Discussion: Flying with or without bubble / camera cover

[Just]

I have read different discussion about flying with or without the camera bubble and thought: lets create a topic just about this issue.

Many people are scared of overheating of the gimbal, but I can imagine that these issues occured from not removing the gimbal (transport) clamp. Did anyone actually experience this overheating himself?

I was also wondering when there is high wind velocity would the cover give needed protection to the gimbal or should high speed winds not matter to the gimbal / camera?

 

[Crusader]

Why would you want to fly with it if it obstructs airflow to the vent behind the gimbal and it gives glare while filming?
The negatives outway the positives 2:1

 

[Just]

And how about during high wind velocity?

 

[Crusader]

Not an issue!

 

[stratos]

Well. I got my concerns about high speed flight. Airspeed is quite significant and everytime I see the gimbal of the Mavic well, I think that in the short term we will have quite a few issues by forcing the gimbal. Havent flown with the cover myself but will compare before and after


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[hellhole]

If not about Ventilation.. There is also the issue of glare from reflection of the sun

 

[limbows]

I saw a post the other day about this, apperently some guy wrote to dji and dji person sugesting to use the dome cap while flying and only to remove the gimbal clamp. Personally never try this cause i always remove the cap every time i fly the mp. I'll try to find the thread and post it here

Found it, cannot put a link so i just paste the post here.

Mavic gimbal issue; you all need to read!

Gimbal Cover/Bubble confirmation from DJI Support. I sent an email into support at DJI asking about the "bubble" and whether or not we can/should fly with it attached:

Dear John,

Thank you for contacting DJI Technical Support.

With your concern, when you are preparing for flying, the gimbal clamp should be removed, but if you are referring for the Camera bubble cover, we best recommend not to remove it since that will serve as a protection for the camera from water sprinkle, dust, and other objects that may hit the camera in any case during flying.

Hope this will help and thank you for your time.


If you have any other inquiry in the future please feel free to contact us back anytime and we will be more than happy to assist you with your concern.

Have a wonderful day ahead.

Best Regards,

Myra

DJI NA TECHNICAL SUPPORT

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...hare_fid=1514257&share_type=t&share_pid=38664

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[Random155]

I know everyone says that it restricts ventilation and it should be removed. But why does DJI advertise flying with the bubble on if its that bad for the mavic? I personally think that its ok to fly it and there shouldnt be such a concern about ventilation. The thing is flying through the area and the bubble isnt air tight... cool air is getting where it needs to be. Thats just my opinion

 

[chippie]

It is absolutely fine to fly with the cover in place. The only thing it will do is effect the footage slightly. Yes it will also make the Mavic a little hotter inside as it restricts airflow but these temperatures are well within the tolerance for all the components. This has been confirmed by DJI R&D. The Mavic also has built in temperature sensors so should the worst come to the worst it will give you plenty of warning and you can bring it in.

It's easy, most crashes cause irreparable damage to the gimbal so until you are comfortable with flying the Mavic keep it on, or even if you are simply not bothered about the quality of the footage, it will offer quite a bit of protection. After that remove it and improve the footage.

 

[halley]

This is a once-a-week topic thread.

Think of it like the convertible roof of an automobile. Your choice. There are obvious benefits either way, but it was designed to be okay in either configuration.

 

[RIchard Host]

If I leave the clear cover on, I get reflections of the propeller blades, which is unacceptable. Therefore, I need to remove it before flying.

 

[JohnC]

I like the convertible reference, halley, I take it off if the flight is for photography, but is I am just flying for fun or testing the MP limits & my own, I leave it on just in case of mishaps. The gimbal is very delicate and I don't want to destroy it as a result of mishandling the MP!

As others have said, the flare you get makes it a must to remove it for any sort of Photography.

The airflow across the heatsink on the base of the Mavic, generated by flight, will far exceed what can be generated by the fan. If I get some time I will set it up in a airflow chamber and measure the actual airflow generated by the fan with & without the cover.

 

[Recif]

If I leave the clear cover on, I get reflections of the propeller blades, which is unacceptable. Therefore, I need to remove it before flying.

Hello,

I have the same problem of reflects on, and I can't manage with it, this is impossible... I don't understand why there is only one guy having this problem notified and all others... All of you who do not remove the bubble, you havn't this reflect?!

