Let's see your phantom do this - add a servo sweep

Burkeam · Oct 29, 2015

Who wants to add a extra servo channel to their Solo? Nice

Here a video of it in action

I got this from
Daniel Nugent at
Solo Servo Sweep - Hackster.io

Man I love having options to do things that I might never do.

Sorry about the low blow in the title - NOT

UCLABruins · Oct 29, 2015

It's comical how irrational people can be when it comes to brand loyalty. Where would 3DR be with the Solo without DJI? Where would DJI be without 3DR? What about Yuneec? Competition drives innovation! You want every drone company to try to out do each other!
The Yuneec just came out with the add-on to their standard controller called the "Wizzard". Do you think 3DR and DJI haven't noticed?

Burkeam · Oct 29, 2015

UCLABruins said:
It's comical how irrational people can be when it comes to brand loyalty. Where would 3DR be with the Solo without DJI? Where would DJI be without 3DR? What about Yuneec? Competition drives innovation! You want every drone company to try to out do each other!
The Yuneec just came out with the add-on to their standard controller called the "Wizzard". Do you think 3DR and DJI haven't noticed?

Not sure where you are coming from with the irrational comment. I'm loyal to those that are loyal to me. 3DR supports and encourages users development where as DJI tells you to pound sand, pay more money and you can't do that.

RolandS888 · Oct 29, 2015

Anyway..........
Its awesome to see projects like this appearing.
Part of the reason I bought a Solo is for exactly this ability
Ideas will develop in the future that we have not even thought of yet.
Imagination is the limit with this machine.

Maddog · Oct 29, 2015

Um- so what do you do with it?

J R · Oct 29, 2015

Maddog said:
Um- so what do you do with it?

BAM!!! What he said!

Jerry

Bigskyflyer · Oct 29, 2015

Burkeam said:
Who wants to add a extra servo channel to their Solo? Nice

Here a video of it in action

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I got this from
Daniel Nugent at
Solo Servo Sweep - Hackster.io

Man I love having options to do things that I might never do.

Sorry about the low blow in the title - NOT

They are probably out enjoying flying it instead of turning wrenches on it.

Marich · Oct 29, 2015

Maddog said:
Um- so what do you do with it?

Ah, but there is the exact beauty of it!
What do you do with it?
Anything you want! Add a remote drop switch. A parachute release. The sky literally is the limit. And remember, that is a big honkin' servo in the vid - I've got servos half an inch long and a quarter inch high that weigh next to nothing yet are strong enough for most tasks.

Bigskyflyer · Oct 29, 2015

Marich said:
Ah, but there is the exact beauty of it!
What do you do with it?
Anything you want! Add a remote drop switch. A parachute release. The sky literally is the limit. And remember, that is a big honkin' servo in the vid - I've got servos half an inch long and a quarter inch high that weigh next to nothing yet are strong enough for most tasks.

Exactly, though for some not all.

Maddog · Oct 30, 2015

" Col. Hogan, what IS Hemilach?"
"What is Hemilach Col. Klink? That's a great question for after the war".

Maddog · Oct 30, 2015

I just want to put a blinking red LED on top and bottom of Solo.
Can anybody tell me how to do that??

Maddog · Oct 30, 2015

Marich said:
Ah, but there is the exact beauty of it!
What do you do with it?
Anything you want! Add a remote drop switch. A parachute release. The sky literally is the limit. And remember, that is a big honkin' servo in the vid - I've got servos half an inch long and a quarter inch high that weigh next to nothing yet are strong enough for most tasks.

So you could fly over a place and drop a nuclear hand grenade?

Marich · Oct 30, 2015

Doubt that'd be a good idea.. the electromagnetic pulse would swat your Solo right outta the air even if you'd gotten a long way away.

Marich · Oct 30, 2015

Maddog said:
I just want to put a blinking red LED on top and bottom of Solo.
Can anybody tell me how to do that??

Is that a real question? I mean, like, seriously?
Sure! Cost you maybe 5 bucks for wiring and a coin battery if you can salvage the LEDs from something else first.
Or, you can just...

TowerHobbies.com | Ram Wireless Micro Flashing Navigation Lites (3)

Burkeam · Oct 30, 2015

Maddog said:
Um- so what do you do with it?

Retracts, payload release, camera zoom, non-integrated camera trigger and of course many other things that you shouldn't do with UAV

Burkeam · Oct 30, 2015

Maddog said:
I just want to put a blinking red LED on top and bottom of Solo.
Can anybody tell me how to do that??

Standard blinking or a controlled rgb?

Earldgrayjr · Oct 30, 2015

Burkeam said:
Retracts, payload release, camera zoom, non-integrated camera trigger and of course many other things that you shouldn't do with UAV

I will just chime in here, that I agree there are THOUSANDS of applications...

Let me articulate a real world need, and a half baked application that has been swirling around in my head.

