Bought and Tested the DJI RC Plus on Ebay that claims to work with the Mavic series of Drones. Guess What? IT DOES WORK! I'll tell you why.

[StevenBrodsky]

This Ebay RC Pro Plus works with the Mavic series of drones because the seller has modified the operating system. He changed it from the OS that runs the RC Plus and Changed it to the RC Pro OS. There is a caveat though. The seller emphasizes that some buttons don't work and the firmware cannot be upgraded.

Here is his quote: "
Important Note: The remote control you cannot upgrade controller firmware, otherwise it doesn't work. Thanks
Remote control button R1,R2,R3, C3 not working
Because this remote control is installed with DJI RC Pro system, not DJI RC PLUS system in controller, so you cannot update the firmware of the remote control, otherwise the remote control will not be able to be used and connected, it's very important, please note. Thank you "

 

[MS Coast]

This Ebay RC Pro Plus works with the Mavic series of drones because the seller has modified the operating system. He changed it from the OS that runs the RC Plus and Changed it to the RC Pro OS. There is a caveat though. The seller emphasizes that some buttons don't work and the firmware cannot be upgraded.

Here is his quote: "
Important Note: The remote control you cannot upgrade controller firmware, otherwise it doesn't work. Thanks
Remote control button R1,R2,R3, C3 not working
Because this remote control is installed with DJI RC Pro system, not DJI RC PLUS system in controller, so you cannot update the firmware of the remote control, otherwise the remote control will not be able to be used and connected, it's very important, please note. Thank you "

"The seller emphasizes that some buttons don't work and the firmware cannot be upgraded."

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?

 

[rawman001]

To me that puts it in the category of "does not work". But if you are happy with it, good on ya!

 

[chrisjarram]

"The seller emphasizes that some buttons don't work and the firmware cannot be upgraded."

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?

 

[wrybread]

It's been awhile, still enjoying this remote? I'm thinking about getting it. I don't use those buttons anyway, and don't see a reason to upgrade firmware unless they make the rc pro work with oc4. It'll always just be for mavic 3 pro and mini 3 pro. The large screen sure sounds nice.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Caveat Emptor, you get what you pay for. You want an RC Pro, buy an RC Pro.

Buy a Smart RC with RC Pro firmware shoehorned in and guess what you get? Rube Goldberg

 

[wrybread]

Caveat Emptor, you get what you pay for. You want an RC Pro, buy an RC Pro.

Buy a Smart RC with RC Pro firmware shoehorned in and guess what you get? Rube Goldberg

How is it inferior? Would love specifics. Especially from someone who has used it.

If I can get a larger screen and the general form factor of the plus controller for $600, I'd consider that getting what I paid for and would happily pay it. Running a different firmware is just part of modder culture and I'm super comfortable with that. That said, if you consider it "shoehorning" or "rube goldberg" then this post isn't for you of course. Running a different firmware seems perfectly natural to me though. And I couldn't care less about the buttons on the bottom of the controller and have disabled them on every dji controller I've ever owned.

Hoping to hear from OP or anyone who has lived with the device for awhile.

 

[Droning on and on...]

How is it inferior? Would love specifics. Especially from someone who has used it.

Hmmm... to start with, buttons R1, R2, R3, and C3 don't work. How about that?

Anyway, you really should read a post before replying, don't ya think? It looks a little batty to come back at me with a question implying I'd said it was inferior, when I neither said or implied any such thing.

Put more directly, graft software written for one hardware platform onto a similar, but different design will likely result in some wonky behavior, some things not working at all, and some stuff working.

If you want a fully functioning RC Pro, there's only one way to get one: Buy an RC Pro.

Inferior/superior is up to you. Wonkiness and dead buttons notwithstanding.

Clearer?

 

[wrybread]

Hmmm... to start with, buttons R1, R2, R3, and C3 don't work. How about that?

As I said, I don't need or use those buttons on any of my controllers, so not having them is just fine with me.

Anyway, you really should read a post before replying, don't ya think? It looks a little batty to come back at me with a question implying I'd said it was inferior, when I neither said or implied any such thing.

You said that using alternative firmware was "shoehorning". I disagree, it strikes me as a clever way to get around DJI crippling their hardware. All good, using mods clearly isn't your thing, but it very much is mine.

Put more directly, graft software written for one hardware platform onto a similar, but different design will likely result in some wonky behavior, some things not working at all, and some stuff working.

As stated, if the only wonky behavior is not being able to use some buttons that I don't use anyway, and not being able to update firmware on a device that doesn't need firmware updates, then great!

If you want a fully functioning RC Pro, there's only one way to get one: Buy an RC Pro.