Here is a video where we can see it (this is just awful!):

 

[fschilder]

This is one of those hot topics that gets people going because they adamantly believe their point of view to be correct. There are claims that DJI says to fly with them, and yet when I contacted them I was told not to because it shuts off ventilation important to cooling. Those that want to use the dome will avidly claim that there is no damage done and don't want to hear anything else. After seeing a video on YouTube, I decided to run a similar test (ten minutes flying a Litchi course so that both tests are essentially identical) and then used a laser sensor to measure the temperature of the heat sink. I got a 25C difference between the flight with and without the dome and that is enough to convince me the machine needs the air. The problem with electronics is that overheating will not show up as an immediate problem (unless it's extreme) but over time, high heat will deteriorate components, the board and its connections. How soon? Impossible to say but it simply makes sense that allowing the aircraft to operate with more cooling is better for the aircraft and its components. On top of that, why would one want to have a plastic cover over a 4K camera? It just doesn't make sense. In very cool temperatures there is probably much less risk but I ran my test in temperatures (on the ground) of 5C and it still produced a considerable difference.

Now the zealots for flying with the dome are going to jump all over this and so be it. For them, it's not about facts or logic, it's about doing what they want and that is their right. Have at it.

 

[Recif]

(Sorry for my english) Yes, I agree with your deduction... So the only think that made me hesitate to remove it is that I read Dji have advised to put it on... But you say the opposite... So I think Dji could not allow such a reflect on a footage... So I deduct it has been made to be removed. My Phantom had a free camera too and I didn't noticed any problem with that. Thanks for having written you opinion.

 

[John Shaw]

This is one of those hot topics that gets people going because they adamantly believe their point of view to be correct. There are claims that DJI says to fly with them, and yet when I contacted them I was told not to because it shuts off ventilation important to cooling. Those that want to use the dome will avidly claim that there is no damage done and don't want to hear anything else. After seeing a video on YouTube, I decided to run a similar test (ten minutes flying a Litchi course so that both tests are essentially identical) and then used a laser sensor to measure the temperature of the heat sink. I got a 25C difference between the flight with and without the dome and that is enough to convince me the machine needs the air. The problem with electronics is that overheating will not show up as an immediate problem (unless it's extreme) but over time, high heat will deteriorate components, the board and its connections. How soon? Impossible to say but it simply makes sense that allowing the aircraft to operate with more cooling is better for the aircraft and its components. On top of that, why would one want to have a plastic cover over a 4K camera? It just doesn't make sense. In very cool temperatures there is probably much less risk but I ran my test in temperatures (on the ground) of 5C and it still produced a considerable difference.

Now the zealots for flying with the dome are going to jump all over this and so be it. For them, it's not about facts or logic, it's about doing what they want and that is their right. Have at it.

Excellent test, using Litchi does make the two flights nearly identical. I spent my career in Avionics and your comments about the effect of heat on electronics is right on. DJI should take an official position on this issue. As I have said before, DJI engineers would not have put a major fan and grill in the Mavic if they didn't need it. Thanks for running a great test.

 

[FlyawaySOB]

Seems to me that it should be removed...

Then again, the fact that this is even a discussion is a condemnation of DJI's amateurish support/marketing... Not saying they're bad, but I'd be somewhat embarrassed if I were an executive at DJI and read the numerous online discussions about this on this forum. It's like the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing, a breakdown in communication between engineering & marketing (they publish photos/video with & without the cover), or a breakdown in communication between their Asian HQ and subsidiaries elsewhere... All of which would be embarrassing as a company their size that is clearly trying to convey a polished & Apple-like image and I'd go so far as to say thinks of themselves as the Apple of drones.

 

[RallySoob]

There is a guy doing a tempature test with vs without lens cover installed and he found the underside temps were 15-25 degrees hotter after being ran with shield on.. because the air vents primarily feed air to the underside of craft.

Solution: either modify ur shield or buy a pre fabbed camera light shade cover as it protects camera, allows air to cool and also block glare for much better in the sun shot pics. I paid 20$ for mine on amazon

 

[RIchard Host]

There is a guy doing a tempature test with vs without lens cover installed and he found the underside temps were 15-25 degrees hotter after being ran with shield on.. because the air vents primarily feed air to the underside of craft.

Solution: either modify ur shield or buy a pre fabbed camera light shade cover as it protects camera, allows air to cool and also block glare for much better in the sun shot pics. I paid 20$ for mine on amazon View attachment 3671

Thanks. That's very helpful. I just ordered one.

 

[UbiBird]

Hello,

I have the same problem of reflects on, and I can't manage with it, this is impossible... I don't understand why there is only one guy having this problem notified and all others... All of you who do not remove the bubble, you havn't this reflect?!

Here is a video where we can see it (this is just awful!):

Sweet hair