Recovering Phantom 3 Footage without Drone (its at the bottom of a lake)
- Thread starter Justin Namon
- Start date
Depending on resting angle and type of water that might be rust from a set screw.
Also I've washed SDcards and they are usually fine unless the contacts have been left in something corrosive (like a cars floor mat in the winter). Good luck and congrats on getting your bird back.
UPDATE: looks like bird is going to be down for the count. Lots of corrosion around Flight controller housing but will talk to my local RC guys and see if there's anything to help. I've attached the photo so you can see for yourselves.
Good News! Memory card has been salvaged! Images and Video still on except for the last two clips I recorded, obviously corrupted last file with crash and for some reason I don't think it was done processing my last clip as that one was corrupt as well. You can get an idea of how quick this all happened originally as the video and photo delay isn't very long as it processes it. win some lose some. Looks like I'll be selling it for extra parts, if anyone's interested!
Lastly I want to thank you for all your help. A couple Hindsight 20/20 comments, but mostly good stuff! I'm still going to power her on in about a week for shits and giggles, and I definitely will update on that. In the meantime I'm out of my eye in the sky and patiently saving up for the next one. Cheers and stay up!
Good News! Memory card has been salvaged! Images and Video still on except for the last two clips I recorded, obviously corrupted last file with crash and for some reason I don't think it was done processing my last clip as that one was corrupt as well. You can get an idea of how quick this all happened originally as the video and photo delay isn't very long as it processes it. win some lose some. Looks like I'll be selling it for extra parts, if anyone's interested!
Lastly I want to thank you for all your help. A couple Hindsight 20/20 comments, but mostly good stuff! I'm still going to power her on in about a week for shits and giggles, and I definitely will update on that. In the meantime I'm out of my eye in the sky and patiently saving up for the next one. Cheers and stay up!
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Great job! If you can find another P3, you may be able to finalize those corrupted files. When mine crashed I needed the video from the card but the bird was dead. Put my SD card in his bird, recorded a short clip and I could read the video. I tried numerous apps to fix it but none worked.
I'd bet after drying and blowing off the parts it will work. Maybe not perfect or for long but I think you'll get off the ground at least one more time.
I'd bet a fin on it.
Congrats!
I'd bet after drying and blowing off the parts it will work. Maybe not perfect or for long but I think you'll get off the ground at least one more time.
I'd bet a fin on it.
Congrats!
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When there has been a power off before stoping recording, it can leave you with corrupt files. Leaving the card in the bird and restarting it sometimes does finalize the files, so it is possible putting it in another would do the same. There is also a utility written to fix corrupt files. It was written for Inspire/P2s, but I've used it successfully for P3 video files as well. You can find it here: http://live555.com/drones/DJI-Phantom-2-Vision+-video-fix/
Sorry for you loss Justin.... Hope you can get it flying again.
There is a simple, cheap item to help when our Phantoms take a dive into water. I learned about it from these forums. Its called a 'Getterback'. Its a clever device that attaches to the Phantom leg and when under water it will deploy a small bobber attached to a 10 lb line that stays attached to the Phantom. Allows you to find the phantom and just pull it out of the water. Costs about $14. I plan to attach my getteback every time I fly near/over water...
http://www.robotshop.com/en/getterback-uav-recovery-system.html
Stilgar
There is a simple, cheap item to help when our Phantoms take a dive into water. I learned about it from these forums. Its called a 'Getterback'. Its a clever device that attaches to the Phantom leg and when under water it will deploy a small bobber attached to a 10 lb line that stays attached to the Phantom. Allows you to find the phantom and just pull it out of the water. Costs about $14. I plan to attach my getteback every time I fly near/over water...
http://www.robotshop.com/en/getterback-uav-recovery-system.html
Stilgar
A bath in some 99% isopropyl alcohol and a toothbursh will clean up that corrosion. Pretty minor. Give the whole thing a good scrub, and rinse with distilled water like others have said. Flood the motor windings with the alcohol like they said, but don't rinse with water. Let it bake and dry. Make sure you open that top cover of the flight controller and get it drained/dried too. Make sure you pull the shielding off the GPS receiver, pull it out and do the same alcohol bath and rinse and bake to dry. May as well do the cover over the compass and scrub that too.
