Inspire Got Rained On

[Kevin Cabral]

Yesterday in mid-flight, it rained lightly. Luckily, I noticed it spitting and brought the Inspire in for a landing. Turned the aircraft and remote off, then ran to shelter. While waiting, I dried the Inspire and remote off the best I could. Dried the shell, arms and motor's. I had to turn it back on quickly to place it in travel mode. It was fine. Then I left it to dry for 4 hours. After 4 hours I did a test flight and it said 'Safe to fly GPS'. Am I okay with no issues? If there was a problem, the app would tell me right? The camera works fine, the gimbal is fine. I was watching it hovering, was very stable. I'm not sure how weather sealed the Inspire is, so that's why I'm a bit concerned.

I spoke to DJI, they said if there was water damage, they don't repair it. I'm sure I'm okay, but just worried that's all. If the app is suppose to give me an error when I started the Inspire 1, then I assume I'm fine. There was no error.

 

[emtea]

You're fine. I fly in light sprinkles/rain all the time and so far so good.

 

[CCDD]

Don't allow your OCD to get the best of you, there shouldn't be any problem with a small amount of moisture as long as you gave it a wipe down and some time to dry off. Of course, no one should intentionally fly in the rain and one needs to remember that the weather might be a bit different when flying a distance from where one is standing.

 

[Canuck32]

I have flown mine in sub zero temps multiple times and when brought in and craft warms up there's condensation all over. I put it from of a fan to dry off for a few hrs. Just had to replace 2 sets of bearings on motors, but did not show any signs of rust anywhere. DJI is just CYA for immersion issues.

 

[Kevin Cabral]

I have flown mine in sub zero temps multiple times and when brought in and craft warms up there's condensation all over. I put it from of a fan to dry off for a few hrs. Just had to replace 2 sets of bearings on motors, but did not show any signs of rust anywhere. DJI is just CYA for immersion issues.

Yeah DJI is a joke. They basically said if there is water damage, they won't repair it. I guess I understand, Apple, Microsoft and so on will respond the same. However, I am sure there are people out there, or businesses who specialize in drone repair. Especially with water damage. I don't see why you can't replace a circuit board if it was damaged.

 

[emtea]

Yeah DJI is a joke. They basically said if there is water damage, they won't repair it. I guess I understand, Apple, Microsoft and so on will respond the same. However, I am sure there are people out there, or businesses who specialize in drone repair. Especially with water damage. I don't see why you can't replace a circuit board if it was damaged.

One reason for this is that, as the OEM, you are often subject to a higher standard when it comes to warranties and guarantees. In many jurisdictions, there are specific laws regarding OEM warranties and repairs, whereby, for example, a car manufacturer must warranty their vehicles for X years and any defects within X years. If they fix your radiator under warranty or a repair order, there is some expectation (and often a legal requirement) that they continue to warranty the rest of your vehicle.

In the case of water damage, there can be many unforeseen and not-yet-manifested damage. So if you are DJI and you say "okay we will fix or warranty your water damaged aircraft", you are taking a big risk in guaranteeing the product going forward, no one can be sure your water damage isn't going to cause further issues down the line. Compare this to third party iPhone shops that will fix your cracked screen or whatever damage: they usually have a stupid short "warranty" period, like a week or a month at most in my experience; as an OEM, you'd have a hard time doing this for both business reasons and legal reasons.

So yes, you're correct, it's easy to replace a circuit board but would you be willing to guarantee the entirety of my water-damaged Inspire (and any reasonably consequential damages that may follow) because you replaced one part that makes it work right now right here? You could be replacing a $50 part and opening yourself to exponentially larger liability.

 

[Ftolino]

I have flown mine in sub zero temps multiple times and when brought in and craft warms up there's condensation all over. I put it from of a fan to dry off for a few hrs. Just had to replace 2 sets of bearings on motors, but did not show any signs of rust anywhere. DJI is just CYA for immersion issues.

What bearings did you use just bought new motors wanted to change them before I put them in. Thank you

 

[Canuck32]

Boca bearings 5x11x5 ceramic, 2 per motor

Here a post from TheEditor I copied for info on the replacement
↑
It is a very easy fix if you have changed out brushless motor bearings before. If you haven't then it is still fairly 'easy' but you just need to be methodical and careful.

Basically, there are two bearings on the Inspire motors, one upper, one lower on the motor shaft situated in the bell housing for the upper and the motor housing for the lower.

Remove the offending motor to get access to the bottom. CAREFULLY remove the e-clip on the bottom making sure it doesn't ping off into hyperspace never to be found again !!!!!!
Then remove the thrust washer.
The motor will now come apart although it maybe a little difficult to separate since the magnets are strong.
Once you have the motor in two you will need to remove the upper and lower bearings. That can be easy in some cases or very difficult in others, depending on tolerance and how tight they are.
DJI use a poor quality bearing in their motors (they always have in my opinion) so get yourself some decent replacements.
They are standard sized 6852Z Metal Shielded bearings available pretty much anywhere on the planet! They can also be known as 685ZZ or 6852ZR
Standard dia: 5/11/5 (Bore 5mm, OD 11mm Width 5mm).
Reverse the whole procedure and enjoy flying again.
Br advised that it is best practice NOT TO REUSE an e-clip more than once. Many do but it is advisable to replace with a new clip each time since they do not fair well to repeated removal and replacement stress.