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Be gentle with DJI Micro USB ports.

Hi fellow pilots,
First post here. I’m from the Netherlands so forgive me for my English.

The magnetic charging option seems to me like the perfect way to not having to unnessesarily stress that port. I haven’t bought this cable yet though.

But I have some worries/questions:

1: Is it possible to use this magnetic part not only for charging but also for data (connecting my phone) instead of using the USB port on the bottom of the RC?

2: Just like 4wd I’m worried the magnet will interfere with the controlsticks. (Or is the magnet on the cable side and not in the little part in the RC?)

3: I hope I am wrong but I always thought I had to disconnect the cable on the side of the RC when using the bottom port. Don’t I have to remove that little thingy then when using the bottom USB? And therefore completely missing the point.

Hopefully can anybody with experience with this solution shed a light on this.
 
1: Is it possible to use this magnetic part not only for charging but also for data (connecting my phone) instead of using the USB port on the bottom of the RC?

You could, but I dont recommend it. The last thing you want is for the cable to disconnect while you are flying, and you would lose your device feed. Better to use a reversible cable, or simply use the bottom port for data.

2: Just like 4wd I’m worried the magnet will interfere with the controlsticks. (Or is the magnet on the cable side and not in the little part in the RC?)

Ive been using the magnetic cable since I got them last week, and so far so good. I have test flown around 6 or 8 different drones, but only for short 4-5 minute flights.

3: I hope I am wrong but I always thought I had to disconnect the cable on the side of the RC when using the bottom port. Don’t I have to remove that little thingy then when using the bottom USB? And therefore completely missing the point.

Not if there is no data being requested from it. You can charge the controller via micro USB on the side port and use the bottom port for data at the same time. I do it every day.
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Hi fellow pilots,
First post here. I’m from the Netherlands so forgive me for my English.

The magnetic charging option seems to me like the perfect way to not having to unnessesarily stress that port. I haven’t bought this cable yet though.

But I have some worries/questions:

1: Is it possible to use this magnetic part not only for charging but also for data (connecting my phone) instead of using the USB port on the bottom of the RC?

2: Just like 4wd I’m worried the magnet will interfere with the controlsticks. (Or is the magnet on the cable side and not in the little part in the RC?)

3: I hope I am wrong but I always thought I had to disconnect the cable on the side of the RC when using the bottom port. Don’t I have to remove that little thingy then when using the bottom USB? And therefore completely missing the point.

Hopefully can anybody with experience with this solution shed a light on this.

What part of the Netherlands do you live? Ive been there many times, and had an apartment near Rembrandtplein in Amsterdam.
 
You could, but I dont recommend it. The last thing you want is for the cable to disconnect while you are flying, and you would lose your device feed. Better to use a reversible cable, or simply use the bottom port for data.



Ive been using the magnetic cable since I got them last week, and so far so good. I have test flown around 6 or 8 different drones, but only for short 4-5 minute flights.



Not if there is no data being requested from it. You can charge the controller via micro USB on the side port and use the bottom port for data at the same time. I do it every day.
.

Thank you.
Those answers sound positive!
I will give it a try. I’ll normally buy cables at aliexpress so I will look there first.
 
Personally, I think the system DJI is an extremely poor design. Speaking as an engineer and a consumer, it takes very little to improve it.
My story is as follows. I bought the Mavic pro combo in July 2017 in Dublin in a shop. I read the instructions and flew it once for maybe 5 mins and charged the batteries and the controller. 2 days later the controller was nearly dead, so I charged it again, just to discover that the cable wouldn't fit. then I discovered that it can go in either way, & I may have put it in wrong the first time. neither the shop nor DJI would stand over the product, so I took out the DJI care insurance in a hurry. DJI fixed it under the insurance at a total cost of €200 ($230).
It was a very expensive lesson. I was thinking about bringing DJI and the shop to court, but decided that it was too much effort, even tho I was told I could win. Below is a photo after 4 days.2017_07_10_IMG_2236.jpg
 
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Personally, I think the system DJI is an extremely poor design. Speaking as an engineer and a consumer, it takes very little to improve it.
My story is as follows. I bought the Mavic pro combo in July 2017 in Dublin in a shop. I read the instructions and flew it once for maybe 5 mins and charged the batteries and the controller. 2 days later the controller was nearly dead, so I charged it again, just to discover that the cable wouldn't fit. then I discovered that it can go in either way, & I may have put it in wrong the first time. neither the shop nor DJI would stand over the product, so I took out the DJI care insurance in a hurry. DJI fixed it under the insurance at a total cost of €200 ($230).
It was a very expensive lesson. I was thinking about bringing DJI and the shop to court, but decided that it was too much effort, even tho I was told I could win. Below is a photo after 4 days.View attachment 43613

I know it wont help your situation much, but hopefully they will improve the design on future models.

On the Phantom series, you connect from your device straight to a USB 2.0-a port on the controller, not a micro USB-a. Never had a broken port on a Phantom controller. Might be time for DJI to make a smarter connector to catch up with their magnificent drone technology.
 
I know it wont help your situation much, but hopefully they will improve the design on future models.

On the Phantom series, you connect from your device straight to a USB 2.0-a port on the controller, not a micro USB-a. Never had a broken port on a Phantom controller. Might be time for DJI to make a smarter connector to catch up with their magnificent drone technology.
But why? This port is clearly working for them. Making coin on repairs and replacements.
Same as many consumer items, they are built to last so that they can make money on repairs and replacements. It's a terrible model for customers, great for business.
 
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But why? This port is clearly working for them. Making coin on repairs and replacements.
Same as many consumer items, they are built to last so that they can make money on repairs and replacements. It's a terrible model for customers, great for business.
I know that DJI is not the most reputable company when it comes to repairing things, but it would be like Ford selling a car that they knew had a bad radiator and then having to recall and repair hundreds of thousands of them. DJI's engineering is usually pretty good except for the micro USB concept.
 
Except car companies totally recall stuff all the time.. In truth it is sometimes cheaper to issue a recall vs fixing a full production run.

On this case dji could ship a special USB adapter and then issue repair credit etc towards any faulty plugs.

But again take the $5 per unit and multiply by however many units they sell annually.. Big bucks for something they don't really care about it seems lol
 
Except car companies totally recall stuff all the time.. In truth it is sometimes cheaper to issue a recall vs fixing a full production run.

On this case dji could ship a special USB adapter and then issue repair credit etc towards any faulty plugs.

But again take the $5 per unit and multiply by however many units they sell annually.. Big bucks for something they don't really care about it seems lol
They let the consumer worry about it.
 
Not going to lie... In all my years of electronics.. Jamming a cable has not been my operating procedure lol if it doesn't fit the first time m. Gently make adjustments lol
 
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This has just happened to me, one day I was flying fine, the next I was not able to connect. Sure enough the cable to the micro USB port on the MA controller was very loose and would not fit securely. By pressing tightly and holding the cable in I could regain connection, but as soon as letting pressure go the connection is gone.
How do I possibly fix this without having to send the drone in to DJI? I want to avoid that at all costs
 
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