What a great resource!

Skyjammer · Jul 3, 2017

I'm a new member but a long time lurker (sorry about that), during my lurking I have become quite familiar with the Solo and I can't wait for the maiden. As of today, I have purchased 4 solos, 3 gimbals and 4 batteries but I have waited to fly until I am 100% confident that ,y equipment is 100% and nothing less. I am sure I will rely on the resident Solo pro's for some advice, tips and tricks later on but at the very least I wanted to make my intro.
I have been an r/c ADDICT for over 20 years and a current AMA member although I'm mainly a rogue pilot. I also have my valid FAA drone registration but will not add my tail numbers to my Solos until the political crap stops!
Currently reside in North Texas and looking forward to adding my input when educated enough to do so!

DaveB · Jul 3, 2017

Skyjammer- The Solo is one of the easiest RC models to fly. I took my wife out (has flown RC planes a couple times but never a drone) in a large open field I gave her the control and talked her through T.O. "push button down twice" after that she played for 10 mins and loved it. Charge your bats. and go for it.
Ps: you don't need the gimbal or camera to start out.

andrew.baker.142 · Jul 3, 2017

Welcome!
Get out and fly your Solos! There is no joy in a grounded Solo's life. They are only happy flying.

Maddog · Jul 3, 2017

Nothing in life is 100%. Everything in life has risks.

Go fly and have fun!

Skyjammer · Jul 4, 2017

Hey Dave....thanks for the reply. Yeah I'm familiar with the ease of use with the quad and even though I'm a self claimed rogue pilot my OCD takes over when I have followed a company and watched them implode in less than 2 years from a product launch...unfortunately. That said, I know these quads are incredible and after reading of a few horror stories backed by the majority being successful. So with this drone I have taken my time to get familiar with what can go wrong and what it will take to bring it down safely. This can be a fault in most peoples eyes but it was my upbringing and the Marine Corps as well. Knowing your enemy prior to attack will put you in control, just like these quads. So yeah I am convinced that they are just fine and hopefully I will be able to detect a problem before it becomes an issue should it arise. The quad investment and gimbles, well they are affordable and no longer produced so back ups are necessary. I never went into any combat related assignment without backup weapons related or mission related.
The gimble and gopro flight will come around at some point after I understand this machines abilities. Not to mention but B & H has gimbals on sale for $99.00 right now.

LuvMyTJ · Jul 5, 2017

Hello,
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the 3DRPilots forum.
I hope that you will be able to use the forum to further your safety knowledge and for the exchange of innovative ideas and as a resource for current developments in 3DR quadcopter’s.
Enjoy!
*MANUAL: https://3dr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/v8_01_05_16.pdf

Yusri32 · Jul 5, 2017

Welcome!

vic3rose · Jul 12, 2017

Skyjammer said:
I'm a new member but a long time lurker (sorry about that), during my lurking I have become quite familiar with the Solo and I can't wait for the maiden. As of today, I have purchased 4 solos, 3 gimbals and 4 batteries but I have waited to fly until I am 100% confident that ,y equipment is 100% and nothing less. I am sure I will rely on the resident Solo pro's for some advice, tips and tricks later on but at the very least I wanted to make my intro.
I have been an r/c ADDICT for over 20 years and a current AMA member although I'm mainly a rogue pilot. I also have my valid FAA drone registration but will not add my tail numbers to my Solos until the political crap stops!
Currently reside in North Texas and looking forward to adding my input when educated enough to do so!

Skyjammer,

Welcome! Like you I live in N. Tx. (Celeste, TX, close to Greenville). I also am an experienced R/C Pilot ( 4 yrs. / fixed wing only). I just purchased ONE 3DR Solo, no gimbal, and a GoPro Hero 3 White. That was in my cash budget at the moment, lol. I should receive it this coming Monday.

