A couple of thoughts about my experience modding my Mavic Pro controller for external antennas and boosters. It appears that of the many different offerings for range extenders, antenna boosters, and the like, most if not all require opening the controller case and almost gutting it to remove the stock antennas and replacing with SMA connectors. This certainly voids any warranty so be cautious in your choice to do it yourself or have it done.
Also note that each system has some kind of mounting bracket for the antennas or booster pack that is secured by the SMA connector fasteners. You really don't want to attempt to remove the connector nut and washer to change to another mount without taking the case apart again. I'm not saying it CAN'T be done without damaging the coax cable inside the case, but it IS risky at best.
In several of my recent posts I asked about what the antennas do. For my MP1 the left antenna is video and control at 2.4 GHz, and the right one is is a kind of diversity backup which may be receiving a stronger signal than the left one. Whether you can call it "diversity" or MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) is slightly debatable but the result is the same. The Mavic Pro 2 uses 5.8 GHz for video, and the antennas are swapped left and right for function.
For the MP1, if you are going to use an amp/booster you only need it for one antenna (the left one). Putting a second amp/booster on the right antenna reportedly has little or no effect other than putting an immediate and significant load on your bank balance!
In doing the modification on my MP1 controller all was going well, and the most significant problem was separating the case halves. I used both metal and plastic spurgers that are readily available on eBay and Amazon. Watch the various video how-tos on YouTube to get a feel for how the modification process goes. The less intrepid or inexperienced might best consider having the mods done for anywhere from the $50 to $100 range. If you have to buy the various tools to do the job you're likely to be paying about half that amount, as well as risk damaging the controller during the process.
As I was reassembling my controller and placing the display/battery module in I had a small clear plastic piece fall out and onto the floor. I could NOT figure out where it came from. James Crutchfield of Titan Drones emailed me back after I posed the question and picture to him. He replied back: from Titan Drones, Inc.
That is just a piece of plastic that slides over this little nub coming out of the display assembly towards the right side. I’ll see if I can find a picture but most the time it is not critical
Since I had already reassembled my controller and tested all functions WITHOUT knowing where the part came from I was relieved to see in his reply that it isn't essential.
When I bound the controller to my bird using the Go4 ap I immediately had the controller beeping loudly and got the message on the ap that my sticks were not calibrated, and though I had video I couldn't start the bird. I went into the stick calibration menu and followed the instructions, chasing the little blue dot around a square using full stick movement as I "drew" the perimeter of each square (left and right sticks). The audible warning from the controller stopped almost immediately and I was once again calibrated. The stick position uses an interesting design where the bottom of each stick has a small magnet that is positioned over a small square integrated circuit that is a Hall Effect sensor. So when the sticks are centered and properly calibrated there is no signal generated. Stick movement between center and full throw in any direction generates a signal proportional to the degree of movement. A very clever and wonderful engineering accomplishment!
SUMMARY- Doing the controller antenna connector modifications takes a moderate degree of skill and patience, best left to the more intrepid of us. My modification was for the Itelite NanSync passive antenna system (around ($110 and made in Poland) which I found to be a disappointment. In my case the stock Mavic antennas had slightly better range. But because I now have the SMA connectors on the outside of the controller I can experiment with other antennas such a "rubber duckies', whips, circular polarized, and even amped systems like the Titan Drones Switch or Cyclone offerings. And there are other choices either here now and surely on the horizon as the popularity of increased range and video reception grows.
Proceed with caution and read the reviews and posts for guidance. Not all systems and solutions are best for individual needs. And there is no universal fix.
Also note that each system has some kind of mounting bracket for the antennas or booster pack that is secured by the SMA connector fasteners. You really don't want to attempt to remove the connector nut and washer to change to another mount without taking the case apart again. I'm not saying it CAN'T be done without damaging the coax cable inside the case, but it IS risky at best.
In several of my recent posts I asked about what the antennas do. For my MP1 the left antenna is video and control at 2.4 GHz, and the right one is is a kind of diversity backup which may be receiving a stronger signal than the left one. Whether you can call it "diversity" or MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) is slightly debatable but the result is the same. The Mavic Pro 2 uses 5.8 GHz for video, and the antennas are swapped left and right for function.
For the MP1, if you are going to use an amp/booster you only need it for one antenna (the left one). Putting a second amp/booster on the right antenna reportedly has little or no effect other than putting an immediate and significant load on your bank balance!
In doing the modification on my MP1 controller all was going well, and the most significant problem was separating the case halves. I used both metal and plastic spurgers that are readily available on eBay and Amazon. Watch the various video how-tos on YouTube to get a feel for how the modification process goes. The less intrepid or inexperienced might best consider having the mods done for anywhere from the $50 to $100 range. If you have to buy the various tools to do the job you're likely to be paying about half that amount, as well as risk damaging the controller during the process.
As I was reassembling my controller and placing the display/battery module in I had a small clear plastic piece fall out and onto the floor. I could NOT figure out where it came from. James Crutchfield of Titan Drones emailed me back after I posed the question and picture to him. He replied back: from Titan Drones, Inc.
That is just a piece of plastic that slides over this little nub coming out of the display assembly towards the right side. I’ll see if I can find a picture but most the time it is not critical
Since I had already reassembled my controller and tested all functions WITHOUT knowing where the part came from I was relieved to see in his reply that it isn't essential.
When I bound the controller to my bird using the Go4 ap I immediately had the controller beeping loudly and got the message on the ap that my sticks were not calibrated, and though I had video I couldn't start the bird. I went into the stick calibration menu and followed the instructions, chasing the little blue dot around a square using full stick movement as I "drew" the perimeter of each square (left and right sticks). The audible warning from the controller stopped almost immediately and I was once again calibrated. The stick position uses an interesting design where the bottom of each stick has a small magnet that is positioned over a small square integrated circuit that is a Hall Effect sensor. So when the sticks are centered and properly calibrated there is no signal generated. Stick movement between center and full throw in any direction generates a signal proportional to the degree of movement. A very clever and wonderful engineering accomplishment!
SUMMARY- Doing the controller antenna connector modifications takes a moderate degree of skill and patience, best left to the more intrepid of us. My modification was for the Itelite NanSync passive antenna system (around ($110 and made in Poland) which I found to be a disappointment. In my case the stock Mavic antennas had slightly better range. But because I now have the SMA connectors on the outside of the controller I can experiment with other antennas such a "rubber duckies', whips, circular polarized, and even amped systems like the Titan Drones Switch or Cyclone offerings. And there are other choices either here now and surely on the horizon as the popularity of increased range and video reception grows.
Proceed with caution and read the reviews and posts for guidance. Not all systems and solutions are best for individual needs. And there is no universal fix.
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