Mavic Pro controller shows empty display

[LanceC]

After crashing my Mavic Pro and replacing the gimble cable, the controller when powered up, goes through the "connecting" display, then once connected, only shows the battery level, and a continually cycling signal level (as in the bars keep moving left to right). If I turn the Mavic off again, it goes back to the "Connecting" display. This leads me to believe that it is actually connecting. The drone is totally unresponsive to any controller inputs.

I have tried the following with no success:

• Re-pairing the controller.
• Switching to WiFi and back to RC on the drone body.

Any ideas?

Lance

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

..
Welcome to the forum Lance, although a sad introduction indeed.

You've probably tried all you can, obviously the controller would be ok, something on the drone systems has also been affected from the crash by the looks.

Sadly the M1P is likely unviable to spend an unknown amount of $ or time on repair, as attached as one might be to this wonderful old model.

Is it little used or did you just leave the protective film on the controller from new ?

 

[SkyeHigh]

After crashing my Mavic Pro and replacing the gimble cable, the controller when powered up, goes through the "connecting" display, then once connected, only shows the battery level, and a continually cycling signal level (as in the bars keep moving left to right). If I turn the Mavic off again, it goes back to the "Connecting" display. This leads me to believe that it is actually connecting. The drone is totally unresponsive to any controller inputs.

I have tried the following with no success:

• Re-pairing the controller.
• Switching to WiFi and back to RC on the drone body.

Any ideas?

LanceView attachment 158859

I could be wrong but when trying to first connect the controller to my drone I believe I saw mine doing the same signal indicator moving left to right until it connected and telemetry was being received from the drone.

It may be indicating that it isn’t receiving data correctly, which could indicate further issues following the crash and likely with the main PCB.

Do you get any sounds from the drone or the gimbal dance on power-up?

Have you tried connecting it to a PC to see if you get any response from the drone?

 

[LanceC]

Thanks for the responses.

..
Is it little used or did you just leave the protective film on the controller from new ?

It has had some good use, but and very well cared for, which makes it all the more disappointing. To make matters worse, the drone didn't crash whilst flying, but rather when carrying it after a flight, a trip sent the drone on an unpowered flight, ending with a brutal crash to the ground.

 

[LanceC]

I could be wrong but when trying to first connect the controller to my drone I believe I saw mine doing the same signal indicator moving left to right until it connected and telemetry was being received from the drone.

It may be indicating that it isn’t receiving data correctly, which could indicate further issues following the crash and likely with the main PCB.

Do you get any sounds from the drone or the gimbal dance on power-up?

Have you tried connecting it to a PC to see if you get any response from the drone?

I've actually never had it connected to a PC before, so will try that to see if there is any further leads.

When powered up, I do get the tones from the drone as each motor does a little wobble.

The Gimble does do the power up dance, followed by the phone app complaining about an obstructed gimble. At this stage it's hard to tell what is a cause and what is a symptom. I was hoping that the controller state was indicative of needing a reset or something like that, and was the cause of further issues, rather than a symptom of further problems with the aircraft itself.

None the less, I will connect the aircraft to a PC and see if there is any further joy.

EDIT:
I've managed to get it connected to DJI Assistant 2. All seems to be OK. I did the Black Box download, but don't know how to read any of the logs. Anything else I should consider checking?

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Thanks for the responses.


It has had some good use, but and very well cared for, which makes it all the more disappointing. To make matters worse, the drone didn't crash whilst flying, but rather when carrying it after a flight, a trip sent the drone on an unpowered flight, ending with a brutal crash to the ground.

Yeah, the 'accidental unpowered flight' makes it an even more difficult crash to accept.

followed by the phone app complaining about an obstructed gimble

The M1P had a fairly easy to damage gimbal / gimbal cable.
I did mine in soon after ownership, leaving the darn clamp on and flying about a minute by the time I realised and flew it back.

Hope you get it fixed up ok, otherwise, you have some excellent replacements out there to choose from now.
Probably if it were me I'd be torn between the Air2S or Mini 3 Pro.

Hey, if you do decide to replace it with something else, please let me know (by PM / Conversation).
I've been keen on a 2nd controller for a while now as a spare, or to set one up as a slave to allow novice pilots to fly mine and keep overall control if needed.

 

[SkyeHigh]

I've actually never had it connected to a PC before, so will try that to see if there is any further leads.

When powered up, I do get the tones from the drone as each motor does a little wobble.

The Gimble does do the power up dance, followed by the phone app complaining about an obstructed gimble. At this stage it's hard to tell what is a cause and what is a symptom. I was hoping that the controller state was indicative of needing a reset or something like that, and was the cause of further issues, rather than a symptom of further problems with the aircraft itself.

None the less, I will connect the aircraft to a PC and see if there is any further joy.

EDIT:
I've managed to get it connected to DJI Assistant 2. All seems to be OK. I did the Black Box download, but don't know how to read any of the logs. Anything else I should consider checking?

That sounds a bit more positive. Can you confirm the anti-vibration board the gimbal is mounted is not out of position. It can get dislodged a little after a crash or fall.

 

[LanceC]

Things are looking up.

I started going over the aircraft circuit boards with a fine-tooth comb looking for any cold or cracked solder joints which may have also fared poorly in the crash. Once I got the to bottom board I think I found my culprit. The surface cable connector had popped off. Putting it back in place has removed all the warnings, and the gimble now traverses across its range correctly when performing a gimble calibration.

Having said all that, the calibration fails near the very end. This may be related to a broken video cable, a replacement of which I still need to order.

So hopefully once the new video cable turns up, it will be able to successfully calibrate, and then start sending telemetry data to the controller, assuming of course that that is indeed what's causing the controller to be in its current state.

At least there is a plan thanks to both of you for providing direction and inspiration.

 

[LanceC]

That sounds a bit more positive. Can you confirm the anti-vibration board the gimbal is mounted is not out of position. It can get dislodged a little after a crash or fall.

If you mean the little metal piece, it actually broke was replaced along with the ribbon cable. But yes, it's mounted correctly.

 

[SkyeHigh]

It’s this piece that sits above the gimbal. Not so easy to make out here but there is a four fingered plate that is attached to the base plate with 4-rubber tabs (one shown to the right of the thumb). These can easily be dislodged in a crash and ‘may’ be preventing full movement of the gimbal or restricting the gimbal from levelling the camera correctly.

 

[LanceC]

Well, after nine months, I finally resolved the issue. The replacement video cable turned up this week, but unfortunately that didn't fix the issue. With a magnifying glass in hand, I once again went over the circuit boards with a fine-tooth comb, looking for anything unexpected. During this search I noticed that a press connector on the main board, whilst looking fine and appearing to be silicone glued in place, responded with a "click" after some gentle pressure was applied. And with that, the controller fired up with all the expected data on screen.

A quick test flight after everything was re-assembled, and I'm a very happy chappy. Phew!

 

[SkyeHigh]

Well, after nine months, I finally resolved the issue. The replacement video cable turned up this week, but unfortunately that didn't fix the issue. With a magnifying glass in hand, I once again went over the circuit boards with a fine-tooth comb, looking for anything unexpected. During this search I noticed that a press connector on the main board, whilst looking fine and appearing to be silicone glued in place, responded with a "click" after some gentle pressure was applied. And with that, the controller fired up with all the expected data on screen.

A quick test flight after everything was re-assembled, and I'm a very happy chappy. Phew!

View attachment 168187

That’s good to hear. Glad you managed to find the culprit.