Silly questions from Newbie on Mavic 2 Pro (for patient Pilots only)

[Silverthorne]

I include 3 pics, I don’t know what the function of any of these 3 is. Can you help me?

Pic 1 is a minuscule adaptor
Pic 2 is a port at drone
Pic 3 is a port at controller
Also, is physically removing the SD card and downloading the contents to a computer the only way to get the data out? How about downloading to an iPad?

Thank you Patient Pilot for your help

 

[Mossiback]

#1 Adapters are to convert one style connection to another. Probably used to connect the M2 to your computer.
#2 & 3 are found in the manual: https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/Mavic_2/Mavic 2 Pro Zoom User Manual V1.6.pdf

You can download by connecting the M2 to your computer via USB. I do not know about an iPad connection.

 

[old man mavic]

would love to help you but i have a mavic pro platinum so do not want to give you wrong advise the images from the SD card can be downloaded by use of the port in the side of the uav which then plugs into the computer via the USB port on the computer on my mavic it is the lead that is used to charge the battery i think the first pic is an adaptor for a different types of C connector could be wrong sorry i could not be of more help i am sure some body with the answers will help you soon

 

[Silverthorne]

Thannk you. Reading the manual, it says the port (#2 above) is a USB-C port, but it does not say what for... As for pic # 3 “Reserve Video-Downlink Port (USB) Connect to a mobile device for video downlink via a standard USB cable.” Meaning I can view what the drone is seeing or download the contents of the Mavic memory, or the SD memory, or... ?

 

[old man mavic]

when you are flying your device you are using for the go 4 app it is connected from the controller to the device via a cable to the controller and the image that the camera sees is displayed on the screen within the go 4 app you only use the cable from the UAV to down load your images to your computer afterwards if you go on the DJI site there are instruction videos on how to use you mavic and if you go into downloads you can obtain the full manual for your model hope this helps

 

[IShouldBeWorking]

I'm afraid I"m not sure what that adapter in picture 1 is for. However, picture 2 is of the USB A port on the bottom of your remote. Most of us agree that it's a more stable, less fragile connector to use when connecting a mobile device to the remote to Run DJI Go while flying. That way you only have to plug into the Micro USB port on the side of the remote for charging.

Picture 3 is of the USB C port on the side of your Mavic 2 which can be used to connect directly to your computer to pull photos and videos off the drone as well as perform firmware updates. Hope that helps a bit!

 

[Starz]

The bottom port on the controller is the one I use to connect to my iPad mini. USB to apple lightning. The side port on the aircraft is the one you use to connect the ac to a computer to update firmware. The adapter is a usb c to micro usb. You will need that adapter if you use the supplied DJI cord to charge the controller.

 

[FoxhallGH]

#1 - USB adaptor to change a USB cable with (probably) USB-C to micro-USB. If you are an Android phone user, you'll have a USB 2.0 to USB-C charging cable that won't fit your controller side-port to charge it, nor into the Mavic 'PC-Link' port you show in photo #3. I can't see the female socket on the adaptor, so I'm guessing about USB-C ...

#2 - This USB 2.0 port in the base of the controller, can be used to connect to a phone or tablet RATHER than using the short special cable that's supplied to go from the micro-USB on the side of the controller, down to your phone clamped in the swing-arms. You can use the USB charging cable supplied with your phone/tablet from this port. If you use this connector, you need to remove the short cable on the side connector. A lot of Mavic Pilots use this port to connect to their phones (see attached) and only use the side port for charging. Have a look at the various posts like this ... Broken micro usb port on the mavic pro controller ... to see why you need to be careful with the charging connection.


#3 - This micro-USB port can be used to connect the Mavic to a PC using the 'DJI Assistant 2' software, for firmware upgrades and calibration.

 

[zocalo]

#1 is a USB-C to Micro USB. You would most likely use this to charge the Remote Controller (RC) via a USB-C cable. (Despite the uncommon shape the side port is still a Micro-USB connector and will work with any suitable Micro-USB cable. (I'd have preferred USB-C, but I'm sure DJI had their reasons for the choice).

#2 is mostly used for connecting tablets and phones to the RC using dedicated holders that usually mount the device above the controller. This saves wear on the supposedly fragile side port, but you need the normal cable disconnected for this to work. I have the "stub" of a magnetic USB cable permantly fitted to mine for charging, as this avoids all wear and tear on the port and does not prevent use of the secondary port.

#3 is for connection of the drone to a PC using the supplied, or any other USB-C cable (why this is USB-C and the RC is not, I have no idea!) Mostly this will be for downloading firmware to the drone using DJI Assistant 2 on a PC which is more reliable than using DJI Go on Android, but you can also use it to transfer data off the drone, including images, etc. - if you're patient enough. A decent card reader would be a much better option though.

 

[Meta4]

Also, is physically removing the SD card and downloading the contents to a computer the only way to get the data out? How about downloading to an iPad?

Removing the card and copying from it is much faster and less awkward than downloading images and video with a cable.

 

[old man mavic]

thats the way i do it just a quick point to mention if you get a card make sure it is a fast one and at least a 64 gig because in 4k you will use up memory very quickly when recording

 

[Silverthorne]

Thank you all, your help is very clear and greatly appreciated.

I got this adaptor to read the SD card into my iPad Pro. I works very fast!

I use a mini iPad as screen on the controller to fly the Mavic. I just ordered 8” USB to Lightning cables to connect it to the USB port on the bottom of the controller as several of you suggested, it makes a lot of sense.

 

[DanMan32]

You'd also want to connect the AC to your PC to get to photos/videos if you selected to store them to the onboard internal 8GB storage rather than an SD card.

Note that you posted on the M1 forum, so many here are answering with educated guess rather than experience with an M2.

If you use the bottom full size USB-A port on the remote, be sure you do not have any of the included short cables plugged into the side micro-A port. Micro-A is intended for host devices, which the RC operates, connecting to a target device. Most are used to seeing micro-B on target devices such as phones, tablets, small USB drives.

Micro-A ports can be physically connected to by micro-B plugs, but be careful.

 

[FoxhallGH]

thats the way i do it just a quick point to mention if you get a card make sure it is a fast one and at least a 64 gig because in 4k you will use up memory very quickly when recording

There are a lot of posts on the Forum about SD cards, but in summary, look for the cards that have a U3 symbol on them. They have the fasted sustained write speed capability and are best for 4K video. Slower cards may show stuttering in the video.

 

[Tim Santa Maria]

Hi Folks

Thanks so much these useful newbie tips. Also try watching YouTube or DJI instructional videos. Don't worry if you have to watch them a couple of times to pick up tips and learn more about your Mavic.

As a newbie and owner/operator of only 3 days I have this forum extremely insightful and inspiring. It's so refreshing to be connected to so many like minded folks wanting to help each other whether you are a professional or hobbyist.

In only 3 days I've picked up countless technical tips and professional operator compliance tips (with many more to learn and experience).

Yours gratefully, newbie Tim.