I already have an RC Pro. But I'd like the larger screen of the Plus.

Inferior/superior is up to you. Wonkiness and dead buttons notwithstanding.

Clearer?

As a muddy lake!

Still hoping to hear from OP or anyone else with actual experience with this.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Fair enough. Carry on!

 

[DroneFarmerLLC]

This Ebay RC Pro Plus works with the Mavic series of drones because the seller has modified the operating system. He changed it from the OS that runs the RC Plus and Changed it to the RC Pro OS. There is a caveat though. The seller emphasizes that some buttons don't work and the firmware cannot be upgraded.

Here is his quote: "
Important Note: The remote control you cannot upgrade controller firmware, otherwise it doesn't work. Thanks
Remote control button R1,R2,R3, C3 not working
Because this remote control is installed with DJI RC Pro system, not DJI RC PLUS system in controller, so you cannot update the firmware of the remote control, otherwise the remote control will not be able to be used and connected, it's very important, please note. Thank you "

Steven, Any updates on your experiences with this? I am seriously contemplating buying this from probably the same shop on Ebay. I am super concerned that I will end up having to use the RC N-1 for mapping jobs with my Air 2s, and that I won't be able to load DJI unlock certs to the drone for some of my commercial jobs. I know everyone's opinion is to buy the RC Pro but man, you can't beat the price for the hardware.

 

[wrybread]

Steven, Any updates on your experiences with this? I am seriously contemplating buying this from probably the same shop on Ebay. I am super concerned that I will end up having to use the RC N-1 for mapping jobs with my Air 2s, and that I won't be able to load DJI unlock certs to the drone for some of my commercial jobs. I know everyone's opinion is to buy the RC Pro but man, you can't beat the price for the hardware.

I'm also curious! And in other news I pulled the trigger on ordering it a few days ago for use with my Mavic 3 Pro and mini 3 pro. Psyched! I'll keep folks updated on how it goes. The tracking says delivery expected December 30, oof. Hope it comes sooner. My Pro controller recently died and the extra screen real estate sounds too good to resist.

 

[DroneFarmerLLC]

I'm also curious! And in other news I pulled the trigger on ordering it a few days ago for use with my Mavic 3 Pro and mini 3 pro. Psyched! I'll keep folks updated on how it goes. The tracking says delivery expected December 30, oof. Hope it comes sooner.

I am just very wary as I use this drone for work. I used to use drone-hacks on my A2S until the drone refused to function properly with Drone Link. Had to update to the latest firmware and lost the hacks. Last thing I need is to have a 600 controller that doesn't do everything I need it to do. I think I am just going to put the cash towards the pro. My goal is to use the controller with both the A2S (for mapping) and the M3P for commercial/residential Real Estate.

 

[wrybread]

Seems like a pretty benign hack to me, I can't imagine having to reflash the firmware. The Pro and Plus are probably nearly identical under the hood, only difference is that the Plus has a few extra buttons. That's my reasoning at least. And my case has plenty of room to carry one of my RC's in case of emergency, but I can't imagine needing it. Probably famous last words though, ha.

Super psyched or the big screen (7" versus 5.5"), brighter (1200 nits versus 1000 nits), and hotswappable batteries. Besides $600 isn't really that much in the land of semi fancy drones. Such a shame that all these are basically obsolete now with their Occusync 3. I'm guessing when the Mavic 4 series gets released, which will probably have OC4, the Pro controller will be available super cheap.

One thing I am wondering is whether the Plus with this mod can run an external USB C monitor, which the Pro can. And there's a thread here about how the HDMI output has a black frame around it, which is odd, but possibly fixable according to this video. Sure would be nice if DJI would enable mirroring the screen to other instances of DJI Fly on other devices like they do with the Avata 2, but alas.

 

[DroneFarmerLLC]

Seems like a pretty benign hack to me, I can't imagine having to reflash the firmware. The Pro and Plus are probably nearly identical under the hood, only difference is that the Plus has a few extra buttons. That's my reasoning at least. And my case has plenty of room to carry one of my RC's in case of emergency, but I can't imagine needing it. Probably famous last words though, ha.

Super psyched or the big screen (7" versus 5.5"), brighter (1200 nits versus 1000 nits), and hotswappable batteries. Besides $600 isn't really that much in the land of semi fancy drones. Such a shame that all these are basically obsolete now with their Occusync 3. I'm guessing when the Mavic 4 series gets released, which will probably have OC4, the Pro controller will be available super cheap.

One thing I am wondering is whether the Plus with this mod can run an external USB C monitor, which I gather the Pro can. That would be a nice feature. And there's a thread here about how the HDMI output has a black frame around it, which is odd, but possibly fixable according to this video. Sure would be nice if DJI would enable mirroring the screen to other instances of DJI Fly on other devices like they do with the Avata 2, but alas.

