k, reserved power bias 3.3V, unbalanced
18 - PIN18 [LCD touch bacpac only: playback button] (pulled up by camera)
19 I PWRBTN power/mode button (pulled up by camera)
20 I HSYNC 3D genlock horizontal sync [LCD touch bacpac only: left audio out]
21 - PIN21 [LCD touch bacpac only: right audio out]
22 - GND ground
23 I/O USB_D− USB D−
24 I/O USB_D+ USB D+
25 - USB_VBUS USB VBUS charging camera battery through this pin is not possible.
26 - USB_VBUS USB VBUS charging camera battery through this pin is not possible.
27 - PIN27
28 O HBUSRDY high on Herobus ready
29 O VIDEO composite video out
30 - GND ground

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

Interesting. I was only posting a picture of the box, I do apologise.

Nothing to apologize for. I was explaining why it says it on the box, and why it is not longer true. Not criticizing you for reading the incorrect information that's on the box.

 

[speatuk]

Omg

Now I'm totally lost. Lol.

I'll just keep rotating my batteries lol.

(My head is spinning now lol)

[emoji848]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

At any rate, GP is charged (or powered... ) over the Hero Bus connector:

I believe that list has some incorrect pins. But the power pins are accurate. On the bus connector, pins 5 & 6 are in parallel with the USB port's +5v power. That is what can power the camera and charge the battery. Just like if you plugged it in to a USB power supply from the external USB port. The solo does not use these. Pins 25 & 26 are called "Battery In". GoPro calls it that because the intended use is an external battery supplying power into the camera. Like the battery backpack thing. Or in this case, the solo supplying power into the camera. Power applied to this input will not charge the battery. This is what the Solo is using now.

 

[SARDG]

I believe that list has some incorrect pins...

Could be, as it was a quick Google search and not verified or cross-referenced with other sites. That pin-out was listed for a 3+B; there were also listings for a H4 - though they shouldn't have changed. None of the sites were GP official sites.

 

[richnat]

Okay, I did the test. I have a lot of pictures so there will be a series of posts to show all the important stuff.

To start with, I charged the GoPro (3+ Black for reference) so it was fully charged to begin with. Voltage read a 4.18v.


I then turned it on for one hour also with the LCD BacPac screen on it to wear down the battery. The voltage read at 3.85v at this point.

I turned it off and installed it in the Solo. I left the GoPro off so that if any charging was going to happen it would happen quicker. Recall that when the camera is off the red light is on to show that it appears to be charging and when the camera is on the battery charging animation runs to show that it appears to be charging. So, Solo on with a full battery and the GoPro charging light is on.

 

[richnat]

So, I then left the Solo on for one hour. The Solo battery shows it has been in use (just one LED drained).

I removed the GoPro and turned it on. The battery meter shows the battery is full again. Voltage is now at 4.17v. It would appear that Solo charged the GoPro.

 

[richnat]

So the only remaining question now is: Is the firmware in my Solo up to date? It would appear that it is.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

I agree yours is charging. I've not been able to test with a GoPro 3. I'm actually not aware of anyone else that has tested it with a 3. So I don't know whether it is something with your camera or something with your gimbal or solo firmware.

 

[richnat]

Unless the Solo firmware somehow distinguishes between a GP3 and GP4, it would appear that the charging is not restricted by the Solo firmware. Is it restricted within the GP4 itself in some way that it is not in the GP3? No idea and I don't have a 4 with which to test. But I would think that the blanket statement that Solo doesn't charge the GoPro would be inaccurate, at the very least in some cases.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

Hmm. Your solo and controller are showing v2.4.2. Where did that come from??? The current firmware is 2.4.1-6. 3DR fired everyone before getting beyond 2.4.1-6. Everything else appears normal.

The charging thing has always had a few people reporting they get charging. I don't think anyone has ever kept a note of similarities in the few people who report their GoPro is charging. And many people said that only to find out it actually wasn't upon actually looking.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

Edit, nevermind. I remember now. 2.4.2 is only pulled down if it's being installed from a fresh new Solo or factory reset. It has no application if your solo isn't being updated from the original/out of box. And the only thing it addressed was stick calibration issue. So not a factor.