I am new to this forum and new to owning a drone. I have 2 questions that may have already been talked about in regards to other drones but I don't think the Mini. 1) Has anyone been able to use a tablet instead of a cell phone. I have a perfectly good Samsung Galaxy Tab2 that I would like to adapt to use instead of my phone because of the larger screen. I have contacted DJI and they merely said they don't have the proper cable or software and don't plan on developing any. 2) Sink or float? Does the mini actually sink to the bottom of a body of water, or does it just sit on the top but underwater? If it does actually sink has anyone come up with a method to keep it just on the surface so that it can be retrieved? Something that does not interfere with it's flying capabilities, like a small strip of thin foam or something like that, not pontoons because I hear they cause all kinds of flight issues. I have a boat and I visit some Boston Harbor islands and would like to fly the drone there but I fear losing the drone to the ocean. I have the DJI insurance and they will replace a drone but I have to have one to send back, if Davey Jones has it I will not be able to send a drone back.
Mini modifications
- Thread starter rscheff
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I use a GetterBack in many over water flights.
www.getterback.com
.
The worlds only underwater recovery device for Drones, Fishing rods and other Gear. The GetterBack depth activated underwater recovery device is now available!
www.getterback.com
I have heard of this device but I have also heard the failure rate is pretty high. I suppose as a last resort it is possible. Does it change the flight at all. The picture shows it attached to a leg, I would think putting it in the center of the drone would be better. I also wonder if DJI would say the device itself caused the crash and void the warranty?
Don’t know about any failures. If you drown your drone it’s toast anyway so it will need repair. The drone doesn’t know it’s there, and I notice no changes in flight characteristics. It only wok to 100’ water depth. Anyway... just remove the GetterBack and mount before sending it to DJI repair if needed.
I should not even have to worry about the drone being trash because I bought the insurance package and they say they will replace 2 drones every year for 2 years regardless of how the drone was damaged. The only condition is that you return the drone intact, or all pieces if destroyed, and pay $40 for first replacement and $49 for each after that. Hence my concern in retrieving the drone. I also might even be able to save the drone, even from salt water through a method boaters call "pickling". If the drone goes down in salt water and floats enough that you can get to it, you would put it in a bucket of salt water without even removing it from the ocean. When back on land replace salt water with regular tap water then distilled water and finally rubbing alcohol (all this is done without the battery). Let the drone sit in the alcohol for a day or two periodically shaking drone too loosen any salt and particles. Remove from alcohol and let dry for a week. Should work, but if not send back to DJI for replacement. Did this with a cell phone 2 years ago and it still works. But again the importance of recovering the drone is obvious. It just seems to me that with the amount of plastic as compared to metal the drone should not completely sink. It also seems to me that someone out there must have experimented with this idea by putting a dead, unrepairable drone, in water. Or actually crashing one, by accident, and retrieving it. When asked this question before I said, will the drone float on surface submerged, or sink to the bottom. I got a sarcastic response, "Yeah it floats like a brick". Was not too sure this was an honest answer.
The drone will sink without a floatation device such as pontoons.
also note that your DJI care can only be renewed for another year if you haven’t used it twice. It only offers 2 replacements period, even if renewed.
also note that your DJI care can only be renewed for another year if you haven’t used it twice. It only offers 2 replacements period, even if renewed.
Oh, I must have misread the contract. I looked a little more into the getterback product and the company admits they had a dismal attempt at first because they hired a manufacturer that used subpar material that had a high rate of failure. They also said to attach device to center of body with Velcro and the mini will not go into payload mode. I will probably be trying it for $40 but I still wonder if just a small strip of thin foam would adjust the flotation enough to keep it on surface.
Whatever you decide to do I wish for you never to have to recover your Mini from any water. 
Regarding your tablet question, you might just want to use the search function to look for the many times this topic has been discussed here. I am using an Android (Samsung) tablet myself and it works great. Bottom line is that you should try to find one that has at least 4GB of RAM. The cables can be purchased at Amazon. Good luck...and safe droning....
IFlyhigh37
Active Member
There’s also a protective skin for the mini made out of a wet suit material. Someone on the forum once posted. That could possibly cause the mavic mini to float maybe half way submerged. I don’t have the article or link but you could look into that.
