Remote controller battery drains quickly and recharges itself while off

[Xanthus]

I got a Mavic 2 days ago and when I first got it the controller was at 20%. I charged it first and then I charged the batteries. After upgrading the firmware and starting to fly I manged to get about two 20 minute flights before the controller was already at 15% battery. The next day I tried the same thing and noticed that I was barely able to get 2 mavic batteries worth of flight before the controller was at 15%. This time once I was done flying I didn't charge controller right away. When I went to charge it which was about 4 hours after the last flight I checked the battery and it was at 46%. So the battery went from 15% to 46% while controller was off and not charging.

So basically what happens is the RC battery drains very quickly to the point where I can barely get 2 mavic batteries worth of flight, and it recharges itself when it's off and not even connected to a charger. It also seems to charge unusually quickly when I do actually charge it.

I use a samsung galaxy s7 edge and it gets charged from the RC when connected. The phone's battery doesn't drain and usually stays at the same level before and after the flight, however the phone does get extremely hot.

Is there something wrong with the controller or is it just because I'm using this phone and it's draining the RC quickly? also how is the battery percentage going up when it's not even charging?

 

[Path Finder]

If you are using the factory mini cable, try using you phone cable from the bottom full size USB port on the RC to your phone.

I was bummed at first too cause I had 3 batteries and I could see no way to use all 3 cause the controller was "dead" at the end of 2. Now that I use the bottom USB port I'm thinking I can get 4 full flights in. (Just got my 4th Battery today)

Please post back if that was a "fix" for you.

Welcome to the site! (I'm new too)

 

[Xanthus]

If you are using the factory mini cable, try using you phone cable from the bottom full size USB port on the RC to your phone.

I was bummed at first too cause I had 3 batteries and I could see no way to use all 3 cause the controller was "dead" at the end of 2. Now that I use the bottom USB port I'm thinking I can get 4 full flights in. (Just got my 4th Battery today)

Please post back if that was a "fix" for you.

Welcome to the site! (I'm new too)

Thanks
I'll definitely give that a try next time I fly it and I'll let you know if it worked out

 

[KaiservonPoopChute]

I got a Mavic 2 days ago and when I first got it the controller was at 20%. I charged it first and then I charged the batteries. After upgrading the firmware and starting to fly I manged to get about two 20 minute flights before the controller was already at 15% battery. The next day I tried the same thing and noticed that I was barely able to get 2 mavic batteries worth of flight before the controller was at 15%. This time once I was done flying I didn't charge controller right away. When I went to charge it which was about 4 hours after the last flight I checked the battery and it was at 46%. So the battery went from 15% to 46% while controller was off and not charging.

So basically what happens is the RC battery drains very quickly to the point where I can barely get 2 mavic batteries worth of flight, and it recharges itself when it's off and not even connected to a charger. It also seems to charge unusually quickly when I do actually charge it.

I use a samsung galaxy s7 edge and it gets charged from the RC when connected. The phone's battery doesn't drain and usually stays at the same level before and after the flight, however the phone does get extremely hot.

Is there something wrong with the controller or is it just because I'm using this phone and it's draining the RC quickly? also how is the battery percentage going up when it's not even charging?

Unfortunately, the Mavic controller will charge whatever Android device you have plugged in to it. Happens with both my phone and tablet. The trick for me is to charge my tablet to 100% and make sure it's in airplane mode. I usually have around 40-50% controller battery left after running 3 batteries. I usually turn the controller off and unplug the usb cable during battery changes as well. Kind of a hassle but it's just part of my routine now so I don't think about it too much.

Edit: I am also using the bottom usb port.

 

[Xanthus]

Tried the bottom USB port today and I didn't notice any difference. I charged the controller to 100% last night and this afternoon before I took the mavic out I noticed it was at 94%. So I started my first flight at 94% and 22 minutes later when I landed the controller was at 47%. The phone only drained 3% battery and it was again very hot. I waited about 10-15 minutes before the next flight and checked the controller's battery before turning it on and it was at 60%. In the second flight I tried my galaxy tab s2 9.7 using the bottom usb port on airplane mode and I was barely able to get a a full flight. After the flight was over I noticed the controller's battery level started going up by itself again even when it's not connected. I feel like the controller just doesn't give me the real reading when it's connected to the device. I turn the controller on, connect the phone/tablet, launch dji go 4, turn on the drone, and by the time the gimbal is done calibrating the controller has already drained 10% battery...

