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Mavic Air 2 and the rain...?

itsneedtokno

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So I'm not saying I want to fly in a thunderstorm, let's get that clear right away...

What I am wondering, is if a light rain would be problematic for the MA2. I know @Phantomrain.org is designing wetsuits (or already did), but I was curious how the drone would do in a light rain, WITH and WITHOUT a wetsuit.

Also, while we're at it, what about updrafts and downdrafts on storm fronts? I have an idea to capture a storm coming in off the coast, but am worried about drafts and thermals and all that stuff and how it would effect my flight.

Thanks for any and all input!
 
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any sort of moisture from fog to rain to going into water like a river etc ,can and will cause damage to the inner workings of your drone and also could get into the camera ,they are not designed to fly in wet conditions ,there are a couple of specialist, so called waterproof drones that have all the electronics sealed in a watertight casing that can even land and take off from water
 
any sort of moisture from fog to rain to going into water like a river etc ,can and will cause damage to the inner workings of your drone and also could get into the camera ,they are not designed to fly in wet conditions ,there are a couple of specialist, so called waterproof drones that have all the electronics sealed in a watertight casing that can even land and take off from water
I have "heard-tell" that the fans inside put out enough "CFM" (cubic feet per minute) of air, that rain has a hard time penetrating the inside of the Hull. This could be hogwash, but it sorta makes sense. Again, only light rain, not a downpour.
 
I have "heard-tell" that the fans inside put out enough "CFM" (cubic feet per minute) of air, that rain has a hard time penetrating the inside of the Hull. This could be hogwash, but it sorta makes sense. Again, only light rain, not a downpour.

We never planned on making the Wet suit for the Mavic 2 as it looked pretty good all by itself.

That is until we flew it in the rain for 3 minutes and the battery had a small coy pond in it.
Next we dropped a few drops of water on top of the Power Button and within a few minutes the Battery was compromised.

That is only reason we decided to make the Wet Suit for what looked liked a solid drone.

Needless to say the Air 2 followed the same battery design and because of that We will be releasing the New Air 2 Wet Suits in a few days.

You can learn a lot about your battery and the seal by just running it under the sink for 20 seconds .

Phantomrain.org
Coal
 
I have "heard-tell" that the fans inside put out enough "CFM" (cubic feet per minute) of air, that rain has a hard time penetrating the inside of the Hull. This could be hogwash, but it sorta makes sense. Again, only light rain, not a downpour.
Any fan that blows out has to suck that air in somewhere, and moisture along with it.
 
Any fan that blows out has to suck that air in somewhere, and moisture along with it.

You would think that but its not the case at all. Moisture really can only effect the Power Button .
When you look at all the tests we have done, your realize pretty quickly that fan cannot pull much of anything.

We have even done tests where we took out the vents entirely and found no difference in temp or flying ability.
Vents may be more for hot looks as it looks pretty bland without them

If you look at the Mavic Pro you will see it has no vents, but than the mavic 2 has come cool striking vents , not needed.
We only fly 30 minutes before the drone start to cool down on its own, Vents no so important but look great.

The battery and the Power Button our the only weak links that need to be secured and sealed.
The Wet Suits do that well , Create and Air Tight Seal and allow you the best chance in the pouring rain.
 
You would think that but its not the case at all. Moisture really can only effect the Power Button .
When you look at all the tests we have done, your realize pretty quickly that fan cannot pull much of anything.

We have even done tests where we took out the vents entirely and found no difference in temp or flying ability.
Vents may be more for hot looks as it looks pretty bland without them

If you look at the Mavic Pro you will see it has no vents, but than the mavic 2 has come cool striking vents , not needed.
We only fly 30 minutes before the drone start to cool down on its own, Vents no so important but look great.

The battery and the Power Button our the only weak links that need to be secured and sealed.
The Wet Suits do that well , Create and Air Tight Seal and allow you the best chance in the pouring rain.
which mavic Pro are you speaking of ,i ask because my MPP has a great big air intake vent behind the camera/gimbal and two small outlet vents at the rear
 
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which mavic Pro are you speaking of ,i ask because my MPP has a great big air intake vent behind the camera/gimbal and two small outlet vents at the rear


I think the more interesting concept is that we covered up all the vents hoping to determine what vents were really critical .

We did this so when we made the RESCUE JACKETS for the Mavics that we would design around them if needed but what we learned was that all the vents were minimal in temp changes.

The Fans simply do not pull that much air , So no worry about pulling in rain.
The worry is about what we call the Splash and that is why we protect the Vents with a double Concave Layer.

