Wet Smart Controller

[Pheonix]

Left my smart controller out in the rain . I took a blower dryer to it at first then put it in rice for 24 hours.. Now it won’t come on. Not good, any suggestions ?

 

[Starz]

Opps! Don’t know that I would trust it.

 

[bumper]

Rain water has enough impurities in it to allow it to conduct electricity. This will short things in the controller and cause electrolysis. Distilled water is an insulator. So the first thing to do is thoroughly flush the SC with distilled water. Drain, repeat with fresh distilled water. Some also use rubbing alcohol, as it absorbs the water and evaporates fast (I haven't tried this).

Dry rice is a poor desiccant compared to silica gel, BTW. Time is your friend, don't be in a hurry to power it up until you know it's dry. Bad thing about the SC is that there's no quick way to completely disconnect the battery, so rinsing soon with distilled water is important, . . . with the emphasis on soon.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Left my smart controller out in the rain . I took a blower dryer to it at first then put it in rice for 24 hours.. Now it won’t come on. Not good, any suggestions ?

We have submerged out smart controller in fresh water, I can tell you right now its going to take much more longer than 24 hours to really dry.
Trying to start it right away was a bad idea .

The best case scenario is that you have ZERO lights come on , worst case is that you has Lights come on and it would not start.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly you Mavic in the rain
Coal

 

[Rattydude77]

Since theres no warranty left I take it open it up and air dry it

 

[Phantomrain.org]

If the lights came on and it did not start up than yes , you will find that the battery is still wet ,

however if you got no lights than u might consider letting it dry out for a few days in a dry environment.

most likely the battery will need to be replaced .

 

[Pheonix]

I would never have thought to soak it in distilled water. I having nothing to lose so just soaked it. It’s a science experiment now. Gonna order a refurbished one from dji . I would never really trust it again but would like to see if I could get it going. No lights ever came on so maybe.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I would never have thought to soak it in distilled water. I having nothing to lose so just soaked it. It’s a science experiment now. Gonna order a refurbished one from dji . I would never really trust it again but would like to see if I could get it going. No lights ever came on so maybe.

The problem with going that route now and soaking it again is mold.
I would let it dry longer and than if you get no joy , than start to tinker a bit.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavic in the Rain.
Coal

 

[bumper]

The problem with going that route now and soaking it again is mold.
I would let it dry longer and than if you get no joy , than start to tinker a bit.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavic in the Rain.
Coal

I disagree. Firstly, it's important to remove the dissolved solids, acids, and other impurities present in rain and other "fresh water". Those impurities, if left inside, will conduct electricity with any significant amount of humidity. Mold requires reasonable warmth, moisture, and organic food to grow. I was a Navy Electronics Tech for 8 years. Plenty of moisture in the air at sea, no mold in the electronics ever, at least that I saw, food was missing from the equation.

Even if there's a fortune cookie left inside your SC by some careless worker, if you keep your SC in moving air (vent or fan towards the intake vent on the back), there not much worry about mold.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I disagree. Firstly, it's important to remove the dissolved solids, acids, and other impurities present in rain and other "fresh water". Those impurities, if left inside, will conduct electricity with any significant amount of humidity. Mold requires reasonable warmth, moisture, and organic food to grow. I was a Navy Electronics Tech for 8 years. Plenty of moisture in the air at sea, no mold in the electronics ever, at least that I saw, food was missing from the equation.

Even if there's a fortune cookie left inside your SC by some careless worker, if you keep your SC in moving air (vent or fan towards the intake vent on the back), there not much worry about mold.

That is good to know , what than causes the corrosion on the battery ?

 

[bumper]

That is good to know , what than causes the corrosion on the battery ?

The corrosion is caused by electrolysis and/or galvanic corrosion. The former requires a difference in electrical potential between the conductors and an electrolyte, the latter is typically between dissimilar metals in the presence of an electrolyte ( in this case water with impurities that allows it to conduct as the dissimilar metals act like the plates of a battery).