No idea why this is happening. Is there something wrong with the controller? or is it really just that bad with android? I wish I had an ipad to test it out, I might just need to get myself an ipad mini 4 and use it as a dedicated screen for the mavic.

 

[Path Finder]

For some reason your burning too much power, don't see it as an "android" issue. (They work for me)

You have been through a few charging cycle now so don't think that is the case. (If that even applies to the type battery used)

Not sure how much you have flown drones but perhaps go though all the steps towards flight just don't use any "phone". (I'm not suggesting you "fly" just get everything ready to, power up the RC, the Mavic and then just stop letting it sit for a few minutes to ensure your RC battery is not "draining" without a phone attached.) If it still drains that fast open a case with DJI as you must have something wrong. (Perhaps open a case either way but they will as you to send it back and then you sit "empty handed")

 

[4wd]

You should get through at least three Mavic batteries before needing to consider the Controler battery level.
Android does charge from it but only at a very low rate.
I think it continues to charge even when both are turned off though.
Unfortunately something must be wrong and it will need returning most likely.

A work around of sorts is to have a power bank connected to the side while using the large USB for your device.
It is conceivable some improvement will occur after several charge cycles.

 

[Xanthus]

For some reason your burning too much power, don't see it as an "android" issue. (They work for me)

You have been through a few charging cycle now so don't think that is the case. (If that even applies to the type battery used)

Not sure how much you have flown drones but perhaps go though all the steps towards flight just don't use any "phone". (I'm not suggesting you "fly" just get everything ready to, power up the RC, the Mavic and then just stop letting it sit for a few minutes to ensure your RC battery is not "draining" without a phone attached.) If it still drains that fast open a case with DJI as you must have something wrong. (Perhaps open a case either way but they will as you to send it back and then you sit "empty handed")

Sadly it does seem like there might be something wrong with the controller. I charged it up to full and turned it on without connecting it to anything and I saw that it drains 1% battery every 74 seconds or so. Looks like I'm gonna have to try and get it replaced.

Thanks all for the help.

 

[Xanthus]

Update: I've recently purchased an ipad mini 4 to use with the mavic. I've tested it out and now the controller drains about 17% battery per flight (around 21-22 minutes), that means after using the 3 batteries that I have the controller will have about 49% battery left. Since 3 mavic batteries seems more than enough for me I don't think I'll be buying more batteries any time soon. The question is, should I just stick with the controller the way it is or should I bother trying to fix/replace it? bearing in mind I'll probably be unable to fly the mavic for days/weeks if I do decide to try and get it fixed or replaced.

 

[Path Finder]

Your call on that one. Wish DJI had an advance replacement for failed parts "out of the box".

Sounds like you are not too far off now though. Using my Android phone I just flew 4 back to back flights and the RC has 34% left. (I can't give you flight times easily as the GO 4 App crashes at least once or more per battery) Was a calm evening and all 4 flights landed under "low batt". (1 LED remaining on each of the 4 batteries)

Good luck!

 

[CCDD]

Sadly it does seem like there might be something wrong with the controller. I charged it up to full and turned it on without connecting it to anything and I saw that it drains 1% battery every 74 seconds or so. Looks like I'm gonna have to try and get it replaced.

Thanks all for the help.

I have the same issue on a recently purchased factory refurbished Mavic. My last Mavic remote would easily last flying with 5 batteries averaging 20 min+ per flight, I never had an issue however, when I lost my previous Mavic, I ended up selling the RC knowing a new one would be included with my next purchase.
After its first initial two flights yesterday, I got the annoying RC alarm warning, something I had never experienced before with my former one. I knew I had charged it out of the box to 100% just the day before, I should’ve known something was up when I noticed that it only took perhaps 20 min to charge it from approx 20% to 100%.
When I threw it back on the charger after yesterday maiden voyage, I noticed huge fluctuation from when the RC alerted me to a low battery of 20% to now around 40%. How was the RC recharging itself? I decided to fully discharge it allowing it to turn itself off at 0%, i happed to see when this occurred witnessing it hit 0%. I then turned it back on and it was back at 4% and took nearly 15 min to discharge to 0 again. This repeated for two more times until I finally gave up figuring I couldn’t discharge it completely.
Now I decided to charge it back to 100%, it took less than 30 min. Unplugged it and check it every few minutes. It went from 100%, down to 98 to 90 and eventually to 80 in only 10 minutes or so without ever being used. Anyone care to chime in on this odd behavior?

