My Tab sucked my Remote Controller dry of power :-(

[DieselE]

I didn't get my last shots as I had no power left in the controller. Is there STILL no way to stop the controller sending its power to an Android device? This ruined my flying as I had a S5e Tab at 100% and a controller on 1%. It's completely illogical. And yes i'm quite annoyed as it was a paid job!!!

Have tried both ports micro USB and A type - no difference. Have just updated to very latest firmware on aircraft and controller (eventually ) but still no option to switch off charging for Android. I believe you can for an Eye Pad!

Could I snip an USB wire or something...?

Thanks

 

[old man mavic]

as it seems you are commercial i think you would be better getting an apple device for your drone as they dont take charge from the RC

 

[Johnmcl7]

Because it's a standard USB connection DJI can't switch power on and off unlike Apple devices which are using a proprietary Lightning connector. There have been some people who have modified a USB cable to stop supplying power but at that point it's no longer a standard USB cable and I've not found any ready made for sale.

If you're using the USB port on the back then you can charge the controller using the side port from a portable power bank. My controller could easily last through three drone batteries with a Galaxy Tab S3 since the power draw is a minimal 500 mA but recently the battery has failed so I've been using a power bank to keep it topped up. I saw a fairly neat solution where someone bought a flat power pack they stuck on the back of the tablet then put a short cable into the controller. Even with an Apple device the controller is still going to deplete at a reasonable rate so it would be worth having power bank of some sort to make sure you're not caught out.

 

[boblui]

search the forum. some guys have tried adding a resistor to the cable to slow down the rate of charging.

 

[Malcx]

There are non destructive ways to disable the power on a cable:

Quick and simple non-destructive mod for a data-only (no power) USB cable

I didn't come up with this myself, I read about it a long time ago somewhere on the 'net and I can't remember where/who (sorry). I thought I'd pass it along though since it's a great idea. Some boards and LCD screens will continue to be powered through the USB cable even when you turn your 3D...

folgerforum.com

You'll need to check which pin needs covering and it might be fiddly on anything but the type A.

I'm assuming here that the absence of the power line won't affect either controller of display of course.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

A splitter cable and USB power pack as posted by CareyL in Mavic mini controller keeps charging my android phone.
seems to work. I have also seen mention of a battery pack and wireless charger working too but that's a bit too techie for me.

I found a different splitter on ebay Power Splitter Y Cable Micro USB Male to USB A Male & Female Adapter Cable OTG | eBay
It is somewhat neater overall, one leg ends in a right angled micro USB plug, handed in the correct sense, that plug goes to the controller. The std sized USB plug goes to the battery pack and the socket is connected to the phone.

 

[Mavic Mac]

A splitter cable and USB power pack as posted by CareyL in Mavic mini controller keeps charging my android phone.
seems to work. I have also seen mention of a battery pack and wireless charger working too but that's a bit too techie for me.

I found a different splitter on ebay Power Splitter Y Cable Micro USB Male to USB A Male & Female Adapter Cable OTG | eBay
It is somewhat neater overall, one leg ends in a right angled micro USB plug, handed in the correct sense, that plug goes to the controller. The std sized USB plug goes to the battery pack and the socket is connected to the phone.

Power Splitter Y Cable Micro USB Male to USB A Male & Female Adapter Cable OTG

This item is out of stock.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Correct but the images in the original advert are there for anyone to look at and so form the basis for a search.

 

[TreeHugger]

I thought that was what this was for - apparently not?


Edit -
I see now - IOS option only...

 

[4wd]

You can charge the controller at the same time, (or between flights) the simple solution is buy a power bank
The power transfer is exceedingly low anyway.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

The power transfer is exceedingly low anyway.

Unadulterated the Android charging current is 400mA+, going by a USB ammeter I normally see 410mA. I have seen mention of 500mA.

 

[tmgrood]

I didn't get my last shots as I had no power left in the controller. Is there STILL no way to stop the controller sending its power to an Android device? This ruined my flying as I had a S5e Tab at 100% and a controller on 1%. It's completely illogical. And yes i'm quite annoyed as it was a paid job!!!

Have tried both ports micro USB and A type - no difference. Have just updated to very latest firmware on aircraft and controller (eventually ) but still no option to switch off charging for Android. I believe you can for an Eye Pad!

Could I snip an USB wire or something...?

Thanks

I always thought you could swipe down on the tablets home screen and it would give the option to stop charging through USB.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

In other contexts I have simple slit the USB cable open and cut the red wire. ]
YMMV.

 

[DieselE]

Thanks guys - running a small power pack velcro'd to the back of the tab back into the micro usb of the controller would be a solution if I knew it was likely to be a 3 battery job! Or just snip the red USB wire! I have snips!

I also think my key rookie mistake here was dealing with something and not switching off the tab or controller for 30 mins as it was urgent and i forgot. It sucked a lot out...

Thanks for all the responses.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

Thanks guys - running a small power pack velcro'd to the back of the tab back into the micro usb of the controller would be a solution if I knew it was likely to be a 3 battery job! Or just snip the red USB wire! I have snips!

I also think my key rookie mistake here was dealing with something and not switching off the tab or controller for 30 mins as it was urgent and i forgot. It sucked a lot out...

Thanks for all the responses.

Who hasn't done that..

 

[Deleted member 103366]

I think you will find that cutting the red wire shuts down the connection, it did the last time I tried it 2 minutes ago.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

I think you will find that cutting the red wire shuts down the connection, it did the last time I tried it 2 minutes ago.

Thanks for trying that - I guess that's why you need to put a resistor in series - so it sees the voltage but can't draw too much charging current.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

I tried a resistor "in series" a while back, actually a decade box in series with a good hand held multimeter to measure the current.
The thing that unnerved me about increasing the resistance was/is that at some fairly low value the analogue section of the of the DMM's display went crazy. As if the controller where sending out rapid pulses or possibly the meter was switching ranges, the latter only just occurred to me and I am not set up at the moment to check whether it was the meter switching ranges. In those circumstances I think you'd really need to put an oscilloscope between the +5V and ground to see what's going on, I'd be worried about what was coming down +5V damaging something. I think the splitter cable or wifi charger currently offer the best solutions

 

[ctaranto]

If rooting your device is something you are interested in, there is the Google Play app Battery Charge Limit. I use this on a couple 2016 10.1" Galaxy Tab A S-Pen tablets (SM-P580). Works great with controlling when to (not) charge over USB and saves the battery of the Mavic controller.

 

[Scubadiver1944]

As several folks have already stated there's a very simple answer to this problem and that is to use a power bank connected to the RC's power port and your mobile device to the USB port. Before I switched to using an Epson Moverio BT-300 I used an 8" Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 tablet and experienced the same issue as yourself. Here's a tip, in my case a Ravpower 22000 mAh power bank cured the issue of power drainage from the RC but, unless you velcro it to the back of your device, place it in a shirt or jacket pocket with a cable long enough to stretch between pocket and the RC, making sure the pocket has a zip, button or velcro closure to prevent the power bank from slipping out of your pocket when bending down to attend to your drone when it's on the ground. If you have the power bank inadvertently fall out of your open pocket hitting the ground, the cable connection could be damaged not to mention said power bank! As I fly mainly abroad, a power bank of the size I use is helpful not only in topping up my RC but also my tablet if I want to review footage from the SD card of aerial, or in my case also underwater video, in remote locations such as New Guinea where "juice" may not necessarily be close to hand at all times, either on land or a dive boat.