Tinker Time Treehouse - Neo-M8N GPS Upgrade and other DIY Solo Projects

FinniKris · Dec 7, 2016

Hey gang!
Me again... and I decided to make a video showing the basic installation of the mRobotics Neo-M8N GPS chip. I'm replacing my Rev A / Original GPS in the Solo. I have previously installed the V2 GPS Shield and you will see it here. Also: part way through this installation I realized that the V2 GPS Shield needed a little modification to fit properly over the M8N and you can see where/how I've cut mine to fit snugly. Some folks have said that the M8N doesn't need shielding but I hope that it can't hurt

I'm calling the series Tinker Time Treehouse because I'm by no means an expert, and I have other projects to post in the coming weeks/days. I have one about oiling the motor pods, one for prop balancing, this GPS mod and I will be making a few about installation of a number of Relish 3D mod parts.

I hope you all enjoy! As always I appreciate input and constructive criticism. The whole reason for posting on youtube and here is to keep the discussion open and to foster the community. Without further ado :

Tinker Time Treehouse - Neo-M8N GPS Modification (plug and play) for 3DR Solo:

Deleted member 7413 · Dec 7, 2016

FinniKris said:
Hey gang!
Me again... and I decided to make a video showing the basic installation of the mRobotics Neo-M8N GPS chip. I'm replacing my Rev A / Original GPS in the Solo. I have previously installed the V2 GPS Shield and you will see it here. Also: part way through this installation I realized that the V2 GPS Shield needed a little modification to fit properly over the M8N and you can see where/how I've cut mine to fit snugly. Some folks have said that the M8N doesn't need shielding but I hope that it can't hurt

I'm calling the series Tinker Time Treehouse because I'm by no means an expert, and I have other projects to post in the coming weeks/days. I have one about oiling the motor pods, one for prop balancing, this GPS mod and I will be making a few about installation of a number of Relish 3D mod parts.

I hope you all enjoy! As always I appreciate input and constructive criticism. The whole reason for posting on youtube and here is to keep the discussion open and to foster the community. Without further ado :

Tinker Time Treehouse - Neo-M8N GPS Modification (plug and play) for 3DR Solo:

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Hi Finni, Thanks for the inf and video. I'm thinking of doing the same. Do you have the link to the exact GPS receiver that you installed?

FinniKris · Dec 8, 2016

Sam007 said:
Hi Finni, Thanks for the inf and video. I'm thinking of doing the same. Do you have the link to the exact GPS receiver that you installed?

Thanks for reminding me!!

I've updated the info in the video now with links to everything I could think of

Specifically the GPS I went for comes highly recommended here in the forum and can be found at:

mRobotics
http://store.mrobotics.io/

The link to get this exact GPS is:
mRo GPS u-Blox Neo-M8N / 3DR SOLO Upgrade

As of today they are still honouring the 5% Black Friday discount with: FREE5 discount/promo code. No idea how long thats gunna last.

Thanks for reaching out! It's my first DIY video... more to come. I just realized a spelling mistake in the video today (odering instead of ordering)... oh well. rookie mistake

Deleted member 7413 · Dec 8, 2016

Thank you. It is much appreciated.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

FinniKris · Dec 9, 2016

Very Welcome!

I've gone and made another Tinker Time Treehouse video.. this time about Oiling the Motor Bearings in the Solo. I got the info from MadDog on this forum, and specifically the conversation that came from the thread under My First Ten Flights Compilation.. linked in the YouTube video itself and the info therein

Please enjoy yet another Tinker Time. There will be others over the next few weeks including Prop Balancing, and the installation of 4 Relish 3D Products!! Stay Tuned!

Craig L. Johnson - USMC · Dec 11, 2016

I installed the shield with my M8n

FinniKris · Dec 12, 2016

Craig L. Johnson - USMC said:
I installed the shield with my M8n

Sweet!
I had it out for a short flight out in the country this last weekend and had 17 satellites at one point! Stayed very stable and had a great connection the entire flight. Quick to lock also.. Under a minute.

FinniKris · Dec 12, 2016

I've also posted another Tinker Time Treehouse! This one is like many others like it: balancing props with the tape method.

More practice for me than anything else but I figured it fits within the theme of the Tinker Time series and might be of help to others and also if I'm doing something amiss.. I hope this video would encourage some discussion about that.

As always thanks for watching and supporting. I really appreciate it.

RichWest · Dec 12, 2016

An "A" for effort. TBP's balancing rod is a finer/sensitive tool for balancing props, mo' better. Also go through the process of removing the prop and re-install on the rod to confirm balance was not effected by the rod.

Keep the videos coming, I like watching.

FinniKris · Dec 13, 2016

RichWest said:
An "A" for effort. TBP's balancing rod is a finer/sensitive tool for balancing props, mo' better. Also go through the process of removing the prop and re-install on the rod to confirm balance was not effected by the rod.

Keep the videos coming, I like watching.

Thank you RichWest!

Very interesting about the different rod, i'll have to order one and try it out... still a Du Bro?

Also the removing it from the rod and re attaching it.. perhaps doing this once it seems balanced, as a final check of the prop? Or would you recommend removing the props from the rod each time tape happens?

Thanks for watching! I nabbed a bunch of great Relish 3D stuff that I've made videos about... should be able to post them later this week

RichWest · Dec 13, 2016

FinniKris said:
Also the removing it from the rod and re attaching it.. perhaps doing this once it seems balanced, as a final check of the prop? Or would you recommend removing the props from the rod each time tape happens?

I actually remove the prop a couple of times prior to actual balancing, just to insure the mating is consistent and the rod is true. But yes, if you are going through the effort to balance props, the extra step after balancing to confirm.

The balancing rod most have used is the EJH version, which can be purchased through amazon or Carolina Drones.... The design has press fitted threaded ferrules onto a highly polished cold rolled 1/8" rod. From my experience it is very consistent prop to prop... Still using the DuBro Balancer with this alternative rod.

shanmoon · Jan 4, 2017

FinniKris said:
Hey gang!

Tinker Time Treehouse - Neo-M8N GPS Modification (plug and play) for 3DR Solo:

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Thanks for sharing, and nice job on the editing and captioning. I tend to lose patience with the how-to videos that aren't straight to the point and concisely edited like this one was. Good job! Watching this takes the edge off my nervousness cracking open my Solo and putting in the new GPS chip.