I didn't waterproof my drone. Now I'm paying the price.

[@bearbeefpv]

"when your done completing the joint, just dab a little bit more" J. Bardwell @8:17

[@serenestateofbeing1062]

I just go straight to the dab 😂

[@jeffparisse4202]

Distilled water flush is great advice. Years ago, I flew a marine life observation drone that landed and floated on the ocean. It required a distilled water flush after each flight followed by a WD-40 spray rinse of the motors. Flushing with (distilled) water is counterintuitive but apparently worked for this specific project.

[@rasmus80g]

Not really counterintuitive. Distilled water actual does not conduct electricity. It's the minerals in the water such as salt that makes it conductive. But distilled water is not really something most people have at home :-) fresh water from the tap followed by something else works great. As long as the battery is disconnected it doesn't matter what you rinse with. All that matters is that no residue is left on the components when you do plug in the battery next time. (Unless it was fried before you picked it up... But then nothing's really matters ;-)

[@xDownSetx]

On hobby drones I would avoid spraying the motors with WD-40. The bearings are usually shielded, not sealed, so WD-40 will get right in there and break down the lubricant. Though it may be a good idea to lubricate the bearings after they take a swim anyway.

[@jakeh3144]

MAF sensor cleaner works great for spraying out motors.

[@jimross898]

I've done this on float planes I've flipped in the lake. Didn't revive them all but most were okay. Works magic on ESCs. Now my float planes smell like a mechanic's shop.

[@theartofflying3108]

Is there any chance to save a drone that get into a water without any comformacouting done?

[@dylanchaston5302]

I am brand new to FPV. I've seen nearly all of your videos over the past 5 weeks. I spent a lot of that time deciding what platform I want to buy, what radio I want to buy, what I want in my tool kit, etc. Last Friday my controller arrived, my brand new RadioMaster Boxer and dang! Believe me when I say it was well worth the investment as my first (hopefully only) controller. I've clocked maybe 4 hours in the simulator and am on lesson 3 of your "how to fly FPV playlist". I don't think I'll be getting a drone until black Friday or boxing day, and I have my eye on the Mobula 6 pro 2024. I am from Canada and I intend on getting my sRPAS Basic licence so I can't graduate to a 5" 6s drone one day. For now, I grind the sim. My free time is limited as I am a full time electrician and a new father of 2 but I'm seeing noticeable progress on each flight. I'm giddy with anticipation of being able to move my drone around while maintaining altitude and speed, and to get it to go exactly where I want, with limited slip through corners and little to no over corrections. Once I'm there... I'll get my first drone... For now. I grind. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk TLDR: thank you for giving me direction on my new hobby, can't wait to see what the future holds. Sim. Sim. Sim.

[@DavidVogt]

I just want to say that this channel is truly so fantastic.

[@SLRCCLUB101]

I personally use nail polish top coat. After two crash in to sea quad still working well

[@ManacoreMusic]

yeasterday I dumped my TP3 into a water bucket. I pluged out the battery before removing it from the water. It survived 100% Thank you Joshua for your tips 11:06

[@AbdulAleemShekhani]

I must say AGAIN, I LOVE this new creative storytelling you add to the videos. And you've done that more than once, the creativity not the water crash, please keep doing it :]

[@AbdulAleemShekhani]

I hit the like button at the story in the beginning :D LOVE you Joshua!

[@7july77]

The best way to waterproofing the drone is B7000 glue! glue can pour contacts and then remove without residue with tweezers. B7000 can be completely removed without solvent by winding on tweezers. Where I live long winter and rainy spring and autumn so i know what i'm talking about. I filled the boot button and exposed connectors with B7000 glue, and then easily removed them when I needed them in a new build. b7000 can clog the UFL antenna connection without fear of losing connection. I don't like MG Chemicals because it leaves a lot of dirt and is very difficult to remove with a solvent. And also it is very fluid and floods the places that I try to avoid. In this old video, a guy shows how easy it is to apply and remove B7000 glue with tweezers from a flight controller: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6mQi4dsi9Rprsk And this glue is very cheap and sold everywhere, as it is very popular for gluing smartphone screens

[@moralboundaries1]

thanks for the tip!

[@ch347]

Worth to mention, that motors don't need to be covered with coating because of magnetic nature of motion. Brushless motors are waterproofed by design.

