FIXED! DJI Phantom 4 Pro Remote Control Battery Charge Issue [Disassembly, Repair, Reassembly]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- Links to tools featured in this video:
Heat gun/reflow station (updated version): amzn.to/3wttDmb
Not featured in video, but used during the repair:
Helping Hand stand: amzn.to/3wCy1Q0
Voltmeter: amzn.to/3P5GrWy
Extra reflow solder (not needed in my repair, but some may need it if there is too little solder left to reflow): amzn.to/3P1FKgR
Some links are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
UPDATE! : A viewer using this method had good results using a higher reflow temperature (350° C) for shorter time and helpfully suggests using thermal tape to protect plastic pieces! See the comments section.
For a look at performing the actual reflow, check out Mark Dean’s video: • P4 controller not char...
ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: This video describes a possible fix to the DJI Phantom 4 Pro controller failing to charge or show an accurate battery charge. By reflowing key connecting points on the controller's circuit board, I was able to restore full functionality.
Did this technique work for you? Please leave any comments or questions in the comments area!
Mentioned in this video:
DJI message boards post by Rainer1: forum.dji.com/...
Videos by Robson Raul (Portuguese language): / @rrdrones
Please note that this technique may involve risk and should only be attempted if your device is unable to be repaired by a professional technician. Any attempted repair is done at your own risk!
Wow! I knew this video filled a need, but never imagined so many people faced the same issue. For convenience, I have added links in the description to the hardware featured in the video. Many thanks to all who have viewed, and especially those who have reported back with their experiences!
Thanks.. Very nice guide. I have an issue after reflowing it.. Before doing so, i could connect the DJI Go 4 app to the drone. But now when i plug in my samsung it says "Check your charger connection." I have taken it back apart 2 more times to make sure everything is plugged in securely and it is.. But the app still wont connect. Any suggestions would be great.
Hey boss. Great video and i was able to fix my controller. I purchased it on Ebay and it was not showing anything over two lights right from the start. I followed your guide thoroughly and now I can get all four lights. I greatly appreciate it.
One thing I'm kinda curious about is if you really need to disconnect all the ribbon wires and wiring harnesses. It seems like we could unscrew the phillips and tilt the board up in order to reflow. Just a thought, but at the end of the day your guide worked perfectly, I learned some stuff about my controller, and the problem is fixed. I wish I could buy you a beer to say thanks. If you're ever around chicago, let me know.
MattHeaven, thanks for the kind words. I think you’re right that there must be a simpler way to access the target areas of the circuit board. Lots of great people over the years since I posted have helped to locate the key areas-something I really didn’t know at the time!
@@travelphotofilm For what it’s worth, mine started recognizing the four lights after working around the battery connections on the board. The charging port connections did nothing.
@@VictoryAviation Hi Mat and thanks for your additional comments. I have just purchased a solder reflow thing so I can do this fix. So did you do any other reflow spots on the board or did you stop after the area around the battery connection?
This looks like a common fault and is something that DJI should be correcting with a recall and free repair.
It works!!! I disassemble the remote myself. I live Mexico and take the circuit to a cellphone repair shop (they use soldering hot air to fix the phones), explained them what was the problem and how to fix it, and heated all the circuit at 300 degrees one time (ALL THE CIRCUIT) and it WORK!!! Thanks man!!! I paid 80 Mexican pesos for the work.
Excellent news, David! Thank you for adding your experience to these comments!
Big thanks. Worked just like you said. I started at 300 degrees, didn't work. Reheated the board at 325, still no go. Tried 350, still had only the same one light. Finally thought I'm just gonna go for it. Turned the heat up to 375, took my time and heated every bit of solder on the board. Thought to myself, well It's already not working so I'm gonna really heat it up, even got some of the semiconductors and components hot. Voila!!! Let it cool down, plugged up the charger and battery and had 4 flashing lights. Good as new!!! Thanks everyone for your posts!
Thank you for letting us know how it worked for you, and for providing the temps!
Worked for me too. Same issue, so applied heat to solder connections directly behind battery connector and charge socket. Connected charger to board and got 3 LEDs showing, so upped the heat to 400c and fan at 50%, applied heat for 20 secs or so to each area and got 4 LEDs showing. Not difficult to do if you're confident in dismantling/repairing. Take pictures before if not sure.
Great video, ordered a heat gun from Amazon and got it today. Took my transmitter apart and started working as per your instructional video. First try, no luck so I upped the heat to 400 and fan at 4 and it worked wonderfully. Of course DJI was no help with the problem and told me to send it in for evaluation and pricing. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
Awesome, Jesse, so happy to hear it worked for you!
