Maximum Temperature?

[Romain Pigna]

Hi all,

I live in Karratha, Western Australia where temperatures often reach 40+ degrees (celcius) so I was wondering if anyone knows what the maximum temperature is to operate the Solo?

I had a Parrot Bebop and it just turned itselff off in the air as it overheated, don't want this to happen with the Solo.

Cheers,
Romain

 

[SurfnSkate81]

Tough question there, Solo Operating Manual say between 0-45 degrees Celsius and 0-85% relative humidity.

I'm on the Gold Coast and it regularly is 35 degrees and often 90-100% humidity. I would also say on some of those 35 degree days it was well past that in the sun.

Seeing as though most of the time Solo is in direct path of sunlight that battery can get very warm. You really are going to have to monitor your batteries and use common sense to avoid a failure. Maybe @RolandS888 could give his thoughts he is in WA and might have some better advice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Alan Murphy]

I live in Las Vegas.... 47 degrees not uncommon, will keep you posted. One thought though, have considered a reflective mylar film to apply on top of battery only. Much like film used for window tint.

Remember too more heat means less lift, on the copter it may have to work harder to maintain lift.

 

[SurfnSkate81]

Interested to see how your film idea goes Alan.

Keep us posted, I believe a solution for warm climates will be needed. I for one don't want my Solo dropping out of the sky and anything to prevent that I'm all ears.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[indonesianpilot]

Want to know too. And maybe tips and trick to keep solo cool if someone can share. Like repaint it maybe? Bcs black absorb more heat?

 

[RichWest]

Thanks to you "down unders" for testing... I too am interested in what is discovered. Having the battery isolated from the electronics is a big plus related to heat. The bird seems well designed to exchange air from within.

I like the film idea as well.

FWIW, I tried some rc modeler's adhesive film, but the adhesive and stretch didn't work well as a one piece application. The material was for cover wings. Angles and radius of the battery and gps cover required multiple seams to have it look "finished". I would not recommend this material for this application. The adhesive, once bonded was not coming off or allowing easy adjustments of the film.

I assume Automotive Wrap film is different, I've seen some amazing results from that material. Just haven't got my hands on any to know for sure.

 

[SurfnSkate81]

I might go by the window tinting business that is not far from my house when I'm working tomorrow and see what they think.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RolandS888]

I had the Mikrotik wifi card installed in Solo for a while. On hot days it would overheat the HDMI card and shut it down, Solo would lose link and RTH. Did that 3 times and I changed the card back to original and no more dramas. The Mikro WiFi card sits closer to the HDMI card and pushes more heat into it. I havent heard anyone else report this so I took as a one off.
In unrelated electronics, I have seen CPU resets happen around 55 deg C.
Stay in the shade between flights and you should be ok.

 

[Maddog]

One possibility would be to paint the exposed portion of the battery or the entire Solo with light colored PlastiDip. It is a rubbery coating that sticks very well but can be peeled off if you don't like it.

People paint their cars, rims, etc. with this- it's called "dipping". Lots of YouTube videos on it.

I painted the top of my landing platform with it to have a "no-skid" surface.

 

[Maddog]

Hi all,

I live in Karratha, Western Australia where temperatures often reach 40+ degrees (celcius) so I was wondering if anyone knows what the maximum temperature is to operate the Solo?

I had a Parrot Bebop and it just turned itselff off in the air as it overheated, don't want this to happen with the Solo.

Cheers,
Romain

What kind of phone/tablet are you using? I've had problems with my iPad mini 3 getting so hot in the summer it shuts down.
I solved the problem by sandwiching a piece of wet towel between the iPad and a piece of plexiglass I cut to the same size as the iPad.

 

[indonesianpilot]

What if i drill a hole on solo body. On the arm near prop. So the wind from prop can go inside solo body. And some hole on the side of the body for circulation. Will it make it better?

 

[RichWest]

What if i drill a hole on solo body. On the arm near prop. So the wind from prop can go inside solo body. And some hole on the side of the body for circulation. Will it make it better?

No, that'll be a mistake in the structure of the arm. Any holes made and not reinforced will be a point of stress fractures. The Solo body is actually an engineered box, even the battery tray installed is a part of the over structure.

Besides there are vent holes in the motor pod's top plate. The gimbal and body have plenty of open area for the exchange of air as designed.

MD, rubber coating works equally well as an insulator. It works both ways.

 

[Maddog]

No, that'll be a mistake in the structure of the arm. Any holes made and not reinforced will be a point of stress fractures. The Solo body is actually an engineered box, even the battery tray installed is a part of the over structure.