[@rp479]

Strange way to say the wires are enamel coated

[@psyman9780]

The "magnetic nature of motion" has nothing to do with brushless motors being waterproof. The copper windings on the inside are coated in enamel and the wires leading out are sealed. Honestly not even sure what "magnetic nature of motion" is supposed to mean in this context.

[@SkeezyFPV]

@@psyman9780 probably that conductivity isn’t required because the motor functions through electro-magnetic created motion. Just a guess…

[@FuckGravity74]

And you should say..." I learned something today"

[@fearlessflyersfpv420]

Submerging your quad or just getting it really wet is not usually an issue. Even not conformal coated, you just gotta heat everything up with a hair dryer nice and hot, and all the water bakes off. Done it many times, worked every time!

[@frankyfrench5279]

thats not true, the problem mainly is the mosfets. Although the voltage on our quads is low and therfore it's not the probem itself, but the GATE is very sensitive it only need very little bit od drive current to switch it open. So by water it could create a little leak current and drive the mosfets unintended uncontrolled. This than lead to a short circuit, and so high current or burning the mosfet or pcb traces etc. So ESC's or any switching step down power regulators containing mosfets ,which can be found in many circuitry are notorious for burning. If no mosfet electronics on your pcb indeed you have much higher chances of survival/ less risk of permanent damaging electronics, if it is uncoated.

[@tiagotiagot]

I wonder if there could be some sort of "wetness-fuse" that will immediately cut battery current if it gets wet...

[@TomDenny-s7n]

Thats basically just a smoke stopper

[@tiagotiagot]

@@TomDenny-s7n That sounds a bit bulky and wasteful of electricity compared to something could be just a little thingy thing switches to infinite resistivity when wet but otherwise just acts like a a wire under normal circunstances; a smoke stopper is not something you would be flying with, specially with smaller drones...

[@bushcrafter6416]

Josh is the coolest nerd I know, Have helped me in my FPV journey beyond saying.

[@I77AGIC]

There are different kinds of conformal coatings and not all of them can be soldered through or dissolved in alcohol. so make sure you check

[@jackhutchby350]

Fpv Worry Free all day, Brandan knows his shit

[@jacobscoville2044]

It’s literally just rebranded silicone from China.

[@jackhutchby350]

@@jacobscoville2044 shhh, don’t worry about that

[@AlexLebed]

lol, 13:32, seems like even regular electronics in Joshua's house are powered by xt60 plugs))

[@mr_pike4609]

My mobula6 HD also took a plunge, I put it on a infrared heating panel with a fan for 24 hours. And boom, it still worked!

[@klingusmctavern8672]

Just rescued a 5” from a pond after 2 weeks under water, no waterproof coating applied. Result 1 seized motor, ESC fried. Flight controller, 3 motors, caddy unit and ELRS, were working. Battery was screwed. The rule here is the ESC Diodes cut power first to the rest of the drone.

[@CopperStateAerialPhotography]

Hey Joshua, Long story short, put my non waterproofed Tinyhawk 2 in my pool. I didn't unplug it underwater, and I did use rice for like 3 days. Now when I arm only 3 motors turn and 1 is intermittent. When I raise the throttle, it goes to full throttle and doesn't go down when I go to 0 throttle. I'm assuming the AIO board was damaged. Would that be a good assessment? Probably need a new AIO board. Dang it!! I wish I had seen this video 2 months ago!😞

[@jasonpressler7111]

I use Urethan based conformal coating, it is more pliable and has better heat resistance.

[@OtterFire]

waiting on pins and needles for your review of the flywoo x30 spray

[@big-smoke-rc]

Fished one out of the sink a week ago and luckily I got there before it shorted itself to death. Still flying! Luck.

[@mikespeedyfpv321]

conformal coating is essential where i live, i like to use the 422C conformal coating as u can ensure its covered using a uv light.

[@ricardo85xx]

Why don't manufacturers apply this to their drones?

[@pierre3036]

Interesting as always. Did the camera still work?

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Yep! 100%.

