Phantom Rain Products
- Thread starter DVPOWERS
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Crouching Leopard
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I just recently fitted the Phantom rain jacket to my 2 Pro. Finally, it rained today so I took it up for a test flight of about 20 minutes in moderate rain. When I got it back I was a little disappointed to see water in the battery compartment. On further checking, the jacket, (although I am fairly convinced I installed it with a lip all around the edge), seems to have pulled back in one corner so that the battery was showing, whilst being sat in the charger. I peeled back the jacket and refitted it making sure that there was again a lip all around the edge, installed it into the drone (pressing down around the edges to make sure of a good seal, then set it outside in the rain for 20 mins or so. On checking there was no water inside the battery compartment.
Checking the other 2 showed that the lip in some areas was minuscule. Again I repositioned and am now waiting for it to rain to test on the ground.
If you purchase this product then make sure that on the first installation and before using, that the skin has not pulled back. If so, reposition it.
Before taking that first flight, test it in the rain by setting it on the ground then check for water. (All your batteries not just one)
Before flying in the rain I will make sure of a seal by lightly pressing around the edges.
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You do have to take a few seconds to Seal the Battery Cover if you go up in the Rain.
That is the idea behind the air tight seal. Without that Air Tight Seal water will get in the battery thus the reason for the Wet Suit .
With that said you have to also remember that that the weakest link is not the battery but the Power Button and we recommend you leave the Power Button Seal inside the Battery so you wont forget it.
Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.
That is the idea behind the air tight seal. Without that Air Tight Seal water will get in the battery thus the reason for the Wet Suit .
With that said you have to also remember that that the weakest link is not the battery but the Power Button and we recommend you leave the Power Button Seal inside the Battery so you wont forget it.
Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.
Crouching Leopard
Well-Known Member
Got a response from Coal of Phantom rain. Gave the cover a slight squeeze before testing again and it worked a treat. Still suggest you test your installation before flying but mine is working good now. Top service from Coal and Phantom Rain.
Crouching Leopard
Well-Known Member
Gave the drone a final test in torrential rain and very high winds. Sent it vertical about 8 meters. Kept it there for about 20 minutes then brought it down. Checked inside the battery. Bone dry!
Great product and excellent service from Coal
As a side comment. I found that I was getting condensation on the inside of the lens cover when flying in the rain (it was also very cold), I solved this by removing the lens cover (see the link to a video on this), let the drone camera and lens cover "aclimatise" to the temperature outside, then refitted the lens cover. Condensation is gone. This happens because the temp inside the camera housing is higher than the outside air temperature, The fix is an old photography hack.
here is the link for removing the lens filter
Great product and excellent service from Coal
As a side comment. I found that I was getting condensation on the inside of the lens cover when flying in the rain (it was also very cold), I solved this by removing the lens cover (see the link to a video on this), let the drone camera and lens cover "aclimatise" to the temperature outside, then refitted the lens cover. Condensation is gone. This happens because the temp inside the camera housing is higher than the outside air temperature, The fix is an old photography hack.
here is the link for removing the lens filter
Coal absolutely has a great product line and provides excellent customer service and support!
I have flown laterally, forward, backward and both directions sideways in rain and snow and have not had so much as a drop of moisture in the battery compartment or the power button due to the design of the Wet Suit. Love that and the fact that they provide a better grip, make the drone more visible depending on weather and color as well as retain heat in both the battery and electronics in the colder months. I have not seen any significant heat increase in either the battery or the drone since summer is here and fly several times a week. I do see an increase in retained heat on the winter months which allows me to fly more than without them on. If only there was a method to keep the gimbal from freezing up. I’d be willing to give up some flight time for that feature.
If you fly near or over water I highly recommend the Rescue Jacket, or Sealander. The stability and low CG of these ease my concern flying over water. It would take a pretty sizable wave to flip it over where a babies breath will flip it with a pool noodle setup on. Some months ago I reported on here actual speeds observed while flying with them on my M2P. If I recall correctly, I was able to maintain 30mph in P mode and nearly 40mph in S mode on a calm day. I don’t make a habit out of flying in S mode since it’s not great for battery health. I do it to practice or if I HAVE to due to wind or get somewhere quickly, but only for short periods.
Another good tip when flying in colder and/or wetter weather - Leave the drone outside between batteries (protected from the weather when possible) unless you aren’t flying in high winds and are getting gimbal motor overload messages, then put it in a suitable size ziplock before bringing it into a warm area. This HELPS keep condensation from forming on the electronics, MINIMIZING the risks of damage from flying in those conditions.
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