100 flight latter in the rain, im still not concerned with the moisture ;)

 
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i have no quibble with your product ,or its usefulness, i do feel though that DJI did not just put a cooling fan and vents into their drones for the fun of it, or just to look good when the drone is flying there is a considerable amount of heat produced from the processor, ESCs, and the rest of the electronics in the drone ,after all it really is a flying computer
 
The problem with moisture and electronics is that it often takes time for any issues to appear since corrosion does not happen immediately. A short circuit caused by the presence of moisture can result in immediate issues and failures, but corrosion occurs slowly, and then the problems start to occur days or weeks later, and all the while, you thought those conditions were OK to fly in.

Also, there is a weather phenomenon known as Virga. This involves moisture (rain) in the upper atmosphere that evaporates prior to reaching the ground. It is possible to fly your copter in an area where you think it is not raining near a storm, while the copter itself is flying in wet conditions.
 
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i have no quibble with your product ,or its usefulness, i do feel though that DJI did not just put a cooling fan and vents into their drones for the fun of it, or just to look good when the drone is flying there is a considerable amount of heat produced from the processor, ESCs, and the rest of the electronics in the drone ,after all it really is a flying computer

Im sure the vents do offer some benefit in extreme heat , needless to say we dont cover them up , just protect them better and dont worry about the fans pulling in Moisture there just not strong enough..
 
The problem with moisture and electronics is that it often takes time for any issues to appear since corrosion does not happen immediately. A short circuit caused by the presence of moisture can result in immediate issues and failures, but corrosion occurs slowly, and then the problems start to occur days or weeks later, and all the while, you thought those conditions were OK to fly in.

Also, there is a weather phenomenon known as Virga. This involves moisture (rain) in the upper atmosphere that evaporates prior to reaching the ground. It is possible to fly your copter in an area where you think it is not raining near a storm, while the copter itself is flying in wet conditions.

Were looking at years of flying the Phantom 4 pro in the pouring rain , but keep in mind its rain and lake water not salt.
Over 150 flights on the Phantom 4 in the rain and no sign of corrosion this may be because DJI coats there boards .

The Mavic 2 over 100 flights and still rock solid and we really toss that around in the water .
Although Moisture stands to reason it does not add up to what were seeing with the DJI drones.

That is why its a shame the Battery and Power Button our the weak link and moisture being the cause for swelling of the batteries as well as extreme temps.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavics in the Rain
Coal
 
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Even if it is pulling in air from somewhere, the props would cause a ton of "propwash" going downward, atomizing the water molecules (somewhat anyway). The air it would be pulling in would be from below, which should in theory be pretty "dry".

...right?
 
Could you just slap a piece of tape over the power button as an emergency option?

Yes but your just not aware to how much fall out there is by the battery not having a seal on it.
Once that battery dis connects it happens in a spit second, no warning .

There has to be 100 dis connects on the Mavic pro and Mavic 2 forums , and that happens from the battery being loose , another reason why the Wet Suits protect your battery from coming loose. by making them air tight,, this way you have no worries.


On the Air 2 , we have yet to Jolt Test it yet but its coming as im not a fan of the metal clip as I dont get that secure snap.
So tape on the Button is likely to trap the water inside of it . No go.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavics in and out of the Storm.
Coal
 
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So I'm not saying I want to fly in a thunderstorm, let's get that clear right away...

What I am wondering, is if a light rain would be problematic for the MA2. I know @Phantomrain.org is designing wetsuits (or already did), but I was curious how the drone would do in a light rain, WITH and WITHOUT a wetsuit.

Also, while we're at it, what about updrafts and downdrafts on storm fronts? I have an idea to capture a storm coming in off the coast, but am worried about drafts and thermals and all that stuff and how it would effect my flight.

Thanks for any and all input!
its your drone, you can choose to fly in any condition but i'm not flying a 1000$ electronic in rain.
 
its your drone, you can choose to fly in any condition but i'm not flying a 1000$ electronic in rain.
No unsealed electronic device that has not specifically been designed for exposure to water should be placed anywhere near the potential to get moisture inside. End of story. Wet contacts also risk power failure which could result in serious harm to somebody on the ground, if the drone falls out of the sky. Retaining the silica gel sachet inside the Fly More case is also useful, to pick up slightly moist or humid air, when the drone is packed away. That is why DJI place it there, before shipping. (These sachets can be dried in a warm oven and re-used.)
 
I have "heard-tell" that the fans inside put out enough "CFM" (cubic feet per minute) of air, that rain has a hard time penetrating the inside of the Hull. This could be hogwash, but it sorta makes sense. Again, only light rain, not a downpour.
If the fan is pushing air OUT of the drone, it has to be sucking air IN through some other opening.
 
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