[@xovox9507]

you can get little rubber bungs to block the USB ports

[@jackjohnsonfpv8013]

Isopropyl alcohol won't remove conformal coating. Acetone is what you need to use (aka nail polish remover)

[@im_gldn]

or gunwash/thinner

[@kosti116]

For the USB plug u can use corosiinx 😊

[@Levytan1]

You deserve the 👍

[@ShireGanj]

We’re not so lucky with dry ground in Northern England😕Cheers JB for this! Coating has definitely saved my whoops in damp grass, hitting wet branches, even snow…after several burnt boards as a lesson.

[@MrBumbles2]

Lol I clipped a branch above my pool , yep had to buy another lol

[@falckiee7550]

I learned something !

[@TheDaniel366Cobra]

I once dropped my 5'' quad into saltwater due to some weird rxloss. It was approx. ankle deep and full of seaweed, so the quad plopped into that mess right to the upper deck. The battery terminals and the ESC power traces had likely shorted out, everything started boiling and fuming, and as a cherry on top the battery caught on fire. While in water. Yeah. I yanked it out having wrapped my hands in my shirt, but the ESC board has been ruined - some power traces eaten clean off the surface. Silicone insulation on some motor wires had puffed up, cracked and turned brittle, and the carbon fiber near the power terminals had visible pitting. To sum up, I had to replace the ESC board, rewire all motors (thankfully the coils themselves were not corroded) and buy a new action camera. That was enough of a lesson to lacquer-coat the boards.

[@legendaerial9688]

Thanks for making this video. Oscar Liang has a write up on drone waterproofing and recommends using 99% isopropyl alcohol to clean the board before coating and you can also use a cotton swap dipped in it to clean off conformal coating where you want it to be removed.

[@ashers_workshop]

I thought you said to use alcohol to remove the coating. Then you said to clean it with alcohol?

[@malvisvisi4101]

Definitely costing my drones... Thx for another great clip 🇿🇦

[@noobsplain]

Was waiting for a video on this topic! Thanks Joshua.

[@eveRide]

So here's a crazy question... I've got a boatload of Flex Seal left over from a shower project. Would that stuff work?

[@OranJuno]

I guess try it and let us know!

[@DanJonesShow]

7:40 Sunlight works great

[@late2thegatefpvdfreeman319]

I dlflewbintoncats waterdish yesterday. A full 2 seconds in H2o. Dried out. No Damage. Seriously.

[@rodrigodiniz13]

Does the camera still working?

[@th30rphans]

Bardwell says he doest have a blacklight, meanwhile theirs litarally a blacklight right behind him 😂😂

[@JoshuaBardwell]

That's a purple LED strip.

[@BetterIntegra]

I had a betaflight F3 I never felt like changing and crashed into a drained lake. A mostly drained lake. Needless to say it motivated me to update it to an F4. Keep on the sunny side This was all while an F3 could still handle all of betaflight. No quads have an F3 anymore unless it's been sitting in a closet. I also just got a mobula6 so you make me feel like I'm still in the club lol

[@TheWalter777]

your the best. it was fun contest, and i learned somethings

[@MCsCreations]

Thanks a bunch, Joshua! 😊 I've been searching about it to buy some silicone conformal coating, but... Unfortunately I can't find it. 😕 Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@suzysheer66]

Dielectric grease in the connectors helps also ( just not in the usb )

[@2toeninja]

Living in south Florida this is mandatory.

[@fiveflatfpv]

My new GepRC P16 is at the bottom of my brother's Koi pond... Can't see it or find it. I'm NOT jumping in there either...

[@R.Searage]

Corrosion X HD is the only waterproofing safe enough for main battery connection and any other small connectors and usb as well but silicone conformal coating is best for everything else, so combined you'll basically have a fully waterproofed quad.

[@ferferguillen]

DO YOU HAVE THE LINKS OF THAT PRODUCT?

[@FFPV4582]

what about the fpv feed? it blacked out when you dunked the quad into the pool.

[@willpowerfpv3246]

A food dehydrator works well, if ya have one!

[@ShireGanj]

Can you do a video how to clean small motors when they get dusty/dirty? I spray out with degreaser and it works fantastic, even restoring rpm and power.

[@davidthurman3963]

I always have ignored jb on waterproofing. But I live on the Oregon coast so it's kinda stupid to not to here..

[@PalmBeachDroneWorks]

Hey Joshua, what about the goggle feed after the dunk? I’ve had issues with the sensor in some quads after a good swim in the pool. If you’re careful, applying conformal coating around the seals can help a good bit. You earned your like 👍

[@psikodelriot6754]

Best silicone conformal coating ever. Ordered me that stuff to germany for 20$ around. And it was totally worth it.

