Is 3D Robotics in danger of closing it's doors?

[Joe90]

If I can add my pennies worth ( being from the UK!) I can confirm that the Hero3+ Silver is not compatible with the 3 Axis gimbal (I had one) I think this is stated on the 3DR website

 

[emanresU]

No, this is not a troll - just a concerned customer.

First the back story:

A couple weeks ago I happen to drop by Precision Camera in Austin, TX to do a little browsing and came across their impressive drone section. I have been interested in possibly getting a drone for photography purposes so I started checking out the different drones they had, and a sales person was quick to push the Solo on me, and it certainly seemed to be a very impressive drone... albeit a tad expensive compared to the DJI models they had on display.

That said, the sales clerk was quick to point out many of it's advantages, like how it is built on an open source platform, and that 3D Robotics is an Austin based company that has been making commercial drones for a long time and are now making consumer drones - locally built and with local customer support. This seemed to be backed up by the fact that the instructional videos on YouTube were shot in Austin near the 360 bridge along Lake Austin.

I am all about supporting our local businesses so I went ahead and pulled the trigger and got the bundle which included the Solo, Gimbal, extra battery, and backpack. I also had to get a GoPro camera, and as I have no need for 4K, I opted for the Hero 3+.

After getting it unpacked I immediately had a problem with the styrofoam packaging that was wedged around the attached gimbal, that if I used too much force to try and remove it could have broken off the Drone.

So I called 3DR, which is when I discovered that they are not based out of Austin, and instead are based out of Berkeley CA, and that they were even closing down their Austin office.

This news was a red flag for me, so I started to do some basic research into this company, and from what I can tell, although they were founded in 2009, they had only been making commercial drones for about a year in 2014-2015 and have since ended all production of those commercial drones.

Not only that, but they apparently have ditched the open source platform?

OK, so at the very least, a sales clerk gave me a lot of bad information to make a sale - OK, normally that would not come as a major shock to anyone - except Precision Camera isn't like the vast majority of stores. They have a long rich history in Austin as a premier shop for photographers with very informed and honest staff.

So this has me left wondering if I should simply return everything or just let it go, and enjoy this drone for what it is...

However, having dug a little deeper into 3D Robotics, I am seeing a lot of indicators that they may be in for a very hard landing. It's clear they have hedged all their bets on this one product, and it's also clear that the initial launch was well below expectations - undoubtedly hurt by the fact that it didn't launch with a gimbal.

Things didn't appear to rebound though even after they came out with the gimbal - cost likely hurting them the most in an ever increasing competitive market. That said, for a superior product, I do not have an issue spending more - but I also know I am not the typical consumer they need to attract.

So with revenue not meeting expectations, as far as I can tell, the only thing keeping 3D Robotics above water are it's investors... but it appears that spigot may be getting shut off. The last time they were able to raise any funding was almost a year ago, and nothing else since... and now I come to find out they are closing their Austin office... at the same time they appear to be heavily discounting their products and parts.

The concept for Solo still seems great, but the number of red flags surrounding this company leaves me wondering if they are going to even be around much longer?

Am I reading to much into all of this, or are there other indicators I am missing that would suggest they are doing just fine and angel investors are waiting in the wings so to speak?

What do you all think is in store for 3D Robotics... is this the beginning of the end for them, and if so, what will that mean for Solo owners and parts?

Lets not forget their B2B market that seems to be are area in which they are heavily invested and quickly expanding.

3DR Announces Site Scan™, The Premier Aerial Analytics Platform for Data Collection And Cloud Analys

Site Scan ™ - 3DR

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

Sorry for the long delay, I've just been very busy, but I did finally get to log about 100 minutes of flight time.



Starting up was pretty simple, but it took over 5 minutes to fine enough GPS satellites for it to allow me to start the engines. I was surprised, as it was a totally clear day, and in an open field behind my kid's school. It did find 8 satellites, but it wouldn't allow me to start the engine until it found 10. This seemed unnecessary?

That said, I loved the auto start and fly option and was not as loud as I expected it to be. As for flying, even with the default settings it seemed to be very responsive. I have no experience flying other drones, so take that for what it's worth, but it seemed to be very accurate.

In fact, it was so easy to fly I even let my 11yr daughter fly it around for several minutes, and she had no trouble with it at all.



I tested out most of the "Smart Shots" and they all worked great. I can see how the Selfie mode could be really interesting, and it was fun seeing my family wince as the drone flew back right in front of us. Perhaps my favorite Smart Shot though was the combination of the Follow Me & Orbit.

I am curious though, is there a way to set the Follow Me in any specific angle in the sky and not just behind or circling? In other words can you set it to follow you from a side profile or better yet from in front of you?

I also liked how it gave me plenty of warning when the battery began to drop below 20% including the vibration of the controller.

