Mini destroyed, now what?

[Crouching Leopard]

Could be, but it also drifted at the same rate as the river flow. I was actually flying it at that level, it continued at the same level until I lifted it.

Its a possibility though. I didn't read the data logs so cant definitively say.

 

[March411]

The now what question......

You have the rest of the gear have you thought about just picking up a craft replacement? I see them for $150/$200 refurbished when I'm poking around. It would put all you current gear back to use and fill the void of losing a rig you enjoyed flying.

 

[slup]

Isn't it more likely the bottom sensor latched onto a patch of RIVER BOTTOM...and went lower to stay the same altitude?

Could be...

That's not how VPS sensors work on a Mini ... the height that's maintained comes from the barometric sensor & that will not change depending on what the VPS might lock on to.

The Mini doesn't have a "Terrain follow" feature ... so for instance, going totally straight forward at a constant barometric height (relative the HP) over an uneven terrain within the reach of the VPS sensor, the VPS height will constantly change, but it will not alter the crafts height above HP.

The only instance where the VPS have influence over the barometric height is when going really slow forward towards a slight uphill ... when the VPS height goes to 0,5m & below, the sensor will lift the craft up to 0,5m. So if going enough slow & the the uphill isn't to steep, the craft will rise & follow the terrain up.... but it will not go down again in a down slope.

 

[BossBob]

Isn't it more likely the bottom sensor latched onto a patch of RIVER BOTTOM thru the water and now thought that was the ground level and went lower to stay the same altitude?

I wouldn’t think so. I’ve had a Mavic Pro’s bottom camera pick up on a surf line and move up and down the beach as the waves broke on the shore.

 

[Chaosrider]

The Mini-2 is an awesome bird, and you would not be disappointed with it.

If the difference in cost is manageable for you, I'd just go for the Mini-2 Fly More kit. I have a bias in favor of "new", but I suspect a used Mini-2 would work just fine.

I'm slowly warming up to the option of used drones. It's possible...possible...that I'll go for a used FPV Combo when I do that upgrade. But it would have to be at a substantial discount from new, not just 10-20%.

I just saw a new FPV Combo on Amazon for $999, and I had to strap my hand to the arm of my recliner to keep it from hitting the "Buy it now" button...

TCS

 

[slozukimc]

The Mini-2 is an awesome bird, and you would not be disappointed with it.

If the difference in cost is manageable for you, I'd just go for the Mini-2 Fly More kit. I have a bias in favor of "new", but I suspect a used Mini-2 would work just fine.

I'm slowly warming up to the option of used drones. It's possible...possible...that I'll go for a used FPV Combo when I do that upgrade. But it would have to be at a substantial discount from new, not just 10-20%.

I just saw a new FPV Combo on Amazon for $999, and I had to strap my hand to the arm of my recliner to keep it from hitting the "Buy it now" button...

TCS

Best Buy has the FPV on sale now for $999

 

[Robert Prior]

I think the bottom sensor saw the water passing from front to back and caused the drone to back up.

I had that happen to me while filming over Harvie Passage in Calgary. Nearly drifted into a cable. I've only had the problem over running water, so I'm extra-paranoid now about being too low over a river or stream.

 

[slozukimc]

I had that happen to me while filming over Harvie Passage in Calgary. Nearly drifted into a cable. I've only had the problem over running water, so I'm extra-paranoid now about being too low over a river or stream.

This same paranoia is what is driving me to learn to be a better pilot in manual modes and not to depend on sensors that can make errors I may not be ready for.

Mike

 

[New England Droning]

First off, sorry about the loss of your mini and its sd card.
I'm not familiar with what sensors it does or doesn't have so I can't help with the why.

As crazy as this sounds, instead of looking at this as a failure, look at it as an opportunity. First, you learned that, for whatever reason, flight near those spillways is risky. Second I would use this "opportunity" to upgrade to the mini2. The Mini 2 was my first DJI drone... and is still my "Go To" drone. It rides with me wherever I go.... I have an inverter in my truck, so I can easily recharge batteries using the multi charger if needed... or I can use the trucks USB charger for that matter.
I have 5 batteries for my Mini 2... its easy to fly has a "good enough" camera for most hobbyist applications, and with the fly more kit... its easy to take it on mountain bike, backpacking... or whatever adventure you find yourself doing.

Anyway, my 2 cents of advice would be to sell your low hour mini batteries charger and case... and get a mini 2. I know tons of people who fly mini 2s and haven't found anyone who didn't love it.

All the best, fly safely and, again, so sorry for the loss of your mini.

"my Mini 2... its easy to fly has a "good enough" camera for most hobbyist applications,"
I Just wanted to say, I just sold my first Drone image at 40" wide to a buyer in Australia who apparently loves the fall colors in New England.
So your definition of Hobbyist and mine may be different but the images from a Mini 2, while not the largest, can be sold and if so, puts it above the hobbyist level at least for photographers. (note, I'm not a drone business but a photographer, hovering between hobbyist and Pro)

 

[Crouching Leopard]

"my Mini 2... its easy to fly has a "good enough" camera for most hobbyist applications,"
I Just wanted to say, I just sold my first Drone image at 40" wide to a buyer in Australia who apparently loves the fall colors in New England.
So your definition of Hobbyist and mine may be different but the images from a Mini 2, while not the largest, can be sold and if so, puts it above the hobbyist level at least for photographers. (note, I'm not a drone business but a photographer, hovering between hobbyist and Pro)

May I ask, did you sell through any particular site or was it a "through the grapevine" sale

 

[Rob Dog]

I agree with most of the above... Work with DJI and upload the log to them. I had a similar situation and they determined that the drone malfunctioned and sent me a replacement. But without the log, they will not help you....

 

[LoudThunder]

For some reason my phone will not show up on my PC so I took a look at the flight log on the dji app. I viewed the log and saw that just before it crashed it lost the GPS signal. At that point I think the bottom sensor saw the water passing from front to back and caused the drone to back up. It was only about 2 feet from the wall so it didn't take much. Thanks for the welcome and advise. Lesson learned now on to buying a new one.

Your phone probably doesn't show up because you are using a"charge cable" rather than a "charge/data" cable... Buy the charge/data cable...

 

[New England Droning]

May I ask, did you sell through any particular site or was it a "through the grapevine" sale

I'm on several POD (Print On Demand) sites. This one was FAA (Fine Art America) where I sell pretty good my regular Photography. (DSLR & S22 Ultra, and now Mini2). I'm also a noted photographer and Have been interviewed on CBS Sunday Morning/BBC/PBS/Weather Channel...
So my results may be different than yours. I share on my social media where I have thousands of followers... sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't...