I confirm this works. The only part that I reflowed was the tiny chip just to the right of the right-most LED on the same side of the board as the LEDs. The chip is about as square as the LED diameter. I used 400C for about 20 seconds. Thanks for posting the video and to the other commentors for leading to the exact spot.
Thank you for the precise information and for following up with your experience!
is it the tiny square?
I wish DJI would just make a battery that functions
To be clear, this is not really a battery issue, but a soldering problem on the circuit board. But I’m totally in agreement with the spirit of your comment! Thanks for checking in!
Thank you worked for me DJI needs to fix that problem. I missed some good family reunion footage because of that.
This has worked for me - twice (had to re-flow again which, as I understand, is a common issue with any shoddy solder issue). I know it won't last forever. I'm grateful for the fix and the extra flight time I've gained! Thanks!
If others are looking for tips (and, as the video says, this is always at your own risk... I don't have a heat gun) I set the main board in my oven (pre-heated to 375F) for 10 minutes on a (non-heated) muffin tin. I didn't want to melt anything and it seems to have been enough heat to do the job.
Omg it works. You saved me buying another remote. I took a Dewalt gun heater with a can of beer rolled like a nozzle for having just a small output. I did this 3 or 4 times and after that it works. Thank you man
Excellent! Glad to hear you didn’t need to buy another remote!
Worked on my Phantom 3 Pro Remote, which i thought was a battery issue. Followed your instructions and just used a heat gun. Thanks so much 😄
Great news! Thank you for the feedback!
Worked For Me :-) I only focused on the power chip (both sides of the PCB) as circled in a previous post. When I first disconnected the PCB and battery, I plugged the charger in and only one LED illuminated. Then after applying the SMD hot air for about 30 seconds either side (and allowing pcb to cool) I then plugged the charger back in and he presto 4 LEDs :-) My Hot Air settings were 320c and fan 7 (meant to set it to 4 as per previous postings, but only remembered that afterwards) I had the hot air thing about 2cm from pcb.
Note To Would be DIYers: - Whilst this job is complicated, its not difficult. Those fiddly looking ribbon cable connections are actually far more robust than they look. Oh and don't worry if you too have one screw left on the bench after reassembly. Its a deliberate ploy by the Chinese to confuse us westerners :-)
Thanks to the original poster, you are a Hero !
Fred, thank you for the great, detailed review!
can I just connect the battery and the charger to see if the light go back to live? o I need to reassemble all the cable first?
@@kiradmf I connected the charger to the board even before re-installing it - I had the board just hanging off the end of the charger to test it. But, I'm sure you're well beyond that now since your post is two weeks old.
Thanks so much man for taking the time and explaining that well!
I also focused on the spot on the right side next to the LEDs.
Over time only the first LED did light up when loading.
Bought a 42€ reflow station on amazon, switched air flow to 3 and temperature to 350°C. Did warm the area for about 20 seconds, then connected (without battery attached) and had 3 LEDs lighting up. Then i did the same agian, and tadaaaa --> 4 LEDs!!! Attached the Battery, compleded everything and now my App shows 98% Battery!
You saved a lot of us a lot of money! Thank you so so so much! I dont know how anyone could unlike that video. Shame on you!
Thanks for your help!
Hey, thank you for the kind words! Glad you found the video helpful!
It worked great for me, I was so pissed that a 3 year-old Drone would give me so much grief!! One thing I suggest is that heat the area gradually, let it cool and plug it in to see if you get the 4 LEDs to come on. Don't put it together and test ! It didn't work for me the first few times, so I gradually heated the area until i got the 4 LEDs to COME ON :) Thank you!
Good tip, glad it worked for you!
So this worked for me. There is a couple things. You don’t need to disconnect the small ribbons on the first board, just the big one. Second was after I get the the back off, try just disconnect the battery for 30 seconds and re-install the cable, this sometimes fixes this problem. But it didn’t work for me and I refloated the board as described here. Thanks for this video
Colin, many thanks for the tips and the feedback! Glad to hear it worked for you!
Worked again for the second time 3 years later. Great job thanks a million : )
Great to hear, Paul. Shame it needs to be done more than once, but at least it’s working again!
Bro, 10000 thanks, My RC works now I did it exactly as u showed and 15 min later after assembled all lights working and remote as new. Thanks again.
Great to hear! Thank you for following up with your experience!
