image file

Solo

Controller

You have limited downloads before signing up.
You will have to have an SD card imager program, free on web look around.
You will need to delete all 4 partitions on the existing SD cards, then quick format them before imaging them.
You will consume several hours learning all about imaging, ripping copter apart, controller apart, and losing the screws, etc..
You may get stuck in Preflight Update. These two downloads have a password other than sololink in the wifi connection.
Therefor you wont' be able to wifi connect your app right away.
You will have to do the factory reset after installing the SD cards steering you into the Preflight Update brick wall.
Don't bother, just buy Solex and use it to install Open Solo 4 and you will be smilin' while your flyin'.
Loading Solex and Open Solo 4 is a much better use of your time because it is current, has a future, runs on current Android.
 
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Solo

Controller

You have limited downloads before signing up.
You will have to have an SD card imager program, free on web look around.
You will need to delete all 4 partitions on the existing SD cards, then quick format them before imaging them.
You will consume several hours learning all about imaging, ripping copter apart, controller apart, and losing the screws, etc..
You may get stuck in Preflight Update. These two downloads have a password other than sololink in the wifi connection.
Therefor you wont' be able to wifi connect your app right away.
You will have to do the factory reset after installing the SD cards steering you into the Preflight Update brick wall.
Don't bother, just buy Solex and use it to install Open Solo 4 and you will be smilin' while your flyin'.
Loading Solex and Open Solo 4 is a much better use of your time because it is current, has a future, runs on current Android.
Ribs,

Thanks for the info. I too am having a time with my Copter. I got the Controller to update using SidePilot, but the Copter failed and is now only showing green lights and will not pair with the controller. The WiFi will connect from my phone to the controller, but will not connect to the Copter so I can't pair or SSH into the IP address for the Copter to update it via my computer...

I don't have an Android device so I went ahead and got the micro-SD card out of the bird.

Are the images you provided yours? I noticed on the github for Open Solo 4, there are no SD images currently available... *sigh*


Thanks,
Damon
 
Hello Damon,

As far as Android, dunno about the IOS, you MUST have GPS 'allow location' turned on in your phone/tablet for Solex to see the copter. Whether it is relaying thru the controller or if it's a direct connection to the copter's wifi I do not know.

I am very sorry you're having this predicament. I only have experience with Solex as it converts the 3DR over to Open Solo. What I think may have happened in your case, maybe there was no connection between the copter and the controller. That is the critical requirement.

Those two files are not mine, they are just from an anonymous (to me) source. What I discovered was that once loaded they work but the controller adopts that person's password which is not sololink. I could not get into the tablet/controller wifi connection without that password. I had to allow the controller its' "Update" to get connected with reset password to 'sololink'.

Having put the controller thru its' own update, it sat at "Preflight Update" screen as expected. Solex connected to it and updated it to Open Solo. Following the written instructions at the web link is paramount/absolute/critical/what can I say! I rebooted the drone at that point and Solex saw it thru the controller connection after I turned on 'locations' on the tablet. That is something I do not understand, but it worked. The drone was still running on the downloaded 3DR SD card program and it connected to the controller ok.

You don't have Android.. hmmmm, maybe you could grab a cheap used tablet and dedicate it to the cause? Android 11.0 is on my tablet.
 
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Hello Damon,

As far as Android, dunno about the IOS, you MUST have GPS 'allow location' turned on in your phone/tablet for Solex to see the copter. Whether it is relaying thru the controller or if it's a direct connection to the copter's wifi I do not know.

I am very sorry you're having this predicament. I only have experience with Solex as it converts the 3DR over to Open Solo. What I think may have happened in your case, maybe there was no connection between the copter and the controller. That is the critical requirement.

Those two files are not mine, they are just from an anonymous (to me) source. What I discovered was that once loaded they work but the controller adopts that person's password which is not sololink. I could not get into the tablet/controller wifi connection without that password. I had to allow the controller its' "Update" to get connected with reset password to 'sololink'.

Having put the controller thru its' own update, it sat at "Preflight Update" screen as expected. Solex connected to it and updated it to Open Solo. Following the written instructions at the web link is paramount/absolute/critical/what can I say! I rebooted the drone at that point and Solex saw it thru the controller connection after I turned on 'locations' on the tablet. That is something I do not understand, but it worked. The drone was still running on the downloaded 3DR SD card program and it connected to the controller ok.

You don't have Android.. hmmmm, maybe you could grab a cheap used tablet and dedicate it to the cause? Android 11.0 is on my tablet.
Ribs -

I really appreciate the quick response. I do intend on getting a cheap Android tablet at some point. I had some time while out of town to work on it, so I was trying to fix it.

Solex seems to work very much like SidePilot. During the process, everything was connecting fine. I think what happened in my case was that SidePilot updated the controller, but somehow failed during the copter imaging. So, the SidePilot app and the controller are at Open Solo 4.0 and the Copter is stuck or didn't get updated properly, so now won't talk to the controller or SidePilot.

I took the copter apart and got the SD card out. I'm going to try your image for the copter and see if it will fully load into Open Solo 4.0 and see if that helps it communicate with the controller and SidePilot.

*crossed-fingers*

Damon
 
Hello Damon,

I have tried many things before updating to Solex and Open Solo 4. I have more than one Solo, so I tried imaging the SD cards from a fine working original setup system to lay onto the bad drone. It did not work insofar as it stayed stuck at Preflight Update on the controller. Apparently the controller's micro and eeprom holds the status for update regardless of what is on the SD card.

