Which GPS upgrade?

[richnat]

For what it is worth the first time I wanted to calibrate the compass I tried to do it in my backyard about 20-30 feet from any trees, buildings or metal, but there were some around me further out. The Solo couldn't even get a GPS lock, not even close. I did the cardboard mod and I got a GPS lock in the same location a few days later and was able to do the compass calibration. Coincidence? Perhaps, not really sure but it did work better after the mod.

When I went to fly the machine I was in an open field with next to nothing around to cause interference and I got a GPS lock in 30 seconds or less which seems a lot better than many people have reported. This was with a Rev A GPS if that matters.

I just sent a note to 3DR to see if the Ver2 RF GPS shields are still available. No clue if I'll get a response but we will see. No idea what one even looks like. Couldn't find on on ebay.

***Follow up: they just responded and provided a link to where I can buy them. Still $29.99.

Solo GPS Shield V2 - 3DR

 

[BigTulsa]

The cardboard mod is not a shield. Cardboard doesn't shield anything. The cardboard mod does absolutely nothing for most people. The ONLY thing the cardboard mod does is prevent the copper shield from electrically shorting or screwing with exposed solder on the bottom of the GPS. That's why it is called the cardboard isolation mod, not the cardboard shield mod. Unfortunately, that bit of information is lacking from most posts on this mod lately.

The 3DR v2 shield is an improved shield that replaces the copper shield. It is engineered RF absorbing material, that specifically absorbs RF in the band that interferes with the GPS. It is orders of magnitude better than the crappy copper shield. It is also not conductive like the copper shield, so the cardboard isolation is no longer needed. I struggled horribly with getting and keeping a GPS lock before the v2 shield. It was BAD. And often unusable. With the v2 shield, it's a whole new drone.

That said, I agree the mRo GPS is still a worthwhile purchase. The things that make the original GPS suck are still there. The new shield just makes it less of a problem.

I try to understand why the shield is situated as it is (with exposed copper inward instead of facing out). Bought the MRO over the weekend so we'll see how that works out.

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[User Name]

The copper isn't exposed, there's a relatively thick adhesive film on the GPS facing side. If it was bare exposed copper... how do people think it sticks, copper not being an adhesive and all?

While it would certainly be possible to wear or break through this film with enough force or repetitive bending/pushing against the GPS, I don't suspect the foil shorting things on the GPS was ever a common occurrence.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

It wasn't common. Hence why for most people, the cardboard does absolutely nothing.

 

[richnat]

Then, at least from circumstantial evidence, why did my pre-cardboard mod copter take many minutes to get a GPS lock but less than 30 seconds to get a GPS lock after the mod? Both flights at the same location and in identical weather conditions. Maybe just a coincidence or luck but it seems to noticeably help some folks. Maybe it pays to just put a little distance between the copper shield and the components on the GPS board?

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

Coincidence. I experienced the same thing, with and without cardboard. I could go to the field next to my house and spend an hour screwing around trying to get a GPS lock. Then tomorrow it will get a lock in a minute. Then a few days later never. Terrestrial weather is not actually a big factor. Space weather (geomagnetic) is a factor. So is satellite positioning at the time. And surrounding obstructions to the horizon, which directly relates to sat positioning. The crappy Rev A GPS will have it's good days and bad days. In my case, there were more bad than good. The v2 shield has made for 100% good days.

 

[dneelands]

Anyone else get a shield out of the 3DR store lately? 10 days ago I got an email referencing fedex that said it shipped but no tracking number. Help email non responsive, chat never online and as we all know they had the phones unhooked some time ago. Anyone have Colin's cell? Maybe he could help.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

It is sent by postal mail. Ignore the dysfunctional fedex tracking information.

 

[SARDG]

Anyone else get a shield out of the 3DR store lately? 10 days ago I got an email referencing fedex that said it shipped but no tracking number. Help email non responsive, chat never online and as we all know they had the phones unhooked some time ago. Anyone have Colin's cell? Maybe he could help.

The 3DR FedEx "shipped" notification means nothing. I got those notifications on 4 separate shields, and yet they all came by snail mail from California in roughly 2 weeks.

 

[dneelands]

Thanks folks. That was the kind of input I was looking for. MrO shipped fast and I'd like to only open once.

 

[carpy]

Another option for your mRo GPS:
3DR Solo GPS Isolation Plate for mRo GPS u-Blox Neo-M8N by dcarpy

 

[Donell]

I just use a copper-aluminum-copper sandwich and it works extremely well. I've had the polymer shields with my other solos and I will say that you're wasting your money. I have tried 3m polymer em tapes (work the best - but it's only rated for 12 months at a time) to the solo v1 and v2 shields. And my own copper aluminum copper shield. The basics of em shielding is that you need something conductive that won't create heat or keep heat in. I do have the mrobotics gps that does make a difference. But as for the shields. I just use copper tape sandwiching aluminum.


