I am so angry!!

[Stason Smith]

my gimbal got bent dont know how.. no damaged marks, looks new.. they wont replace it or fix it.. asking to buy new one.. no way!!! $600
all i need is a spare part and its good to go...
found some guy that got 2 of them faulty and can sell it to me very cheap.. I guess this is the only way to save $$.. so i made a FB page facebook.com/3drparts.. for people like my self that looking for parts, sell or exchange..
I am based in Australia...

 

[Ian [P13]]

I'll mention gimbal parts to Vu to see if 3DR can work out a way to stock these in future, as it seems reasonable to expect parts, even if the price is marked up a bit.

 

[RolandS888]

@Stason Smith where abouts in Oz are you located.

 

[Lybior]

@Stason Smith I have also faulty gimbal (live view not working), if you want to, I can sell it to you.

 

[Stason Smith]

@Stason Smith where abouts in Oz are you located.

Sydney)

 

[Stason Smith]

@Stason Smith I have also faulty gimbal (live view not working), if you want to, I can sell it to you.

how much do you want for it?

 

[Jon6565]

@Stason Smith I have also faulty gimbal (live view not working), if you want to, I can sell it to you.

Hi Stason... I have the issue of the Live View not working and have narrowed it down to the HDMI ribbon cable (as have a few others on here). 3DR are sending me a new HDMI lead in the mail after I ran the tests they suggested. It appears to be a common fault. However - having said that, I have also ordered the 3D Relish replacement HDMI Cable.

It's not a gimbal fault as such, it's just that the HDMI cable runs through the gimbal.

However, I'm not happy at all that this fault has occurred because without a live feed - you are flying blind. I reviewed a heap of video I shot on Sunday without a live feed and camera angles and subject alignment are way off. So it's parked up now until the parts arrive.

 

[Stason Smith]

join my fb page.. facebook.com/3drparts maybe you can help others there..

 

[Jon6565]

OK... so 3DR said they would send a replacement cable. That was 4 weeks ago now and still nothing has arrived. I also bought the Relish 3D cable which I ordered at the same time. That arrived a few days later (I'm 5 hours from Singapore and ironically I was there over New Years)... however I fitted that ribbon HDMI cable on Boxing Day and "voila!" instant live video streaming.... Yay!.... until now that is

Now I have live feed when the solo is on the ground and up to about 20 - 30m away but then is fuzzes out and goes blank. Sometimes it comes back. Then when I land I have feed again.

It's bizarre because only a few days ago I was flying from a very high point over a valley and I have live feed for 600m or more. It seem to be a loss of signal or something but again it is so frustrating.

Only on Thursday this week did it start losing feed again. I have removed and re-fitted the ribbon just in case, and then tested last night but still the same.

Is there anything else I can check? I actually have a small shoot later this afternoon of some Kayaks in the Swan River with the city as a backdrop... now I won't be able to see...

I was thinking perhaps using the controller HDMI Out with my lap top??

 

[RolandS888]

How did it go Jon?
Probably too late now, but try reseating the hdmi ribbon cable, sometimes those tiny contacts are effected by vibes and stop conducting. A quick wiggle may help.

 

[Jon6565]

No - didn't work. Again, I had a video feed when solo was on the ground as pretty much straight after take off it was lost.

I discovered however that if I had a live feed (on the ground) and I wiggled the Gimbal - I lost it again, so I think its definitely a vibration/loose connection thing. There was also a point where if I climbed high and hovered and then pulled down on the stick to descend - for a brief second, I assume as the gimbal un-weighted, I got a quick picture and then gone again.

I shot the whole Kayak thing (four batteries) totally blind but got some usable stuff. It would have been a million times more productive with a feed.

Yesterday I took the drone apart again and checked the connections on the ribbon cable but I think now the issue is isolated to the Gimbal and vibrations.

My patience is wearing thin.

 

[RolandS888]

Jon, the Relish hdmi cable rubs on the PX4 so as the gimbal moves around on the balls the plug may be making and breaking contact. Sounds like that is happening to you. I'll send you a PM

 

[Jon6565]

That would be great thanks... PX4.... Ummmm? !

 

[RolandS888]

Sorry, thats the pixhawk flight controller, the black cube that you see toward the middle of the Solo when you look inside once the gimbal is removed.

 

[hogo]

Is there a recommendation on which cable to buy? I have no live feed as well.

 

[pete]

Is there a recommendation on which cable to buy? I have no live feed as well.

have you already eliminated all other possibilities for loss of live feed and you are now down to HDMI cable ?

if not, go through this checklist first :
Troubleshooting | 3DR | Drone & UAV Technology
also ensure you have latest GoPro firmware (that step is missing on the checklist)
step 12 is to try a different GoPro, if you have no access to another GoPro, try to connect GoPro to your TV to see if you have a live feed there.

you could also remove the HDMI cable and connect your GoPro through this cable to your TV (you would need an adapter for it with micro HDMI female at one end), then you'll know for certain it's your HDMI cable.

if you need new cable you have only 2 options because this cable is very specific, either the stock cable from 3DR (they may even send you free one if you submit support ticket) or you can get the after-market ribbon version from Relish3D :
Solo Ultra Thin Micro HDMI Flat Ribbon Cable

 

[hogo]

After further testing, it's actually the hdmi connection in the GIMBAL. I get perfect live feed video directly from solo, and the gimbal moves perfectly. Just no live feed when the gimbal is installed. And yes, the hdmi plug is seated in the port fully.

 

[pete]

After further testing, it's actually the hdmi connection in the GIMBAL. I get perfect live feed video directly from solo, and the gimbal moves perfectly. Just no live feed when the gimbal is installed. And yes, the hdmi plug is seated in the port fully.

that's a bad luck then, this gimbal is quite fragile, I have accidentally ripped the data socket off the PCB while removing the gimbal and fractured some of those micro connectors on the board, luckily my local TV electrician was able to perform "bypass surgery" and fixed it for me.

If your problem is not crash related (edit: your fault), 3DR may replace it for you but they would require you to send them the logs.

 

[hogo]

There are no logs. This is straight out of the box, before first flight. Problem is, I bought it months ago, but am just getting to it now so I'm out of the return window from B&H.

 

[pete]

There are no logs. This is straight out of the box, before first flight. Problem is, I bought it months ago, but am just getting to it now so I'm out of the return window from B&H.

if this is the case then I'm sure 3DR will replace your gimbal.

but don't rule out yet your HDMI cable though, my HDMI cable was very "dodgy" in that it would not work when connected to gimbal but worked when connected directly to my camera, I was so convinced my gimbal was faulty. When I had the gimbal removed out (hanging next to my Solo) but still connected via HDMI cable with camera connected through gimbal, I got video feed ! so I tried to carefully install the gimbal back in the cavity and in doing so I lost the signal again (I was watching it live on my iPad), turns out it was HDMI cable after all, for some reason when I bent the cable or when some pressure from side was applied to it, it would lose the signal. since then I replaced the cable with the relish3D version and had no problems since then.