[@jackhalligan2776]

Cool video about waterproof and a little drone I enjoyed watching you almost destroy your mini

[@defiantdj8463]

Saved my tinyhawk a few times from failure with this. Lost a motor tho. Top tip. 😎

[@cathrerinezetadrones3169]

Love that penguin JB!

[@PenPeng]

You might not really need a UV light. The sun might be enough. Under sunlight, the conformal coating is way more visible than under normal artificial light, because the sunlight contains UV light. In Germany the MG-Chemicals stuff is very hard to get. You can just use Plastik70 (or Plastik 70 super if you're worried that ESCs or VTX might get too hot for regular Plastik 70) or other "Elektronik Schutzlack".

[@Cyenergy3]

I've landed in the lake with pool noodles on the arms and it totally submerged but it still is flying fine but I don't recommend flying over water without coating 😂

[@odyss160]

also, like they say with firewood for survival, if you think you have enough for the night, build it 3 times bigger. same for drying your quad lmao, if you think x amount of time is good, times it by 3

[@gimbalair]

Cracking video Joshua, my Tinyhaw3 landed in the dogs water bowl, thought it would be fubar but battery off, hairdrier and 20mins later, airborne. Now taken delivery of a used protek 35 which was covered in the conforming coating, your bit about do not block the barometer is a worry as i think the previous owner applied it with a yard brush!

[@manfredifronzoni]

Thanks for the video! But what about the battery? Do you need to cover the balance plug? And if you unplug it from the drone while underwater won’t the water touch the battery electronics and cause a short circuit?

[@WernerBeroux]

Do you still trust that battery not to burst into flames due to oxydation? Maybe the next video...

[@ReggieRailSystems]

OK Kemosabe, I Liked it! But a question for ya, Did the Camera survive ??, I'm guessing notta chance. Please let me know. Thanks. B. G.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Yep, it was fine.

[@SOLARFPV]

Question: what is a good combination of analog goggle reciever and antenna for these whoops? I mean, digital is still too heavy for whoops for now imho. Nice experiment and details about conformal coating, mine survived a bucket of rainwater too, no coating. But i did unplug under water, and dry out for 48 hours, then alcohol bath and soft brushing soaking for 25 min, then dry for 3 days, before trying to fly it again. Conformal coating bought, but never used yet. This video reminded me about it, so thank you Joshua.

[@slushpuppyrf]

Hey Joshua, I have this Mobeetle6 as well! I'm curious of the ECU temperatures with the coating on. Supposedly if the VTX is running at 400mW, it will lower the power depending on the temperature of the unit. I feel like this coating would keep it from dispersing heat like it should. Just curious! Thanks for the video!

[@benkimmitt]

There is literally a black light on behind you under your desk.😂

[@JoshuaBardwell]

That's just purple LEDs.

[@tooombucket6656]

Can you test nail polish as a cheaper alternative?

[@A.Achorn]

Hold up how is Silicon not mentioned once here! I'll admit I found Joshua cause I'm a complete drone noob but I've spent years as a Carpenter and a few years doing RC boats and when you want to keep water out nothing beats good old fashioned silicon. You can get a whole tube for $10-15 haha. Now on that woop I could see it being a little bit of a pain but for a 4" or 5"+ it would probably be just as easy to apply. You could also get creative for a lot of the do not coat parts by making mini boxes you could seal with the silicon.

[@colinmaughn7073]

Jousha will clear nail polish work just asking

[@muchlicek]

My Smart HD PNP from GepRC ended in rain water tank. Was there about 30 secs, after drying it really well it flies like new... no waterproofing done by me. Don't know if some was done by GepRC or if it is even possible to waterproof Vista unit. I guess I was lucky.

[@maelradec6766]

conformal coating glows under blacklight, being an opal miner i have a uv spotlight and conformal coating makes it easy to find in the dark

[@Ksmeex]

Did the camera and vtx survive? I don't think we saw any video feed from the quad after it was dunked.....

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Yes. All functional.

[@w4v3yfpv60]

Did the cam survive tho? If I plunge my whoop in water fair enough the fc would survive but what about the cam??

