Hey Guys,

New drone operator here.  Day 2 with the P4 drone and one of my propellers hit a branch and the P4 took a dip into a shallow river.  I immediately ran into the water took it out and detached the battery.  I think it must have been a few minutes with the battery on and water being in the drone.

I have followed all the info I can find about bringing these things back to life.  My drone has now been bone dry for days and I want to see if it still works.  Problem is, I can tell the original battery is not functioning correctly.  The LED's turn on, show a full charge (which is impossible as it crashed at 40% battery) and then immediately go off.

I am having the hardest time locating a battery other than straight from DJI.  Does anyone know of a retail store where I can get just a P4 battery?  I am in Northern, NJ, USA

Also, does anyone have any experience with water crashes?  The video file that was being recorded as it crashed is corrupted, which has me thinking something might have fried.  Or could that just be the result of a bad "stop" to the file / the actual collission with the branch?  The other files on the memory card were perfectly fine.

Lesson learned for me, hopefully not completely toast!

Rocky

sorry about the mishap,
you might want to try your nearest Apple Store or a Best Buy or ebay for a battery,
As for the video on the card, likely nothing to do with the water and more to do with the interrupted stop, there are some suggestions on resurrecting the data, do a search on corrupt video etc. in here and you may find what you need to get it sorted,
No harm in letting it dry out longer!!

BestBuy has them in stock.  May have to order online vs. store but they are available.  sku is 5132500

If you want to test your existing battery, please take great caution.  First insure it is 100% dry inside.
You could do a low hover test and allow it run just hovering (outside) till the battery is drained to check for faults, but be warned if your bird and battery took a swim, it is possible more harm then good can come from that test if anything still has moisture.

But on the flip side.  Batteries are normally sealed very well, so after a full dry you might still have a working bird and battery.

Sorry for your mishap, call your local Apple store and they should have stock to go pick up a battery.
Have you tried to power up the battery instead of just pushing the button.
And yes, the corrupted file is because the P4 powered off while still recording. When you go go to test the aircraft to see what happens when powered on, if all is well the file will fix itself when powered on.

I race RC boats and have found cleaning the boards with alcohol usually brings them back to life. I disassemble whatever it is servo or receiver. Using a toothbrush dipped in 90% alcohol I gently clean the circuit board. Corrosion X is also good for making circuit boards water resistant.

Guys, wow thanks for being so helpful.  I am going to head over to an Apple store looking for a battery as Best Buy told me they don't have them in stock, I don't have the guts to try this one in the P4.  I have tried powering the battery on, and charging it and nothing happens but the LEDs go full and then they turn off.  Cautiously optimistic about the drone.  Will keep you all posted!

rocky fopino Posted at 2016-4-4 14:45
Guys, wow thanks for being so helpful.  I am going to head over to an Apple store looking for a batt ...

If it was under water for a couple of minutes I don't think it will ever be right again but I wouldn't hurt to buy any other battery and try it. l

rocky fopino Posted at 2016-4-5 02:45
Guys, wow thanks for being so helpful.  I am going to head over to an Apple store looking for a batt ...

If you tried to power the battery on and nothing happens, then that battery seems damaged. I would not store it in the house and probably dispose of it.
And I highly recommend not attempting to open the P4 up, it is built nothing like a P3 and it is very complex and built like a Swiss watch. Probably a few hundred parts put together for an assembled P4.

Hi did you just try the battery you have.  I am guessing you stuck it in rice or silacagel etc and dried it out.  As others mentioned clean the contacts in case they are dirty with some alcohol.   The circuit board in the battery and drone are you biggest worry. Water conducts and will short out electrical components so IC's, transistors etc will burn out.   Motors will seize so good luck.

When a circuit board gets wet many times mineral deposits dry on the board and short out components. I have never had any luck using rice.  Cleaning with an alcohol soaked toothbrush should remove any mineral deposits on the board.

I used a giant tub of rice initially but found it was not working fast enough for my comfort, so I opened up the P4 very carefully, probably took me 2 hours just to get the body open.  And I then fan dried with warm air for hours.  I did not clean the board with alcohol but it makes a lot of sense so I may go back in and give it a good cleaning.  I ended up ordering batteries from DJI and will have them by the end of the week.

With the likelihood it is not okay, anyone recommend a place that can test and repair P4's?  Would probably be cheaper than buying a new one right?

Thanks again

I actually laughed out loud picturing a large tub of rice with a P4 in it.  Pretty funny but it probably helped.  I just ordered a couple batteries from BestBuy.  They have stock (or drop shipped from vendor) but not in stores.  I salvaged my wife's iPhone a while back with a bag of rice.  Works well for electronics.  Looking forward to seeing how your situation turns out.  Best of luck!