Great video. Tried it with your average heat gun on low and a few inches away. Took 2 tries cause I did not want to fry to board but it worked. After 2 minutes on low with slow passes around the areas you suggested. Thanks for posting the detailed walkthrough, it really helped me and it was much easier than I expected.
Glad it worked for you! Thank you for the feedback!
Many thanks! It worked using a powerful hair dryer!
Thank you so much for posting this video, taking your time, and making me feel comfortable to try this myself. I used a heat gun with a piece of tinfoil as a shroud and it totally worked. In case anyone is wondering I did this on a P3 Professional controller and the internals were identical. You saved me loads of dough. Thanks again dude!!!
Awesome! And good call on the tinfoil hack; I’ve learned a bunch of best practices from these comments!
Thank you sir.. It work for my Phantom 4 RC. I only use cheap heatgun with no temperature measurement. I focus on a tiny chip with 8 legs near the right LED for about 1 minute, and heat the rest of PCB around the battery section just randomly for no reason 😅. And thank you for the disassembly tutorial too, it help so much..
Joy, thank you for the kind note. Very pleased to hear you had success!
Awesome, thanks so much, been looking for a fix for this for months. This worked for me, with a different battery too and taking charge perfectly now. Tried so many things and thought I'd have another search as it's been a few weeks, stumbled accross your comment on another video. Wish I'd seen this before I got rid of the original battery lol, but atleast I didn't spend hundreds on a new controller. Thanks again. Mines the Phantom 3 Advanced for anyone wondering 👍👍
Oh, and on my hot air station, I used 450C, fan speed 5 out of the 8 and the quarter inch attachment. I used this over very short bursts of time for obvious reasons, but gave the whole board a go with it, focusing on the charge port to battery connector pins area of the board.
This is great to hear; thank you for letting me know! Also thanks for your reply with the settings you used!
I did this as well and it worked! However I set my temp setting to 385 Celsius and it went flawlessly . great vid
Many thanks for the helpful feedback! Glad to hear it worked for you!
Worked great! Thank You. Bought an inexpensive reflow unit and fixed in about 20 minutes.
Many thanks for the feedback, Roy!
This works, thank you so much! I have a Phantom 4 pro+ (the screen version), the layout is a bit different, but still was able to do it.
Great to hear! Thank you for the feedback!
Could you tell me where you heated up on this smart controller please (screen version)
From Vietnam, tks so much.
Hi everybody. I do not believe it worked. I use the hairdryer three times, drying the areas that people guide. Then the rechargeable battery has only 3 lights. Finally, I use a soldering iron on the 8 pins of the LED, the fourth lamp is on.
Worked great! Used a craft heat gun for about a minute each side, but went from controller that was broke to fully functional! Wished I would have watched to video through cause I made the same mistake he did and forget the rubber protector for the lights before I put the rest back together. Ha easy fix though. Thanks for the great walk through
All I did was take it apart like he did but I just unplugged the battery for a few minutes put it all back together and that fixed my problem
Thanks for that bit of info. $60. not that much but if I can avoid that purchase I definitely will.
Same thing for me. I took everything apart then put it back together and it now charges
Good Job, we will try this, your delivery is thoughtful and informed.
Hey, thanks a million! Just been through the process, heated it 3x in the end, as I got braver. Even put a baking thermometer next to the chip and saw it was up to 205 C. and was heating for about 3 mins the last time. I used Alu foil to protect the rest of the board and only heated the chip you pointed out.
If it flies, 👉🏽🥰
im really suprised that this fix does work! at first i was gonna send my RC to DJI Indonesia until they told me they cant replace my RC battery because noone sell it ( my RC wont charge pass 2lights ). and then i saw this video, was afraid at first but rather than buying a new rc i decide to try this. and guess what? you saved my pocket from buying new RC man !
i heated my board like 3times, then connect it to the charger and BOOM! 4lights is up. i reassembly my RC and tried to charge it, and the weird thing is it wont charge up more than 85% (checked it in DJI App) although it has 4 lights up. are there anyone having this problem too? at least im happy i have more than 80% charged battery, before was only 40% and it was only 15mins flight time :C
well played community, you guys figured this out while DJI sitting down do nothing and told their cust to buy a new RC rather than fix it.
Thank you for checking in and letting us know! Interesting to hear about the 85% charging; please update us if you find a solution to that!
i just used my RC today until 15% battery left, planning to charge it until full tomorrow. if its still max at 85% maybe ill try to diasembly it again and charge the battery manually using charger balancing ( i think one of my battery cell wont fill ). ill keep update what happens later.