 

[Xanthus]

I have the same issue on a recently purchased factory refurbished Mavic. My last Mavic remote would easily last flying with 5 batteries averaging 20 min+ per flight, I never had an issue however, when I lost my previous Mavic, I ended up selling the RC knowing a new one would be included with my next purchase.
After its first initial two flights yesterday, I got the annoying RC alarm warning, something I had never experienced before with my former one. I knew I had charged it out of the box to 100% just the day before, I should’ve known something was up when I noticed that it only took perhaps 20 min to charge it from approx 20% to 100%.
When I threw it back on the charger after yesterday maiden voyage, I noticed huge fluctuation from when the RC alerted me to a low battery of 20% to now around 40%. How was the RC recharging itself? I decided to fully discharge it allowing it to turn itself off at 0%, i happed to see when this occurred witnessing it hit 0%. I then turned it back on and it was back at 4% and took nearly 15 min to discharge to 0 again. This repeated for two more times until I finally gave up figuring I couldn’t discharge it completely.
Now I decided to charge it back to 100%, it took less than 30 min. Unplugged it and check it every few minutes. It went from 100%, down to 98 to 90 and eventually to 80 in only 10 minutes or so without ever being used. Anyone care to chime in on this odd behavior?

I haven't found proper fix, but if you don't unplug the controller from the power when it reaches 100% and leave it charging for another half an hour to an hour the battery will last a lot longer. The controller will still be charging even if it says 100%. Other than that, using an ios device will make the controller battery last longer because it doesn't charge the device, unlike android. I have 3 mavic batteries and now after flying all 3 I still have enough controller battery for another full mavic battery or two.

 

[CCDD]

I only use iOS therefore, no need to worry about the RC charging device. The problem doesn’t appear widespread however, there could be many that aren’t aware of the issue and just chalk it up as normal operation.

 

[Haloweenhamster]

Sounds like you have a dodgy cell, all batteries drop in voltage under load, voltage is used to gauge remaining capacity (% read out) so when a phone being charged is disconnected you may notice the percentage go up, when you turn off the RC you are removing most of the load on the battery so the voltage will increase giving the impression that its recharged a bit

If you have a weak cell the voltage will drop alot more on load giving the impression of faster discharge but removing the load will allow it to go back to it resting state meaning it will appear almost fully charged off load compared to almost flat on load

 

[CCDD]

In other words, it’s a faulty battery?

 

[Szepy_lc8]

In other words, it’s a faulty battery?

Hi,
Same issue here, were you able to find a solution other than buying a new RC?
Thanks!

 

[Adjday]

Sounds like you have a dodgy cell, all batteries drop in voltage under load, voltage is used to gauge remaining capacity (% read out) so when a phone being charged is disconnected you may notice the percentage go up, when you turn off the RC you are removing most of the load on the battery so the voltage will increase giving the impression that its recharged a bit

If you have a weak cell the voltage will drop alot more on load giving the impression of faster discharge but removing the load will allow it to go back to it resting state meaning it will appear almost fully charged off load compared to almost flat on load

Good point but I think the RC only runs on a 1 cell Lipo. With the problems talked about, I'm thinking the remote is not showing the actual charge level. The statement about a cell fluctuating is Tru when under a load and then at rest...but the drain is very exsesive....I saw somewhere where you should be able to NOT charge the phone when connected (in the apps settings). But I would think the main problem might just be a faulty Lipo or a faulty charge on the lipo.

I would not ever let a lipo discharge past %30!!
(3.30v)...best place to stop would be at 3.60 and when resting it might go back up to 3.70...best place to let it stay for long time storage would be at 3.80 to 3.85v)