Just curious what the consensus seems to be in regards to the many issues members have with drone storage issues. That is to say, people store their drones or don't use them for months, sometimes years, at a time and when they pull them out of storage there seems to be many issues with them....camera issues, motor issues, connectivity issues etc...What's the leading cause? Winter is coming here up in new England and my drones will most likley be sitting for a while (I'm hoping not and will try to get them flying anyway).
Is there anything we can do before putting them in storage? Not talking about batteries, talking about the drone and camera. Anyone recommend not storing drone with cameras attached or does it even matter?
Curious
Edit. Posted in wrong area, can a mod move to general area? Sorry
The biggest issue in my opinion is batteries allowed to drain too low. Batteries need to be checked periodically (every few months) to make sure they are at their storage level of 50%. Also, the rechargeable soldered battery on the GPS can fail if it isn't used and allowed to discharge too low. Periodic use will prevent this, even if it's just powered on and left to sit idle for a time. Another issue with soldered rechargeable batteries is they can leak in storage, causing corrosion and circuit board damage.
Pots and switches in the controller can oxidize, so verifying function in the hardware monitor before use is also highly recommended.
Another often (unknown by most) is a phenomenon called tin whiskers. See the link below for images.
Tin Whiskers Images
Tin Whiskers occur in electrical devices when metals form long whisker-like projections over time. Basically metal crystalline filaments that grow over time that create shorts in electronics.
Wiki Tin Whiskers
I would never just power on old electronics that have been sitting without first spraying them down with electronic component cleaner and a can of air, (still no guarantee).
Have you ever taken something out of storage only to power it on and hear a pop with smoke?
Rubber components can also decay as well as bad wiring insulation causing shorts or mechanical failures.
Grease and oils can also deteriorate over time getting sticky.
The MEMs pressure sensor used to determine altitude could also be affected because I believe the diaphragm is made from silicon that can also deteriorate with time.
As a lot of us on this forum can attest, entropy can only be slowed, not stopped.
To quote Star Trek - Dr.
Soran : "They say
time is the fire in which we burn. Right now, Captain, my
time is running out. We leave so many things unfinished in our lives."