I just wanted say welcome (although I think I am newer than you here, lol) to a great resource forum! Enjoy your Solo! Cheers!

pyrate · Jul 12, 2017

Welcome from Frisco Texas, to the addiction
I have two solos currently, one mostly stock and one flying the cube and master
But that got me started building my own, so I am also flying a big x8 with the solo board on it

vic3rose · Jul 12, 2017

Maybe someday we can connect. I'm semi-retired, which means I still work, but I don't get paid, lol. I really like the X8 but that'll be awhile in the budget. Debt free living has it's drawbacks. And my patience gets stretched a lot! FedEx show delivery on Friday, a couple of days early. Of course I am an instruction reader, etc, so it might take a few days before I fire it up. Have a great week!

FlyGuy80 · Jul 12, 2017

Solo can definitely become an addiction if you are not careful, I am living proof LOL. I had my eyes on the DJI Phantom 4 for a while, then discovered the 3DR Solo about 2 months ago. I would definitely say it is a good idea to have spare/backup parts on hand, since that is the easiest and most time effective way to fix any hardware (not software) issues one might have. Although it does appear that 3DR is still honoring the 1 year factory warranty on new Solo's (purchased from authorized retailers, such as B&H), from what I have read in various posts, the turn-around time for warranty replacement can be several weeks (a great reason to have a backup if anything goes wrong).

Since discovering Solo, I have purchased 1 new Solo w/Gimbal, 3DR Solo Backpack, 4 extra batteries (for a total of 5), 1 spare Gimbal in case the primary one breaks or has any issues, 5 parts Solo's from E-Bay. Of the 5 parts Solo's I have purchased from E-Bay, 3 of them came with controllers and work perfectly, on one of those parts Solo's, I have replaced all 4 motors with the SunnySky X2216-12 880KV II motors that were bought from BuddyRC.com (replaced just the motors, not the pods, re-used the pods by de-soldering the old motors and installing the new ones, worked flawlessly).

I don't fall down rabbit holes all that often, but when I do, I fall far! LOL.

Next steps for me will be to update one of my spare Solo's to the 1.5.3 (SiteScan) Solo (autopilot) Firmware, as there are some nice features added between 1.3.1 and 1.5.3 (such as auto return home on low battery).

I am an IT engineer by trade, and I love the fact the 3DR Solo for the most part is an open source platform that runs Linux on both the copter and remote.

Skyjammer · Jul 13, 2017

Hey all!

Well it never ends, been running like Gump looking for Jenny but that's a good thing, more stuff to build, crash and repeat.

Thanks for the welcome and to my local addicts, I'm on step 2 of my recovery only problem is it has been my choice to stay at step 2, say what you will I enjoy my status! Would love to meet up and fly one morning (dawn patrol) or late afternoon when the sun doesn’t destroy your will power like Lindsay Lohan on a date.

I have been studying up and I think I have hit max density as far as my Solo newb status goes, the only thing I am hung up on is Solex. The app is well built and the layers are so smooth that I really want to take advantage of it but am confused regarding what I need from 3DR`s firmware or and software then what I need from Solex to make the handshake. If y'all happen to catch this piont me towards the light, in the meantime I'll search the forum. Thanks again for the welcome, alot of talent around here for sure!

Maddog · Jul 14, 2017

FlyGuy80 said:
Solo can definitely become an addiction if you are not careful, I am living proof LOL. I had my eyes on the DJI Phantom 4 for a while, then discovered the 3DR Solo about 2 months ago. I would definitely say it is a good idea to have spare/backup parts on hand, since that is the easiest and most time effective way to fix any hardware (not software) issues one might have. Although it does appear that 3DR is still honoring the 1 year factory warranty on new Solo's (purchased from authorized retailers, such as B&H), from what I have read in various posts, the turn-around time for warranty replacement can be several weeks (a great reason to have a backup if anything goes wrong).

Since discovering Solo, I have purchased 1 new Solo w/Gimbal, 3DR Solo Backpack, 4 extra batteries (for a total of 5), 1 spare Gimbal in case the primary one breaks or has any issues, 5 parts Solo's from E-Bay. Of the 5 parts Solo's I have purchased from E-Bay, 3 of them came with controllers and work perfectly, on one of those parts Solo's, I have replaced all 4 motors with the SunnySky X2216-12 880KV II motors that were bought from BuddyRC.com (replaced just the motors, not the pods, re-used the pods by de-soldering the old motors and installing the new ones, worked flawlessly).