I also really liked the return to home option, although it startled me at first as it shot up to about 100ft before slowly coming back down, but I understand I can manually change the altitude it goes up to, so that's nice. I tried the auto landing from a location other than Home and that also worked great, but it wasn't clear if this only works when the location is at roughly the same altitude as the Home location, or does it just maintain the same landing speed and when it recognizes it has stopped, it shuts down?

Now for the really bad news... the streaming video not only didn't work properly from my GoPro Hero3+ through the app, but it wasn't as simple as it not working at all. Instead, it would sometimes show a frozen image from the camera, and only rarely would actually show a live video feed. Instead, most of the time the image was either frozen or even just black.

I tried several different settings, and methods, and nothing seemed to work. In fact, even when I took the camera out, made sure the camera's wifi was off, and manually starting the camera, each time I put it back into the gimbal and plugged it in the video would stop.

So sadly I wasn't able to take any pics or any video of any of my flights... which was the whole point of getting this drone!

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

If I can add my pennies worth ( being from the UK!) I can confirm that the Hero3+ Silver is not compatible with the 3 Axis gimbal (I had one) I think this is stated on the 3DR website

Can you show me where on their site it says that?

I looked at 3DR's main site and their support site and even used their search option and found no such disclaimer.

In fact, here is what it does say:





And the only reference to GoPro Hero3+ I could find in support was this FAQ response:




Not only that, but I was told very clearly from Precision Camera that it supported any GoPro Hero3, 3+, and 4; and not any specific silver or black version of those cameras... just as that response shows in that official FAQ from 3DR.

 

[User Name]

I am curious though, is there a way to set the Follow Me in any specific angle in the sky and not just behind or circling? In other words can you set it to follow you from a side profile or better yet from in front of you?

Not sure on that one. I've played around with follow me on my smaller quad, and I thought I remember it backing away when I started to walk towards it. Not 100% sure on that though, I'll have to test. Would be good to know.

or does it just maintain the same landing speed and when it recognizes it has stopped, it shuts down?

So there's two landing speeds - one faster speed down to a set altitude above it's arm/launch location, and then a slower speed from there on down. Solo has no way of knowing if the ground where you're landing it is above or below it's arm/launch location, so it's going to blindly follow those parameters regardless.

How it detects the actual landing is by descending at the set rate and then looking for 2 seconds of no further descent. When it detects that, it shuts down the motors. The only issue with landing at a higher location is that Solo will hit the ground at a higher rate of descent. But Solo's "fast" descent isn't THAT fast and most likely nothing would happen. It could bounce - sometimes the sudden jolt of hitting the ground can upset the accelerometers and it'll hop a few times before finally landing. The danger is that it could catch a leg on something and flip over in the process.

You have two options - manually adjust the vertical "fast" descent rate in the parameters so it's always descends slower. The only downside is that this will effect all autonomous descents, so if you're doing an RTL on a low battery, it could end up really low by the time it gets down.

Option 2 is to just manually land it when you know the new landing area is in excess of 8-10 feet higher than your arm/launch location. This is probably the best option. And while I'm a sucker for hitting RTL and enjoying seeing it fly back and land on it's own, manually landing is probably better in almost all situations. GPS is more likely to have issues the lower you get so landing manually avoids having to handle a sudden, unexpected GPS glitch or drop to manual when you're very close to the ground.

 

[Jubalr]

Sot sure on that one. I've played around with follow me on my smaller quad, and I thought I remember it backing away when I started to walk towards it. Not 100% sure on that though, I'll have to test. Would be good to know.

You are correct on that. The position you put Solo in (front, back, sides, distance from you) is what it will attempt to maintain as you move.

 

[Toiletbowl]

the 3dr officially release 3d mapping these 3dr company will go so far in terms of innovation i think it's a final chapter and a last stand of DJI fly away copter. why dji not put anti- FLYAWAY button in thier Remote Control hehe

 

[cameraguy]

Fpvlr makes a fantastic antenna that will give you plenty of range and flawless video feed. It's all I use now, the stock set is very lacking on solo. I've not dropped signal since installing it, there are threads on that here as well if ya search fpvlr.

I just went to see that site. My Solo,shipped this afternoon. Is it difficult to install?

 

[PdxSteve]

Not hard to install at all. Unscrew the 2 existing antennas, screw on the new one.

 

[Adimuzio513]

I just went to see that site. My Solo,shipped this afternoon. Is it difficult to install?

Yea Steves right it's as easy as hooking up an antenna to a tv twice, it's just coax screws and Velcro helps to keep it stable.

 

[Joe90]

Can you show me where on their site it says that?

I looked at 3DR's main site and their support site and even used their search option and found no such disclaimer.

In fact, here is what it does say:

View attachment 2767

View attachment 2768

And the only reference to GoPro Hero3+ I could find in support was this FAQ response:

View attachment 2769


Not only that, but I was told very clearly from Precision Camera that it supported any GoPro Hero3, 3+, and 4; and not any specific silver or black version of those cameras... just as that response shows in that official FAQ from 3DR.

