Winter

There are countries who has winter that goes below freezing and stays there. #Finland

I think there should be DJI Mini 3 Pro version that is made out of materials and electronics that can last very freezing temperatures below -40C.
Yes, this drone would cost a bit more, but honestly I would honestly be happy to be flying a drone also in winter to get these impressive shots.

We in Finland can not fly a drone like Mini 3 Pro. Cost to keep it not flying is a lot more than having it fly.

The winter drone should be able to handle water rain and snow and to optionally keep heat inside the hull to maintain electronics warm to function better.

The winter drone could use carbon fibres, batteries that has heatsinks that transfer heat to places where it is needed.

Why can't you fly it?  I have not had my mini 3 through a winter yet but I have flown my FPV and Mavic 3 at -20F and colder with no problem. I expect the same from the Mini 3. Battery life will be shortened of course but it isn't shortened as much as I might have guessed. The fact that it is being used warms it up to some degree. In any case, I will find out soon enough. It's not cold enough for any real test yet. It's 8F (-13C) and that's no problem. The test will be -20F and colder...but I expect no issue in spite of DJI not warrantying flight at those temps.

the drone is just like any other product.  if you want to use it in extreme, harsh, and difficult weather then you need to send the product to specialized companies who can do that for you.

The Saint Posted at 12-12 17:11
the drone is just like any other product.  if you want to use it in extreme, harsh, and difficult weather then you need to send the product to specialized companies who can do that for you.

Flying in winter is not about skills.

Our country is easily going below -20C in winter.
I know what that temperature does to plastic and unrated materials...

For me this is normal, but for the drone ... I see problems.

I am an engineer of this technology, so I know few things about problems.

digibud Posted at 12-12 17:02
Why can't you fly it?  I have not had my mini 3 through a winter yet but I have flown my FPV and Mavic 3 at -20F and colder with no problem. I expect the same from the Mini 3. Battery life will be shortened of course but it isn't shortened as much as I might have guessed. The fact that it is being used warms it up to some degree. In any case, I will find out soon enough. It's not cold enough for any real test yet. It's 8F (-13C) and that's no problem. The test will be -20F and colder...but I expect no issue in spite of DJI not warrantying flight at those temps.

We have already -20C below and 30cm of snow. A bit of a landing hazard withouf a pad.

The warranty indeed does not state good things about flying in these temperatures.

So.. DJI,

I hope there is a solution for winter flights...

Toni Peltonen Posted at 12-12 17:22
Flying in winter is not about skills.

Our country is easily going below -20C in winter.

then you should know if you want to buy ordinary products and use them in your specialize environments, you cannot depend on the manufacturer to make a version just for you.  send your drone to the plethora of winterizing companies that are all across scandinavia who do this for all the plastic devices spread out across your country or any other regular products that cannot survive in the extreme cold in the region.  sorry but i don't think dji is not going to build an arctic version of the mini.

Although a great idea I just could not see anyone developing a winter drone. Here where I live in Alberta Canada temps can be below -35C in Jan & Feb. If a manufacturer could design a drone I do not think I could control it. My fingers would fall off!

At least at -20C, you should be able to fly on dry days. The only issue you have is keeping the batteries warm before use, for that either stick them in an inside pocket or if you're flying from your car, use a thermal picnic cooler/heater, that's what I use even for the milder UK winters, when i fly that is, sadly with the lack of wind over here at present the humidity has been too high to risk flight due to the serious risk of prop icing

Visual Air Posted at 12-12 19:11
Although a great idea I just could not see anyone developing a winter drone. Here where I live in Alberta Canada temps can be below -35C in Jan & Feb. If a manufacturer could design a drone I do not think I could control it. My fingers would fall off!

Yea well... We had this -47C field training for two weeks nonstop. Got all fingers. However... For some countries like Finland winter is half the year. Thats why drones that cant take winter is kind of twice the price for us.

Visual Air Posted at 12-12 19:11
Although a great idea I just could not see anyone developing a winter drone. Here where I live in Alberta Canada temps can be below -35C in Jan & Feb. If a manufacturer could design a drone I do not think I could control it. My fingers would fall off!

