Help please!

[JamboMike]

So I managed to crash my drone a couple of days ago, and to make matters worse it landed in a river (freshwater), completely submerging it. I recovered it, removed the battery & put both in an airing cupboard to dry.

I've since put a new battery in, and when I switch the drone on the lights come on, and the camera appears to work, but that's is; it won't take off or anything else.

Any suggestions as to what I can do (apart from being more careful when I fly it, obviously) would be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance.

 

[CactusJackSlade]

Are you sure it is completely dry inside? Do the motors spin freely? Does it connect to your controller and device? Also, what model?

 

[steve_lyt]

if you have DJI care refresh you may be able to get a replacement.

 

[JamboMike]

I don't have care refresh, sadly.

It's a Mavic Air, and yes, it connects to the controller, but when I try to get it to take off I just get an error message - can't remember what that is at the moment, sorry.

 

[steve_lyt]

if you post the error message , peop[le may be able to give you advice

 

[JamboMike]

Thanks, I'll do that in the morning

 

[bumper]

Do not continue to power it up!

What you should have done (and should still try) is flushing it with distilled water (there are a number of threads on here about that, please search). Bottom line is that "fresh water", at best, has a lot of dissolved minerals in it. These are left behind after the O2 evaporates. Fresh water, because of the impurities in it, is a conductor of electricity - it can short stuff out, cause electrolytic corrosion, etc. Distilled water, on the other hand, is an insulator, won't conduct electricity.

What you want to do is submerge your drone in distilled water, flush it out really good, let is soak, then shake out as much water as possible. Repeat with fresh distilled water. Then let it dry really well for days. If you have desiccant, bag it with that, put it near warm heat source - forced air floor registers are good.

 

[midi459]

dunk it in 90 % alcohol as alcohol will absorb water then evaporate leaving it clean ...put it on a sunny balconey with alot of air movement and leave it for a week

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Do the distilled water rinse (very thorough), AND then use pure isopropyl alcohol to remove the water.
The alcohol disperses the water, and then evaporates very fast.

Note, you may have to remove covers to do this efficiently, leave them off then so it can really air out.

That said, it's probably not ever going to be easy to trust the drone again.
It's a flying computer, for goodness sake.

 

[Davros007]

Buy a pressure pack of “contact and circuit board cleaner” and spray it out after the distilled water. Take off any covers you can etc. Leave them off whilst drying. You might not be able to get isopropyl alcohol at the moment as it’s been all bought up for hand cleaner! But the spray is better in the sense it blows the water away, and it’s mostly alcohol. You can also use some compressed air to blow out residue too.

 

[JamboMike]

Thanks guys, I'll try to get hold of distilled water & isopropyl alcohol & give those a go.

 

[Medley]

Thanks guys, I'll try to get hold of distilled water & isopropyl alcohol & give those a go.

There is hope...

 

[Dakarenduro]

If you don't have desiccant a bag of rice will also help dry it out...

But you really need to disassembe the unit. Especially pulling all wiring plugs and connectors out for a cleaning. Not a simple task. Maybe contact a vendor on here and ask about doing the service for you?

 

[Johnmcl7]

If you don't have desiccant a bag of rice will also help dry it out...

No it won't:

https://www.ifixit.com/Wiki/Don't_Put_Your_Device_in_Rice._Here's_Why

...

You'd be hard pressed to find any experienced professional in the repair industry that doesn't roll their eyes when they hear the word "rice." We see the sad result of phones/devices that have been carefully placed in the Mahatma bag with fingers crossed.

 

[Dakarenduro]

Stand corrected on my rice advice!

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

When trying that ifixit info (it's not an easy link to click through to the article), click the first page link, then the wiki article down the bottom.
I've tried finding a direct link to post up before, no luck, always takes you back to the page above in post #14 link.

If you are dealing with salt, brackish, or dirty water, or even reasonably fresh stream water, these can contain minerals and contaminants . . . so first open it up as much as possible and flush with copious amounts of distilled water, THEN hit with high grade isopropyl, and go through the drying out stage.

If it's salt, been more than a few seconds in the water, or submerged and totally wet through, you are likely going to strike mid to long term corrosion issues, and it isn't too safe to fly something like these drones with possible solder joint, electronic components failing down the track.

 

[JamboMike]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I've tried the distilled water followed by isopropyl alcohol, but still with no joy.

The error message I get is ESC Status Error, and from what I can see I'll have to send the drone of to be repaired?

 

[Dakarenduro]

Contact dji drone service (DDS), an approved vendor on here. I have no personal experience using them but have seen plenty on this forum with happy customers. Maybe they can give you some guidance and possible baseline estimate?

 

[JamboMike]

Will do, thanks!

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

from what I can see I'll have to send the drone of to be repaired?

Contact dji drone service (DDS), an approved vendor on here.

^ This . . . as sending it to DJI, they will automatically know it's been swimming, and basically refuse to touch it as far as repair goes (they KNOW what water immersion means long term, and won't take a risk).
DJI Drone Services can take a look and give their professional prognosis whether repair is worth a shot, or if it is a waste of time.

Just a thought though . . . you have never posted the flight TXT / DAT to see WHY your Air crashed ?
No background as to what happened etc . . .
Was it pure pilot error, like you simply downsticked in sports mode into the water ?
Or could it have been an aircraft fault ?

If you think it's worth posting your flight log(s) in the crash / flyaway section, then it's possible some info could come from this prompting a rebate / discount from DJI o a new aircraft / battery, as they sometimes do even when mostly pilot error.
A lot will do with warranty, if in that period, or maybe just outside warranty.

See here . . . DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help