Hi all, I thought I would provide some feedback on my initial assessment of a MM Float Kit that I bought from eBay for GBP £9.50.
Firstly, I need to say that I am very much a drone novice. The MM is the 1st drone I have owned. I received mine just before Christmas.
Prior to this I had some experience flying contra rotating blade electric R/C helicopters.
I have made a number of flights with the MM, both outside and inside and I have been amazed at the stability and ease of flying. I did spend a lot of time reading posts on the forums to pick up as much info as I could and to learn the main do's and don'ts. So far the MM has behaved perfectly.
One of my plans is to use the drone to film some dinghy sailing which will obviously involve flying over water.
Having read reports of flyaways, uncontrolled landings and pilot error, I had concerns over the MM crashing into the water, never to be seen again.
I do have DJI Care, but my understanding is that I would need to send off the damaged MM in order to receive a replacement. Difficult if the MM is at the bottom of a deep lake.
So I decided to buy a cheap float set off eBay for my MM.
I have no plans for trying to intentionally land or take off from the water as I am worried that water spray from the prop wash may wreck the electronics and motors.
The float kit will only be there as an insurance policy, should a disaster occur.
I fitted the kit a few days ago and carried out a couple of flights inside to see how it performed. It had been too windy to test outside.
I am pleased to say that the MM flew well inside with the kit fitted and the downward sensors were unaffected. Landing was as smooth as normal and in air handling wasn't affected by the float kit.
I didn't select the extra payload mode in the App menu.
Today l flew outside with the float kit fitted for around 16 minutes, starting with a fully charged battery and stopping when the battery reached 26%.
Wind was present but light. I would say no more than 2 knots or 1m/s.
Again I didn't engage the extra payload option in the App.
As a novice I couldn't really tell any difference in flight handling. The MM was still very stable and responsive. I got a couple of max power warning messages along the way which went away.
I suspect that in stronger winds the kit will have a greater effect on the MM, especially in cross winds due to the floats being at 90 degs to the wind.
The kit is really easy to fit and the plastics have been moulded to take the shape of the MM.
The floats are reasonably tight in the frame clamps, but I am going to superglue them in place so there is less chance of them popping out in a hard crash into water.
This will make the float kit more bulky to transport, but I think it's worth doing.
The legs of the frame are reasonably strong. I guess a compromise between strength and lightness.
In a hard crash there is a risk that one or both could snap and I'm not sure if there is enough buoyancy with a single float to stop the MM sinking. Looking at the photos below, I think there might just be enough buoyancy though with one float.
In a hard crash it is likely that the MM would be submerged briefly anyway so with one float, or two, a claim is going to be likely!!!
I tested the kit in water and found that I needed to slide the floats slightly rearward through the retaining hoops to get the MM to sit flat.
In the water, as can be seen from the photos, the floats are buoyant enough to support the MM clear of the surface.
The kit does weigh 45 grams so this will take the MM over the 250g limit and into registration territory.
I'm hoping that there won't be any crashes when flying over water in the 1st place, but overall I think the float kit is a worthwhile addition when doing so.
Hope this helps for anyone considering buying a set.
As ever, if you do so, then it is at your own risk. Don't blame me if it goes pear shaped ?
Firstly, I need to say that I am very much a drone novice. The MM is the 1st drone I have owned. I received mine just before Christmas.
Prior to this I had some experience flying contra rotating blade electric R/C helicopters.
I have made a number of flights with the MM, both outside and inside and I have been amazed at the stability and ease of flying. I did spend a lot of time reading posts on the forums to pick up as much info as I could and to learn the main do's and don'ts. So far the MM has behaved perfectly.
One of my plans is to use the drone to film some dinghy sailing which will obviously involve flying over water.
Having read reports of flyaways, uncontrolled landings and pilot error, I had concerns over the MM crashing into the water, never to be seen again.
I do have DJI Care, but my understanding is that I would need to send off the damaged MM in order to receive a replacement. Difficult if the MM is at the bottom of a deep lake.
So I decided to buy a cheap float set off eBay for my MM.
I have no plans for trying to intentionally land or take off from the water as I am worried that water spray from the prop wash may wreck the electronics and motors.
The float kit will only be there as an insurance policy, should a disaster occur.
I fitted the kit a few days ago and carried out a couple of flights inside to see how it performed. It had been too windy to test outside.
I am pleased to say that the MM flew well inside with the kit fitted and the downward sensors were unaffected. Landing was as smooth as normal and in air handling wasn't affected by the float kit.
I didn't select the extra payload mode in the App menu.
Today l flew outside with the float kit fitted for around 16 minutes, starting with a fully charged battery and stopping when the battery reached 26%.
Wind was present but light. I would say no more than 2 knots or 1m/s.
Again I didn't engage the extra payload option in the App.
As a novice I couldn't really tell any difference in flight handling. The MM was still very stable and responsive. I got a couple of max power warning messages along the way which went away.
I suspect that in stronger winds the kit will have a greater effect on the MM, especially in cross winds due to the floats being at 90 degs to the wind.
The kit is really easy to fit and the plastics have been moulded to take the shape of the MM.
The floats are reasonably tight in the frame clamps, but I am going to superglue them in place so there is less chance of them popping out in a hard crash into water.
This will make the float kit more bulky to transport, but I think it's worth doing.
The legs of the frame are reasonably strong. I guess a compromise between strength and lightness.
In a hard crash there is a risk that one or both could snap and I'm not sure if there is enough buoyancy with a single float to stop the MM sinking. Looking at the photos below, I think there might just be enough buoyancy though with one float.
In a hard crash it is likely that the MM would be submerged briefly anyway so with one float, or two, a claim is going to be likely!!!
I tested the kit in water and found that I needed to slide the floats slightly rearward through the retaining hoops to get the MM to sit flat.
In the water, as can be seen from the photos, the floats are buoyant enough to support the MM clear of the surface.
The kit does weigh 45 grams so this will take the MM over the 250g limit and into registration territory.
I'm hoping that there won't be any crashes when flying over water in the 1st place, but overall I think the float kit is a worthwhile addition when doing so.
Hope this helps for anyone considering buying a set.
As ever, if you do so, then it is at your own risk. Don't blame me if it goes pear shaped ?