Great video... I did mine at 360 working v fast, took two attempts then got the battery charging. Videos like this are what TH-cam is all about, you have helped loads of people.
Paul, many thanks for the kind words. Great to hear that it worked for you!
Had the same issue with my P4 RC.. Your video was a great help.. FIXED!!..Thanks!
Great to hear! Thanks, Peter, for the feedback!
Guys the only fix is if u reflow the the 8 pin thing near the fourth light :) even with a lighter for 5 seconds :)
Excellent feedback. Thank you, Theofilos!
really?
I don't understand which one is it.
IT ACTUALLY WORKED FOR ME! 10 sec with zippo lighter. First I got 2 lights to lit up. I heated then for 2 x 10 sec and 3 lights came up. then I gave it a couple of more shots each time just with blue flame not to burn the rest of it... AND IT WORKED ... I guess I was just lucky. WOULD NOT RECOMEND IT TO ANYBODY
Thanks so much. This with another video fixed my P4 that I’ve been wondering what to do with for the past few months. Common controller issue fixed. I thought for sure I would melt/ruin it but it worked.
Dan, many thanks. It is not for the faint of heart, but pretty much anyone can make this fix with enough patience and determination! Thank you for following up with your feedback!
Worked for me! It feels risky and weird when you're doing it but I'm glad I did!
Just did this process on my controller and it worked great. Thank you for the detailed video -- it was very helpful.
Great to hear, Doug! Many thanks for your kind words!
Very well done and detailed over the other videos
Thank you! Very pleased you found it helpful!
Thank you, work for me, but i used 450 and use it for like 5 to 8 minutes twice.
Many thanks for the feedback, Maury! Glad to hear it worked!
Fixed my issue today, thanks for the detailed video instructions!
Thank you, Chuck, for the feedback! Great to hear!
I did this, only work for a small period of time n you end up changing the bord.. DJI charge 280 dollars..6 mounts warranty
Excellent. Worked after the first attempt. Thanks a ton brother.
So I just fixed my phantom 4 remote (GL300C) that had the same charging issue. I did exactly as one of the previous commenters recommended by focusing on the small black square, 8pinned piece that is directly to the right of the last LED, and now I’ve got all 4 lights showing fully charged. I used a harbor freight heat gun (on low) with aluminum foil on the end, with the final output being about 1cm diameter. I also used a harbor freight digital temp gun to watch the temps of the board. I saw upwards of 300 degrees F, and switched to C, and only saw less than 200 degrees C. I kept the heat right in the area of the 8pin piece for about 30-45 seconds straight until i saw the last LED start to blow over, which told me it was melting that solder. I quit immediately, let it cool for a second, then plugged it in. All 4 led’s blinked! Amazing!!! Thank you all for your contributions!
Many, many thanks for confirming the location of the fault!
Maybe it's me and my incompetence but I don't understand which one is it the 8 pinned piece you are talking about. Could I have a photo of it, please?
travel | photo | film did that end up being a lasting fix or did the problem come back? Any update for us would be appreciated...thx!
proudsuperior did the problem ever come back or did it turn out to be a lasting fix? Thx
This is "cold solder" on specific elements of the disc. Soldered again and I have 4 LEDs glowing, everything works properly and loads. The heating also did, but after a while it came back
Thanks ! You saved another remote (and me) 😉👌
Great to hear! Thank you for the feedback!
Your video helped me a lot. Thanks for uploading and for the very detailed procedure. It really worked for me. More power to you!!
Really great to hear! Thank you for the feedback!
It was like magic. I did it and it worked just fine.
Actually worked!! Awesome thanks!!
Excellent! Many thanks for the feedback!
Thank you! This helped me fix my controller!
Great to hear, James, and thank you for the kind note!
Thanks for the great video but it seems like I have to do that every spring the last 2 years. What am I doing wrong??? id like to fix once and for all...
Hmm, could be that there just isn’t enough solder left to reflow to full strength. Maybe add a small amount of solder? Seems like maybe over time or due to temperature changes things are loosening up on you.
It works nice also for Phantom 3 remote charger issue.
Great! Thank you for letting us know!
Painfully wordy. Here's a tip..... put the screws WITH the part they held in place. Never pile screws together.
Many thanks for the tips, Tom!
Thanks a lot for the video! I successfully reanimated my controller with this fix and are able to sell my P4 without issues now.
That is great to hear! Many thanks for the feedback!
Do you have to remove the board an heat hit if you get the four lights ?
