Apparently, in the drone scene, sticker wraps are popular for a custom aesthetic. [Useless Mod] wanted to go a little further, however, and decided to build a full crystal enclosure for his Mavic Mini, facing some hurdles along the way. (Video, embedded below.)
The first stage of the build was disassembly, with the compact 249 gram drone requiring a deft touch to avoid damaging the delicate ribbon cables and mechanisms inside. With the drone stripped down to its bare components, a silicone mould was made of each individual piece of the case, with new parts being cast in clear epoxy. It’s not a job for the faint of heart, with many undercuts and complex features to contend with. However, [Useless Mod] managed to produce the parts and get it all back together.
An initial test flight ended poorly, when the drone entered an uncontrollable wobble due to the case not being fully assembled. However, with fresh internals and with everything properly put together, everything worked! It’s not a build we’d suggest for the inexperienced, as the moulds required are complex and the electronics quite fragile. The final result is a good one though, and it even weighs 10 grams less than the original casing!
For those in the US, the world of drones is set to change drastically in short order.
[Thanks to Frederik for the tip!]
Damn, that’s beautiful.
Great idea and now is a home built drone. This gives it the potential to have prop guards and stay under 250g, making it safer than the original (which can’t be flown with prop guards because it makes too heavy to comply with latest regulations unless you pass an expensive test).
Just the casing I have the drone already.
It is hard enough locating the drone in the air with its original casing. How will one be able to see this 200 + feet or 0.5mi away. Apparently the vlos will be significantly impacted.