Please read before a diy antenna mod

[Mad Mavic]

If your thinking of cracking the case and doing a mod yourself, I have a few tips that may save you some frustration.

I have two new Mavic Pro Platinums purchased in 2018. After much research, I decided that An antenna mod would be beneficial but elected to do the job myself since I'm a fix-it kind of guy, so the challenge was inviting.

After cracking the case on the first controller, know well the warranty was out the window, I was ready to tackle the job. I watched several videos and felt I was ready prepared...not at all.

The case was difficult to open. The design of the plastic hooking points that connect the outer shell aren't designed for disassembly, but with some awkward prying, it somehow pops apart (thinking of drilling some small pin holes in strategic areas to make the next disassembly less frustrating. The videos make it seem easy but the reality is that its difficult to do and not mar the case. I know, making holes isn't exactly new out of the box either, but it will make for a easy to mod/repair controller.

Anyway, on to the things learned.

First Controller:
After getting all the components out and getting to the small antenna plugs, my first thing to do was to unplug the antenna connectors in order to make room for the mod connectors. The first came off without any issue, but when I pulled off the second antenna connector, to my horror, the entire latching point came off the board with the antenna! It seemed that it was a dry solder joint.

I made a few attempts to reattach the microscopic connector but the heat was just too much. The end result was depressing to say the least. Now I faced a choice. Buy a new main board or make this one work. I decided on a new board but found new controllers going for less than a board; go figure.

anyway I decided to trace the solder joints and simply cut off the ends of the one mod antenna cable and solder it directly to the board. so far so good>

After completing the repair and moved on to reassembling the controller, I came to the point of needing to plug in the cooling fan. I looked for the connector and found it still connected to the wires, It too has dislodged from its attachment on the board. I made an effort to solder the connector, but again, it was simply too small. Just as I did on the antenna, i simply soldered the wires directly to the board.

In summary with the first install, I suggest that when detaching plugs, first disconnect the power connector , then apply a downward force on each soldered connector, pressing it onto the board, then gently lift the plug out of its connector.

In retrospect, I'm wondering just how many dry solder joints are lurking in my drone; ready to vibrate loose, causing who know what kind of catastrophic event.

Second Controller:
By now my lessons have been learned and my first Mavis is up and flying, so I crack open the second case. This time being extremely careful not to replete my previous mistakes. My confidence level at this point is high, and all seemed to go very well until I powered up the controller and found a blank screen!

I tore the unit back down to the flat ribbon cable suspecting it to be the culprit, but all seemed fine. I then tore my first controller back down to see if the display would work on it, and it worked fine. The conclusion was that somehow, the video output, whether hardware or software, had somehow become damaged in the process.

I reassembled both units and connected to my phone using G04 and all seemed normal. In fact, I didn't have to calibrate the sticks on the second as I did on the first (a whole other discussion topic).

Would I do it again, well I'm still waiting on the performance of the mod before I can make a ruling and unfortunately, if the test flight shows poor performance, I sure cant blame the manufacturer of the mod I chose. I have to say that its one sharp looking attachment, and if it performs as advertised (especially after I fat fingered the installs), its worth every cent. I do wish I would have paid the extra and had the manufacturer do the install.

I'm sure your're wondering who I got the mod from. I'm reluctant to say because I don't want to shed any negative light on their product. However, should my drones perform as advertised considering the unusual install, then I'll be back to offer a hardy "thumbs up"

 

[lannes]

I've modded 4 controllers so far with no problems at all the Titan Drone videos are excellent in taking you step by step through the process.

You need to use plastic splugging tools for most steps. using the plastic tools to lever things up and out doesn't seem to cause any damage to the circuit boards and connectors.

 

[Mad Mavic]

I did use plastic tools. One thing I found is that there either two different manufactures of the two controllers or they were different build versions. I say this because the components such as plugs and connectors were not the same. It one that didn’t have desoldering issues seemed a higher quality product.

However I do appreciate your response. I’ve since purchased two replacement controllers and going to try the mod again. I found the Tritan Atlas performed quite well in open terrain. I bought the mods to penetrate a stand of trees but obviously that isn’t possible but I’m completely satisfied with the extended range.

I did find one peculiar behavior of the Titan Atlas and curious if you have seen a similar experience. At 2.5 miles distance I switched off the Titan to see what signal I would have non-boosted. My signal dropped off to zero. Is that normal or could it be a result of my inexperience with the install?

A side note. The board I soldered looses signal at about 50 feet out. I looked for a replacement main board but bought the entire remote cheaper.