I had the same problem with mine, used your method and its working ok now. dji customer service after your purchase is horrible, they should be sending us all new boards. when i purchased mine new it had a small crack in the lens cover, they were to cheap to send me a $1 piece of glass, they wanted me to send the whole drone to them. i love my phantom 4 pro but will go elsewhere when i want something new. they lost my $ with their appalling customer service.
Many thanks for the feedback, Ben. DJI makes some amazing things but you’re right that for such a common hardware issue there should be much better follow up.
Thanks, there is nothing wrong with my controller, but I view videos in case I my need to repair something. Great video, both for technical and entertainment!!
Thanks, w00dee13!
Thank you so much for posting this step by step video. It was very well done and easy to follow. I’m very pleased to say this worked for me. I had tried all the different ways to do a reset to no avail, so having nothing to loose I gave your step by step a go and it worked out very well. Again thank you! Also a big shout out to the gentleman from Brazil who showed the way. It’s obviously a big problem with many others Phantom 4 users and I’m disappointed that DJI didn’t step up to the plate and right their wrong.
Why the hell does this have to be done in the first place? This is still happening on DJI 4 controllers too? Why doesn't anyone hold DJI responsible?
Asked myself the same question, brother.
my DJI phantom 4 after 9 flights developed this fault I contacted dji by email to be told I would have to pay for its repair etc usual run around. I looked into buying a new controller etc but didn't fancy buying a controller that could fail as mine has so bought a rework station off eBay for £40 took a deep breath and followed the video. ribbons are fiddly but after getting circuit board out set rework to 325 degrees about 50% blower and worked around battery connector and charging port took about 5mins I'm guessing re assembled controller plugged in charger and it's fixed ! thank you so much for posting this video made it an easy repair. as someone has mentioned you don't have to take the little "com" board out or disconnect the left and right ribbons just the bigger bottom ribbon.
kevan, thank you for the feedback! Great to hear you found the video helpful!
True about the COM board, just discconect the bigger ribbon and you are good to go.
Worked just fine for me, THANKS!
I appreciate your taking the time to create and post your video because it worked perfectly for me. I focused on heating the charger and battery connections on the back of the PC board and I ran the gun at 300 degrees with a fan setting of about 4 and I spent 30-40 seconds per location and then I test it and it worked. Again, I appreciate your taking the time and effort because it made the difference between spending another $350 for a new transmitter or not. DJI was completely uninterested to help after the aircraft was flown about 5 times and I will think twice about buying anything from them again. Thanks again...
C Morrill, thank you for the kind words and detailed feedback! I love hearing about how this video helps others, especially considering how widespread the problem is and what a relatively easy fix it is!
[FUNCIONA] Hola, a todos!, quería contarles mi experiencia respecto al problema de carga del Control del Phantom (en mi caso un PHANTOM 4). Al principio comenzó a cargar solo hasta el tercer led (3/4), y finalmente hasta el segundo (2/4), lo cual me otorgaba solo el 50% de batería.
Incríblemente la solución fue calentar el chip de 8 pines que se encuentra al costado derecho de los leds de carga.
[Procedimiento]
En mi caso utilicé un soldador de estaño y la pasta FLUX sobre el chip, "rectificando" cada punto de soldadura de los pines 8/8, y por último calentar a unos 330°C durante unos 20 o 30 segundos el chip, que aparentemente contiene en la parte de abajo de este una pasta que hace de conductor sobre la placa del RC.
Volví armar y a la primera conexión de corriente VOALÁ, FUNCIONÓ!. 4/4 los leds de Carga se encendieron completos. Lo que también me llamó la atención es que la batería parecía casi completa, por lo que me dio a entender que este chip regula lo que el RC informa de batería y no depende si la batería carga o no. Es decir la batería carga igual pero el control solo entrega menos porcentaje!
Saludos a todos.
y GRACIAS!!!
Por si quieren saber más sobre el CHIP:
www.raspberrypiwiki.com/images/0/0f/CW2015-power-management-datasheet.pdf
O Comprarlo:
www.chinahao.com/product/556352851759/
es.aliexpress.com/i/32850043982.html
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[IT WORKS] Hi, everyone, I wanted to tell you my experience regarding the loading problem of the Phantom Control (in my case a PHANTOM 4). At the beginning it began to charge only until the third led (3/4), and finally until the second (2/4), which gave me only 50% battery.
Incredibly the solution was to heat the 8-pin chip that is on the right side of the charging LEDs.
