M8N Mod Video Tutorial and Test

[Proficnc]

Awesome job guys, love all the mods! Keep them going!

 

[rrmccabe]

Awesome job guys, love all the mods! Keep them going!

Its nice to have developer attitude like this instead of "OMG, you cant do that"

Hope to be back with 3DR some day.

 

[Rodney Johnson]

I have had great luck running the 8 on my pixhawks copters with ZERO issues and I had written to 3DR about my experiences with the 8.
Yet nothing is being done, I am glad it is being proven now that it works on the Solo.

I sent my Solo back because I just didn't want to deal with it. .
I also will one day purchase a Solo again..
But it had to perform like the equipment I build. .
If you can't trust what you fly, , don't fly.

 

[SteveMyers75]

Just came across a sub-meter GPS module to test with, the NEO-7P.

It achieves less than 1 meter positional accuracy, about 2.5x better than the stock 7N !
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ublox-NEO-7...10HzRAWDATA-/361133482157?hash=item54153ba0ad

Can't wait to try it out and finally make use of my Graduation Cap....as a Solo Takeoff/RTL platform!

Come on 3DR, Hurry Up and get those Gimbals working and shipped out!

 

[tesmithp]

First time powering up the new board:

15 sats in 30 sec
Ready to fly in < 45 sec
Maxed out at 20 sats and 1.1 HDOP

 

[Rodney Johnson]

First time powering up the new board:

15 sats in 30 sec
Ready to fly in < 45 sec
Maxed out at 20 sats and 1.1 HDOP

That's good to know, I had the same findings with one of my Pixhawk test copters using the 8.
Glad to see it works as well with the pix 2 and the Solo..
I had found that I could fly in places that the Solo could only dream of with its stock GPS unit.

Please test your newly configured Solo close to the ground, around building, heavy treelines and canopies... 4 feet of the ground...
This is the real test in the real world... if it passes I just might have to reorder and get my Solo back..
Thanks

 

[tesmithp]

Please test your newly configured Solo close to the ground, around building, heavy treelines and canopies... 4 feet of the ground...
This is the real test in the real world... if it passes I just might have to reorder and get my Solo back..
Thanks

I absolutely will after extensive test flights with no random switches to Fly:Manual.

 

[KRVer]

I had found that I could fly in places that the Solo could only dream of with its stock GPS unit.

Please test your newly configured Solo close to the ground, around building, heavy treelines and canopies... 4 feet of the ground...
This is the real test in the real world...

I concur. This is exactly why I picked up a P3P - to allow me to reliably fly low to the ground under tree canopies.

I had tested an area that I wanted to fly with Solo and found the GPS lock was either lost or became inaccurate. Went to the same place with a P3P and had no issues. Part of this was due to the optical flow/ultrasonic sensors already implemented on the P3P, but even when I was higher than these would effectively operate, the craft still held a reliable GPS lock.

In the wide-open, no issues holding GPS with the Solo (occasional slow sat acquisition, though) but in marginal settings, would really like to see it do better.

Still holding out for a perfect Solo gimbal on a bird that is rugged and highly customizable.

 

[sixshooterstang]

I concur. This is exactly why I picked up a P3P - to allow me to reliably fly low to the ground under tree canopies.

I had tested an area that I wanted to fly with Solo and found the GPS lock was either lost or became inaccurate. Went to the same place with a P3P and had no issues. Part of this was due to the optical flow/ultrasonic sensors already implemented on the P3P, but even when I was higher than these would effectively operate, the craft still held a reliable GPS lock.

In the wide-open, no issues holding GPS with the Solo (occasional slow sat acquisition, though) but in marginal settings, would really like to see it do better.

Still holding out for a perfect Solo gimbal on a bird that is rugged and highly customizable.

Eventually 3dr should release an optical flow unit. Though it would've been nice to get it out of the box.

 

[sixshooterstang]

Its nice to have developer attitude like this instead of "OMG, you cant do that"

Hope to be back with 3DR some day.

Not naming names or places but there is a certain other online group I was booted from for sharing information about modding Solo.
Apparently seeing something you already like and creating ways to make it even better is a sin to some people

 

[Rodney Johnson]

Not naming names or places but there is a certain other online group I was booted from for sharing information about modding Solo.
Apparently seeing something you already like and creating ways to make it even better is a sin to some people

Ya,, And the world is flat,, just ask them.
I would rather live in 3D...just as it is met to be.

 

[Ian [P13]]

For the record Philip while he encourages modding doesn't suggest the M8N with the Solo (or Pixhawk in general), from what I understand the LEA-M8T seems a promising update in future once it's more widely available.

 

[ALLA]

A lot of folks on here have been installing the M8N but it seems no one has made a video tutorial so I decided to make one while I was in there already. Hopefully this will help any of you on the fence with the M8N mod and help prevent any accidental wiring screw ups.

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Thanks for making this mod and the instructions. I went ahead and did a before/after test at the same location, and what a difference. More satellites, much faster acquisition, and it seems a overall much more solid GPS connection in general. For less than $40 I can absolutely recommend this switch. It's easy enough to do, and it significantly improves the reliability of the Solo's GPS.

 

[lsmith1981]

I am in for a cable as well

Same with me...

 

[ALLA]

Any idea where to get a replacement for the original GPS cable connecting the solo's gps to the mainboard?

 

[Hoover185]

Thanks for the info and instructions, it's great to have you experts for us newbs to learn from!

 

[NYG]

A lot of folks on here have been installing the M8N but it seems no one has made a video tutorial so I decided to make one while I was in there already. Hopefully this will help any of you on the fence with the M8N mod and help prevent any accidental wiring screw ups.

This has nothing to do with the mod itself. Just a quick question on the part you bought from ready to fly quads. Is the compass still a separate part or is that built into the V2 board they are selling now. I know it's not needed for this, I just want to know what gets shipped.

 

[David Weston]

I too am lost as to which cable to order. Would like to do exactly same mod as sixshooter, solder wires, but of the choices of cables, which one did he use in the video?

Thanks

 

[mudman]

I ordered one with the regular APM cable should be here tomorrow or Tuesday I will post a pic of the cable when it arrives. (hopefully it will work)

 

[NYG]

I too am lost as to which cable to order. Would like to do exactly same mod as sixshooter, solder wires, but of the choices of cables, which one did he use in the video?

Thanks

I don't think it matters which cable you get. They all need to be modified anyway. One end will got to the M8N, the other end clipped off to be modified.