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[Pedals2Paddles]

The notion the a 3DR v2 shield is a waste of money is hogwash. A nearly non functional GPS that now works flawlessly is certainly not "a waste of money".

Please describe your copper aluminum sandwich? That has never been discussed here.

 

[Donell]

The notion the a 3DR v2 shield is a waste of money is hogwash. A nearly non functional GPS that now works flawlessly is certainly not "a waste of money".

Please describe your copper aluminum sandwich? That has never been discussed here.

I'm sorry I offended you. Perhaps I should have said spending $30 is a lot for a em shield. As for my personal em shield not being discussed here - I don't see the relevance of that statement. If you look into em shields, it's quite the science - that being said different meterials shield different frequencies better than others. The main takeaway is that the better em shields are all highly conductive or have conductive metals in them.

I wouldn't say that the stock gps is "nearly non functional". I own 3 solos and didn't buy a mrobotics gps until last September - and never had a fly away or crash due to loss of gps signal. In fact I personally have never had any gps issues with any of my solos. Does the unit drift a a few feet sometimes - yes. But that's gps accuracy for you.

This is just my opinion and experience.


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[User Name]

The notion the a 3DR v2 shield is a waste of money is hogwash. A nearly non functional GPS that now works flawlessly is certainly not "a waste of money".

That kind of improvement was certainly not universal, if was even common. Personally, I noticed no objective improvement at all. My stock GPS wasn't "nearly non functional" but it was frustratingly slow and anemic. Nothing changed after adding the shield.

 

[richnat]

I'm sorry I offended you. Perhaps I should have said spending $30 is a lot for a em shield. As for my personal em shield not being discussed here - I don't see the relevance of that statement. If you look into em shields, it's quite the science - that being said different meterials shield different frequencies better than others. The main takeaway is that the better em shields are all highly conductive or have conductive metals in them.

I wouldn't say that the stock gps is "nearly non functional". I own 3 solos and didn't buy a mrobotics gps until last September - and never had a fly away or crash due to loss of gps signal. In fact I personally have never had any gps issues with any of my solos. Does the unit drift a a few feet sometimes - yes. But that's gps accuracy for you.

This is just my opinion and experience.


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Do you make your own Cu/Al/Cu shields? If so, can you provide more info, photos, videos, source for materials? Do the metals have to be in contact with each other or just in layers? Point being, you can buy copper tape and aluminum tape, could those be used to make an inexpensive Cu/Al/Cu sandwich (assuming the adhesive layers would not be an issue)?

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

I asked you describe it because it's never been seen or heard of here. You've done something new and interesting and we like hearing about that. I wasn't saying that it is wrong or pointless just because I've never seen it here.

 

[Donell]

So here's my history. I met an engineer from A&R (www.artarpaulins.com) a long time ago. And in conversation, he indicated that em interference is very simple. Block the signal with highly conductive (electrically) materials. If you can afford gold, use that. ;P. He then said that best practice is to use different materials sandwiched together. But you need to be aware of heat dissipation. I have drilled a few (3) holes (I never fly in wet weather) to the cover to release any heat generated by the gps chip. Like I said, I have purchased 3m fabric tape 3490 (before and works really well for about 8 months - I have no idea why it dissipates. I'm lazy and cheap so all I use is copper tape (3M fabric tape 7000) stuck on aluminum (alcan) and then stuck on aluminum tape again. I do tape up the whole cavity. I've thought about taping the whole battery tray but worry about the RF for the controller, even though the antennas are on the legs. I hope this helps you guys


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[Donell]

Forgot to mention. If you want good gps locks, get the mrobotics solo gps. Yes it's $80, but worth it. I get quicker acquisition of the gps satellites, which should HELP, a drift caused by lost of gps signal.

Note: I used to require 8 gps sats to fly, on stock gps. I now require 10-12 sats to fly. I personally believe that solo requires a ??% signal to fly. So acquiring more gps sats is better (as it might help) and the fact it acquires a lot quicker should help solo stop drifting quicker. I still get the odd 5 min gps lock delays before flying.


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[Pedals2Paddles]

The solo has parameters specifying a minimum of 5 sats and a minimum HDOP of 2.5. There are other factors that go into deciding the lock is ok though,.

Is 3M 3490 the material 3DR uses for their V2 shield? I've had it since the day it was released for purchase by 3DR and it is hasn't degraded at all. I have a solid lock with 8-10 sats in less than 30 seconds every time without fail, even on the crappy stock GPS. It's the only reason I haven't bought the mRo yet.

Shielding more of the housing is probably helping you a lot. Most of the RFI that screws with the GPS comes from the camera. Other action cameras do the same thing. When I turn my mobius on, I can watch the GPS start to wander. If you shield below and around the GPS, that should be all you need to do. And that is more than any 3DR shield provides.