Yeah, I just don't see much benefit with the RC Pro compared to the regular RC but that Plus is super impressive (for all the same reasons you stated). After using the RC instead of the regular controller and my iphone, I don't want to go back.

 

[wrybread]

Have you ever tried using an iPad? I'm a huge fan of that. I have an old 2nd generation 12.9" iPad Pro that was my goto for years, love the huge screen. I miss so many things when filming with my RC because the screen is so tiny. But carrying it is a bit bulky since there's the controller and the holder (I use this one) and the ipad, so slowly I started to use the RC more often. But if I was doing anything professionally I'd definitely consider something large like a big iPad.

 

[wrybread]

This screenshot from this video makes the Plus just too hard to resist. To me at least.

 

[wrybread]

Just received my Plus! It's a glorious beast. I can read the screen even in full sun. Had to shade it a bit for this picture though.





Can't fly it until maybe later today, but psyched.

 

[wrybread]

Had my first flights today with the RC Plus controller and my Mavic 3 Pro! My copilot was doing most of the flying so I couldn't get too into the buttons and all that:



But everything was super smooth, paired to my Mavic just like any other RC, no issues with anything at all. The only downside is that as expected the 3 buttons under the right stick don't do anything, but I don't have those on any other controller anyway. And I've had unused buttons on every DJI controller I've ever had. The build quality is amazing, feels like one of those ruggedized police laptops. IP54 waterproof and a giant screen. Definitely feels professional. Even the sound is good, it's playing music from Spotify as I type.

The screen is easy to see in full sun, I think it's noticeably brighter than the Pro? I really need to see them side by side. But it's waaay brighter than my RC. On paper it's 1200 nits for the Plus, 1000 nits for the Pro and 700 for the RC. There's some things to get used to, like the fact that the Sport/Normal/Cine switch is a rocker on the left side, but so far I prefer every difference. And the sticks feel great.

I haven't tested the HDMI output during a flight but it works great at my desk, can mirror DJI Fly to a big secondary monitor. And I prefer its full sized HDMI port to the mini HDMI on the RC Pro. I just ordered a USB-C monitor, so hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to comment on the USB-C port.

I'm curious to see how it'll do in a range test compared to the RC and the Pro. I'd also like to figure out how to attach external antennas since why not. I gather I need to find MMCX to SMA adaptors to connect to the antenna jacks.

I plan to write up something for people considering this controller but so far here are my notes on the specs:

- Internal battery is 6.5ah @ 7.2v (46.8 watt hours), RC Pro is 5ah @ 7.2v (36 watt hours), RC is 5.2ah @ 3.6v (18.7 watt hours)
- Has a socket for a hot swappable 2nd battery (WB37) that's about 37 watt hours, costs $60 from DJI or less on eBay.
- 64 gigs internal storage (versus 32gigs for pro)
- 1200 nit screen, versus 1000 nit for pro and 700 nits for RC
- 7 inch screen versus 5.5 for pro and RC
- IP54 waterproof rating, which means should easily be able to handle rain. Not that I'd want to fly in the rain given the drone but it's nice to not worry about the controller. I don't think the RC Pro is waterproof at all?
- Costs about the same as the Pro on eBay. I got the Plus for $600 shipped, looks new to me. That's about the same price as the Pro on eBay. I got it from this seller.

Cons:

• Can't easily update firmware. I don't see that as an issue since this is an Occusync 3 controller anyway, and given DJI's track record the Pro will probably never get support for OC4 drones. And if a critical firmware update does come out I'm sure it can be updated just as it was before. And note that I can and already have updated DJI Fly since that's just an app.
• The R1, R2, R3 and C3 buttons can't be used, but I figure no biggie since they're not on the Pro controller anyway.

Since I'm in the honeymoon phase I've been using it as a tablet when not flying. I love Android but I've never really found a good Android tablet before, this is far and away the best I've used. Fairly easy to install apps on but so far I haven't gotten the Play Store installed. I wish I could use the joysticks to scroll! If anyone has any ideas about catching the signals from the joysticks and buttons at the OS level I'd love to hear them.

And let me know any questions, glad to help. It's bizarre how little info there is about this online at the moment.

 

[wrybread]

I use my drones mostly to film surf, and we've been getting hammered here in California so the last 2 days have been almost nonstop filming for me, and the RC Plus has been a champ. With both my Mavic 3 Pro and Mini 3 Pro. Got caught by a fast moving rain squall today and it sure was nice to not have to worry about the controller.



The drone on the other hand caused a bit of worry!