Besides there are vent holes in the motor pod's top plate. The gimbal and body have plenty of open area for the exchange of air as designed.

MD, rubber coating works equally well as an insulator. It works both ways.

MD, rubber coating works equally well as an insulator. It works both ways.
Good point- I suppose you could try it and if successful, peel it off and use paint. Provided it reflects heat better than retaining it.

 

[RichWest]

MD, rubber coating works equally well as an insulator. It works both ways.
Good point- I suppose you could try it and if successful, peel it off and use paint. Provided it reflects heat better than retaining it.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained...let us know how it works out...

 

[Maddog]

Nothing ventured, nothing gained...let us know how it works out...

It's on my list..

 

[Mauiwind]

Want to know too. And maybe tips and trick to keep solo cool if someone can share. Like repaint it maybe? Bcs black absorb more heat?

Certainly, a white overcoat would keep light from absorbing heat. Even better might be a highly reflective material (such a mylar) on a thin foam material (So that there is air between the mylar and the battery, I think that might actually keep the battery much cooler. Super lightweight and unobtrusive. (Sheesh its a better idea than I'm capable of thinking of...)

 

[VideoArch]

I have spent a lot of time working with cameras in high heat environments like Yuma AZ one Summer afternoon at 52C/126F. What typically happens is monitor screens go out first around 45C, then a progressive shutdown of electronics as the heat builds up inside. The latter being the real culprit here. We use all sorts of coverings to shield things out of the sun. My tests with anti reflective window film was unproductive. Actually thin cheap aluminum foil did a better job. HD has aluminum foil in a roll for AC use with a sticky backing. That works best but the glue is a problem over time as it melts a bit in high heat.

I have run high heat motor tests with different bearings and monitored battery temps with Phantoms for many years. Phantoms being white are great but internal batteries really are a problem with heat build up. Solo is black but has the battery exposed. When I ran high heat tests last Summer with Solo I wasn't surprised at the egg cooking temps on the motors and battery.

My recommendation is to use aluminum as it dissipates heat quickly and monitor motor and battery temps with a IR thermometer in the field. If you can't hold or touch anything in your hands for an extended period then take it out of service and put it in the shade next to a fan if possible. There are some great solar panels that i run fans off of that help dissipate heat as well. Or just bring some cheap lipos to run small fans off of.

 

[indonesianpilot]

I have spent a lot of time working with cameras in high heat environments like Yuma AZ one Summer afternoon at 52C/126F. What typically happens is monitor screens go out first around 45C, then a progressive shutdown of electronics as the heat builds up inside. The latter being the real culprit here. We use all sorts of coverings to shield things out of the sun. My tests with anti reflective window film was unproductive. Actually thin cheap aluminum foil did a better job. HD has aluminum foil in a roll for AC use with a sticky backing. That works best but the glue is a problem over time as it melts a bit in high heat.

I have run high heat motor tests with different bearings and monitored battery temps with Phantoms for many years. Phantoms being white are great but internal batteries really are a problem with heat build up. Solo is black but has the battery exposed. When I ran high heat tests last Summer with Solo I wasn't surprised at the egg cooking temps on the motors and battery.

My recommendation is to use aluminum as it dissipates heat quickly and monitor motor and battery temps with a IR thermometer in the field. If you can't hold or touch anything in your hands for an extended period then take it out of service and put it in the shade next to a fan if possible. There are some great solar panels that i run fans off of that help dissipate heat as well. Or just bring some cheap lipos to run small fans off of.

Do you ever try using aluminium foil for solo? I try it then something strange happen. My solo keep telling me there is magnetic interfere. And it wont disappear unless i took the aluminium away. Do this happen to you too? Or is this only in my solo?

 

[VideoArch]

Do you ever try using aluminium foil for solo? I try it then something strange happen. My solo keep telling me there is magnetic interfere. And it wont disappear unless i took the aluminium away. Do this happen to you too? Or is this only in my solo?

The aluminum test I did I only put it on the top of the battery. Never saw an issue of interference. The aluminum tape is still glued to the top of the battery actually.

 

[Adimuzio513]

Not that it's super hot here, but it's 100 f or more occasionally and regardless of air temp I've yet to temp gun my motors or battery anywhere near an unsafe level for a brushless motor or pack. Mine stays under 110 most all the time, but I've seen other mention heat issues.

Am I just a lucky one or are others getting temp warm enough to cause concern?

I know surface brushless motors are fine up to and above 150 are these similar enough to be in the same range for being safe. Or since these cases spin instead are these going to be a totally different animal?