little bit of rain ?

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Hi Guys I decided to take my P3A out for a flight and it started drizzling, it wasn't heavy at all but enough to blur the camera lens as the drizzly rain hit it. Do you think it may cause a problem in future such as it getting into the ventilation holes?

I know people fly into the clouds or the fog which is basically water anyway... but just needed to be put at ease :)

cheers in advanced
 
Phantoms should not be flown in any kind of moisture. Wait until it dries up and then fire it up. It'll probably be just fine. Check the weather before you fly next time ;)
 
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Thanks msinger.... It was the excitement making me do it :) I was tempted to send it back under the 14 day exchange and get another one and be more careful with it.... But I will just see how it goes. Pretty sure it would be OK :)

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I was tempted to send it back under the 14 day exchange and get another one
That's a pretty generous exchange program. Are you sure it covers user damage?
 
Oh I will just say it cuts off every 2 mins or something... They won't even test it and it's easier for them to just do an exchange but the whole process will take a week

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Oh I will just say it cuts off every 2 mins or something... They won't even test it and it's easier for them to just do an exchange but the whole process will take a week

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So you flew an electronic device in the rain, and were gonna make them replace it for free with a fake claim?

I'd say that makes you sort of a thief, wouldn't you?
 
Oh I will just say it cuts off every 2 mins or something... They won't even test it and it's easier for them to just do an exchange but the whole process will take a week

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Its annoying paying more for products to fund these return programs that are abused...

Please dont return stuff you wreck.

Your AC will be fine. Rain water wont cause any long term issues.
 
I did reply to one person but admin deleted it (someone got abusive to me so I gave abuse back to them) but I take it a lot of you guy's don't really understand British sarcasm as I wouldn't do that. It was me poking fun about how to take it back for an exchange " IF" I wanted to [emoji6]

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Lol thanks [emoji4] now I know not to use British sarcasm humour on here or I will end up getting banned lol really love this site and plan to stay on here for years

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I did reply to one person but admin deleted it (someone got abusive to me so I gave abuse back to them) but I take it a lot of you guy's don't really understand British sarcasm as I wouldn't do that. It was me poking fun about how to take it back for an exchange " IF" I wanted to [emoji6]

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Flying in mist / light rain does not appreciably bother Phantoms. Been doing it intermittently for over a year with one P3, just recently popped the cover to look at it - no rust or other gremlins.

It isn't particularly useful thing to do, however. One drop on the lens and your photography is done. I just live in a rather wet environment so I'm occasionally trying to skirt the clouds. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But misting isn't going to mess things up. I do wipe down everything with a damp cloth (to get any salt contamination out) and then dry the AC. Not to worry.

Modern electronics are really quite tolerant to moderate degrees of moisture. Remember that one of the steps in making a printed circuit board is to wash it. Often in a machine that looks suspiciously like a dishwasher.

The camera is the delicate flower of a Phantom. Water behind the lens would be a problem. Just don't think you can play 'all weather fighter bomber aircraft' and you will be fine.
 
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Flying in mist / light rain does not appreciably bother Phantoms. Been doing it intermittently for over a year with one P3, just recently popped the cover to look at it - no rust or other gremlins.

It isn't particularly useful thing to do, however. One drop on the lens and your photography is done. I just live in a rather wet environment so I'm occasionally trying to skirt the clouds. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But misting isn't going to mess things up. I do wipe down everything with a damp cloth (to get any salt contamination out) and then dry the AC. Not to worry.

Modern electronics are really quite tolerant to moderate degrees of moisture. Remember that one of the steps in making a printed circuit board is to wash it. Often in a machine that looks suspiciously like a dishwasher.

The camera is the delicate flower of a Phantom. Water behind the lens would be a problem. Just don't think you can play 'all weather fighter bomber aircraft' and you will be fine.
Wow thanks for the feedback. I do feel a lot better now :)

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The biggest issue is to never, ever, let the battery get wet. Once wet the only option is to replace it.

In fact it may be worth adding a dollop of sealant around the battery lip if you frequently fly in misty conditions. I'm thinking of doing that, as I live in Borneo, and they don't call it "rainforest" for nothing...
 
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The biggest issue is to never, ever, let the battery get wet. Once wet the only option is to replace it.

In fact it may be worth adding a dollop of sealant around the battery lip if you frequently fly in misty conditions. I'm thinking of doing that, as I live in Borneo, and they don't call it "rainforest" for nothing...
The battery pcb should have no more issues than the other pcb'a in the phantom.
 
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One often sees "my PXX fell in some water and after drying it out it seems OK but the battery..."
(insert "won't charge", "shows only a single red light" "won't turn on", "swelled up" "exploded" "burst into colorful flames")

And invariably the advice is "If the battery got wet, replace it."

Lithium polymer batteries are unstable at the best of times. I wouldn't risk using one that had been dunked.
 
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One often sees "my PXX fell in some water and after drying it out it seems OK but the battery..."
(insert "won't charge", "shows only a single red light" "won't turn on", "swelled up" "exploded" "burst into colorful flames")

And invariably the advice is "If the battery got wet, replace it."

Lithium polymer batteries are unstable at the best of times. I wouldn't risk using one that had been dunked.
True but misting / light rain likely isn't going to cause the same issues as salt water shorting out the power contacts. I've never had any moisture in the battery compartment despite flying in a boreal rain forest. I do cover the top and side vents on the arms (it's Alaska, overheating usually isn't an issue). I did open up my year old P3P just to look at it. It's seen a lot of moisture. Pristine inside.

If I did retrieve a dunked Phantom, I definitely would toss the battery even if it looked OK. Would not risk that. If I managed to get the rest of the bird working, I'd call myself lucky.

But any ambient moisture that doesn't screw up photography (doesn't take much) is unlikely to mess up the AC or battery.
 
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I'm in Borneo but apart from inspecting my roof I've only flown my P3S in Iceland... I am looking forward to some nature shots around here though :)
 
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