Hey guys,

Is it ok to fly the Mini in the fog? I took it a bit higher than I should have and turns out there was some serious moisture up there, the Mini came back soaked. Even more surprising, it seems to be perfectly fine. I obiously landed as soon as I saw it was wet, took the battery out and let it dry indoors then took it for a test flight and everything is just peachy. Was I just lucky or is the Mini really equipped to handle this?

I would say you are lucky and no it is not equipped for moisture, last thing you would want is for it to draw moisture into the circuit boards etc and camera.

I flew in heavy fog yesterday and everything was fine, I dried craft off when finished and ran the hairdryer on it for 5 minutes. But a good piece of advice is electronics and water don’t mix .

It is a good idea to keep a Gallon size Ziploc and a large bag of rice around. If anything like this happens again, land immediately and power off, remove battery and place both (separately) in the Ziploc bag and rice. Let sit for at least a day unless it was really soaked and then do it for 2 days. Wiping it off with a rag or towel will not work. At that point all you are doing is removing some of the moisture from the surface of the body only. NOT from the internal components which is VERY bad. the Dry rice will soak up ALL the moisture in the entire thing.

The reason why water/moisture is bad for drones and all electronics is because water is a HIGHLY conductive substance.   The water beads will form a bridge on electric components causing shorts, these shorts can fry your electronics. Long term effects on electronic components is corrosion which can reduce electrical impulses and power management, degrade performance and generally eat your mini from the inside out.  This is why Towel drying is NOT effective.

Also, if you constantly fly in high humid environments, you should dry your mini and battery after every flight in rice. (several hours should be sufficient) This is to protect your investment for the long term.

I think you were just lucky.

Jollyroger Hobbies Posted at 12-21 12:59
It is a good idea to keep a Gallon size Ziploc and a large bag of rice around. If anything like this happens again, land immediately and power off, remove battery and place both (separately) in the Ziploc bag and rice. Let sit for at least a day unless it was really soaked and then do it for 2 days. Wiping it off with a rag or towel will not work. At that point all you are doing is removing some of the moisture from the surface of the body only. NOT from the internal components which is VERY bad. the Dry rice will soak up ALL the moisture in the entire thing.

The reason why water/moisture is bad for drones and all electronics is because water is a HIGHLY conductive substance.   The water beads will form a bridge on electric components causing shorts, these shorts can fry your electronics. Long term effects on electronic components is corrosion which can reduce electrical impulses and power management, degrade performance and generally eat your mini from the inside out.  This is why Towel drying is NOT effective.

Do you actually mean fill the battery compartment with rice?

Ice_2k Posted at 12-21 13:43
Do you actually mean fill the battery compartment with rice?

No, put the mini on top of the rice and seal the bag

Jollyroger Hobbies Posted at 12-21 12:59
It is a good idea to keep a Gallon size Ziploc and a large bag of rice around. If anything like this happens again, land immediately and power off, remove battery and place both (separately) in the Ziploc bag and rice. Let sit for at least a day unless it was really soaked and then do it for 2 days. Wiping it off with a rag or towel will not work. At that point all you are doing is removing some of the moisture from the surface of the body only. NOT from the internal components which is VERY bad. the Dry rice will soak up ALL the moisture in the entire thing.

The reason why water/moisture is bad for drones and all electronics is because water is a HIGHLY conductive substance.   The water beads will form a bridge on electric components causing shorts, these shorts can fry your electronics. Long term effects on electronic components is corrosion which can reduce electrical impulses and power management, degrade performance and generally eat your mini from the inside out.  This is why Towel drying is NOT effective.

Sorry to tell you but you are wrong there mister. Water on its own isn't a "HIGHLY conductive substance", actually water on its own isn't conductive at all!
It is the other particles found in tap water or salt water that conduct electricity. So fog moisture shouldn't cause any real damage but it still isn't recommended ;)

Glad you were lucky.  I strongly believe in what Hallmark said:  Electronics and water don’t mix!

Lucky fellow. Water and electronics and water don't mix

I realize water and electronics don’t usually mix but there are coatings that can make circuit boards waterproof and i was wondering if maybe the Mini has that. It seems like QRF_HawkEye’s explanation is so far the most plausible.