That is a big concern, the lack of extremity use, heck, its bad enough around freezing and with gloves on

The Saint Posted at 12-12 17:32
then you should know if you want to buy ordinary products and use them in your specialize environments, you cannot depend on the manufacturer to make a version just for you.  send your drone to the plethora of winterizing companies that are all across scandinavia who do this for all the plastic devices spread out across your country or any other regular products that cannot survive in the extreme cold in the region.  sorry but i don't think dji is not going to build an arctic version of the mini.

Thats why scandinavia is not flying drones too much... except army.

Hello, Toni. Good day, and thank you for giving out information about winter drones. I will take it as a suggestion of yours and will forward it to our designated team for attention. All significant suggestions will be implemented after the evaluation of our relevant team. For the latest updates please stay tuned to our DJI official website at ( www.dji.com ). Thank you for your valued support.

What was that song they sang in the Disney movie Frozen?  "Let it go., let it go...."

TonyPHX Posted at 12-12 19:57
What was that song they sang in the Disney movie Frozen?  "Let it go., let it go...."

No... The song here is "Work or get replaced with a working one."

Here in Finland law says that anything designed to work outside must be designed to work in -40C ... As an example that Nokia nuclear blast resisting brick phone. Scandinavia has set of rules even we import electronics that cant take the abuse. They just will not get full aprovement.

Winter parts are a bit more expensive, but it gives 6 more months for use.

DJI Gamora Posted at 12-12 19:53
Hello, Toni. Good day, and thank you for giving out information about winter drones. I will take it as a suggestion of yours and will forward it to our designated team for attention. All significant suggestions will be implemented after the evaluation of our relevant team. For the latest updates please stay tuned to our DJI official website at ( www.dji.com ). Thank you for your valued support.

Winter Drones must also be designed for night flight. There is a month without sunlight here and days are dark 4 months. We need to add extra leds to see our drone in winter. Black or orange color because the sky is mostly white in winter.

The drone needs to fly...

It is clearly rated in the manual what it 'should' and 'should not' be able to handle at page 3.
(-10 to 40 degrees C)
I'm sure it can withstand much more, but that is at your own risk.
I would say : make some short flights and you should be good.
I have worked in Finland and most of my equipment did not like these cold temperatures. But it could handle them for short periods.
But asking any manufacturer to make a dedicated, lightweight drone that can withstand the harshness of your climate is like asking Ferrari to make a fast sportscar that can do offroad too.
Those things don't go well together. You need different materials, more layers, more weight, protection etc. etc.

Scotland does not get as extreme winters but our windchill is serious. That aside, I flew in -6 last night for 28 mins. No issues luckily. Then I read this quote this morning -
"When the ambient temperature is low, warm up the battery before takeoff. If it is a consumer drone battery, it can be operated at 0° to 40℃ (41° to 104°F)."


from here - https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=279700


However, the M3P states use range of -10 to 40 degrees. So which is it, because that is a bit conflicting and I didn't notice a caveat or star next to that saying "with a special battery".

I also noticed this further down -

Low Temperature During Discharge

If the battery is in an extremely low temperature during discharge, land the drone in time to ensure better battery performance.

It seems that the system will warn you when the battery starts struggling, at least.

Bashy Posted at 12-12 19:21
At least at -20C, you should be able to fly on dry days. The only issue you have is keeping the batteries warm before use, for that either stick them in an inside pocket or if you're flying from your car, use a thermal picnic cooler/heater, that's what I use even for the milder UK winters, when i fly that is, sadly with the lack of wind over here at present the humidity has been too high to risk flight due to the serious risk of prop icing :'(

Yes.  Got caught by frozen props the other day here,   -5c and turned into some fog,   had a nice 4 mile walk to recover it as I landed it in a farmers field on the other side of a dyke and railway line.  

Montfrooij Posted at 12-13 00:05
It is clearly rated in the manual what it 'should' and 'should not' be able to handle at page 3.
(-10 to 40 degrees C)
I'm sure it can withstand much more, but that is at your own risk.

OK
Please... Drones are not Ferrari... Cut all this. I can go list plenty of drones from other companies that can fly in winter... But, I am not going to do that. As in fact, if DJI does not take winter seriously, I place bets the few new merged companies will dominate the markets soon...

