does the avata (2) float?

Rickvdvulkaan

A while while ago i had a little incident with the dji fpv. It felt in the water, and wasn't able to trace it back. lost signal, totally gone. As the drone isn't supposed to be waterproof, i don't think it would have worked again anyway, even if i found it back. But there might have been a little chance if i could have been quick enough. (or at least it would be a nice addition for my cute little museum) I guess the avata doesn't float, right? I wonder if there are people who tried/succeeded in making it a little more waterproof without disturbing the aerodynamics too much. maybe a little styrofoam? plastic? Or is it just the way it is?

A J

I highly doubt it floats but I remember you could buy third party accessories back in the day for drones to stop it sinking. I'm going back several years now though

fichek

You can tape a tiny water bottle to it (150mL would probably work) or some of that foam pool noodles etc. are made of when flying over water. It will negatively impact flight characteristics though.

Morrisson

Definitely does not float. I crashed my Avata last week but I was luckily only about 20 feet offshore. I was able to retreive it but it was covered in seaweed, salt water and sand. Needless to say, it does not float. I've been looking online for a little floatation device to strap to the top. I once saw a traditional FPV guy strap a plastic Coke bottle underneath his drone so that if anything happened at least it wouldn't sink...if I can't find an actual "life jacket" I'll figure something cheesy out that works.

Dirty Bird

I don't know of any DJI drone that floats, including the Avata 2.

fichek

Dirty Bird Posted at 4-28 09:12
I don't know of any DJI drone that floats, including the Avata 2.

Agras series with an empty tank should be able to float

Dirty Bird

fichek Posted at 4-28 14:17
Agras series with an empty tank should be able to float

LOL good point.

DJI Tony

Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. The drone will eventually sink if it falls into the water and the drone will be water-damaged as it is not waterproof. If you're able to recover the aircraft we suggest sending it back to DJI for checking. You can submit a repair request here (https://www.dji.com/global/support). The warranty can be applied depending on the assessment's outcome, including your unit's warranty period. Have a nice day.

DAFlys

Anyone know if a drowned avata2 battery can be saved. Or is it just memory card and props ?

A J

DAFlys Posted at 5-23 10:01
Anyone know if a drowned avata2 battery can be saved. Or is it just memory card and props ?

I wouldn't even try mate - water and submerged batteries don't mix well...

"Lithium reacts intensely with water, forming lithium hydroxide and highly flammable hydrogen. The colourless solution is highly alkalic. The exothermal reactions lasts longer than the reaction of sodium and water, which is directly below lithium in the periodic chart".

In most cases the battery will swell and corrode over time leading to a malfunction but in more extreme cases it can set fire!

DAFlys

A J Posted at 5-23 12:03
I wouldn't even try mate - water and submerged batteries don't mix well...

"Lithium reacts intensely with water, forming lithium hydroxide and highly flammable hydrogen. The colourless solution is highly alkalic. The exothermal reactions lasts longer than the reaction of sodium and water, which is directly below lithium in the periodic chart".

It would depend on how well they had been sealed though, but it's moot as the carcuss is gong.

A J

DAFlys Posted at 5-24 00:53
It would depend on how well they had been sealed though, but it's moot as the carcuss is gong.

Not a risk I would ever take

DAFlys

A J Posted at 5-24 05:07
Not a risk I would ever take

Not unless it had a water proof rating.

A J

DAFlys Posted at 5-24 05:10
Not unless it had a water proof rating.

Indeed - the Avata 2 doesn't.

BTW - just got back from four flights and started Split-S acro! Just put the video up in the Avata section.

DAFlys

A J Posted at 5-24 05:15
Indeed - the Avata 2 doesn't.

BTW - just got back from four flights and started Split-S acro! Just put the video up in the Avata section.

Indeed, but theres no mention of it on the batteries which look pretty sealed.

A J

DAFlys Posted at 5-24 05:17
Indeed, but theres no mention of it on the batteries which look pretty sealed.

They would legally have to marked with a water resistant rating if they were

DAFlys

A J Posted at 5-24 05:19
They would legally have to marked with a water resistant rating if they were

No they wouldn't, not unless they were selling them as such.

A J

DAFlys Posted at 5-24 05:20
No they wouldn't, not unless they were selling them as such.

Why on earth would anyone sell a battery that is water resistant and not advertise that key feature to promote selling it? Doesn't make sense.

DAFlys

A J Posted at 5-24 05:25
Why on earth would anyone sell a battery that is water resistant and not advertise that key feature to promote selling it? Doesn't make sense.

Because in a drone that isnt water proof its pointless, but useful in some of the new drones as the air flow comes in through the front and over the battery, so if you are caught in the rain there would be some protection from a short.

A J

DAFlys Posted at 5-24 06:31
Because in a drone that isnt water proof its pointless, but useful in some of the new drones as the air flow comes in through the front and over the battery, so if you are caught in the rain there would be some protection from a short.

Can't be that pointless if you can still use the battery. Note that there is a massive difference between water resistance and water proofing. A battery with an official IP rating may be able to prevent water penetration such as an amount of moisture or rain but when a battery is totally submerged it will not be safe to use - especially if submerged for a prolonged period &/or at depth.

I would not encourage anyone on here to recharge a lipo that has been pulled out of a river.

A J

DAFlys Posted at 5-24 06:31
Because in a drone that isnt water proof its pointless, but useful in some of the new drones as the air flow comes in through the front and over the battery, so if you are caught in the rain there would be some protection from a short.

Here you go DA - this is from DJI. As I said, I wouldn't chance it mate. If you do use a power bank in the middle of a field at least.

DAFlys

A J Posted at 5-24 07:07
Can't be that pointless if you can still use the battery. Note that there is a massive difference between water resistance and water proofing. A battery with an official IP rating may be able to prevent water penetration such as an amount of moisture or rain but when a battery is totally submerged it will not be safe to use - especially if submerged for a prolonged period &/or at depth.

I would not encourage anyone on here to recharge a lipo that has been pulled out of a river.

And to be fair the battery has that explicit warning written on it.

A J

DAFlys Posted at 5-24 23:32
And to be fair the battery has that explicit warning written on it.

I looked into this a bit more as intrigued and you can get waterproof lipo batteries which have special seals on them - not from DJI though. But DJI do sell IP rated batteries for their Matrice models as resistant to rain.

DAFlys

A J Posted at 5-25 00:17
I looked into this a bit more as intrigued and you can get waterproof lipo batteries which have special seals on them - not from DJI though. But DJI do sell IP rated batteries for their Matrice models as resistant to rain.

I suspect the issue is the charging circuit and the switch/leds more than then cells themself. It's a shame that they are glued shut so you cant even get inside to inspect them.

A J

DAFlys Posted at 5-25 02:11
I suspect the issue is the charging circuit and the switch/leds more than then cells themself. It's a shame that they are glued shut so you cant even get inside to inspect them.

Probably a safety measure

djiuser_eSkAkWPFD4SX

I can 100% confirm that it does not float. I can however attest to its durability. It’s definitely not suppose to be waterproof but I put mine in about 4ft of water for about 3min. Dried everything out and it has no issues. My video feed stayed on under water, see pic.

fichek

There's no pic. You might need to click the blue "upload" button after selecting the pic if not using quick reply feature.