Where can I get a replacement controller for a Mavic Air?

[synaesthesia]

Hey all!

Mine has stopped charging. Port looks broken/possible short. Inside the controller seems to agree as a small component near the plug has melted and the inside of the plug is in a similar state. DJI want me to send it back but it's out of warranty and I'm going on holiday next weekend!

Any ideas?

 

[Deleted member 94047]

Get it fixed at a local electronics repair shop? All it needs to do is be able to charge, you can use the bottom USB slot for connecting your phone. I don't imagine the repair job would be too complicated for an experienced repair man/woman.

 

[Former Member]

Go buy another controller now. Send that one to DJI for repair. When it comes back, sell it.

 

[synaesthesia]

Go buy another controller now. Send that one to DJI for repair. When it comes back, sell it.

Anywhere in particular you'd suggest to get another? Looking at eBay there's not much in the way of availability. Figured there would be many from crashes since DJI don't seem to sell them...

 

[msinger]

Anywhere in particular you'd suggest to get another?

If you cannot find a seller in the UK, this eBay seller ships to the UK.

 

[Former Member]

You might call Drone Doctor and see if they can suggest someone. They repair drones, and are an authorized service center.

Drone Doctor, Business Unit 10
Ingleby House
Crowhurst Road
Brighton
BN1 8AF

0330 223 1575

If not, you can call DJI holland and tell them the story. they will probably sell you one in a pinch while your broken one is getting repaired.

 

[synaesthesia]

Cheers all, not have much success that would result in a replacement before holidays - a couple of sellers on eBay/FB marketplace that were a little sketchier than I wanted to deal with so bought a second drone for the controller... spoke to DJI support about buying a second controller and their online help literally said "I don't see it in the store so...", not sure if other channels would result in better success but I guess I will have to send the other controller back to DJI for repair at cost when I'm going to be around more.

The part that has failed is labelled as the "keyboard board" and is the small PCB that contains the micro USB and buttons for autoland/record/sport/stop/function/charge lights/power. The entire board isn't fried but there is visible damage to the board on the other side of the connector and the inside of the connector has melted so this is highly likely a short caused by a cable being inserted into the connector.

 

[Ray&Paula]

Cheers all, not have much success that would result in a replacement before holidays - a couple of sellers on eBay/FB marketplace that were a little sketchier than I wanted to deal with so bought a second drone for the controller... spoke to DJI support about buying a second controller and their online help literally said "I don't see it in the store so...", not sure if other channels would result in better success but I guess I will have to send the other controller back to DJI for repair at cost when I'm going to be around more.

The part that has failed is labelled as the "keyboard board" and is the small PCB that contains the micro USB and buttons for autoland/record/sport/stop/function/charge lights/power. The entire board isn't fried but there is visible damage to the board on the other side of the connector and the inside of the connector has melted so this is highly likely a short caused by a cable being inserted into the connector.

Wow!! Sure would like to know what caused that.......

 

[synaesthesia]

Wow!! Sure would like to know what caused that.......

I did take some pictures lastnight but don't have them with me at work, essentially it looks like during one instance of the controller getting plugged in, one of the pins didn't sit properly and instead got pushed back into the plug over to the top of another pin. Then based on the fact that all of the plastic inside the connector is melted and one of the components directly behind the board has visibly popped it's likely these two pins were +/- power. The connector is hardly the best design and really is quite fragile but ultimately it's end user error that's killed it.

 

[Ray&Paula]

Sounds like you pinned down the problem...... no pun intended. It's too bad that these RC's are not built with quality in mind instead of quantity. You should be able to plug in your charging cords, etc. without having to be extra careful not to damage the port. I have many other devices that the ports are higher quality than DJI's therefore, I.M.O. it comes down to a few less pennies for these lower quality ports. My Garmin 595LM GPS has the worst micro-USB port I've ever seen. The port is not the same shape as the micro-USB cable therefore, you have to be very careful plugging it in due to the possibility of bending the prongs. This is a big gripe among Garmin owners.
I just received back my RC for my MA due to the antennas not staying in place, just shy of my DJI refresh warranty running out. DJI needs to make RC replacements available "during and/or after warranty" to all of their customers. You shouldn't have to go out and purchase another drone in order to replace your RC. Unfortunately, most things today are "throwaway," with that being said companies need to have these items available to their customers. I'm glad you were able to get your hands on an RC. Happy flying. Ray

 

[Former Member]

Sounds like you pinned down the problem...... no pun intended. It's too bad that these RC's are not built with quality in mind instead of quantity. You should be able to plug in your charging cords, etc. without having to be extra careful not to damage the port. I have many other devices that the ports are higher quality than DJI's therefore, I.M.O. it comes down to a few less pennies for these lower quality ports. My Garmin 595LM GPS has the worst micro-USB port I've ever seen. The port is not the same shape as the micro-USB cable therefore, you have to be very careful plugging it in due to the possibility of bending the prongs. This is a big gripe among Garmin owners.
I just received back my RC for my MA due to the antennas not staying in place, just shy of my DJI refresh warranty running out. DJI needs to make RC replacements available "during and/or after warranty" to all of their customers. You shouldn't have to go out and purchase another drone in order to replace your RC. Unfortunately, most things today are "throwaway," with that being said companies need to have these items available to their customers. I'm glad you were able to get your hands on an RC. Happy flying. Ray

Theres always Thunderdrones. I repair a dozen controllers a week.

 

[Ray&Paula]

Theres always Thunderdrones. I repair a dozen controllers a week.

Great to know.... Thank you. Ray

 

[MavicFlyer]

I'm surprised that controllers for MA are not more available. If I physically lost my drone (e.g. drop into a lake), wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a new MA ($800 USD), and sell the controller? Let's say I'd get $100 for the controller, the cost of a new drone would be $700...isn't that less than the cost of buy a new drone only from DJI (assuming DJI doesn't determine that the loss was their fault)?

 

[Air_Joe]

Where are u at pal?
In my place there are a lot slightly used or even brand new controller fpr sale for mavic air.
Prices as low as usd70-80. Most are lost bird owner.
Let me know if u want to consider this options. Will guide u whicj platform to look for it.

 

[msinger]

If I physically lost my drone (e.g. drop into a lake), wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a new MA ($800 USD), and sell the controller?

Yes, that's almost always cheaper. I don't think a lot of people want to go through the hassle of selling all of the accessories they don't need.

 

[Ray&Paula]

I.M.O....... You shouldn't have to jump through hoops to get new replacements.

 

[synaesthesia]

Due to timescales I just ended up buying another drone. I did have a look on eBay and there were a couple in the UK but after chatting with the sellers I wasn't convinced either that it would arrive on time or at all! Same deal with other outlets like Facebook Marketplace, etc. I figured that there would be a lot more due to the aforementioned formerly crashed drone scenarios... Anyway in the end I got a B stock "like new" (the box had been dropped and scuffed slightly) from Amazon so I have a controller to use while I send the other one back for repairs. Obviously going to be on the lookout for an additional spare moving forwards!