[Process]
In my case I used a tin soldering iron and the FLUX paste on the chip, "rectifying" each solder point of the 8/8 pins, and finally heating at about 330 ° C for about 20 or 30 seconds the chip, which apparently contains in the bottom of this a paste that acts as a conductor on the RC plate.
I returned to arm and to the first connection of current VOALÁ, FUNCIONÓ !. 4/4 Charge LEDs turned on full. What also struck me is that the battery seemed almost complete, so I got to understand that this chip regulates what the RC battery reports and does not depend on whether the battery charges or not. That is, the battery charges the same but the control only delivers less percentage!
Greetings to all.
And thanks!
In case you want to know more about the CHIP:
www.raspberrypiwiki.com/images/0/0f/CW2015-power-management-datasheet.pdf
Or Buy it:
www.chinahao.com/product/556352851759/
es.aliexpress.com/i/32850043982.html
Thank you verry much for this video. My controller had the exact same issue and I've just followed your instructions and it's now working perfectly again. I used a Gas powered soldering iron with a very narrow torch blower fitting on the end so I could focus the heat were needed. No idea what sort of temps I was using given it's gas powered, but I had it low enough so that it took about 3 seconds to melt a tiny bit of test solder. I then slowed traced around the board where I felt it nessary. All in all, pretty straight forward and I'm delighted my controller is now working again. thank you....!!!
Great to hear! Thank you for the feedback and for detailing your process!
Works well for me! many thanks!!
How can I avoid this from happening. I had this issue, but bought another controller already. Need answers ASAP before this happens again
Thanks for the video....had this problem with the controller battery for quite some time. Purchased a flow gun so I could concentrate the heat and tried at 350c first without any luck....cranked it up to 400c for 30 seconds and success! Careful on the ribbon holder clamps, I broke one out of the clamp but was able to reinstall it after some time and effort!
Eureka! I saw your video some time ago when the problem first arose on my P4 (standard, not the Pro) and I had been putting off trying it till today when I literally couldn't use my drone due to "Remote controller battery too low" message. So I took on the project with your video guiding me. All went well. I can report that the P4 controller must be virtually identical to the P4 Pro because everything was in the same spots and looked the same. Thank you so much for your detailed and clear instructions, you rock!!
Wonderful to hear this worked for you! Thank you for the feedback and kind words!
Thanks a lot!!!
Great video - this is my 2nd time repairing after buying about 5 years ago - only flown a couple of times. After the 1st time I was satisfied with just 75% max on the controller (3 lights) since I'm still a novice flyer but again like everyone else stated, a lot of money for something that doesn't work as it should. Almost bought a second battery which I thought was going out, but after further research and viewing this video with many others which was very helpful for identifying the actually chip causing the issue. I did correct my mistakes through this second process which I didn't let the board cool down enough before testing the power cable because the lights (only 1) just kept😏blinking. I also used paste flux over the chip on both sides of the board. About the average of everyone else with the distance and time heating up the chip on both sides, I let the board cool down within an hour. I got all the lights to blink after plugging the power cord in but when I attached the battery, it was charging as normal but 1 minute later all the lights went out. This happens 3x consecutively after heating the board and 1 hour of cooling which I decided to put it all back together and hope for the best because I was afraid I was overheating the board. Come to find out after attaching the controller to iPad using the software, the battery was at 97% which was the reason why the lights went out after attaching the battery 😊. So I'm very satisfied and hoping this will bee a long time fix and looking to test fly today before driving up to UT from CA!
Thanks for the attention to detail!
The first time I saw this video, I was thinking " no way, just that! Sure it's a joke!" but after a couple of days trying to find an another way to fix it, I decided to try your method. I was so happy when I saw the four lights on! It works! Thank you very much!
Many thanks for the feedback! Great to hear you were successful!
I salute you sir! The same Portugese fella gave me the link to your vid :)
When the battery is not plugged in, I'm getting all 4 dots to light up. But soon as I plug the battery in and attempting to charge it, I'm back at that one blinking dot
Thank you so much. I took my drone out from storage to get ready for a trip, and when I was getting everything set up and charged I noticed this issue. I had to heat the entire board, but once I put it all back together the lights moved past the 2nd dot and the controller began to charge. Just had to recalibrate it to get rid of the annoying beeping sound and now I'm all set. Total life saver dude.
Great to hear, Mike! Thank you for the feedback!
Just completed my Phantom 4 Pro + (built in screen) controller reflow fix and it seems to have done the trick... thanks a million for this great video. It was a great help and a huge money saver. Almost burnt the house down in the process but was worth the effort :). Note: the controller for the + model is somewhat different on the inside from the above video, however just from watching the video I was able to figure out what to do... all lights on and battery full... yay!!!!
