I was able to get my hands on a 3DR solo , new in box that has never flown . From what i could tell it hasnt even its props mounted once!
What upgrades are necessary to bring it to 2022 arduCopter standards ?
i have on order:
a BMSone and some 4s batteries .
a new GPS unit from MRo
i Know that with the latest firmwares CubeSwap with a GreenCube is no longer needed .
But software wise , what should i perform so i can have a safe , opperating , flying macine ?
i found solex, OpenSolo , Uploading via SCP the latest ArduCopter Firmware to the solo.
All this got confusing , thus im asking whats the 2022 way , the most up to date , way to
a) install the latest arduCopter (solo does run arduCopter , right ?)
b) what apps are best suited for use on a phone
Right now , the controlerās screen is on please use 3DR app to upgrade
and i havent tryied to fly it yet cause im awaiting for Props from 3DXR, in case i crush it
There are three computers involved:
1: the IMX6 inside the Solo
2: the one in the controller
3: the cube (flight controller)
The first two should be upgraded to OpenSolo4
then they will be happy with the cube running ArduCopter
Yes, after upgrading from 3DR software to the OpenSolo (based on 3DR Solo software), you Solo will run the current ArduCopter (not the old forked version)
The easiest way to upgrade is to OpenSolo4 using Solex - after that, you can even scp daily builds onto the cube.
Solex or QGgroundControl would be the ābest appsā - Solex provides all the neat video-shot methods of a Solo, while QGC is much more comprehensive at mapping and missions.
Thanks for reply, was very helpful within all this sea of information and I was able to comprehend the procedure better.
Could you clear up some details for me that i dont understand , by installing OpenSolo4 from this guide are any extra steps needed for installing to have the latest arducopter or its installation is part of the prosses ?
Iām also in almost the same boat as @Vagelis - just got my hands on an old Solo for free and Iāve performed the update process to OpenSolo 4. If I understand you correctly, I can update the Solo to the newest version of Arducopter, say 4.2, without any issue? Parameters should convert correctly from 4.0.1 that OpenSolo 4 installed? Iām not familiar with the process here that youāve listed.
Is there another way to update the firmware on the Solo cube besides accessing the usb port on the cube directly? Thanks.
there is no need to access the usb portā¦ you connect your laptop with a SSH client to the solo-controllerās wifi ā¦ usually SoloLink_XXXXXX , and then u can āsshā a connection over the wifi link into the solo drone itself, and perform the update through the wifi/ssh link.
eg1: this will give you a terminal/ssh connection to the drone , where you can type linux commands like ārebootā and ālsā
āssh root@10.1.1.10ā
eg2: this uses the same idea but āsendsā a new firmware to the drone, and the drone will accept it and will upgrade to it the next time it powers upā¦
āscp build/CubeSolo/bin/arducopter.apj root@10.1.1.10:/firmware/ā
thank you for all of your work on OpenSolo and for creating such a smooth migration path from the 3DR fork to mainline ardupilot. you rescued this hardware!
when uploading new firmware to the Solo, is it important to clean out all of the other files from /firmware, or do those need to remain?
i tried to install the stable (4.2.3) and beta (4.3.0) CubeSolo ardupilot firmware. i tried manually using pixhawk.py as well as the method you described above.
in both cases it seems like the controller (artoo?) is not able to get a radio fix. i tried factory resetting the controller, clearing params on the pixhawk, etc. the only solution i could find was to revert to ardupilot.apj version included with OpenSolo4 release.
is it possible for the ardupilot firmware to become incompatible with the controller? is there some other important step iāve missed?
ArduCopter 4.3.2 is now available for install to your OpenSolo4 drone , recommended install for end-users is via the Solex app, but other methods [ such as via SSH ] also work.
If installing with Solex, just open the Solex app on your Android device and navigate to the usual update/s area.
If wanting to install without solex, please visit the above āissueā link for more details, such as links to the source/s and binaries for both āstockā cube and green cube.
Iāve had the opportunity to get a brand new 3DR solo (still in the box).
Iāve tried the upgrade via solex but my issue is that during the installation for the controller update the sololinkxxx wifi has disappeared. And I cannot get it back.