I’m confident the next mod will be more productive but I’m still concerned about the loss of the display on the second mod. Like I said, I used all plastic tools and the flat ribbon cable from the display seems in perfect condition. I can also detect that the screen is back lit, but no graphics. I can’t for the life of me, understand why the display is not working. Fortunately, the battery level of the remote is displayed on Go4 and on my DJI goggles.

Any ideas on the display malfunction would be helpful

 

[lannes]

I did use plastic tools. One thing I found is that there either two different manufactures of the two controllers or they were different build versions. I say this because the components such as plugs and connectors were not the same. It one that didn’t have desoldering issues seemed a higher quality product.

However I do appreciate your response. I’ve since purchased two replacement controllers and going to try the mod again. I found the Tritan Atlas performed quite well in open terrain. I bought the mods to penetrate a stand of trees but obviously that isn’t possible but I’m completely satisfied with the extended range.

I did find one peculiar behavior of the Titan Atlas and curious if you have seen a similar experience. At 2.5 miles distance I switched off the Titan to see what signal I would have non-boosted. My signal dropped off to zero. Is that normal or could it be a result of my inexperience with the install?

A side note. The board I soldered looses signal at about 50 feet out. I looked for a replacement main board but bought the entire remote cheaper.

I’m confident the next mod will be more productive but I’m still concerned about the loss of the display on the second mod. Like I said, I used all plastic tools and the flat ribbon cable from the display seems in perfect condition. I can also detect that the screen is back lit, but no graphics. I can’t for the life of me, understand why the display is not working. Fortunately, the battery level of the remote is displayed on Go4 and on my DJI goggles.

Any ideas on the display malfunction would be helpful

With the display malfunction are you making sure the ribbon cable is inserted in the connector up to the white line and then have you locked it off ?

The screen has three connector, the ribbon cable underneath, the multi strand to the right of the screen and the small plug at the bottom right, have you checked all these are connected properly

Are you using an anti static wrist band ?

this is the best video for the Mavci controller install

 

[Mad Mavic]

Got my replacement controllers in after completely destroying one, and rendering the display useless on the second, as I attempted the Titan Atlas antenna mod.

However, I threw more money at the situation and did the Titan Antenna mod yet again, but only on one of the new ones, just as a precaution. I turned out to be a success in comparison.. I modified only one though...didn't want a repeat experience as before with components on the Mavic board came off with the plugs (not anything quite as simple as depicted in the video link on the manufacturer's website)

As a side note, I'm finding that DJI has used at least three separate suppliers to assemble their controllers, evidenced by the differences in components used.

Anyway, the mod went very well, as opposed to the last two attempts. I used grounding a strap, plastic tools, yada yada yada, After all was said and done, and my test flights were made, I didn't see much difference in stock vs.mod. Nor did I see much difference between just the Titan whip antenna connected directly to the controller vs having the entire mod system connected. Another anomaly occurred about 200 feet away and at 400 feet AGL. I turned the power off on the Titan unit and signal went to zero. I feel I should still have some signal even without the boost.

My goal was to be able to fly next door to a relatives and land in his yard. No matter which configuration I used, I lost signal at the same altitude.

I'm going to have to say that the Titan Atlas units that I purchased, DO NOT penetrate trees as promised; therefore at this point in the game I'm giving the Titan Atlas boosted antenna mods a thumbs down.

Unfortunately for me, I purchased two units; over $500 worth of snake oil IMO. More to come though as I hope to have my systems (both Titan Atlas mod units) tested at the local university to determine exactly what they are doing under power vs my stock system. Once I get those numbers I'll be more confident in my assessment.

In summary, my drones are still flying, I've gained a wealth of experience in working on the controllers, which aren't near as daunting as was my first experience. And in favor of the mods, I will add one last disclaimer. I am in no way an electronics expert. The issue with my mods could very well stem from my lack of experience in the field. Also, the location I'm trying to reach could have some unseen signal interference. But knowing what I know today about the performance of the titan units, I would not have bought them.

 

[lannes]

Are you using a 2.4 ghz Titan Atlas with the Mavic MPP, the MP and MPP are only 2.4ghz occusync ?

I'd also reach out to Titan, James is very helpful you might have a faulty Atlas with a amplifier or something.

I find performance wise my Cyclones are working much better than the Atlas, the Cyclone is a probably more tried and proven design as many other antenna mod manufacturers offer similar products DBS Lite and 4Hawks etc.

You should still get some sort of signal with the amplification on the Atlas turned off, I haven't tested this at long range though.