Is there a source for a Pixhawk 2.0 carrier board only?
I have a 2.0 pull from a Solo drone - that I’d like to repurpose.
Will a 2.1 carrier board work for 2.0?
Only thing I’ve found online is a full 2.1 (cube and carrier board).
Thank you.
The Solo cube is a Pixhawk 2.0 designed by accountants and nowhere near a 2.1.It has some hardware issues as well (ESC control,or not).So it’s a bad idea in my eyes.The Green Cube was developed to overcome the hardware faults of the stock cube and is the go to upgrade for a Solo to stop it dropping out of the sky.And it is a full 2.1.The stock cube can do a job in a Solo thanks to the custom firmware,and I run two stock cubed Solos,but I personally wouldn’t use it outside of the Solo.I’ve got a green cubed Open Solo (running full AC firmware) as well.
Spring for a full Pixhawk 2.1 if you want a solid, up to date FC.If you’re into excitement and unexpected surprises then use the whole Solo motherboard. 
Jagger -
Thank you very much for answering.
I apologize for not posting my whole idea.
I want to use the Solo 2.0 for vibration analysis and dynamic balancing of brushless motors. I’d like to build a standalone test bed - the Solo 2.0 is part of the instrumentation.
I’d sure like your opinion about this - good, bad, just dumb?
Thanks again.
KenMc
Phew.Not flying it.Should work for that I’d guess.Hooked up to a PC with Mission Planner you should get live vibration data.Which doesn’t answer the carrier board question.The Solo mainboard itself is an option but a bit cumbersome.There are a few third party boards around but mostly much more advanced than you need.A Pixhawk 2.1 carier would do it but I’ve never seen one sold separately.And you could build just a harness for it and epoxy the cube on a mount.Sounds like fun.But a smartphone does the job and it’s probably in your pocket right now.
I always preferred the laser from a hard drive method.I like lasers.
Mind you.I’ve got a Solo cube in the drawer…
The IMUs in the Cube are damped, so I wonder if it would be appropriate to use it to measure dynamics of motors. The damping will hide high frequency vibrations and amplify harmonic frequencies of the damper.
That said, the 2.1 carrier board has an undamped IMU on it, I don’t know if the 2.0 board does. If it does, hard-mounting the board to the test stand should get you good vibration data from IMU3.
Jagger & Anubis
Looks like this Solo cube will stay in the drawer too. I’ve posted this question on a couple of boards - and no one has pointed me to a source for a separate carrier board. One suggestion was to use a full Solo mainboard - I guess that’s an idea - but cumbersome (or not elegant). Springing for a new 2.1 isn’t in the picture.
The smartphone method is certainly a good idea just not a high enough “putter quotient” – I’d like to try the ‘…laser from a hard drive…’ any links you could suggest?
I didn’t realize the undamped IMU was on the carrier board - but that makes sense. The carrier board also supplies power - so the cube won’t work alone. Makes me wonder if Mission Planner would even talk to it without the carrier.
I’d hoped to use a set up like this to collect as much data as possible on a single motor. Combine the internal data with external sensor to detect the motor’s position.
I’ve dusted off an old Arduino, got a standalone accelerometer - can’t resist puttering.
In the long run I’m hoping to determine the best way to quiet Solo motors down (and improve efficiency). Maybe the best answer is to just swap them out. (But what’s the fun in that?)
The laser method is just strapping a laser on each arm and shining it off a mirror onto the wall.Allowing dynamic balancing of sorts.As demonstrated by Flite Test a while back and pretty common amongst avid balancers.
Sounds like you’re waiting for CANbus ESCs really.They are rumoured to have all sorts of sensing built in for real time motor sensing.But nobody has seen one in the wild yet as they’re still in the crash and burn phase of development.But they’re coming.
Quiten the Solo motors ? Only one way I know of and that’s to change the bearings out for something newer or better.I’m a dedicated bearing swapper at the first sound of roughness.I cannot remember the bearing sizes off hand so I’ll need to dig a bit.
EDIT: Top 1/8 x 5/16 x 9/64 Metal shield
Bot 1/8 x 3/8 x 5/32 Metal shield
and the best you can afford .Also need clips and shims (I used T-Motor).
Indeed, the Cube does not power on via USB without a carrier board.
A cheap Pixhawk clone would be an option. Undamped IMU and already compatible with the various GCSes for easy data collection. Could probably buy a used one for even cheaper, since you’re not flying it.