Glad you got at least some of the footage back.
That circuit board looks good to me. Do as acherman said and you should be golden. Treat it as though it's been submerged still, and wait a week or two after cleaning before powering it up again
Thanks Acherman. Going to follow steps and do final "bath" before complete dry out. In the meantime here is one of the stills seconds before collision. I did recover video before collision but not the one recording as it collided. Either way bird was coming from 7 o clock knocked out back left prop.
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Well, I'm going to assume that there is an adhesive of some sort all over the top of the board. This was after scrubbing alcohol all over then rinsing with distilled water (except motor windings). I certainly freaked out a bit because I know this stuff can find its way in between connectors (if it is adhesive). I managed to really work it out by tipping toothbrush back in alcohol and scrubbing until it came off. Not really sure where I stand now, if that was adhesive or visible corrosion. But now it is all off and I'm going to continue drying process.
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Why must we insist on flying over water?
We know that it's bad, yet we challenge common sense.
Seems like a magnet and steele attraction, but how come?
Yes, pay the diver his outrageous fee, and see what else he can find while down there. I have a powerfull magnet that can be tied to a rope
And thrown in the water, strong enough to lift an outboard motor. I doubt there is enough metal to catch the Phantom. That would probably give your compass a real bad work out too. Who knows what else?
Hope you can get back in the air spaces again real soon.
Good luck and best wishes, bud. ;-)
RedHotPoker
We know that it's bad, yet we challenge common sense.
Seems like a magnet and steele attraction, but how come?
Yes, pay the diver his outrageous fee, and see what else he can find while down there. I have a powerfull magnet that can be tied to a rope
And thrown in the water, strong enough to lift an outboard motor. I doubt there is enough metal to catch the Phantom. That would probably give your compass a real bad work out too. Who knows what else?
Hope you can get back in the air spaces again real soon.
Good luck and best wishes, bud. ;-)
RedHotPoker
Some of the best shots and video come from flying over water. Besides, fall from 300' into hard ground and you might be replacing more parts than if you had splashed into water and recovered. The water I fly over..... It would never be recovered.
I would not try to power it up for s long time..... Any moisture in nooks and crannies...can short out the electrics. I suspect the camera is dead....because it will be a multi eliment lens and if water got into the housing...even if dried out, it likely to develop mould...also any dirt in the water stays where it settled when dried out.
redhot, I live in south Florida, there is water all around me. I got very unlucky with bird attack, but am lucky I landed in freshwater. I was flying over saltwater not 30 min before this incident. what I've learned in this whole process is to get a getter floater on my drone and continue flying as I did before this incident. at the end of day it's an expensive tool I'm not sure will work again, but I'm glad I paid the diver, I'm glad I'm a little more educated on electronic components of the drone and they're functions. I appreciate the good wishes of getting her up again, but frankly I can't wait to fly over water again. cheers and hope today is a good flying day for y'all. [emoji576][emoji100]
My P3P went for a swim after getting tangled in a paper luminary. I was mesmerized with the footage and forgot that objects in the camera view were closer than they appear[emoji15]. I dried with a fan for three days, sent it in to Drone Nerds for repair, and all I needed was a new engine. These birds are surprisingly tough!!!
Sent from my PT beating heart
Sent from my PT beating heart
Crude, why is the bird damned? We choose to fly in their air space and expect them to deferentiate between a drone an a meal? It's the chance we all take.!
I know it's a pain but I would remove the board completely. You need to clean the underside of the board. It's possible that solder points are corroded and could make contact with each other.
