dual battery mod
- Thread starter gtomko
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- battery lipo reliability
Just a kite string. With the gps and controller both randomly cutting out, I wanted to avoid another fly away.
I just don't see a purpose for all this. No offense.
The solo I did the mod on was a replacement for one which previously flew away. The replacement lost controller signal and gps lock every 10 minutes or so. Without the mod it was only a matter of time before it flew away as well.
With the mod it has no gps or controller errors. I like flying the drone, and I don't want to lose my gopro. So to me that's a sufficient purpose.
With the mod it has no gps or controller errors. I like flying the drone, and I don't want to lose my gopro. So to me that's a sufficient purpose.
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I did some amp draw tests this afternoon to help with sizing the secondary battery for optimum weight and flight time. There is 0.36 amps without the gimbal or gopro. With them it draws 0.76 amps and then up to 0.79 amps while recording 1080p video at 30fps.
With those figures it looks like a 1.0 amp hour battery should be good for over an hour of flight with a nice safety margin.
With those figures it looks like a 1.0 amp hour battery should be good for over an hour of flight with a nice safety margin.
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After reading this thread, I'm still confused by a lot of this (the connection issues, etc) ... is there a chance that I just got really really lucky? I live on the Gulf Coast and I've always gotten 8-12 satellites and have never had a flyaway, etc ... I fly as far as I can see line of sight over the water all the time filming dolphins, fish schools, etc and never had an issue. Well, one time there was a really bad thunderstorm that came in out of nowhere and I got a message on the controller that said I lost connection and that the Solo was returning home, which it did, but it turned black out of the blue and I was going to head back right then anyway, lightning, etc ... I guess I'm just curious whether I got lucky on the build of mine? I got it at Best Buy back in December 2016 for 299 and it came with extra props and the gimbal. Again, just curious since I see so many people having problems ... could it be my location? (Mobile, Dauphin Island, and Orange Beach AL are my main flight areas so far). I can ask this as a new question if I need to, just hit me while reading this thread.
I got my first solo earlier this year, and it worked great for 50 or so flights. Then it just randomly flew away. The replacement has been very error prone without the mod, but with the second battery it works great.
I bet most solos work great, and only some of them are like the one I have. I'm also quite curious about others experiences.
I bet most solos work great, and only some of them are like the one I have. I'm also quite curious about others experiences.
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I've added mRo GPS units to all mine and put a Green Cube in one. I have had Zero unexpected problems even back when they were stock.
If you haven't already, consider upgrading the firmware.
https://3drpilots.com/threads/autopilot-firmware-upgrade-from-1-3-1-to-1-5-2.8819/
In p2ps post following yours, it says that the standard solo app software update includes this. Is it still necessary to upgrade the pixhawk firmware if the solo app says its up to date?
Also, this is only the pixhawk firmware, and would have no affect on controller connection issues.
The standard solo app software does not include the Autopilot 1.5.3 firmware, what does yours report?
Redhouse talked about avoiding a flyaway, the firmware will help and also help with landings etc. (lots of bug fixes). Your connection issues are a whole other problem...
Sounds like you spent a lot of time and money modifying perfectly functional aircraft. I just don't see a purpose for all of that.
LOL, just kidding, I know its fun to experiment.
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Where can I find the current pixhawk firmware version?
I updated the firmware to the 1.5.3 version, and everything went smoothly. It takes an extra second after landing to stop the props, but thats what its supposed to do. I've had the motors fail to turn off once after an uneven landing / flip, so hopefully this update will help with that.
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Buying Solo bundle's at $300 -$400 dollars each is cheap. GPS upgrade less than $100 each. I fly commercially and everything I have spent has been well worth it. Time is money and I have three Solo's that work flawlessly job after job.
For $270 on amazon I can't believe the quality of the solo. Its easily worth multiple times that.
I have been checking the logs and am curious what the error rates people are getting with the stock solo hardware vs the upgraded GPS units etc. In APM Planner 2 under the status section, it reports error numbers for many parameters. I haven't checked the numbers without the dual battery mod, but in the 20+ flight hours with the second battery there are always 0 errors reported for every error type, i2c, GPS, coms, etc. What are the average error rates people have seen?
