Random thoughts and questions!

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So what is the resale market like for Pixhawks? I mean with everyone going to green cubes (ok, maybe there's still at least 2 people out there who haven't converted yet) there's got to be a surplus of stock cubes for the solo. So is anyone buying? I have some spares which I have no use for, 2 used, 1 brand new (bought it as a spare part about 1 month before the green cube came out). Just wondering if it's worth my while to sell em? Let me know your thoughts on that one. If it's worth the time, I'll post actual ads in the classifieds section.

Same with GPS, I have some Rev A's, Rev B's and an MRO (soon to be three MRO's). Anyone interested? Oh and call me crazy, but I'm thinking I should try to keep at least 1 solo original and... bad. Rev A Board, Last official solo software versions. Sort of like a museum piece. Anyone else feel that way or am I just as nuts as the voices in my head say?

The HERE GPS. I installed it, works fine, calibrated fine. So just my quick thoughts on this one. I think it's worth upgrading to move the compass out of the leg and get the GPS away from the body. It looks awesome also. However, if you live in an area where you're getting a poor GPS signal anyway, I honestly didn't find it to be a major improvement. Would I spend the money to upgrade my other two birds with a HERE system? Well actually yes, because I love the look of it, but it's not an instant "must do" upgrade. Now my reason for this is that all birds were already upgrade to MRO gps (the previous version, not the latest) and right now, that's "good enough" and a vast improvement over the Rev A board.

Polar Pro Lights. I have them on all three birds, however I'm noticing that on one of the birds, the connection seems loose and will often "drop out" of the slot underneath the bird. Any way to secure this a little bit better without gluing it in place?

Plenty of advice about best gopro settings in the forum, but anyone want to include what filters they are using also? What conditions you use them with? Wondering if it would be a good idea to even do up a "Cheat sheet" for people to get the best footage possible. So you know, sunny days, cloudy days, evening light etc. Also, anyone using gradient filters?

For those out there who have done surveys, how big an area have you done in one flight?

Added to the above, is there a hardware option to adjust altitude based on distance from the ground? Mainly asking because I want to survey an area that's on a slope and would love if there was a way for SOLO to maintain the same distance from the ground while doing said survey (it's a very uneven sloped area with peaks and valleys). So anything existing or forthcoming for that one?
 
I don't think there is any market for the PH2.0, as it customized for Solo's needs/limits. But hang on to them all the same, you never know. I think the controller and iMX6 boards will be the prize to have into the future, it's what makes Solo...a Solo.

I'm all about function rather than looks. Seems many have stated similar, MRO versus HERE gps, being they have same results. I like the idea of getting the compass out of the leg, but hate the big disk and mast adding more surface area to the bird. I fly RevA and have no issues, but would be interested in a MRO if only for the benefit of having faster start ups.

Filters are beneficial, but it's a trial and error effort to better understand when and where to use them. Just not something that can be taught from a aerial perspective, only learned from actual experience and experimentation.

I ran a test using various filters and EV Comp adjustments off a tripod to get a better understanding. I threw a tennis ball into each test to show motion blur related to the filter and settings. Had the sun at my back at about 2 o'clock. This was just one example of how I've learned some aspects of filter's effect on the resulting video.

Drone footage is a battle of light and angles. You'll find your best images are when sky's are overcast and defusing the sun, less filters required. And less angles and reflected light. I have no such luck....

Just random thoughts, back at you....
 
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To hold the PolarPro lights plug in place I use two small screws. The lights themselves are held in place with black cable ties (had to drill two small holes at each end of the lights).
PolarPro_Lights_Back.jpg PolarPro_Lights_Front.jpg PolarPro_Lights_Plug.jpg
 
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When I installed the HERE- it locked in 13 satellites while I was still in the house- so much quicker than stock. And out at the field it locks in a couple more- I’m impressed with the HERE. Without it, it would take a few minutes to lock in 8 or so satellites.
 