Solo Gimbal - 3DR
This was also confirmed to me by support via email.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

Solo Gimbal - 3DR
This was also confirmed to me by support via email.

Thanks. Although they certainly went out of their way to hide that, as that not only is the only reference to Hero3+ Black, but even on their support page they say as I showed you that Solo is compatible with HERO3, 3+, and 4, and even optimized for HERO3+ and 4. Not a single mention of any issues with the HERO3+ silver not being compatible.

Regardless, I'm not in the market to spend another few hundred dollars for another GoPro, and with all the red flags I went ahead and returned everything.

I'm not totally ruling out a 3DR purchase in the future if given a compelling reason to, and they continue to make drones, but for now, given the issues with Precision Camera, and the fact that it did not work properly with my GoPro HERO3+ Silver, I'm afraid I'm a retired Solo pilot for now.

 

[DattaGroover]

Being a former Phantom owner myself, I can tell you from my point of view. When DJI came out with the Phantom 3 line, the value of my Phantom 2 dropped drastically. The only way to keep up with the new DJI technology was to buy a new drone. At about the same time, I was looking at the Solo. After much reading, and making a few calls, I decided to pre-order one, even though they were a newer company and technology. Like a lot of others, I had to be patient, and put up with the delays, and the bumps in the road. Being just a hobbyist, I had plenty of time, and was in no hurry to rush things. I was very focused on the open platform of Solo, and the ability to add new technology when it came out, without buying a whole new setup. That being said, it is now 8 months later, and everything that was promised has come to pass. All the updates are doing what they are supposed to, and 3DR's customer service has been the best, especially after dealing with the customer service from DJI. And if what Vu has hinted at for 2016 is even close, we are in for more surprises in the future. So, I would say to stick with Solo, download the manual and study it, take it slow and easy, and keep using this forum. The members here are the best for helping you out. I wish you the best, whichever way you go, and fly safe.

I agree. I still own both - never fly my Phantom. Am actually going to give it to my brother-in-law.

 

[User Name]

Regardless, I'm not in the market to spend another few hundred dollars for another GoPro, and with all the red flags I went ahead and returned everything.

Unfortunate but understandable. I do think 3DR should have, and should do now, a far better job at indicating specifically that the 3+ Silver is not supported. I suspect they expected it to work initially but were burned by GoPro not enabling the necessary functionality in the firmware. But regardless, they're now well aware that it'll never work and so that should be made explicitly clear.

 

[Joe90]

Thanks. Although they certainly went out of their way to hide that, as that not only is the only reference to Hero3+ Black, but even on their support page they say as I showed you that Solo is compatible with HERO3, 3+, and 4, and even optimized for HERO3+ and 4. Not a single mention of any issues with the HERO3+ silver not being compatible.

Regardless, I'm not in the market to spend another few hundred dollars for another GoPro, and with all the red flags I went ahead and returned everything.

I'm not totally ruling out a 3DR purchase in the future if given a compelling reason to, and they continue to make drones, but for now, given the issues with Precision Camera, and the fact that it did not work properly with my GoPro HERO3+ Silver, I'm afraid I'm a retired Solo pilot for now.

I can understand your frustration as I too was given conflicting information. I only decided to purchase Solo when a rep from 3DR at the UK done show last December informed me that it was compatible.
I think the confusion has come about because when one talks about compatibility, as I understand from the email, the +Silver is compatible up to a point, with the fixed gimbal (video link only) but without even being able to control stop/start recording.

In my case I was able to justify the upgrade to the 4 Black as my purchase of Solo wasn't a new one albeit bought from one of the official 3DR UK outlets.

Hope to see you back here soon!

 

[cameraguy]

Not hard to install at all. Unscrew the 2 existing antennas, screw on the new one.

What do I have to order. Do I need some extra battery, or is it just the antenna for $129 I need to order.

Also has anyone found a decent price on an additional battery?

 

[PdxSteve]

You only need the antenna. 3DR Solo Archives - FPVLR

It's just a direct replacement for the 2 current antennas. Nothing further is needed.

 

[cameraguy]

I just saw this on DSLR Pros.

DSLRPros Horizon Range Extender Kit (3DR SOLO)

What's the difference.

Do I need both?

 

[Chuck]

No you don't need both. It is an "either or" situation. I have the FPVLR set, and love it. It will give you more than enough range, and a stronger signal closer in. Don't be taken in by the distance out comparisons. Do you really need to go farther than you can safely see, line of sight? Most of us like to stick to the guidelines, and keep it within line of sight. If you haven't already done so, get the manual from the 3DR site, and print it. There is a lot of good info in it. Welcome to the forum, and safe flying.

 

[cameraguy]

Thanks.

I am a safe flyer, typically very close to me, but a little signal strength can make for good insurance.

Does this mod terminate 3dr's replacement warranty?