I have been checking the logs and am curious what the error rates people are getting with the stock solo hardware vs the upgraded GPS units etc. In APM Planner 2 under the status section, it reports error numbers for many parameters. I haven't checked the numbers without the dual battery mod, but in the 20+ flight hours with the second battery there are always 0 errors reported for every error type, i2c, GPS, coms, etc. What are the average error rates people have seen?
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I'm not actually sure what errors you're referring to? Using Mission Planner, nothing reports any errors like this.
In APM Planner 2 there is a section in the lower left that displays all the parameters streamed from the solo during operation. Along with that there are some parameters named 12c_errors, gps_errors, comms_errors, error_0, error_1, error_2, error_3, and a couple others I cant remember at the moment.
The battery arrived, so I took some more pictures of the install.
1 - The first step is to cut the red and black wires between the battery socket and the carrier board. Then unplug the small white/green wired data cable from the carrier board and remove the battery socket. There is a small plastic tab at the bottom of the socket board which needs to be pried up with a screw driver to release the board.
2 - Next cut the red/black power wires for each of the 4 motor pods and solder the wiring harnesses for the motor pods to the battery sockets cut output wires. I used Reedy 16awg silicone wire for the harness. Its super flexible, even though its thicker than the stock 18awg motor pod wires.
View media item 690
3 - I soldered the circuit board shown in the photo to the two wiring harnesses.
View media item 675
4 - Then I ran the power input wires for the secondary battery through small holes drilled in the side of the solo, and soldered a 0.1" header onto the end to connect to the battery. This should ideally be a proper polarized connector.
View media item 691
5 - Run all the wires through the arms to the motor pods, and the compass and wifi antennas out the bottom.
View media item 692
6 - I secured the battery and wires with electrical tape temporarily. Eventually I will laser cut a mounting plate and post the dxf files.
View media item 693
View media item 694View media item 695View media item 696
I put a few flights in with the gopro and gimbal attached along with the secondary 1.0ah battery. It flew great, and at the end of 2 full battery discharges from the original flight batteries, the secondary battery was at 15.4v, after starting at 16.8v.
Still perfect gps reception and controller signal from the stock gps and wifi boards.
1 - The first step is to cut the red and black wires between the battery socket and the carrier board. Then unplug the small white/green wired data cable from the carrier board and remove the battery socket. There is a small plastic tab at the bottom of the socket board which needs to be pried up with a screw driver to release the board.
2 - Next cut the red/black power wires for each of the 4 motor pods and solder the wiring harnesses for the motor pods to the battery sockets cut output wires. I used Reedy 16awg silicone wire for the harness. Its super flexible, even though its thicker than the stock 18awg motor pod wires.
View media item 690
3 - I soldered the circuit board shown in the photo to the two wiring harnesses.
View media item 675
4 - Then I ran the power input wires for the secondary battery through small holes drilled in the side of the solo, and soldered a 0.1" header onto the end to connect to the battery. This should ideally be a proper polarized connector.
View media item 691
5 - Run all the wires through the arms to the motor pods, and the compass and wifi antennas out the bottom.
View media item 692
6 - I secured the battery and wires with electrical tape temporarily. Eventually I will laser cut a mounting plate and post the dxf files.
View media item 693
View media item 694View media item 695View media item 696
I put a few flights in with the gopro and gimbal attached along with the secondary 1.0ah battery. It flew great, and at the end of 2 full battery discharges from the original flight batteries, the secondary battery was at 15.4v, after starting at 16.8v.
Still perfect gps reception and controller signal from the stock gps and wifi boards.
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Its about the same as the original single battery configuration. Before the mod the solo draws ~20 amps in flight with the gimbal and gopro. With the extra weight of the 1.0ah battery it draws ~21 amps, so there would be about a 5% reduction in flight time. That amounts to about 1 minute less flight time with the second battery.
The advantage is that there is no need to upgrade the gps or add shielding or ferrite beads to any part of the system. With the sensitive electronics running from a separate battery than the motors, it removes the electrical noise which made some stock solos so unreliable.
The advantage is that there is no need to upgrade the gps or add shielding or ferrite beads to any part of the system. With the sensitive electronics running from a separate battery than the motors, it removes the electrical noise which made some stock solos so unreliable.
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