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I had similar experiences with the GPS. On a Rev A it would take upwards of 5 mins to get a lock, or sometimes not at all. With the MRO and HERE, it's down to less than 2 minutes on a bad day. On a good day, about 30 seconds.
 
I remember waiting several minutes to get satellite lock to enable Solo to take off. But not an issue anymore. Solo is sooo much better than it was 90 days ago!
 
So what is the resale market like for Pixhawks? I mean with everyone going to green cubes (ok, maybe there's still at least 2 people out there who haven't converted yet) there's got to be a surplus of stock cubes for the solo.
I'm one of the two that hasn't converted to green cube, and I'm proud of it! I'm also sporting a Rev A gps with no issues at all [emoji41]
 
Brianuc4- I wish you could see the difference- It locks in more satellites so it seems more rock solid in flight and hover-
I do realize it’s an additional expense; but it was well worth it.
 
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I don't think there is any market for the PH2.0, as it customized for Solo's needs/limits. But hang on to them all the same, you never know. I think the controller and iMX6 boards will be the prize to have into the future, it's what makes Solo...a Solo.

I'm all about function rather than looks. Seems many have stated similar, MRO versus HERE gps, being they have same results. I like the idea of getting the compass out of the leg, but hate the big disk and mast adding more surface area to the bird. I fly RevA and have no issues, but would be interested in a MRO if only for the benefit of having faster start ups.

Filters are beneficial, but it's a trial and error effort to better understand when and where to use them. Just not something that can be taught from a aerial perspective, only learned from actual experience and experimentation.

I ran a test using various filters and EV Comp adjustments off a tripod to get a better understanding. I threw a tennis ball into each test to show motion blur related to the filter and settings. Had the sun at my back at about 2 o'clock. This was just one example of how I've learned some aspects of filter's effect on the resulting video.

Drone footage is a battle of light and angles. You'll find your best images are when sky's are overcast and defusing the sun, less filters required. And less angles and reflected light. I have no such luck....

Just random thoughts, back at you....

Figured there may not be a market for them, but I will hang on to them, mainly for replacements should one of my current ones go belly up.

When my Rev A was in the air, had no issues at all with it, it was just the "getting it into the air" part I had issues with. So for that alone, the upgrade was worth it..

I keep playing around with filters, gradients, colored and ND's. The worst thing that will happen is that I'll end up with a hard disc of stock footage!
 
To hold the PolarPro lights plug in place I use two small screws. The lights themselves are held in place with black cable ties (had to drill two small holes at each end of the lights).
View attachment 7261 View attachment 7262 View attachment 7263
Good idea about the cable ties, I've only once had them come off (dangling) during flight, but if it happens once, it will happen again. What size drill bit to you recommend for drilling the holes for securing these things in?
 
I'm using a 4TB drive. About 1TB is pc backups, so that leaves 3TB's for my photography, gopro video's, and drone footage. I'm a sucker for shooting timelapse stuff.
 
Good idea about the cable ties, I've only once had them come off (dangling) during flight, but if it happens once, it will happen again. What size drill bit to you recommend for drilling the holes for securing these things in?
I think it was 5/64. Drill from the backside of the lights so that the hole is place properly. It's a tight fit for the standard 4" cable tie from home improvement stores, but they can be pulled through with pliers.
 
Brianuc4- I wish you could see the difference- It locks in more satellites so it seems more rock solid in flight and hover-
I do realize it’s an additional expense; but it was well worth it.
If anything I'd like to upgrade the gps for piece of mind...nothing worse than a Solo flyaway. The longest I ever wait for gps lock is around a minute, some days it only takes a few seconds. This is with the cardboard mod
 
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The HERE system wasn’t bad- plug and play- think it was $58 ? It came with the mast. Look up youtube- search Jester’s drones- HERE- it will be a video of Paul installing it-
works great.
 
Here's an example video of my testing, to archive results.

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Thanks for sharing that.

Not sure if it's just me, but the footage using the ND8 filter seems so much more clear than the others, even when panning. What are your thoughts? How often do you use it and in what circumstances?
 
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