Phantom weather resistance?

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It is a typical spring/summer morning here in the foothills of the North Cascades: cloudy, damp, mild, with a mist so light you will hardly notice it until you expose your bald head. I love this kind of weather for photography, as it really brings out the full range of green color in our lush vegetation.

But... I wonder how the Phantom will do (hasn't yet arrived) in such conditions, as it will certainly accumulate a certain amount of moisture as it flies.

Have you flown in fog, mist or light rain? Would dielectric grease on the interior contacts offer enough protection or is the risk of a short circuit too high?

thanks!
 
GearLoose said:
It is a typical spring/summer morning here in the foothills of the North Cascades: cloudy, damp, mild, with a mist so light you will hardly notice it until you expose your bald head. I love this kind of weather for photography, as it really brings out the full range of green color in our lush vegetation.

But... I wonder how the Phantom will do (hasn't yet arrived) in such conditions, as it will certainly accumulate a certain amount of moisture as it flies.

Have you flown in fog, mist or light rain? Would dielectric grease on the interior contacts offer enough protection or is the risk of a short circuit too high?

thanks!


There are venting holes on top as well as the bottom. I bet you can put tape over the ones on top to block some of the moisture out. I for one would not fly in this condition due to the expensive parts water CAN in fact damage. The vent holes are there to keep your electronics in a safe cool temp. As long as you can get some wind across said electronics you should be ok.

Block water and still allow wind for the electronics to breath.
 
I'd like to think that so long as the mobile phone in your pocket is still working the Phantom should too. I know it works in light rain (officially), but of course humidity is a different beast.
 
yah,. there was this one sales video by a dealer, in Hawaii I think, that showed/claimed it could fly in some rain.
.and other video's online showing people flying in light snow.

the only really exposed areas are the motors, which I've heard still run even after they've been submerged in water,
so while I wouldn't quite recommend it, I'd say it might fare ok in wet conditions.
 
Gizmo3000 said:
the only really exposed areas are the motors, which I've heard still run even after they've been submerged in water, so while I wouldn't quite recommend it, I'd say it might fare ok in wet conditions.

Motors should be fine... The wires are coated as they need to be shielded from each other, otherwise they wouldn't be a motor.
 
DomKane said:
Gizmo3000 said:
the only really exposed areas are the motors, which I've heard still run even after they've been submerged in water, so while I wouldn't quite recommend it, I'd say it might fare ok in wet conditions.

Motors should be fine... The wires are coated as they need to be shielded from each other, otherwise they wouldn't be a motor.

makes sense!

probably a good idea to keep the bearings lubricated too
 
[/quote]makes sense!
probably a good idea to keep the bearings lubricated too[/quote]

You've just reminded me of another question... is there any need to regularly lubricate the bearings?
 
GearLoose said:
It is a typical spring/summer morning here in the foothills of the North Cascades: cloudy, damp, mild, with a mist so light you will hardly notice it until you expose your bald head. I love this kind of weather for photography, as it really brings out the full range of green color in our lush vegetation.

But... I wonder how the Phantom will do (hasn't yet arrived) in such conditions, as it will certainly accumulate a certain amount of moisture as it flies.

Have you flown in fog, mist or light rain? Would dielectric grease on the interior contacts offer enough protection or is the risk of a short circuit too high?

thanks!

Fog aint no prob for the Phantom! :D

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCma2bYvfpg[/youtube]
 
GearLoose said:
You've just reminded me of another question... is there any need to regularly lubricate the bearings?

Yes,. I'd say so. how often to do it, I dunno,. I'm about as new to RC motors as the rest of us
But the bearings DJI uses are known to be of inferior quality and they lose their lubrication over time.

One user here has even gone so far as drilling small holes in the shell (between motor mounts) so as to easily lubricate the bottom bearings. I just bought some brushless motor oil and plan to do the same.

btw, back on the original topic, if you really fear you'll be putting your Phantom at risk for dunks in water, dslrpros.com is advertising that they'll liquipel a Phantom for $440. (kind of steep if ya ask me) but perhaps you can also send in smaller components (like the NAZA) for much less https://www.liquipel.com/shop/
 
[/quote]

Fog aint no prob for the Phantom! :D

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCma2bYvfpg[/youtube][/quote]

I was glad to read on your YouTube page that the flight through the cloud layer was not intentional because otherwise I'd have to question your sanity :shock: Quite a video!

I used to live near the mouth of a major river, in the delta wetlands. In autumn we often had thick dense fog -- but it would be a layer no more than 20-30 feet thick, with the sun just a short frustrating distance above our heads.
 

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