Great feedback to hear this can work with the Pro +! Though it sounds like maybe you need DJI Refresh (or at least fire insurance) for your house! ;)
I just did this with our Phantom 4 Controller. There are a few videos that are similar, some with more detail than others. After having done it, I think about 80% of the disassembly shown may be unnecessary. I went as far as the 6 small ribbon connectors on the main board before I realized that as long as the two screws are removed, most connectors can stay connected. I did not disconnect the wired plugs nor the antennae connectors. If I had to do it again I would try leaving the ribbon cables connected. If you feel you may pinch the cables, disconnect them. Now the board can be carefully lifted and tilted back to lay on the controller, iPad holder retracted underneath and flat on the table. This also makes a good stand for it to be on when doing the heating. If the board resists being lifted, it may be stuck on the two posts toward the front edge - apply a little more force under the board there and it should come up.
I used an "embossing heat gun" that my wife had for crafts to heat the chip located next to the light array as shown. I used a piece of cardboard curved around the chip to isolate it and held the gun on for two minutes. I did not need to heat any other areas. When I was done, the cardboard looked slightly toasted at the edge near the chip, so it is a fair amount of heat.
Afterwards, once it cooled, I reconnected the battery and then the charger to verify that the charging lights came on as expected. If all is well, they should begin lighting in sequence and as the charge completes all 4 will light in sequence, then finally go off. If all is good with the charging, turn the controller on to make sure all lights light up indicating a full charge; if you have disconnected the ribbons, only "No. 5" coming from the power switch needs to be reconnected to test this. This is a good test before reassembly in case you need to apply the heat again if it didn't take.
If all is good, reassemble and take the drone out to test all controller functions in a limited safe flight. Take your time with this, work carefully and methodically, and it may save your controller and some $$$ on repair.
Hello! The video is very good!
I have the same problem, and applied the solution indicated by the video. I had to make several attemps, and it worked. But after a few days the problem returned. I reheated the circuit in the mentioned parts a after 3 or 4 attemps it worked again.
But today again it does not work! Did the same thing happen to you? Does anyone know? Is there a definitive repair? I hope response, thank you very much!!
fnocito, sometimes if the air is not hot enough it will seem to work because it causes the circuit board to change shape enough to re-form the connections, but then will fail again after a short time. With care, you might try a hotter reflow and see how that works. As always, take care not to fry any circuits!
Also, check the comments section; many people have shared settings that worked for them!
travel | photo | film
Thanks for the prompt response! I just tried again to warm the sector where the battery is connected and it worked again. Hopefully it lasts! Later I will report news again! thank you very much!!
I have the same issue, I put my remote into the freezer for some hours, took it out anf waited 30 min. Starting the remote shows fully loaded battery. So there is a cold solder...
Joerg Fuehring I’m glad to hear that worked for you. It likely worked by slightly altering the size or shape of the circuit board. If this continues to work for you over the long term, that is great, but reflowing the solder will be a more permanent (and likely more reliable) solution. Good luck!
I did this fix and it worked 2 years ago and then left it unused for about an year and now it happen again but this time I cannot get it to work. I heat it at 300 C for 30 sec, then 350 C for 40 sec, then at 400 for 30 sec and later for 1 minute, I even heat it at 450 C for 50 sec and later for 100 sec, tried 2 different flux paste and all leds are lighting a few times and the stop, at another try 1 light once then all a few times then stopped, now 4 out of 5 are lighting a few times then they stop. I also heated were you plug the power cable. I tried the remote reset before attempting this but I don t hear any confirmation sound. Do you have any idea what else should I try ?
Will a regular heat gun do ? Do i need a specialized gun?
Marshal, if you hit the right temperatures, a regular heat gun will work just fine!
Thank you for the video! I havent used my P4A in over a year because of this issue. I just turned it on with a totally functioning controller at 100% by following this video!
Great to hear! Thank you for the feedback!
Great vid. Btw is it alen screw or hex screw. And what size.
Jimmy, the green screwdriver I used said “T6,” and it is a torx screw head. I called it a posidrive screw in the video-they are similar but not identical, it seems. Not sure what size the small philips head driver was, but was larger than one for repairing eyeglasses while still being quite small. Thanks for watching and for your question!
According to the installation instructions for the HDMI module, it is a 1.5mm allen wrench.
Wow!!! Thank you so much, pulled a dji phantom out of storage and the controller had this issue. I followed the steps and it worked like a charm!!! THANK YOU!!
