Typhoon went for a swim. Advice Please

[homedoc]

The best chance of recovery after a saltwater swim (of any electronic device) is to remove the battery and submerge the unit in freshwater as soon as possible, and leave it there until you can take it apart to thoroughly clean and dry it.

I would suggest that you dunk it in clean water several times sequentially to clear ALL the salt out. I would then try to dry it as quickly as possible, disassembling wherever possible and drying with towels or paper towels. The final step would be to then warm it gently to maybe 110 degrees F. oven to accelerate the final removal or any residual droplets that might get stuck between closely adjacent wires, etc. This water will be hard to get at with towels, and because the amount of it is so small, it tends to stay stuck in tiny spaces because of capillary action. 24 hours at 110 deg F. should do it.

A second way to do the final drying is to carefully place the parts on top of a layer of dry white rice in a closed vessel which is then covered to lock out the air of the room. The rice is very hydrophilic and will draw humidity from the air surrounding the grains. 24 hours there too. I once revived an iPhone that had been accidentally left standing in a deep pool of coffee in the bottom of a paper cup using the same routine: flush a number of times sequentially (I used distilled), that drying as much as you can using paper towels, kleenex, q-tips, etc. Then either rice or a warm oven.

 

[DCH]

I would suggest that you dunk it in clean water several times sequentially to clear ALL the salt out. I would then try to dry it as quickly as possible, disassembling wherever possible and drying with towels or paper towels. The final step would be to then warm it gently to maybe 110 degrees F. oven to accelerate the final removal or any residual droplets that might get stuck between closely adjacent wires, etc. This water will be hard to get at with towels, and because the amount of it is so small, it tends to stay stuck in tiny spaces because of capillary action. 24 hours at 110 deg F. should do it.

A second way to do the final drying is to carefully place the parts on top of a layer of dry white rice in a closed vessel which is then covered to lock out the air of the room. The rice is very hydrophilic and will draw humidity from the air surrounding the grains. 24 hours there too. I once revived an iPhone that had been accidentally left standing in a deep pool of coffee in the bottom of a paper cup using the same routine: flush a number of times sequentially (I used distilled), that drying as much as you can using paper towels, kleenex, q-tips, etc. Then either rice or a warm oven.

This is all excellent advice. I was keeping just to the first aid aspect for simplicity. However proper drying is essential, how long it stays in fresh water is not too critical but once you take it out and begin the cleaning process it is important to dry it quickly. I would use at least 120°F/50°C.

As far as the batteries are concerned, smart to not, they are going to be instant toast in salt water, and not likely to survive even a short dunk in fresh water.

 

[JMichael]

This is a question for .
Phaedrus
I have used Corrosion X to water proof servos and other electronics .
Have you or any one you know ever used corrosion x on the main board and escs of a drone ?
I would be very wary of using it on the camera , but at this time , I do not know of any reason to be concerned with the flight boards .
Any insight would be great .
You guys can see where I am going with this .
To be able to safely pretreat a drone would be an awesome measure of prevention .
I have personally had great experience with this product .
I used to build modified rc cars and trucks at a local hobby shop when I came off of the road for a week .
I would pretreat a receiver and servo combo with corrosion x and submerge them (with battery ) in to a large glass jar full of water .
Place the transmitter beside the glass jar and demonstrate , in real time , that the receiver/servo combo functioned without any glitches .
We sold every receiver/servo combo that I could treat .
Back to back .
The first attempt even stayed in water overnight and still functioned without a glitch the next day .
Corrosion X won me over .
I can see where treating the flight controller might not be a good idea , but the pcb , mosfets , transistors etc. ,
should be fine .

 

[homedoc]

I can see where treating the flight controller might not be a good idea , but the pcb , mosfets , transistors etc. ,
should be fine .

I looked up CorrosionX online and it looks like great stuff, though I was not able to determine its composition. I think what you are referring to is a "conformal coating". We used an acrylic product we obtained from Digikey (419D-1L MG Chemicals | Prototyping, Fabrication Products | DigiKey) to completely seal a homemade circuit board that kept flaking out on us during demos after plane flights. Very effective. I think there is a difference between products designed to keep water out of electronics to PREVENT corrosion and products used to TREAT corrosion. I would check with the manufacturer before conformal coating any power parts to be sure there are no heat dissipation issues.

 

[homedoc]

This is all excellent advice. I was keeping just to the first aid aspect for simplicity. However proper drying is essential, how long it stays in fresh water is not too critical but once you take it out and begin the cleaning process it is important to dry it quickly. I would use at least 120°F/50°C.

120 degF is correct. I was being on the conservative side in case there is any plastic involved or adhesives which soften and fail at higher temps.

 

[JMichael]

Thanx for the input homedoc .
Will take advice to heart .