[@Joeyzoom]

I’m becoming an amateur storm chaser and have been getting some outstanding aerial shots with my Nazgul5 v2. This is something that I’ve been looking into for some cheap insurance in case I’m too slow landing before the rain hits. Cheers

[@LarryDudek]

Does anyone know the difference between MG chemical 422c and 422b coating. Joshua used the 422b but 422c is all I can find in a small bottle.

[@OranJuno]

Did you find the answer to your question about 422b versus 422c?

[@vedasticks]

I r dunked my tiny hawk freestyle in dog water bowl twice, didn't cause any harm. Apart from my firmware corrupted on the 2nd time a few times. However, it was disarmed before it hit the water. Last time I got a drone wet and the esc fried, it was armed. I dried it out with a hair drier both times, refreshed firmware when it corrupted, it was fine then corrupted itself again and after 2nd refresh has been fine since. I've seen vids of someone that waterproofed there quad that will still operate under water.

[@aakashjana6225]

Next up how do I prevent my 5" quad from sinking deep in a pond?

[@OranJuno]

What did you end up doing?

[@kirkglundal4289]

Joshua, how many times have you flown over that pool? Must be thousands of times now! You may be able to estimate the odds now. Lol I have been looking to pick up a bottle of the conformal coating for years now. Always out of stock.

[@mortonbeard2240]

Just bought the Tinyhawk lll. In trying to get the flip over mode to work I have created a wobble in the drones hover. I think it happened because I used both joy sticks in one of my attempts. Any to get rid of it? Thanks.

[@jankucera8505]

battery didnt short?

[@VDNplay]

Wow! This huge single-propped whoop is THIC. And you could use it to dry the small one, awesome! Anyway, what I've found to be the best coating is B-7000 glue. It is cheap, easily removable if needed and easily accessible pretty much everywhere. But the main factor is that it stays soft after polymerization, it don't crack due to constant heating/cooling cycles of electronics and it's not affected by thermal expansion in any way.

[@sarahdeakins2629]

Mine went into fish tank in house lol

[@XSPHEAR]

Wish I could give more than one like!

[@BuzzhobbiesAu1]

Don't apply thick ! - thermal issues can develop also lifting surface components are possible with thermal differences. Also with most manufacturers it will void your warranty, from a retailer point of view I have seen a lot of issues caused by conformal coating. We no longer recommend or sell conformal coating type products.

[@nothingbutadreambutm]

I m not aware if we are the only one but we do water proof our boards from the factory

[@OranJuno]

You're not GEPRC are you?

[@HPFPVS]

Hey have you ever tried clear fingernail polish? I have used it on RC cars for years and it works perfectly. Do you think the same concept applies for FPV?

[@timlong7289]

@Joshua can acrylic conformal coating (Ambersil) be used, or is that a no-no?

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Yes acrylic is ok but it's not as flexible and chips off.

[@KcCake]

Hmm thanks for the tips!

[@aidenryan4097]

As someone who repairs small electronics, iphones and androids alike I agree with nearly everything on this video. He spot on with how electricity works when in water. The only thing I strongly disagree with is putting this gunk on, for selfish reasons. Makes diagnosing problems fairly difficult when you can't get readings off of traces

[@aviatoFPV]

I flew my mobeetle6 in water twice already and it just keeps working. Granted, I was quick to disconnect the battery and put the hairdryer on it.

[@sixtofive]

Good advice! I've had conformal coating save me a couple times.

[@macejc101]

an organics respirator is a good idea...stuff has toluene which is a known carcinogen. or do it outside...

[@UnmannedSky]

I'm curious to know if you conformal coat a nanorx and then put heat shrink on it will the heat to shrink the wrap melt the conformal off?

[@nezmalfpv3639]

Didn’t ever think about that….

[@yamarajaspring9518]

Hi, How to protect the motor from the rain? Or it does't need ...?😊

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Motors are inherently waterproof.

[@yamarajaspring9518]

@@JoshuaBardwell Thank you for your replay

[@LalapopApple]

~1hour ago 2.5k views nice👍 mg chemicals is best i use 422c all the time.... dont wtched the end yet... looking forward to submarine images :D

[@rodgerzinke]

i liked the video right aftzer i read the title :D

[@haroldseaman4243]

I've always wanted to go to Rock and Roll fantasy camp that being said Mr Bardwell wished you would have one that would be way cooler!!!!