I hang mine from the bottom of the mini. That way it’s free to release the float in case of a bath. I believe the failures are a result of the float getting stuck on the drone instead of floating to the surface. I’m also working on a way to mount it to the top of the drone. No effect on flight. Good luck and fly safe
Agreed that you should do some searching before getting a tablet. It seems that most of the iPads made in the last few years will work (and minis fit the the controller arms) while most Android tablets don't. I'm using a Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8" 2019 model SM-T290 that I bought from my local Best Buy for $129 and it works great. The situation can be confusing though because others have tried the same model without luck. I think it has to do with the fact that the units that are made for the European market with Exynos processors don't work while the ones made for sale in North America have a Qualcomm processor and do work. As far as I know none of the Tab A 10" units will work but Samsung does have other 10" models that work but are much more expensive. Some searching will reveal models from other manufacturers as well.
And one more thing:
Odds are that when you go to install the Fly app on any Android tablet you won't find it in the Play Store and will have to download directly from the DJI website and side load it. That process might require you to put the device in "developer mode" and/or change some permissions. In my case the Fly app installed on my Tab A automatically when I synced it to my Galaxy A70 phone but it doesn't update automatically.
And one more thing:
Odds are that when you go to install the Fly app on any Android tablet you won't find it in the Play Store and will have to download directly from the DJI website and side load it. That process might require you to put the device in "developer mode" and/or change some permissions. In my case the Fly app installed on my Tab A automatically when I synced it to my Galaxy A70 phone but it doesn't update automatically.
I'm cobbling cable and adapter together to get a micro male to micro male for the controller to my TAB A and regularly close connection. Keep getting RC not connected. Do you know a good place to find the proper cable? I finally found one but the connections aren't 90 degrees and I have the same connection to RC issues...
Whatever you decide to do I wish for you never to have to recover your Mini from any water.
Whatever you decide to do I wish for you never to have to recover your Mini from any water.
The site that sells the floats shows a pic wit it mounted with a Velcro strap on the top. This forum says mounting on bottom may interfere with the bottom sensor. The wet suit like thing is what I was thinking. I have self sticking foam that I could put on the top and bottom but I would not know how much to use. If I was a mathematician I bet I could figure out the density of the drone and the water and then determine how much foam to use. My cousin is an MIT mathematician graduate, maybe he could figure it out. Thanks for the ideas.
The wet suit will not keep water from entering the drone through vent openings
I did a search but I only found one instance from 3 years ago and he was talking about attaching a Galaxy Tab A SM-T290 but this thing isn't much bigger than my Samsung S9. I am trying to attach a Galaxy Tab 2 that I already have.
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Nothing will make it stay partially submerged (neutral) unless very lucky !!
It will generally either float, or sink (albeit gradually if the wetsuit helps a little with buoyancy).
He's not worried about that I feel, just getting the 'body' back for Care Refresh claim.
I think Thomas's suggestion for the Getterback is best, if looks refined now, they should have well and truly worked out any bugs from early days by now
But remember the tether limitation of 100' / 30m.
That should cover you for most inshore waters our consumer drones will fly, if you go out in a boat, be careful check sounder info or charts etc for water depth.
The only other thing I can think of is the mini struggles now for power sometimes (under duress), so adding even the 'less than 1/2 oz' or 14g, and having a little more wind resistance or imbalance, this could affect flight on such a small light aircraft.
I'd be thinking carefully about this, as you have possibly read, the arms can flex (under load), props can hit body, and if you fly over water regularly, you have to keep the uncommanded descent issue in mind.
EDIT - Ie. adding things can contribute to a loss sometimes, make a flight more risky in itself.
Amazon link to the cable that I'm using: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076SWW94R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Amazon link to the tablet holder that I'm using: Amazon.com: Skyreat Mavic Mini Air Pro Foldable Aluminum Metal 4-12" Ipad Tablet Mount Holder for Dji Mavic 2 Pro, Mavic 2 Zoom/Mavic Pro/Mavic Air,Spark Accessories Remote Controller: Electronics
There are lots of options on Amazon. These are working for me.
Thomas you hit the nail on the head. I just want to get the body back so that I can return it and get a new one. Just as you said I am concerned about putting something on the drone that will change it's flight capabilities. My suspicions are that it will sink but still not completely so that I could recover it, that's why I think a small piece of self sticking foam might not corrupt the flight but allow it to just stay enough on the surface so I could recover it. I would be in a boat so getting to it would not be a problem. I just found a post where someone reports his drone lost at sea and is trying to recover the logs for DJI but he did not say if he actually saw it sink or he just could not get to it to recover it. I asked but did not get response as of now.
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