Need: Search and Rescue

Equip Solo with infrared cameras (already been done). Set it up to map an area (already been done) Geotag the images (already been done). Send several Solo's out simultaneously to "Map" different adjascent areas (easily doable). Use realtime video analyitics to scan the streams for not only heat signatures, but for people (already been done, just not with Solo ). This video analytics would be done in realtime using the video stream from the cameras. Recently Tower was updated to use alternate video streams (other than just the Gopro/HDMI) so this is setup nicely for this.

One minute on the analytics....We do this right now, where we can tell the difference between a human and a dog (or a deer) and even if that human is carrying a package and if they leave that package behind (such as in airports). This analytics can easily be done in real time using multiple simultaneous streams. It is getting REALLY inexpensive,and is now available in the form of plugins. It is now also getting pushed all the way to the camera level in the newest designs.... My proposal would be to use standard video analytics packages that exist today to do this, in a miniaturized PC platform like the Intel NUC.. OK, moving on...

Now we can find a person in the wilderness and geotag them. This sets off an alarm and creates a map mission starting at the tag area. The Solo that "finds" the person can then abort the mission and Loiter allowing an operator to gather additional information. Another Solo with a forward facing camera (infrared or otherwise depending on the situation) that is waiting in the wings then heads out on that mission starting at the GPS point the person is found. It also streams the video in real time. That video is also analyzed and when the person is again tagged, the Solo stops and alerts the operators.

This is where the servo comes in.... You can then get right on top of the person, at low altitude, and drop a small package designed to go straight down, and not break (small parachute and padding) with flashing lights and siren, that has a GPS tag, and a 2 way radio. You now have communication with the lost person, and a very specific location. Another Solo could be waiting in the wings to drop what ever is deemed necessary after the communication, such as medical supplies.

All this could be done with existing technology, relatively inexpensively (in comparision to using helicopters for search) and the entire ground station could be built into a very mobile package. The UAV's could be used in conjunction with existing helicopters (to get the UAV's and operators to remote locations).

A setup like this could find a lost person in hours instead of days.

Just a crazy idea

Net-Net... You could do a LOT with a servo

Maddog · Oct 30, 2015

Marich said:
Is that a real question? I mean, like, seriously?
Sure! Cost you maybe 5 bucks for wiring and a coin battery if you can salvage the LEDs from something else first.
Or, you can just...

TowerHobbies.com | Ram Wireless Micro Flashing Navigation Lites (3)

Yes, serious. I want a bright flashing (like a strobe) red LED on top and bottom. Like anti- collision lights on aircraft to make Solo easier to see. Would like to use Solo battery to power and have them turn on and off with Solo.

Maddog · Oct 30, 2015

Earldgrayjr said:
I will just chime in here, that I agree there are THOUSANDS of applications...

Let me articulate a real world need, and a half baked application that has been swirling around in my head.

Need: Search and Rescue

Equip Solo with infrared cameras (already been done). Set it up to map an area (already been done) Geotag the images (already been done). Send several Solo's out simultaneously to "Map" different adjascent areas (easily doable). Use realtime video analyitics to scan the streams for not only heat signatures, but for people (already been done, just not with Solo ). This video analytics would be done in realtime using the video stream from the cameras. Recently Tower was updated to use alternate video streams (other than just the Gopro/HDMI) so this is setup nicely for this.

One minute on the analytics....We do this right now, where we can tell the difference between a human and a dog (or a deer) and even if that human is carrying a package and if they leave that package behind (such as in airports). This analytics can easily be done in real time using multiple simultaneous streams. It is getting REALLY inexpensive,and is now available in the form of plugins. It is now also getting pushed all the way to the camera level in the newest designs.... My proposal would be to use standard video analytics packages that exist today to do this, in a miniaturized PC platform like the Intel NUC.. OK, moving on...

Now we can find a person in the wilderness and geotag them. This sets off an alarm and creates a map mission starting at the tag area. The Solo that "finds" the person can then abort the mission and Loiter allowing an operator to gather additional information. Another Solo with a forward facing camera (infrared or otherwise depending on the situation) that is waiting in the wings then heads out on that mission starting at the GPS point the person is found. It also streams the video in real time. That video is also analyzed and when the person is again tagged, the Solo stops and alerts the operators.

This is where the servo comes in.... You can then get right on top of the person, at low altitude, and drop a small package designed to go straight down, and not break (small parachute and padding) with flashing lights and siren, that has a GPS tag, and a 2 way radio. You now have communication with the lost person, and a very specific location. Another Solo could be waiting in the wings to drop what ever is deemed necessary after the communication, such as medical supplies.

All this could be done with existing technology, relatively inexpensively (in comparision to using helicopters for search) and the entire ground station could be built into a very mobile package. The UAV's could be used in conjunction with existing helicopters (to get the UAV's and operators to remote locations).

A setup like this could find a lost person in hours instead of days.

Just a crazy idea

Net-Net... You could do a LOT with a servo

I really like the SAR application!