Can anyone tell how waterproof the DJI phantom 4 is? I guess it could take a little rain right?

I live in The Netherlands where once in a while it could rain randomly out of nowhere.
Just wondering if it could take a little flight through the rain.

Wouldn't take it in the shower with you

Following this post

There was a previous thread where one got wet (freshwater) and was successfully flown afterward, so .... in a way.
I got a light sprinkle once while flying and brought it in right away. I'd be worried about what rain would do to the props efficiency.  

^ I did the same. In my case, I got rain on the front UV filter of the camera which rather spoilt the shot, so I elected to bring it back and wait out the rain.

madaerial Posted at 2016-5-1 05:26
There was a previous thread where one got wet (freshwater) and was successfully flown afterward, so  ...

It's just a worst case scenario where you have to fly through the rain back to base. But it probably will be quite water proof i guess.

mikeverwoerd Posted at 2016-5-9 14:17
It's just a worst case scenario where you have to fly through the rain back to base. But it probab ...

Not water proof at all, if water gets in on the circuit board through the vents, you can definitely say good bye to your warranty if not the p4 all together!

I was always of the opinion that water and electricity don't mix and there seems to be far to many electrical components and other orifices that are unprotected/covered.
I personally wouldn't do it unless it was as mikeeverwoerd said, worst case scenario.

Oh it's 100% waterproof. Go test it out, and make sure to record video;)

It does not like water at all.

You could make it water resistant by coating the electronics board with potting compound or Corrosion X. We use it all time on RC boat receivers and servos.. Usually when a pc board gets submersed a goods cleaning with rubbing alcohol will bring it back yo life. The camera and warranty are another issue.

I shoot storm clouds mostly, I try to avoid rain, but the nature of my work means that I sometimes get stuck out in the rain. I have a separate rig designed for bad weather conditions, but My P3P has been caught in the rain several times, to the point where it is dripping wet when it returned and it hasn't had a problem. These things are tougher than most people think. The RPM of the props shred the droplets into fine mist so it's more like moisture buildup in light rain. I would definitely RTH as soon as it starts raining, but I think you will be fine with light exposure to rain especially since the P4 is better sealed then the P3. If you're really concerned there are companies out their that can add better weather resistance to you bird if needed. All of my drones have added weather resistance because I fly over water, and near storms. It's also not a bad idea to get insurance on your drone just in case: https://neary-aerial.com/product ... e-contracts/page/3/

Light rain should be fine. Just land it and bring it somewhere safe when it starts raining.

to me means waterproof: water can come in but not out

The main board could be coat with Corrosion X to make it very water resistant. I have used Corrosion X on RC Boat electronics with great success. The motors will run under water. Camera not sure.

I saw a youtube video vlog where one crashed in to a lake but they recovered it from the bottom of the lake. Later it was taken apart and dried out it worked fine.  

If it starts rain during a flight, it should handle the trip home without problems, unless the sky opens completelly, otherwise is no point flying in rain, due to water on the lens that will ruin the footage

I'm gonna post up some underwater vids I made with my P3 a while back.
Some might be surprised to know these things also make great submarines....only the props spin a bit slower underwater.Range is about half the normal range.

Cessna172
I want to see those videos

I fly in the rain all the time as long as its not pouring down but raining hard is no problem.  Only my P4. I also have a P3P but don't fly it in the rain because it has all those vent holes to let water in.  I noticed the sdcard would be wet so I started putting scotch tape over the sdcard slot area and over the same area on the other side of the craft where the vent holes in the gray magnesium part go up higher.  Wouldn't recommend covering all the vent holes because they are very important. Just the near vertical ones opposite the sdcard slot.  The camera is effectively water tight on the P4 not so on the P3.  Battery Stays perfectly dry.
Check out my youtube video
It's my first and so far only upload to youtube

   

waynekathy7@gma Posted at 2016-6-24 22:44
The main board could be coat with Corrosion X to make it very water resistant. I have used Corrosion ...

Corrosion X definitely does the job

StevenSandersAT Posted at 2016-6-26 07:05
I fly in the rain all the time as long as its not pouring down but raining hard is no problem.  Only ...

That's a pretty stupid idea. All it takes is one microscopic drop or mist to get in and out comes magic smoke.

Nice chatting here... but back to the main question:

If u life in the Netherlands check out a German product calls "wetprotect". I use it on many electronics.. it's just perfect. But I don't make advertisement here. Go  and ask them on a phone call.

fansb515097a Posted at 2017-6-4 00:06
I dont see a lot of interest in water proofing the Phantom 4 pro  but if I do cover the vents with some duck tape at times ,  how much is over heating  a problem by closing the vents ?   both the props and underneath. ?

It is serious, they put the vents in for a very good reason.

I live in Ireland, where it is always pouring rain.

I have flown in heavy rain several times and had no issues. I always give it a good wipe down afterwards.

I am a new flyer and i just recently flew it in heavy rain, but brought it back right away. It is doing fine now, i did not use any lubricants but i probably should.

It is not advisable to fly in the rain. You would be taking an unnecessary chance, even if you have a few successful flights. The aircraft is not waterproof.

Two things I want to point out.  The first being, why would you want to fly in the rain?!  Moisture and water will just end up building up on your lens and ruining any footage, at the same time until DJI announces that the drone is okay to fly in the rain (which I would fully expect DJI to start coming out with watertight/weather rated drones in the future), I would advice against it.  Your drone is full of electrical instruments and sensors that if damaged, could cause your bird to spin out of control.  It doesn't take much water to damage an electrical circuit or sensor as extensive and complex as what is in that drone.  Secondly, it doesn't take much of a storm for an airspace to be restricted to IFR flight only.  You shouldn't be flying anywhere near a low ceiling as it is much harder to see your drone and harder to notice low flying aircraft in the area.  Flying your drone, in the rain, over a populated city, near clouds is probably one of the most dangerous flying situations you can put your drone and other nearby aircraft in as StevenSanders did in his video.

I wonder How this would handle

The Phantoms have moisture sensor strips inside the aircraft. If they get wet, you can kiss your warranty goodbye, as DJI will not honour the warranty once these strips show it has been wet.

Geebax Posted at 2017-12-8 21:24
The Phantoms have moisture sensor strips inside the aircraft. If they get wet, you can kiss your warranty goodbye, as DJI will not honour the warranty once these strips show it has been wet.

My P4 Adv dropped out of the sky into a swimming pool, sent it to DJI and warranty not voided, also when u lodge a repair under damage section the first checkbox is for 'water damage', so that's not entirely accurate....

djiuser_AWBwzwiUNihG Posted at 2-6 12:14
My P4 Adv dropped out of the sky into a swimming pool, sent it to DJI and warranty not voided, also when u lodge a repair under damage section the first checkbox is for 'water damage', so that's not entirely accurate....

That's one exception, I stand by what I said.