Options for replacement parts given 3drs issues

itayuri · Oct 8, 2016

Hi all,
I'm trying to decide whether I should buy a solo when (if) the BB sale comes back. It's obviously a great deal but I'm worried about replacement parts dow the line.
I assume I will be OK for the first year under warranty, but than what?
Is it possible tobuse non OEM parts for the solo?
I saw a motor replacement is possible, but can I, for example, use other esc's? What about other parts? Can I use a different frame all together?

Thanks in advance,

Itay

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RichWest · Oct 8, 2016

The answers to your questions is yes.
SimonK ESC, but the stock ESC's appear to be fairly robust and have not shown to be an issue.
Motors, see T-Motor upgrade thread
CurrentUAS, hopefully will release a frame upgrade that will support the existing gimbal and PH2. But with a little ingenuity, a DIY transplant can be done.

The only question that remains is the battery, but I believe the battery manufacture will produce an equivalent to support the need for some time...it appears they like money like most others... I believe others have or will address the ability to use a open market battery, time will tell.

Unlike other RTF quads, Solo was built for the long haul. The design was rooted from the DIY community and was engineered with the user in mind to maintain the platform. All other RTF's expect the user to send in a broken bird to an authorized repair or just buy new, since new is "always" better.

If you can tinker, then you're good to go. If not, it's actually still easy to maintain. It really is an amazing platform with advance flight abilities unmatched even a year later...

Jdscott01 · Oct 8, 2016

I'm in the same position. I've always been wanting to purchase a 3DR drone and now that the price is great I'm ready to pull the trigger. My concern is that with 3D Robotics out of the consumer drone market and not making the Solo anymore, what will happen to support and parts for the Solo in the future? I hope someone can give me an answer soon as I would like to pull the trigger today.

pyrate · Oct 8, 2016

see the answer above

itayuri · Oct 8, 2016

Thanks RichWest for the complete answer and for the reassurance.
I prefer to tinker, which is why Phantoms etc. Are out of the question for me, it seems the solo is just what I need.

Itay

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Maddog · Oct 8, 2016

Jdscott01 said:
I'm in the same position. I've always been wanting to purchase a 3DR drone and now that the price is great I'm ready to pull the trigger. My concern is that with 3D Robotics out of the consumer drone market and not making the Solo anymore, what will happen to support and parts for the Solo in the future? I hope someone can give me an answer soon as I would like to pull the trigger today.

For what it's worth, I bought my 1st Solo during the original sale. A week ago, I bought #2 at Best Buy to have as a backup/spare parts if necessary. No telling what's going to happen to tech support but as long as you can find parts you're good to go.

With so many unsold Solos, they should be available for parts for sometime. Something I have never seen mentioned, is how many gimbals, motor pods, batteries, props., etc 3DR ordered in addition to Solo itself.

itayuri · Oct 10, 2016

Another question regarding batteries: did anyone manage to replace the battery cells in an old battery? I assume the electronics should be fine even when the cells stop holding a charge and 100$ per battery is expensive.

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Dmitry · Oct 10, 2016

who's to say this at the expense of battery Tattu 5200mAh 14.8V 15C 4S1P Lipo Pack with XT60 plug

itayuri · Oct 10, 2016

I'm not sure I understand what you mean Dimitri.

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Brendon Baddiley · Oct 10, 2016

itayuri said:
Another question regarding batteries: did anyone manage to replace the battery cells in an old battery? I assume the electronics should be fine even when the cells stop holding a charge and 100$ per battery is expensive.

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Try $400 in New Zealand

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RichWest · Oct 10, 2016

itayuri said:
Another question regarding batteries: did anyone manage to replace the battery cells in an old battery?

I've yet to hear of anyone having done a cell replacement. Hopefully we'll see that change as warranties run out, very few "bad" batteries available up until recently. 3DR's one year warranty left us without the need to look elsewhere.

Not that it should be a problem, but the battery top shell is not easy to remove and tends to need quite a bit of hacking to remove.

I'm just waiting on some battery savvy person to do the deed....

3DR D · Oct 15, 2016

If I can find a bad battery ( anyone want to donate? ) I'd be happy to hack one, I have a bunch of 4s 5000MAH packs for initial testing and imagine 7000 MAH is possible without a significant weight penalty.

The One Eyed Willies · Oct 15, 2016

3DR D said:
If I can find a bad battery ( anyone want to donate? ) I'd be happy to hack one, I have a bunch of 4s 5000MAH packs for initial testing and imagine 7000 MAH is possible without a significant weight penalty.

You don't need to hack a battery everything you need to make a battery or any other component for solo is here
Battery Charger Interface | 3DR Solo Development Guide

3DR D · Oct 15, 2016

I think the simple way is to disassemble the original battery and replace the cells, all components exist in one place and a relatively easy housing hack could accommodate larger cells, if done right ( with photo explanation) it would be simple for anyone with a bad battery to renew it without having to source parts aside from the cells. I've built several 14s packs for my electric Mtn bike and have a bit of experience with building and hacking copters.

The One Eyed Willies · Oct 17, 2016

3DR D said:
I think the simple way is to disassemble the original battery and replace the cells, all components exist in one place and a relatively easy housing hack could accommodate larger cells, if done right ( with photo explanation) it would be simple for anyone with a bad battery to renew it without having to source parts aside from the cells. I've built several 14s packs for my electric Mtn bike and have a bit of experience with building and hacking copters.
View attachment 4360

did you order or make the roller suitcase, or was it a mixture of parts from a couple of places?

3DR D · Oct 17, 2016

The One Eyed Willies said:
did you order or make the roller suitcase, or was it a mixture of parts from a couple of places?

Suitcase from a yardsale for $5 , cut apart an old foam archery target and shaped it to fit the solo, turned out really well and easy to store all my Solo stuff securely . I like to make things.

The One Eyed Willies · Oct 17, 2016

3DR D said:
Suitcase from a yardsale for $5 , cut apart an old foam archery target and shaped it to fit the solo, turned out really well and easy to store all my Solo stuff securely . I like to make things.

did you use a hot knife to cut it or something else?