Make sure you heat the sport to the right of the lights on the back really really good. Took me a coulple times heating it before all 4 lights lit up.
Also good to check that all four light up before you put it back together like you said. Took me a couple times heating it to get it right.
Other than that! Flawless!!
This is a hard one. It didn't work for me. What could it be? Who knows! Not enough heat?? not enough time?? It feels awful, we tried twice. At least it sounds the same, nothing fried or broke. What can I do!!!!??? This video is very inspirational... and helpful
Cesar Castro the next think j would try is adding a small amount of the heat-activated solder to the target areas. Reflowing only works with the solder aready there, so maybe the amount is too little? Just a guess; sorry to hear it didn’t work for you.
It's works...Hot Air 400c and fan 5 for 30 sec on the square chip to the right of the LEDs....This solution is awesome #Chakanyanya ... thanks bro
Thanks a ton man..
I just heated the small black 8 pin chip right to the last white LED.
All lights are back but still battery is draining too fast.. Approx 1% in 1 minute.. What should I do now?
Should I need to heat the other areas as well?
Hmm. That’s a tough question. It could be that the battery is not keeping a charge. Do you have access to a voltmeter to measure the battery’s charge?
Hi buddy.. Is your issue resolved?
As I was also facing the same issue.
I know this is an old video, but it was driving me crazy... you kept referring to the ribbon cables as "tapes". They are not tapes. The correct name is ribbon or ribbon cable.
I kept looking for the "tapes" you were talking about, then saw that you were working with the ribbon cables.
Thanks to the maker of this awesome video. I followed @fred Richards advice, soon as I put heat on the power chip, it came to life.
I did this after buying p4p that the guy did it to it already. I made it worse. When I started I it had one light blinking. Now I hated all the board after seeing video of guy reflowing all the chips. That wad mistake because now my doesn't show any lights and my alarm beeps when I plug it into charger. Not sure what to do but buy used remote. In usually good with repairs but went too far not knowing which chip was the correct one because video I watched the guy did both sides and all over the board.
I know this thread is quite old now but I wonder if anyone has done this procedure on the P4 smart controller (with the screen). The main board is much smaller in this unit 2/3 rds the size) and it seems a completely different layout than the standard one. The chip that people refer to next to the led lights isn't there...?
It work on my P4pro controller 👍🏼😊 THANK YOU for posting this step-by-step process in fixing this issue with the Dji controller😊
I refloated it, it lit up the 4 lights and was working perfectly, put it away, took it out a few months later, and its back to only two lights again, think I'll send it back to DJI >:(
Is there a way to just make a hole on the controller and apply heat? I’ll try that and report back!!
Might as well just throw it in the microwave then.
I’ve watched a few videos like yours and all say it’s not a permanent fix. Has anyone replaced the chip at faulty? The battery level is?
Worked for me. Thanks so much for this video. You rock!
I had the most fun doing that yesterday evening, I was 99% I'd have cooked the thing... BUT IT WORKS NOW!!! Thank you so much for the amazing effort and great video quality.
I used a cheap Heat Gun with 2 temperatures, 300 and 500, I went about 1 min and 10 sec total at low setting, going around only on one side of the board, the back with the pins. When I saw one the pin fully melting I guessed I was heating the whole thing well enough, I though way too much... until I reassembled and it's working!!!
You saved me money as much as putting me back in a thrilling drone electronic class at school ;) Loved it! Now let's fly this thing!
I did not test the board at all before reassembly, It was crackling cooling down and was so sure this thing was fried... ;)
Glad it wasn’t fried! And thank you for the kind words! If you find others with this controller problem, let them know there’s hope!
Thanks a lot. It’s a first time I see something concrete with so many positive results. You should work on the DJI forum;-). Oh I forgot to mention that it worked like a charm. Switzerland says thank you
Thank you for the kind words! Great to hear it worked for you!
Sir! THANK YOU!
I took the risk, followed your instructions and had a successful conclusion to the CS battery charging issue.
Your presentation was well-organized, with clear step-by-step instructions, complete, and accurate. You were articulate and covered every detail perfectly.
I deeply appreciate the effort you put into this!
Thank YOU, Russ! Glad it worked for you!
near the led light there is a "2015csad" ,some kind of battery measure chip. the chip not right conect,the battery will not charge.
perfect !!
H guys, i think this is not problem with charging because after reflowing controller start-up. So battery is ok and there was no any charging in between. This is probably some other problem with power section at circuit board or main chip controller.