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My Air2S Nearly Drowned

NigeConnor

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Thought you might like to hear some bad followed by some good news.. I was practicing flying close to, and landing/take-off from water with Rescue Jacket attached to my Air2S on a local fresh water canal about 10 metres wide..

Must have been a bit over excited flying low over the water. Looked great until I think the leading edge of the Rescue Jacket just clipped the water and in it went!..It wallowed for a bit, held afloat by the Jacket as I tried to restart the props which it gallantly tried to do and finally I got it to take off and come back to me..but it wasn't very happy.

As I have read from others, the instinct is to try to dry it by flying it but the camera shook and then stopped moving and it wouldn't take off again..I thought, this doesn't look good. So took it home and error messages: Compass malfunction, gimble malfunction and forward sensor warning meant it would't be going anywhere anytime soon..

But I was confident that damage wasn't permanent..So I put it in a warm, dry cupboard (airing cupboard in the UK), for 30 hours. At around 8 hours I looked at the camera and I could see condensation inside the lens and still gimble error and forward sensor errors were showing but the compass error had resolved itself! Left it for another 8 hours and the camera started moving properly! No condensation and no gimble error, just forward sensor error- it looked like condensation inside the forward sensor windows.

Finally after 30 hours the forward sensor error disappeared and I have a fully functioning Air 2S again!

I will continue to leave it in the warm place probably for a week to dry it completely..

Does anyont think I should do anything more to prevent any gradual damage caused by the water??

Thanks for any comments..
 
Get a new battery. Water will cause permanent damage to LiPo batteries, even if it seems to be working fine now. Don’t want an expensive drone dropping out of the sky like a stone.
 
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Dang! Glad it's working again for you! I was out flying over the river tonight and it's still an unsettling feeling. :)
 
Get a new battery. Water will cause permanent damage to LiPo batteries, even if it seems to be working fine now. Don’t want an expensive drone dropping out of the sky like a stone.
Why do you say this? What's the basis for this claim, given that the batteries don't have any components more water sensitive than any other electronic component.
 
You may still have ESC module problems most likely so careful with that as its the weak link in the Air 2S when being submerged .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Air 2S in the Rain. Land on the Water.
Thanks for the warning..Could you explain why the Electronic Speed Controller could be affected at some time in the future? What can I do to mitigate whatever might happen? Thanks
 
Why do you say this? What's the basis for this claim, given that the batteries don't have any components more water sensitive than any other electronic component.
The batteries do have a chip , its located under the Power Button as well as the Lipo is very sensitive to the water.

When the Battery is compromised it will quickly give you an error message that it has disconnected from the Controller and the drone will Crash within seconds of that warning.

We know this because we test the drones in the Rain and have witnessed the battery disconnect many times in are testing as well as submerging the drone under water with the battery.

Many will also notice that the Battery will start to swell once the Chip is compromised , this is likely do to the battery not being able to discharge properly.

One simple test you can do to ruin your Battery for good is just run it under the tap water over the Power button, takes about 2 minutes and the Battery will start blinking and its over.

Regards The ESC errors do come from the module but also are directly linked to the Main Board as well. Considering how many times we submerge the drones , that ESC is the nail in the coffin.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain , Land on the Water .
 
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You may still have ESC module problems most likely so careful with that as its the weak link in the Air 2S when being submerged .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Air 2S in the Rain. Land on the Water.
I did not know what a "Rescue Jacket" was, but you beat me to it to mention the Wetsuit. Cheers!!
 
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The batteries do have a chip , its located under the Power Button as well as the Lipo is very sensitive to the water.

When the Battery is compromised it will quickly give you an error message that it has disconnected from the Controller and the drone will Crash within seconds of that warning.

We know this because we test the drones in the Rain and have witnessed the battery disconnect many times in are testing as well as submerging the drone under water with the battery.

Many will also notice that the Battery will start to swell once the Chip is compromised , this is likely do to the battery not being able to discharge properly.

One simple test you can do to ruin your Battery for good is just run it under the tap water over the Power button, takes about 2 minutes and the Battery will start blinking and its over.

Regards The ESC errors do come from the module but also are directly linked to the Main Board as well. Considering how many times we submerge the drones , that ESC is the nail in the coffin.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain , Land on the Water .
This is the data I was hoping to see. So it looks like the battery is not sealed, so the BMS chip or related connections get wet and probably corroded.
Have you compared fresh to salt water?
 
This is the data I was hoping to see. So it looks like the battery is not sealed, so the BMS chip or related connections get wet and probably corroded.
Have you compared fresh to salt water?
One of the reasons why we made the Wet Suit for the Drones was how quickly the Battery Disconnected from the drone in the Rain. Salt water is a nightmare for the drone overall so you need all the protection the Wet Suits offer to protect the battery and the Power button as well as the vents .

Thankfully it does not rain Salt water , lol

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Float on the Waves.
 
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Salt water is even worse than fresh water as the Sodium makes it even more electricity conductive and more corrosive. And no, the batteries are not sealed. Even in the DJI owners manual it says not to use batteries that have gotten wet. I personally don’t want to risk destroying a $1500+ drone over a $100 battery. Phantom Rain is completely correct and has done the research. I have been working with electrical devices damaged from water and salt for nearly 50 years.
 
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I managed to retrieve the video of the crash and its recovery...See attached video. Perhaps not surprisingly the video ON the aircraft SD card was corrupted and wouldn't play however I found the cashed video on the SD card IN the smart controller and it shows all the gory details..Crashing, drowning, flying out and coming home..Brilliant! So far a week in a warm cupboard has returned it to full health. I will most likely ditch the battery that was in the bird when it nearly drowned..but so far so good..I reckon it was a lucky escape..saved by the Rescue Jacket...well worth the £150 I paid for it..
 
not surprisingly the video ON the aircraft SD card was corrupted and wouldn't play
The video file wasn't corrupted.
It just hadn't been closed properly.
You could have fixed that quite easily.
 
I managed to retrieve the video of the crash and its recovery...See attached video. Perhaps not surprisingly the video ON the aircraft SD card was corrupted and wouldn't play however I found the cashed video on the SD card IN the smart controller and it shows all the gory details..Crashing, drowning, flying out and coming home..Brilliant! So far a week in a warm cupboard has returned it to full health. I will most likely ditch the battery that was in the bird when it nearly drowned..but so far so good..I reckon it was a lucky escape..saved by the Rescue Jacket...well worth the £150 I paid for it..
Now I would love to see that video if possible of the Rescue Jacket in action. As it did not get attached in your post.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.
 
The video file wasn't corrupted.
It just hadn't been closed properly.
You could have fixed that quite easily.
Yes I presumed that..I tried a couple of file recovery apps but none worked..so I would be very interested in how I could have fixed it? Thanks!
 
Yes I presumed that..I tried a couple of file recovery apps but none worked..so I would be very interested in how I could have fixed it? Thanks!
The simple way is to put the card in the drone and power on the drone.
If you haven't overwritten the file, that usually fixes it.
 
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