Winter resistant components are different material and costs a bit more. Yet they are same standard sizes .. Stop talking about ferrari design... Sure.. You can downgrade ferrari from  carbon fiber to printed plastic to save money... Design is the same...

This is us just asking to use winter rated components...

This is why original Nokia phones made in Finland stands nuclear winter and works... When the production was moved to cheap warm country the design stay, but they started to use bad material...

If you like DJI to stand 6 months.. The new company in USA has began to sell winter resistant drones... A bit more adjustment and... DJI will not be the choice in countries with snow.

Toni Peltonen Posted at 12-12 21:30
Winter Drones must also be designed for night flight. There is a month without sunlight here and days are dark 4 months. We need to add extra leds to see our drone in winter. Black or orange color because the sky is mostly white in winter.

The drone needs to fly...

That last shot is absolutely spectacular.  

Hopefully, you are able to eventually buy a DJI "winter drone".  

DAFlys Posted at 12-13 01:58
Yes.  Got caught by frozen props the other day here,   -5c and turned into some fog,   had a nice 4 mile walk to recover it as I landed it in a farmers field on the other side of a dyke and railway line.

Glad ya got it back, any damage?

I got iced up with my P4P, it was in 1C and foggy, i took it up for a 5 min test then brought it back to check and it was iced down the leading edges of the props and the edges on the front, legs sensor edges etc, so i didn't bother after that.

Thats what i do now, i test it if its < 4C and >-10C with a high humidity, I send it up for 5 minutes or so and bring it back. These last few days down here with no wind,  high humidity and the cold, I stayed grounded, it just wasn't worth it, although i doi have CR so would have ben ok

Toni Peltonen Posted at 12-13 03:55
OK
Please... Drones are not Ferrari... Cut all this. I can go list plenty of drones from other companies that can fly in winter... But, I am not going to do that. As in fact, if DJI does not take winter seriously, I place bets the few new merged companies will dominate the markets soon...

I'm not saying they can't.
Just not with the Mini 3 pro that has to be <250g

Bashy Posted at 12-13 04:47
Glad ya got it back, any damage?

I got iced up with my P4P, it was in 1C and foggy, i took it up for a 5 min test then brought it back to check and it was iced down the leading edges of the props and the edges on the front, legs sensor edges etc, so i didn't bother after that.

Ive scratched up the props a little when landing in the farmers field,  sadly they were brand new props just fitted as after 4400km the drone had started to fly poorly.

The odd thing is,  as I turned into the fog it all took place in under 2 minutes,  as soon as those props were iced up and it could barely move it suckled the power out of the battery in seconds.   

Toni Peltonen Posted at 12-13 03:55
OK
Please... Drones are not Ferrari... Cut all this. I can go list plenty of drones from other companies that can fly in winter... But, I am not going to do that. As in fact, if DJI does not take winter seriously, I place bets the few new merged companies will dominate the markets soon...

Damn cold there....I have made a flight at -30 Celsius, was freezing like crazy, but with an Evo2Pro as it have a circuit for heating inside drone the battery, so temp was +10 Celsius inside...
I had to stay inside car, as was close to frostbites, but the drone made all things and returned after 15 minutes with the battery almost depleted, instead of 33 minutes flight...Still, was happy to get the job done...
Now, Mini 3 have the airflow directed inside, will freeze at -25 C so bad that probably will crash...Any drone without heating circuit for winter will probably be gone in a few minutes.
But I do not know why you ask this, they are incapable to make the camera work at 8 Celsius, is fogging inside...so, for DJI to make a winter dedicated version probably is a hoax.

A few images to illustrate the words of our plastic engineer friend. These are P4 batteries after a campaign at -10 / 20 C


Nevertheless with the products of the "enterprise" range, except P4R, I never had this problem

DAFlys Posted at 12-13 06:36
Ive scratched up the props a little when landing in the farmers field,  sadly they were brand new props just fitted as after 4400km the drone had started to fly poorly.

The odd thing is,  as I turned into the fog it all took place in under 2 minutes,  as soon as those props were iced up and it could barely move it suckled the power out of the battery in seconds.

Did it crash land, or fall quickly with some control? Like do you think the props where still operating, just struggling, as it lost altitude? I know this might be hard to answer but interested in your situation with it.

primeshooter Posted at 12-13 07:01
Did it crash land, or fall quickly with some control? Like do you think the props where still operating, just struggling, as it lost altitude? I know this might be hard to answer but interested in your situation with it.