I don't fall down rabbit holes all that often, but when I do, I fall far! LOL.

Next steps for me will be to update one of my spare Solo's to the 1.5.3 (SiteScan) Solo (autopilot) Firmware, as there are some nice features added between 1.3.1 and 1.5.3 (such as auto return home on low battery).

I am an IT engineer by trade, and I love the fact the 3DR Solo for the most part is an open source platform that runs Linux on both the copter and remote.

Man, when you go after something you go all the way- good job!

jbrunel · Jul 14, 2017

FlyGuy80 said:
Solo can definitely become an addiction if you are not careful, I am living proof LOL. I had my eyes on the DJI Phantom 4 for a while, then discovered the 3DR Solo about 2 months ago. I would definitely say it is a good idea to have spare/backup parts on hand, since that is the easiest and most time effective way to fix any hardware (not software) issues one might have. Although it does appear that 3DR is still honoring the 1 year factory warranty on new Solo's (purchased from authorized retailers, such as B&H), from what I have read in various posts, the turn-around time for warranty replacement can be several weeks (a great reason to have a backup if anything goes wrong).

Since discovering Solo, I have purchased 1 new Solo w/Gimbal, 3DR Solo Backpack, 4 extra batteries (for a total of 5), 1 spare Gimbal in case the primary one breaks or has any issues, 5 parts Solo's from E-Bay. Of the 5 parts Solo's I have purchased from E-Bay, 3 of them came with controllers and work perfectly, on one of those parts Solo's, I have replaced all 4 motors with the SunnySky X2216-12 880KV II motors that were bought from BuddyRC.com (replaced just the motors, not the pods, re-used the pods by de-soldering the old motors and installing the new ones, worked flawlessly).

I don't fall down rabbit holes all that often, but when I do, I fall far! LOL.

Next steps for me will be to update one of my spare Solo's to the 1.5.3 (SiteScan) Solo (autopilot) Firmware, as there are some nice features added between 1.3.1 and 1.5.3 (such as auto return home on low battery).

I am an IT engineer by trade, and I love the fact the 3DR Solo for the most part is an open source platform that runs Linux on both the copter and remote.

Are these the motors you used?
Shopping Cart

FlyGuy80 · Jul 14, 2017

jbrunel said:
Are these the motors you used?
Shopping Cart

Link to the motors I used:

SunnySky X2216 880KV II's

FlyGuy80 · Jul 14, 2017

Maddog said:
Man, when you go after something you go all the way- good job!

Yeah, I do. It's either a virtue or a detriment, depending on who you ask (if you were to ask my wife, she would tell you all about it LOL!)

Maddog · Jul 16, 2017

FlyGuy80 said:
Yeah, I do. It's either a virtue or a detriment, depending on who you ask (if you were to ask my wife, she would tell you all about it LOL!)

That's ok- I already know she's going to complain.

Maddog · Jul 16, 2017

FlyGuy80 said:
Link to the motors I used:

SunnySky X2216 880KV II's

Just curious why you used these instead of the T- Motor's?

FlyGuy80 · Jul 16, 2017

Maddog said:
Just curious why you used these instead of the T- Motor's?

I went with the SunnySky motors primarily because they are cheap, and wanted to see that I could do the swap without any issues before paying a premium for higher quality motors. Interestingly enough, The fella I spoke with at BuddyRC advised that the lot of SunnySky motors they had in stock when I ordered mine were made in the same factory as the standard T-Motor.

just_bruce · Jul 17, 2017

FlyGuy80 said:
I went with the SunnySky motors primarily because they are cheap, and wanted to see that I could do the swap without any issues before paying a premium for higher quality motors. Interestingly enough, The fella I spoke with at BuddyRC advised that the lot of SunnySky motors they had in stock when I ordered mine were made in the same factory as the standard T-Motor.

Made in the same factory does *NOT* mean made to the same standards. At all. DAMHIKIJK