 

[Eagle's Eye Video]

@Personal Drone Repair, @homedoc, see the following related threads...

Water Treated Typhoon H

Waterproofing Your Drone / Controller

 

[JMichael]

Eagle's Eye
Now that is impressive !
Thank you for the input .
Seriously .
This will be on my mind all night now .

 

[homedoc]

The "Waterproofing Your Drone/Controller" link will take you to a Youtube which is quite amazing. That CorrosionX stuff is amazing. I have no idea what's in it, but it definitely provides an instantaneous protection without even waiting for the stuff to dry. IMHO this stuff looks like a must-use product for anyone flying either over water or in inclement weather,.

 

[jandjfrench]

I'm curious as to how Corrosion X holds up in the long run. It seems that using Vaseline (petroleum jelly) would have the same effect in the short run. It appears that Corrosion X is somewhat less viscous than Vaseline so I'm curious as to how it holds up with heat. Anyone have long term experience?

 

[Phaedrus]

It lasts a good long time, but needs to be reapplied if you dunk it.

 

[Phaedrus]

This is a question for .
Phaedrus
I have used Corrosion X to water proof servos and other electronics .
Have you or any one you know ever used corrosion x on the main board and escs of a drone ?

.

Not on a drone, but on $800 360-amp ESCs, $600 giant electric motors (the size of a soda can), servos, receivers and even gas engines.

 

[homedoc]

Now my curiosity got aroused aroused I was thinking it must be something quite hydrophobic (i.e. water repellent). It could be petroleum based but also possibly silicone based. Then I found the material safety data sheet (MSDS) for the product. (Attached). It consists of mineral oil (a highly refined fraction of crude oil) and also contains hydrogenated oil . Hydrogenation gets rid of any components of mineral oil that either have no lubricant value or degrade the lubricant value of other substances within the mix. That would mostly be ring compounds (benzene, etc.) some of which are carcinogenic.

 

[Phaedrus]

From the MSDS sheet posted above:

Carcinogenicity: Highly refined base oil blend (< 3 % DMSO extractable) ACGIH group A4; not classified as human carcinogen

 

[Steve Carr]

For waterproofing such as flying in rain, I use 100% silicone spray which leaves no residue and protects all the electronics, camera and the motors. Some of these waterproofing formulas leave a sticky residue and will also increase heat retention. I wouldn't use CorrosionX on the motors and most definitely not on the barometer.

 

[JMichael]

Steve Carr .
Awesome insight .
Thank you .

 

[biltno]

Phaedrus.. a drone should be a piece of cake to fly after going 80 mph+ on the water.
Previous to drones I was flying rc Helis and it was an easy transition for sure

 

[Phaedrus]

Phaedrus.. a drone should be a piece of cake to fly after going 80 mph+ on the water.
Previous to drones I was flying rc Helis and it was an easy transition for sure

I've been flying RC planes for the last 52 years, including helis. Honestly drone flying is boring. I operate drones only as airborne camera platforms. Getting good images from above is the thrill for me with a multi-rotor. Now, that is not to say there are no challenges in flying a MR. Positioning and orienting the aircraft to capture the desired image is often a real challenge.

 

[Phaedrus]

For waterproofing such as flying in rain, I use 100% silicone spray which leaves no residue and protects all the electronics, camera and the motors. Some of these waterproofing formulas leave a sticky residue and will also increase heat retention. I wouldn't use CorrosionX on the motors and most definitely not on the barometer.

Perhaps not the barometer, but I have literally soaked very large high voltage/amperage electric motors in CorrosionX with no short, or long, term affects. I would have zero hesitation to use it on a motor in a H+, etc.

Now, having said that, I would need a really good reason to be flying in weather that would make water-proofing an issue.

 

[Crazy Crow]

My Typhoon H decided to bounce up with a mind of it's own after landing; flip; and walk it's way into a fresh water lake. I pulled it from the water fully submerged in less than 3 seconds; electrons are faster than 3 seconds; I know... Smoke was coming from the battery compartment; most likely some of ESCs on the mother broad. I have contacted Vertigo (they have been AWESOME every time I have gone to them) they suggested replacing the motherboard. They mentioned that they flight controller broad might be bad too; but is not something available on the market.

So here is the dilemma; questions; debate...

I cannot confirm if the camera is OK or any other electric parts of the drone. Now that it is completely dry can I try to power it up and see what works and what doesn't without fear of frying more components?

If anything other than the mother board needs to be replaced; i.e. the camera; flight controller; the cost of the repair starts to out be more than a new base unit.

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

I experienced a similar accident.
If drying has no effect, which I doubt since you saw smoke, I suspect a mainboard replacement is the best option.

You can do it yourself like I did. Will save you a lot of cash and shipping fees.
Heres my tutorial on how to do it.