Help! Seawater got into my Mavic Remote Controller

aimanhatim · Feb 13, 2017

I was shooting near a cliff called Timang Beach in Jogjakarta for like 30 mins (refer video attached) and there was no splash from the spot I was standing to take off. The wave there is always wild enough but I didn't expect the wave to reach that high (about 60 metres high). I was holding the remote controller at that moment together with my iPhone (luckily my iPhone is okay). I've put my RC in a rice pack for two days already to remove all the moisture but I can't still turn it on. The screen is still able to show the battery percentage when I press the turn on button but that is far as it goes. Nothing happens afterward. I couldn't turn it on anymore.

Is there anything I can do to fix it myself, or should I just send it for repair to prevent further damage to its motherboard etc? Or if you have any other resolution please let me know. I'm currently based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

aimanhatim · Feb 13, 2017

For some reason, I could not upload my video. I'll do it later.

sosmaverick · Feb 13, 2017

Get it sent for repair.. salt water is a known killer unfortunately. Best thing you can do is stick it in a bag of rice for around 4/5 days, leave it to dry out and don't try turning it on in between that and hope the water dries out without destroying it. maybe others know of other tips though?

Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

Robert Mitchell · Feb 13, 2017

Right about salt water. Nothing you do at this point will prevent the corrosion and deterioration of components. Even if you got it working, it would be a time bomb.

BossBob · Feb 13, 2017

Salt water is a killer to electronic components, and you've turned it on. Sorry but that controller is toast.

Matt · Feb 13, 2017

Might be to late but its the minerals in the water that cause the rapid corrosion. Best thing to do is not just dry it leaving the corrosive mineral all over the circuits but to clean it with isoproply alcohol. 99% Professionals use a ultra sonic cleaner but who has one of those. Take it apart, unplug the power source. Pour the alcohol on it to displace the water. Clean with a soft tooth brush. Then let it dry. Just letting it dry leaves all the mineral in the water all over the circuits and yes even if it works the dried corrosives will be left to eat away at it.

Lots of video on the proper way to try and save your electronics. Worked once for me on a Iphone i dropped in the lake but it was not salt water.

Probably best to get a new remote so that you don't lose your craft if it fails later

Some good info here

rfc0001 · Feb 13, 2017

Tear it down, then dry it out:

aimanhatim · Feb 15, 2017

I've dismantled the controller and let it dry a few days. I'll let you guys know what happened next

jcbcscorp · Aug 26, 2022

Any update on if this worked?

MS Coast · Aug 26, 2022

aimanhatim said:
I've dismantled the controller and let it dry a few days. I'll let you guys know what happened next

If you didn't remove the salt, it's doubtful whether you'll have a successful outcome.

Warm, dry air (top of a refrigerator or adjacent to a desktop computer fan discharge) is much better for drying such things than rice. Rice just has a bigger Twitter presence.

MAvic_South_Oz · Aug 26, 2022

jcbcscorp said:
Any update on if this worked?

From early 2017, so really old thread and the OP only ever posted the 3 posts here on this one thread.
They may get a message about replies to the thread, depends on settings they allowed on their account.

Gee, the M1P was the latest bit of kit back when this was posted

My guess is as it had obviously shorted, it was probably a waste of time trying to save it.