Crashed P4P+ in swimming pool

[Fvunen]

Crashed my P4P+ in a swimming pool, went upside down in about 1 meter of water for 15 seconds. Lights were still flashing when i got it out of the water but imediately popped the battery out to prevent anything from frying. Shook as much water out as possible but took it all apart the day after to make sure no residual water was left behind. Most parts were dry but a few components needed some extra help;

• The flight controller has a tape like piece of insulation glued to the bottom which retained water. Pulling it off was enough to get that dry.
• The main circuit board has a large cooling rib glued over it that captured a lot of water. Removing it solved that too.
• The camera still had water between the circuit boards and lens cover.
• The battery had visible water between the plates but electronics were dry

Put it all back together, the drone seems to be working fine but for the control range which appears to be less than half of what it used to be. Anybody any suggestions on how this can be solved?

Ps while the battery appears to be working (button and green lights all OK) it fails to charge and deliver power to the drone.

PsPs battery, drone and camera housings all have strategically placed water markers, little stickers that turn red upon contact with water. All were red in this case

 

[WV. Rootman]

The battery has a circuit board on top.That tends to corrode really bad, if somehow you can get to it. Spray it off and clean it up. Maybe that would help? I don’t know about the range problem. I had a P3 that I dunked a few times. It’s amazing the resiliency of the fandom quads. I hope it’s the same for yours?

 

[Fvunen]

I took the battery apart but there is not much to see really that would point to failed components.

 

[WV. Rootman]

I took the battery apart but there is not much to see really

I took the battery apart but there is not much to see really that would point to failed components.

I really couldn't tell with my battery. It was all green and hairy.

 

[Timinator]

I would sacrifice that battery, make sure the aircraft is completely dried out for a week or two, then maybe have a go at powering it up with a non-water soaked battery.

 

[Tomas Wangen]

Out of curiousity, how did you crash and do you have footage?

 

[Fvunen]

Crashing was a stupid mistake really, nothing to the detriment of DJI or the drone. Landed successfully about 3 feet from the side of the pool and then made a control mistake that tipped the drone on its side with the rotors still spinning. There was enough energy remaining in the spinning rotors to flip the drone into the pool :-(
I know, stupid!

 

[Archangel3356]

Fvunen, very refreshing to find folks who say...yep, I did it, DJI had nothing to do with it. I belive we all learn from those truths. Hope your Phantom is fine sir, I’d try a new battery also. Good luck !!

 

[K Henry]

Crashed my P4P+ in a swimming pool, went upside down in about 1 meter of water for 15 seconds. Lights were still flashing when i got it out of the water but imediately popped the battery out to prevent anything from frying. Shook as much water out as possible but took it all apart the day after to make sure no residual water was left behind. Most parts were dry but a few components needed some extra help;

• The flight controller has a tape like piece of insulation glued to the bottom which retained water. Pulling it off was enough to get that dry.
• The main circuit board has a large cooling rib glued over it that captured a lot of water. Removing it solved that too.
• The camera still had water between the circuit boards and lens cover.
• The battery had visible water between the plates but electronics were dry

Put it all back together, the drone seems to be working fine but for the control range which appears to be less than half of what it used to be. Anybody any suggestions on how this can be solved?

Ps while the battery appears to be working (button and green lights all OK) it fails to charge and deliver power to the drone.

PsPs battery, drone and camera housings all have strategically placed water markers, little stickers that turn red upon contact with water. All were red in this case

Into a bag of rice. Even a LARGE bag if needed.

I took the battery apart but there is not much to see really that would point to failed components.

Into a bag of rice

 

[Sam007]

About a year ago I had my P3 Advanced plunge into the lake about 15ft deep. It was in there for at least 30min before we retrieved it. Used a hair drier for about half hour at very low heat to remove as much water and moisture as possible. I than wrapped the P3 with a cheese cloth and placed in a large bag of rice for about a week. The purpose for the cheese cloth was to prevent the rise kernels from entering into the air vents and in the electronics components that are exposed in the battery compartment.

Every day I removed it and used a hair drier for about 15min and then back in the rice bag. I was not able to recover the battery, but the good news is that after 7 days, the P3 Advance started up without any problems and flew it without ever having an issue.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

Ps while the battery appears to be working (button and green lights all OK) it fails to charge and deliver power to the drone.

I had the same problem with the battery when my Phantom took a quick swim in a freshwater lake last summer. It was in water for something less than two minutes. I recovered the drone, removed the battery immediately, gently shook as much water out of the drone as I could, used canned air and a hair dryer to remove the rest, then put desiccant packs in the battery bay and left it in a warm room for several days. The Phantom survived unscathed and still performs flawlessly. Physically, the battery is fine, and it still lights up, but it won't accept a charge. So I just set it aside and bought a new battery. That's just as well because I don't think I'd trust the old battery after it got wet.