That said, maybe, just maybe a good image for the drone ONLY will get you on track again. I would not do anything more to the controller now that you have got Sidepilot to upgrade it (seemingly OK). Try the solo image from MEGA put to your copter. It can't hurt as far as I've never completely bricked one by trying different images. If I can find a way to get 7.9gig to a file server I will gladly send you my good known copter image. My Pcloud free account is full so I can't fit 7.9gig there. Let me know if there's a place I can store it on the web if you want/need it.

If you do re-image the drone SD card, don't forget to completely remove all 4 partitions that you will find on your card. Then format it. Just use the default FAT32 format (which is not supposed to be good over several gigs anyway, but it works). The image going onto it will redo the whole card anyway but it needs some sort of formatting to get started.

When I originally did this, I didn't erase the partitions, the image started to write but after a few minutes it bailed.. trial and error brought me to understand removing partitions and then making ONE big full partition on the SD card.

The micro's bootloader process is auto-magic and I hope your copter's micro still has that intact enough to allow serial reprogramming. It probably does. Keep trying you WILL succeed!

-Ribs
 
Hi Ribs,. I happened upon this thread and thank you for making these files available.
Are these Open Solo 3 or 4?
Also thinking of buying new SD cards so I can flash them before hand and install then as soon as I pull the old ones out...is this a good idea?
Thanks again.
 
Hello lagoon100,
They are 3DR files, NOT Open Solo. If you want to recover from stuck in "Preflight Update" the best best thing to do is get Solex from the app store for Android and load that on your phone/tablet. Then you use Solex on your phone/tablet to install Open Solo 4 onto your drone controller/drone. Here are the directions for that..


Remember, you buy Solex (worth every penny) from app store.. install on your phone, THEN use it with the above link directions to get Open Solo onto your drone/controller... You must have connection from drone to controller and you need to turn ON 'locations' on your phone/tablet. Sounds tough but it is very simple...
 
Hello lagoon100,
They are 3DR files, NOT Open Solo. If you want to recover from stuck in "Preflight Update" the best best thing to do is get Solex from the app store for Android and load that on your phone/tablet. Then you use Solex on your phone/tablet to install Open Solo 4 onto your drone controller/drone. Here are the directions for that..


Remember, you buy Solex (worth every penny) from app store.. install on your phone, THEN use it with the above link directions to get Open Solo onto your drone/controller... You must have connection from drone to controller and you need to turn ON 'locations' on your phone/tablet. Sounds tough but it is very simple...
I have been trying the Solex and Open Solo 4 way of rehabilitating my controller/drone without success. Been at this since August 20th. Much reading instruction and threads, but not luck yet with that route. I didn't want to hijack this threat with an off topic problem. This thread seemed to be about flashing to the SD cards. I have 7-Zip, windows32diskmanager, and the Open Solo 3 copter and controller images in hand and am prepared to disassemble the drone and controller again...that will be my last resort try. But I guess I should start my own thread and see if I can get some help on the Solex, Open Solo 4 route and try one last time. From all my reading I know so much of this has been covered in other threads. I will start a new thread now.
 
I have been trying the Solex and Open Solo 4 way of rehabilitating my controller/drone without success. Been at this since August 20th. Much reading instruction and threads, but not luck yet with that route. I didn't want to hijack this threat with an off topic problem. This thread seemed to be about flashing to the SD cards. I have 7-Zip, windows32diskmanager, and the Open Solo 3 copter and controller images in hand and am prepared to disassemble the drone and controller again...that will be my last resort try. But I guess I should start my own thread and see if I can get some help on the Solex, Open Solo 4 route and try one last time. From all my reading I know so much of this has been covered in other threads. I will start a new thread now.
There is too much to type.. I have been thru the mill also and have imaged the two SD cards from my working original drone/controller but found that will not transfer to a drone in Preflight Update hell. There must be a configuration bit flipped in their respective processors/eeproms which reverts you to Preflight Update hell no matter what SD card you copy/paste.

Keep in mind that all these damned new cellphone/tablet updates have pushed Android way out beyond compatibility with many drone apps, like Xiro for example which I have many units and have had great success with them too. I resisted buying Solex for a long time but realized it was the only way to keep flying and modifying things. Also, I have kept a few cellphones that are not activated but work great for drone flying without maps and they are excellent phones running Android 5.0

If you post your ph# i'd be happy to buzz you and we can thrash the whole thing out, there's just too much to type and the history of how you got where you are in the process is important... too many questions! haha...
 
There is too much to type.. I have been thru the mill also and have imaged the two SD cards from my working original drone/controller but found that will not transfer to a drone in Preflight Update hell. There must be a configuration bit flipped in their respective processors/eeproms which reverts you to Preflight Update hell no matter what SD card you copy/paste.

Keep in mind that all these damned new cellphone/tablet updates have pushed Android way out beyond compatibility with many drone apps, like Xiro for example which I have many units and have had great success with them too. I resisted buying Solex for a long time but realized it was the only way to keep flying and modifying things. Also, I have kept a few cellphones that are not activated but work great for drone flying without maps and they are excellent phones running Android 5.0

If you post your ph# i'd be happy to buzz you and we can thrash the whole thing out, there's just too much to type and the history of how you got where you are in the process is important... too many questions! haha...
 
Ribs, Thanks for your advice and response. I am grateful of you taking time to respond with help and steer me in the right direction.
Yes I know, too much to type and to many question to ask so I did start a new thread that explains everything I have done to date in my quest to get my 3dr Solo working with the Solex app which I bought last week. Perhaps you may have a look. Thanks again.

Solex Not Finding Solo, Hardware or Phone Problem?​

 

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