"... I am having the hardest time locating a battery other than straight from DJI.  Does anyone know of a retail store where I can get just a P4 battery?  I am in Northern, NJ, USA..."

B&H Photo Video (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/) in Manhattan is an incredibly excellent merchant, and they are an authorized DJI dealer/rep.  B&H stands behind its sales and provides exceptional customer service.  That they have earned my trust and that of countless others is an understatement.  They are a company that you can & will feel comfortable & secure doing business with for years to come.  They maintain an incredibly well-stocked inventory, and shipment is very prompt... and often free.  I do not have to pay sales tax as a resident of New England for items that they ship to me.  Take a peek at their website and give them a try- I guaranty that you will not be disappointed.  Russ

http://live555.com/drones/DJI-Phantom-2-Vision+-video-fix/

Buy Low Posted at 2016-4-4 16:01
I actually laughed out loud picturing a large tub of rice with a P4 in it.  Pretty funny but it prob ...

Great tip, just got back from Best Buy with a P4 battery.  I am going to try firing this thing up.  

The thought of opening it back up to clean it with alcohol terrifies me, as it was a journey getting it open the first time and I kept thinking I was going to break something.  So it is what it is, at least it was not salt water.  

Wish me luck.

What do have to lose taking the cover off of the battery and cleaning that circuit board with alcohol?

waynekathy7@gma Posted at 2016-4-4 16:44
What do have to lose taking the cover off of the battery and cleaning that circuit board with alcoho ...

Hi Wayne, the P4 is very tightly wound, I damn near broke a few connections upon the first opening because the top is attached to the bottom in several places, not sure if you have opened one, but it is not designed to make it easy.  I don't feel very comfortable trying again for that reason.

I just turned it on and it seems to be 95% operational.  The only issue I encountered was a message that kept saying "detected a propeller guard, turning off front sensing..."  Anyone have any thoughts on what may be triggering that?

Otherwise, picture looked great, all motors ran (did not have propellers attached), GPS worked, I am pretty amazed to be honest.  Tomorrow morning I will conduct a flight.

rocky fopino Posted at 2016-4-4 16:55
Hi Wayne, the P4 is very tightly wound, I damn near broke a few connections upon the first opening  ...

Awesome, keep us updated!

Wow! Fantastic news! Amazing.

The propeller guard warning happens if something is in front of the P4, like the wall inside your house.  Take it outside and try starting again in a clear area.

hummingbird.uav Posted at 2016-4-4 18:59
The propeller guard warning happens if something is in front of the P4, like the wall inside your ho ...

Haha, yes that makes sense.  Hopefully that was it!  I will update tomorrow.

Sorry for your experience. Try DJI direct and put everything in rice to dry things out.

rocky fopino Posted at 2016-4-5 07:04
Haha, yes that makes sense.  Hopefully that was it!  I will update tomorrow.

Rocky,

I watched a YouTube Video about taking an inspire battery cover off. He basically  cut a credit card into strips about 1/4 inch wide. The strips were slid in at each tap until it could be pulled off. The Inspire circuit board is under the Cap. The P4 should be similar.  I believe the circuit board could  be cleaned with the cover removed and no further disassembly. I will look for it on YouTube and post a link if I find it. Found It      

Wayne
  

I have been flying a Striker Spy Drone (XC5) for about a week brushing up on my skills. I'm am wafting for my P4 to get here latter in the week. I am impressed with the $50 XC5. I was flying in 20 MPH gust today and it did quite well. I flew in easy mode on my last battery. Easy mode could ruin you for normal mode 2 flight but is fun. I am having a bit of trouble with orientation with the small drone. I am use to looking at a more defined nose and tail of a helicopter while hovering. Probably the lack of torque lean is bugging me the most while nose in hovering. I will get the hang of it after a few more flights. It has been 12 years since I flew RC helicopters. Looking forward to getting a P4.

I apologize for getting off topic,
Wayne

Just got back from a 25 minute flight.  All was perfect, 100% operational.  And Wayne thanks for the battery vid, I will look into it.  I am incredibly lucky on this one.

That's awesome news!

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-4-4 14:58
If you tried to power the battery on and nothing happens, then that battery seems damaged. I would ...

"I highly recommend not attempting to open the P4 up, it is built nothing like a P3 and it is very complex and built like a Swiss watch. Probably a few hundred parts put together for an assembled P4."

Ken this is not good. I really liked how with all the other DJI drones all you needed to repair one after a crash was spare parts and a screw driver.    Everyone who flies drones knows it is not a matter if you will crash but when you will crash so making a drone user repairable very important.