Hi DJI Support and All

Just wondering if you suggest that I store my drone in the Dry Cabinet. I spend most of my time in the humid Southeast Asia.

I realize that there is a benefit to keep the drone inside the Dry Cabinet because it has lens (just like camera lens in general) however I read online that Dry Cabinet may cause plastic/rubber parts to crack and lubricant to dry out

Can I get the expert opinion here because I realize that there are plastic components of the drone and am not sure if there is lubricant inside the propulsion/motor system.

Thank you in advance.

Not sure what you mean by a "Dry Box" if you are referring to a waterproof box I use one for my MP, just put a bag of silica deccassent in the box with it and it should be fine. I live in Central Florida where it is hot & humid 80% of the year. As far as lubricants go there is no need to lubricate the motors as they are not taxed with large amperage input and they are brushless. I only lubricate the motors on my race quads once every 20 flights as they are slammed with up to 30-50 amps when pumped.

QuadKid Posted at 2018-7-14 05:54
Not sure what you mean by a "Dry Box" if you are referring to a waterproof box I use one for my MP, just put a bag of silica deccassent in the box with it and it should be fine. I live in Central Florida where it is hot & humid 80% of the year. As far as lubricants go there is no need to lubricate the motors as they are not taxed with large amperage input and they are brushless. I only lubricate the motors on my race quads once every 20 flights as they are slammed with up to 30-50 amps when pumped.

Hi QuadKid, sorry I referred to Dry Cabinet (have edited my earlier post with this term now).

I pulled one image online (I am not affiliated with any brand) for sample purpose.

Thanks for your kind input.

I pulled one image online (I am not affiliated with any brand including the one in the image above) for reference to what I referred to as Dry Cabinet

Hi. Thank you. To properly store your DJI Mavic Pro Platinum please try to look for a dry place to put it in. You should avoid moisture because moisture can cause circuit damage and can lead to a short circuit.

dronto Posted at 2018-7-14 06:06
[view_image]

I pulled one image online (I am not affiliated with any brand including the one in the image above) for reference to what I referred to as Dry Cabinet

That might be a little overkill if you ask me unless you plan on storing it in a place that has no air conditioning for a long period of time or live directly on an ocean beach, a simple 2" X 2" bag of deccassent in your carry case will do the job for normal use.

Thanks QuadKid for your kind info

DJI Stephen Posted at 2018-7-14 07:10
Hi. Thank you. To properly store your DJI Mavic Pro Platinum please try to look for a dry place to put it in. You should avoid moisture because moisture can cause circuit damage and can lead to a short circuit.

Thanks Stephen for your kind info.

Out of curiosity....does anyone in this Forum use Dry Cabinet at all to store their drones?

Well, I think people might want to reflect on where the OP says he lives - Southeast Asia, which is notorious for dripping hot wet humidity.

I think the question is, do you use air conditioning?  And, what is the average humidity in your home?  Lastly, how do other electronics in your home hold up?  TV, Stereo, Computer, etc?

MrArcher Posted at 2018-7-17 05:29
Well, I think people might want to reflect on where the OP says he lives - Southeast Asia, which is notorious for dripping hot wet humidity.

I think the question is, do you use air conditioning?  And, what is the average humidity in your home?  Lastly, how do other electronics in your home hold up?  TV, Stereo, Computer, etc?

Hi MrArcher, I use A/C in the evening after work but the whole day it may get hot and humid...So far other computers/flat screen TV are OK thanks

Then you should be fine in that case.  However, if you do start noticing other equipment failing from shorts, etc, you might want to recalibrate your thinking.  As you might know, the air conditioner is a great dehumidifier.  Sometimes air conditioners run more efficiently if you leave them consistently on at a higher temperature. Often it takes more energy to go from hot/wet ambient air than to maintain a consistent slightly higher temp.  Worth checking.

El Diablo Posted at 2018-7-17 06:06
I believe you've answered the question yourself... under those conditions, all of your gear will benefit from a dry cabinet, especially gear with lenses. Just make sure to keep the humidity levels at approx. 45-50%. Below that you can make oils to dry prematurely.

Noted thanks El Diablo

MrArcher Posted at 2018-7-17 05:59
Then you should be fine in that case.  However, if you do start noticing other equipment failing from shorts, etc, you might want to recalibrate your thinking.  As you might know, the air conditioner is a great dehumidifier.  Sometimes air conditioners run more efficiently if you leave them consistently on at a higher temperature. Often it takes more energy to go from hot/wet ambient air than to maintain a consistent slightly higher temp.  Worth checking.

Thanks for your kind perspective MrArcher

El Diablo Posted at 2018-7-17 06:11
I do, not only for my drones but also for my very valuable photography gear. Dry cabinets are not expensive at all and one needs to think if the 150-300$ asked are worth it compared to thousands of dollars worth of gear... and i live in germany not Asia-Pacific. So in my case, absolutely yes. Silica gel is good when travelling, under normal use it needs to be replaced or re-activated quite often. Also it is dangerous for pets and kids and the dehumidifiying properties and levels cannot be adjusted. just my 2 cents.

Noted and I would look further into this...sounds useful to use it in humid place like here.

