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"
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"