3DR Solo Battery Case (fully enclosed and open versions)

thingiverse

FINAL UPDATE: 1/23/19 I have not worked on this model for over 8 months now and don't expect to continue with it. My original intention was to create a replica that closely matched the size, shape, and capacity of the original Solo Smart Battery Case. After purchasing cells from various sources, I've been unable to find any that will fit into a case resembling the original without looking like some kind of gross franken-battery. I have no interest in flying my Solo with a big, generic battery pack strapped to it. For those who do - good for you. As far as I'm concerned, the Solo is dead. The range was always weak compared to even 3-year-old DJI drones, and the gimbals never worked worth a darn. Despite many isolation mount hacks, special HDMI cables, etc., the Solo gimbal was very shaky and inferior to the competition. Time to move on - there are many more cost-effective options that are better right out of the box without needing aftermarket mods (green cubes, etc.) that still leave the Solo behind the capabilities of an old original Mavic Pro. This case design was created in DesignSpark Mechanical. If anyone wants the original RSDOC CAD files to work on, message me and I'll send them to you. UPDATE: 4/30/18 I modified the lower case (both versions) to allow more clearance for the power connector. Now that I've cracked open an original case - I can identify and fix problems inside the case. More improvements will probably be coming. UPDATE: 4/17/18. The top case was revised with a ledge to make accurate assembly easier. The top cover was extended forwards by 1mm to provide additional clearance for the latch in the event that parts alignment is not perfect during assembly. I removed the duplicate top cover for the open case version - both versions now use an identical top case. This is a replica of the 3DR Solo Smart Battery Case. I tried to stay close to the original design in order to keep the stock streamlined appearance. I'm not interested in creating a Frankenstein case at this time - I might consider it later. The fully enclosed version is a three-piece design that needs to be bonded together. I've found that E6000 works pretty well on PLA or PETG. Now that I've cracked open an original case, I can identify and fix problems inside the case. More improvements will probably be coming. As the battery cells age, their capacity gradually decreases, which is why 3DR recommends discharging the battery to cutoff every few dozen charges in order to remeasure the charge capacity. It's essential to not discharge the battery to these low voltage levels quickly. Slow is better because it minimizes heating of the cells that can damage them at low voltage levels. The most important thing is be very careful not to short out any of the battery wires when working on it. If you are not 100% comfortable with your ability to avoid this, you might want to reconsider doing it. There is a fire hazard. I kindly request that you abide by the license: You are free to make as many as you like for your own use, but please don't use these files for your own, or anyone else's profit (that includes paid printing services). I reserve the exclusive right to sell them myself if I so choose. I also reserve the right to remove or update these files at any time. I recommend checking for the most updated version before printing because these files are absolutely a work-in-progress. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgCwRn5fC_A