I have crashed my DJI Mini 2 drone into the water and have sent it for repair in the DJI store of Costa Rica. Here, there are limited repair parts and support as shipping of these parts is very complicated in such a new drone. They have indicated that the repair cost would cost around 70-80% of what the drone cost because both the mainboard and the ESC board seem to be failing as the drone asks for a firmware update 30224. I am very confused because the drone powers on, has a GPS signal, complete transmission with the controller and phone, and the camera gimbal is working fine. What can be done? What should I do? Does anyone think that sending the drone to the United States is a better option and that this can be fixed for a lower price? Does anyone think that the problem is different from what was diagnosed?

I appreciate any input on this issue, thank you.

I assume you do not have DJI Care Refresh.
Does the drone fly? If so, what is the main problem? Have you tried to refresh the firmware using DJI assistant? Did it crash into salt water or fresh water?

The cost of replacement ESC and Main boards would be about $100 US. If  you are good with working on small parts, you could do this yourself.

GaryDoug Posted at 1-16 08:51
I assume you do not have DJI Care Refresh.
Does the drone fly? If so, what is the main problem? Have you tried to refresh the firmware using DJI assistant? Did it crash into salt water or fresh water?

Many have lost there Mini’s flying over water. The bottom sensors get confuse in the reflect or I think the water I’d farther down. So if flying over water I’d be keeping it high or keep a close eye on it.
My myself will not fly over water.
Doug

GaryDoug Posted at 1-16 08:51
I assume you do not have DJI Care Refresh.
Does the drone fly? If so, what is the main problem? Have you tried to refresh the firmware using DJI assistant? Did it crash into salt water or fresh water?

Hi GaryDoug, thank you for answering. I do not have DJI Care Refresh. The drone doesn't fly because it shows an error that the Firmware version is incompatible (30224). DJI Assistant doesn't recognize the drone but it does charge and it powers on. The image is transmitted through my phone when connected to the controller. It crashed into fresh water and was put into rice right after.

I am good working with small parts but I have no clue where to find these two parts, I have asked the Costa Rican DJI store how much it costs to replace the parts but I don't think they have these parts in stock and I think they will charge a lot. Where can I buy these parts or what should I do? They almost said that it's not worth repairing because of how expensive it would be. Are the parts the same for the Mini and Mini 2?

Thank you!

Hi Juliimonge.
Banggood sell spare replacement parts for all sorts of drones, i have just done a quick look and search to see if they sell mini 2 spare parts but i have not had any luck in finding any yet, they have plenty for the Mavic Mini, Air 2, Pro 2, to name a few but not for the mini 2.

You could try Amazon or maybe e-bay for the parts, i don't know what to say about e-bay as i don't use it to be honest "Too many scams", so i will leave that up to you.

Amazon & Banggood would be ideal places to start, other than seeing if DJI would sell you the parts, but i wouldn't hold your breath on that one.

Good luck on finding a fix or repairing of your drone, it is not nice when this happens.

Just out of curiosity, what made you want to fly over water with your Mini 2 and is this the first drone you have flown.

Oopps, sorry, I did not notice that you have the Mini 2. I saw this was in the Mini section and jumped to that conclusion.

ESC: https://cloudcitydrones.com/prod ... EAQYASABEgKC0fD_BwE

Can't find a main board.

You could risk the $50 and replace just the ESC board and hope for the best.

Also, how long ago was it immersed into the water? Sometimes it takes several days or more to dry out naturally. The water gets under some of the surface-mounted PCB parts and is very reluctant to evaporate.
One of my outdoor security cameras got water inside and stopped working. I took it apart and tried to dry it with a hair dryer to no avail. I put it away and bought a replacement. Two weeks later I tested it again and this time it worked and is now still in service a year later.

mark117h Posted at 1-16 10:06
Hi Juliimonge.
Banggood sell spare replacement parts for all sorts of drones, i have just done a quick look and search to see if they sell mini 2 spare parts but i have not had any luck in finding any yet, they have plenty for the Mavic Mini, Air 2, Pro 2, to name a few but not for the mini 2.

Hi Mark,
This is the first drone I've flown, my huge problem was that I flew with no GPS signal so the drone drifted with the wind and hit a tree branch that was on top of a river. I was trying to get some cool shots, I had flown this drone in these type of spaces but with a GPS signal and I've been good at it.

GaryDoug Posted at 1-16 12:20
Also, how long ago was it immersed into the water? Sometimes it takes several days or more to dry out naturally. The water gets under some of the surface-mounted PCB parts and is very reluctant to evaporate.
One of my outdoor security cameras got water inside and stopped working. I took it apart and tried to dry it with a hair dryer to no avail. I put it away and bought a replacement. Two weeks later I tested it again and this time it worked and is now still in service a year later.

It was immersed underwater for around 4 minutes. It happened around 3 weeks ago.

Juliimonge Posted at 2021-1-17 08:22
It was immersed underwater for around 4 minutes. It happened around 3 weeks ago.

Ive seen the ESC Mainboard for Dji's on ebay anywhere from $24.99 to $40 on there... Compared to FPV racing drones they look kinda underwelming.