It didnt crash,    I basically lost the ability to climb or move the drone at any more than 0.3mph.   The biggest issue was the battery went from 70% to critically low in 3 minutes,  so I put the drone down at the back of a field well away from any footpaths so that I could recover it before anyone else found it.  

dji probably will make an winter drone one day.  i see no reason why they wouldnt eventually address that market with a special drone capable of handling the extreme element especially if no other manufacturer does so.  it could be made available at twice the price and in limited quantities but very capable.  what they won't do is heavily "winterize" their standard consumer offering that millions of other flyers will purchase who don't need it.  dji probably uses the 80/20 rule.

DAFlys Posted at 12-13 07:18
It didnt crash,    I basically lost the ability to climb or move the drone at any more than 0.3mph.   The biggest issue was the battery went from 70% to critically low in 3 minutes,  so I put the drone down at the back of a field well away from any footpaths so that I could recover it before anyone else found it.

You were lucky then, as they tend to drop, i saw one video where it fell into an ice cold river, he also showed the retrieval too

LV_Forestry Posted at 12-13 06:58
A few images to illustrate the words of our plastic engineer friend. These are P4 batteries after a campaign at -10 / 20 C
[view_image][view_image]

My P4P batteries have the same issue and the legs are bad for it too, i have a new pair to go on and a new top shell from when it tickle the underside of a bring that was about 3 or 4ft from the water, it ditched in to 2ft of water lol still going strong mind after what 3 or 4 years now

DAFlys Posted at 12-13 07:18
It didnt crash,    I basically lost the ability to climb or move the drone at any more than 0.3mph.   The biggest issue was the battery went from 70% to critically low in 3 minutes,  so I put the drone down at the back of a field well away from any footpaths so that I could recover it before anyone else found it.

Makes sense. So you had a tiny bit of control, it didn't just plummet to it's death. Good to hear luck was on your side this time.

Bashy Posted at 12-12 19:23
That is a big concern, the lack of extremity use, heck, its bad enough around freezing and with gloves on

Couldn't agree more.

DowntownRDB Posted at 12-13 04:06
That last shot is absolutely spectacular.  

Hopefully, you are able to eventually buy a DJI "winter drone".

Yea... I might build a drone myself.
I might not use battery to heat up the hull. There are small thermopads that produce heat enough for the flight. 8 hours. They give up to 60C. There are one use and liquid salt versions.

https://www.thermopad.eu/thermopad-shop/

The reason why battery dies in winter simply is that it uses energy to stay functional. This is why winter versions could have slots for heating pads.

Yes thermopads adds weight, not so much tho. But for the battery this is a big deal.

Toni Peltonen Posted at 12-12 21:30
Winter Drones must also be designed for night flight. There is a month without sunlight here and days are dark 4 months. We need to add extra leds to see our drone in winter. Black or orange color because the sky is mostly white in winter.

The drone needs to fly...

Hello, Toni. Those are great shots! I understand your sentiments and rest assured that your suggestion has been forwarded. Thank you for your continued support.  

Bashy Posted at 12-13 07:53
You were lucky then, as they tend to drop, i saw one video where it fell into an ice cold river, he also showed the retrieval too

I think it helped that I defended out of the fog as soon as I got the alert.

Toni Peltonen Posted at 12-13 20:37
Yea... I might build a drone myself.
I might not use battery to heat up the hull. There are small thermopads that produce heat enough for the flight. 8 hours. They give up to 60C. There are one use and liquid salt versions.

That's an interesting product.  

So... the camera fogs and you cant wipe it off during flight.

Considering cars have very same problem while they are not warm inside.

Water collects to surface. UV LED beam focused on UV filter heats the surface of the filter. LED that beams heat to camera lense does not allow water to collect on the lense surface. The beam is controlled so that the temperature is static. Also having slots for chemical thermalpads \ coolingpads helps the drones to maintain flight in cold and hot zones.

Please name what winter drones are made in the USA ..?

there is a certain set of rules for winter flights, they must be followed and everything will fly .. I have been flying in winter for 7 years, but all I had to do was ask dji for a winter drone ...)