Can my P4 be saved?
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The problems you were having with the drifting sideways were because you had it in ATTI mode. The only sensor working in ATTI mode is the barometer, and it should more or less stay at the same height, but in ATTI mode it is to be expected that it will drift sideways.
When the operator doesn't take into the flying conditions and crash the vehicle, how can you attribute the error to mechanical/ In closed airspace, the prop wash will impact the barometer, so the alt hold mode is not reliable. when the quad is too close to the ceiling/side wall, it will creates a vacuum that will suck the quad in.
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I'd say BYE BYE BIRDY. Too long in silt and mud.OK, so about a month ago I was flying my Phantom 4 near a local bridge trying to get a shot of it passing through an empty pedestrian tunnel that ran underneath (In ATTI mode do to the narrow tunnel interfering with the collision avoidance) (my plan was to edit that footage togethor with a shot of it swooping in to make it appear as one dramatic seamless shot) when I started to experience an odd problem with the drone drifting sideways into a wall, rubbing against it (but not crashing, just scraping), it was not responding to commands to move away from it (I was standing directly behind it not 5 feet away to monitor it and ensure no one inadvertently entered the tunnel), the shot was ruined so I decided to try again so I landed, picked it up and exited the tunnel. I placed the drone on the ground and ordered it to take off and it immediately slid sideways like it was on ice, it then collided with a dock pole before I could react, flipped sideways and spun into the river.
In my panicked attempt to retrieve it before it sank to the bottom I also ended up in the water. My attempt to retrieve it was entirely unsuccessful and even worse, I was stuck, the river had no banks, just a vertical corrogated metal wall (it was a marina) and both the sidewalk and docks were too high to reach and there were no ladders. To make it even worse the water was only 39 degrees. Long story short I had to get fished out of the water by the fire department, by that I mean they had to lower a ladder into the water so I could climb out. In other news, hypothermia sucks, a lot.
Fast forward a month, my drone is still on the bottom of the river but I was able to get a SCUBA diver to retrieve it for me, here is the damage:
One propeller completely destroyed, tip broken off another, covered in heavy silt, water logged, covered in mussels, battery bulged and corroded.
The diver found the battery separate from the drone and the inside of the battery bay was filled with silt (see picture) so it appears the battery must have ejected on impact, hopefully that means it was powered off when it hit the water. All motors turn freely by hand with no apparent resistance or grit, the gimbal likewise seems to move completely freely.
The irony is that in about a week (from the time of the crash), after I used it for a college presentation I had to make, I was going to send it back to DJI under warranty as the gimbal was bad (I posted a thread on that as I recall), I was also experiencing some compass problems, which I assume are the cause of its odd behavior prior to the crash. This was also my first and only crash.
It had things that needed to be fixed/it needed to be replaced under the warranty, and I had DJI care, is there anything DJI will do to help?
Also, do you think this can be fixed? And how do I go about cleaning it? My plan is to rinse it off with distilled water and maybe take it apart to rinse the insides then put the whole thing in a tub of dry rice for about a week to dry it off, is that a good plan? Also will doing any of that void whatever help DJI might be willing to give me (I have done nothing so far)? My other problem is that I had only the one battery (which appears to be trashed now) is there anyway to test it without it? Or do I need to get ahold of another battery somehow?
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Make sure you include pics of the source of the parts. I wouldn't wanna' use them. Would you?
I suspect the reason for your loss from the description is the effect of rotor wash next to a vertical surface will 'pull' you in to the wall, it's the same when flying real choppers, I was taught very early on about this danger, the down wash recirculates and in you go! I am extremely cautious when flying around structures (both with my uav's and the real thing.
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Wow, glad you are ok. I can only imagine what must have gone through your mind when you found yourself in the water, never mind the drone.
There is little you can do to guarantee a reliable and full proper functioning of all the elements in the drone at this point.
If I were you, I would not be able to look at that thing without remembering the incident.
I'd get rid of it and get a new one.
There is little you can do to guarantee a reliable and full proper functioning of all the elements in the drone at this point.
If I were you, I would not be able to look at that thing without remembering the incident.
I'd get rid of it and get a new one.
Worst case scenario assuming it can fly again, it's gonna fall again ?
So what.
Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
So what.
Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
Well, I got I got it back from DJI today...
I have to say, when I boxed it up for shipping I wasn't really expecting much, thought I was spinning my wheels really, and I was right DJI was not able to fix it...
They did however replace it!
They covered it under the DJI care, didn't cost me a thing.
Ofcourse I'm still out a battery, a couple propellers, and I used up most of my DJI care, but I'll take it. I lack a battery to test it with, so I won't be able to stretch its legs for a while until I can get a new one delivered, but considering it's a brand new bird I think it will work just fine.
DJI officially rocks.
Anyway here's some pictures of the replacement drone, It didn't come with a memory card, but I was able to fit the one I salvaged from the original drone, it's beat to hell and I have no idea if it is working but I shall find out soon enough, I am very anxious to see if I can recover my footage.
FYI to those interested, because I have heard at least a few people who are concerned about what flight data DJI collects, before they could start work on it they needed to pull the flight logs, but couldn't as I had removed the SD card so I had to sink the data from my tablet, so either DJI collects no data you do not send them or any data which is stored off the SD card was irretrievable on mine.
I have to say, when I boxed it up for shipping I wasn't really expecting much, thought I was spinning my wheels really, and I was right DJI was not able to fix it...
They did however replace it!
They covered it under the DJI care, didn't cost me a thing. Ofcourse I'm still out a battery, a couple propellers, and I used up most of my DJI care, but I'll take it. I lack a battery to test it with, so I won't be able to stretch its legs for a while until I can get a new one delivered, but considering it's a brand new bird I think it will work just fine.DJI officially rocks.
Anyway here's some pictures of the replacement drone, It didn't come with a memory card, but I was able to fit the one I salvaged from the original drone, it's beat to hell and I have no idea if it is working but I shall find out soon enough, I am very anxious to see if I can recover my footage.
FYI to those interested, because I have heard at least a few people who are concerned about what flight data DJI collects, before they could start work on it they needed to pull the flight logs, but couldn't as I had removed the SD card so I had to sink the data from my tablet, so either DJI collects no data you do not send them or any data which is stored off the SD card was irretrievable on mine.