El Diablo Posted at 2018-7-17 06:14
One more reason to get a Dry Cabinet. Those changes in temperature and humidity levels are exactly the kind of conditions that fungus need... a cheap Chinese cabinet will do the job (the majority are rebranded versions of the same model, just be sure to get one with a digital display and add a simple 15$ humidity gauge to the mix as a backup).

great thanks much El Diablo..appreciate your kind advice

I've never known a camera to be more prone to fungus than any other household item, like walls, wall paper, couches, etc, where you will more commonly see evidence, but if the OP is seeing mold, he should probably get the box.  Or better yet, as I suggested, run the A/C full time.  Imho, if there is any evidence of a mold issue - especially black mold, I'd be much more concerned about my families health than the effects on a drone.  If the OP senses mold is even remotely at risk in his home, forget about the box, and seek a solution that prevents it anywhere in the living area - Your health is much more important.

MrArcher Posted at 2018-7-17 06:29
I've never known a camera to be more prone to fungus than any other household item, like walls, wall paper, couches, etc, where you will more commonly see evidence, but if the OP is seeing mold, he should probably get the box.  Or better yet, as I suggested, run the A/C full time.  Imho, if there is any evidence of a mold issue - especially black mold, I'd be much more concerned about my families health than the effects on a drone.  If the OP senses mold is even remotely at risk in his home, forget about the box, and seek a solution that prevents it anywhere in the living area - Your health is much more important.

noted thanks for your input

El Diablo Posted at 2018-7-17 06:25
Pas de quois, you're welcome.

DJI Stephen Posted at 2018-7-14 07:10
Hi. Thank you. To properly store your DJI Mavic Pro Platinum please try to look for a dry place to put it in. You should avoid moisture because moisture can cause circuit damage and can lead to a short circuit.

Moisture in the air isn't bad for the drone by itself, but lens could be the issue.  
If you are inside with AC, and while the Mavic is cold, you take it outside where the temp and humidity are high, you can get condensation on the Mavic, just like a cold drink.  This will occur if the dew point is higher than the temp in your house, mornings and evenings you have to watch closer as some days the humidity will be near 100%.

If you are sea side, you will also get lots of salt in the air, and combined with the moisture, the two of them together can be deadly for any metals, electronics, etc.  You will need to keep the salt off your Mavic.  Now if you are living seaside, you see what the spray does to everything, so in that situation, any sealed container would be a benefit for sure, and the dry box might be needed.  A friends house is seaside, and the screws that hold all the electronic boxes closed have corroded on him, inside his house...so the sea spray will effect anything seaside.

The lens is a different animal due to its very tight setup.  Mold loves places that are stagnant, and inside the lens void would be stagnant.  Not sure how well DJI has those sealed.  Possible to have air pass without allowing spores....  Now, in your setup, the AC at night might be enough to cool and lower humidity so nothing grows, but for the price of a dry box, I would suggest better to be safe.

If you got a gun safe with a drying rod (aka Goldenrod), there's your storage spot.  Goldenrod dehumidifier essentially warms air in an enclosure so air is hotter, thus drier; than environment outside.  


For an explanation: Take a look at Psychrometric Chart Calculator.

Merced69 Posted at 2018-7-17 10:06
Moisture in the air isn't bad for the drone by itself, but lens could be the issue.  
If you are inside with AC, and while the Mavic is cold, you take it outside where the temp and humidity are high, you can get condensation on the Mavic, just like a cold drink.  This will occur if the dew point is higher than the temp in your house, mornings and evenings you have to watch closer as some days the humidity will be near 100%.

Thanks for your kind and detailed perspective. Think it’s worth investing in the dry cabinet

HedgeTrimmer Posted at 2018-7-17 10:17
If you got a gun safe with a drying rod (aka Goldenrod), there's your storage spot.  Goldenrod dehumidifier essentially warms air in an enclosure so air is hotter, thus drier; than environment outside.  

Thank you for your kind input. Noted on this

Hi
You can use Pro Breeze Electric Mini Dehumidifier. As you spend most of your time in the Southeast Asia it will help you.It has following pros that you might like.

• Super quiet
• Great for small spaces
• Auto-shuts off when the tank is full
• Lightweight, conpact, and portable
  

Using this you can keep your drone outside in open room.

Source:https://dehumidifierslist.com/

Oops!

what a blunder...
(and now according to the forum rules I can't edit it)
please ignore the above comment.
This is what I was doing:

source: https://dehumidifierslist.com/

You can get a digital thermostat/humidistat at Lowes/HomeDepot. Look for one that shows current values and the min/max from the last 24 hours, this is good enough to put in in a few spots around the basement and understand what to do.

Humidistats, in general, aren't very good, so expect a variation of 10 or more between humidistats. More so if the one inside the dehumidifier is ill-positioned relative to airflow.

Putting it near the furnace shouldn't be an issue, but if your ducts are leaky, or the unit emits lots of heat in heating season, it would reduce humidity around itself. It mostly boils down to air circulation.

Be sure you can use gravity, or a pump, to have the unit drain itself continuously rather than having a unit with a bucket you have to empty. The bucket thing is no fun at all.

Is there any water coming into the basement periodically or continuously? Humidity control is moot if the place gets actually damp or wet a lot, I guess for your aims you'd better look at humidifiers, you should definitely find something suitable from this article.

dronto Posted at 2018-7-17 04:23
Out of curiosity....does anyone in this Forum use Dry Cabinet at all to store their drones?

In my state all photographers store their equipment in dry cabinets...

Jonathan William DeSouza Posted at 11-5 06:01
In my state all photographers store their equipment in dry cabinets...

Thanks very much Jonathan for your kind info.