DJI Mini SE is a member of the DJI Mini Series. This little buddy’s performances are insane and also I saw some Mini SE users face some common issues with it. So I did some research about those issues on DJI forums and other communities.
Then I thought it would be so nice to give some common solutions for those issues by writing an article to answer them. Most of those issues are not hard to fix and almost common for all DJI drones. Let’s look at what are the common issues with DJI Mini SE and how to fix them.
- Problem 1: DJI Mini SE not taking off.
- Problem 2: DJI Mini SE not turning on.
- Problem 3: DJI Mini SE not connecting to the phone.
- Problem 4: DJI Mini SE not connecting to controller / DJI Mini SE not pairing.
- Problem 5: DJI Mini SE not charging.
- Problem 6: DJI Mini SE not recording.
- Problem 7: DJI Mini SE not updating.
- Problem 8: DJI Mini SE is not stable.
- Problem 9: DJI Mini SE no GPS signal.
Problem 1: DJI Mini SE not taking off.
Usually, DJI Mini SE won’t take off because of unpaired Mini SE aircraft, battery malfunction, IMU error, or being in no-fly zones. Also if the Mini SE is not taking off even though its propellers are spinning, you might have installed them in an incorrect pattern.
Solutions.
- If the Aircraft keeps blinking yellow, pair the DJI Mini SE aircraft to the controller first. Connect the mobile device and Power on the Mini SE controller and aircraft. Open the DJI Fly app and click on “Connection Guide”. Then select DJI Mini SE and wait until the searching process fails and the “Unable to connect to aircraft” button appears. Once it appeared, click on that and press and hold the Mini SE aircraft power button for 4 seconds (until it the drone starts to beep). Once you have done that, hit on “Pair” button on the DJI Fly app. Then wait until they bind together.
- Calibrate IMU & Compass. If the IMU or Compass is miscalibrated, the aircraft would refuse to take off and throw IMU Error.
- Update DJI Mini SE Firmware.
- Check whether propellers are mounted correctly. If you have installed propellers in an incorrect pattern, the aircraft would be unable to generate the upward force. Therefore if your Mini SE is not taking off even if its propellers are spinning, reinstall the propellers in correnct pattern.
- Check whether you are in a NoFlyZone. If the Mini SE is on a Noflyzone, you would have to unlock the area by performing custom or self-unlock before taking off the drone. Read the detailed article to know how to unlock geofenced areas.
Read the Detailed Article: Why Drone won’t take off and how to fix it.
Problem 2: DJI Mini SE not turning on.
Most of the time, DJI Mini SE refuses to turn on because of temporary DJI Mini SE battery shutdowns and battery issues. Usually, DJI Mini SE battery temporarily shut down when it detects harmful temperatures. Also, damaged battery cells and outdated battery firmware also could cause this.
Solutions.
- If the battery is warm, leave it in an open area to cool. The proper temperature range for the battery is 5° to 40°C (41° to 104°F).
- If you are in a cold area, warm up the battery. Watch the below video to know how to warm up the battery.
- Kick the battery out from hibernation mode. If you stored or left the battery for a couple of months, it might have gone into hibernation mode. Plug the battery to the charger and leave it for a couple of hours.
- Update DJI Mini SE firmware while keeping the battery inside the drone.
Read Detailed Article: Why drone won’t turn on and how to fix it.
Problem 3: DJI Mini SE not connecting to the phone.
In most cases, DJI Mini SE won’t connect to the phone because of wifi connection issues, DJI Fly app issues, and outdated firmware.
Solutions.
- Reset DJI Mini SE. Hold down the power button for 9 seconds until you hear three beeps. Then try reconnecting the wifi connection using the default password.
- Update DJI Mini SE firmware.
- Uninstall the current DJI Fly app on your phone and download and install the latest DJI Fly app from the DJI Download Center or Appstore. If you are an iOS user, download the DJI Fly from the Appstore, and for Android users, uninstall the current app and head DJI Downloads Center. Then download and install the latest DJI Fly app.
Problem 4: DJI Mini SE not connecting to controller / DJI Mini SE not pairing.
Usually, DJI Mini SE won’t connect to the controller because of an insufficiently charged controller, outdated firmware, or unpaired Mini SE aircraft. Besides that, if the DJI Mini SE controller and aircraft have different firmware versions installed on them, they won’t be able to connect or pair together.
Solutions.
- Charge Mini SE aircraft and controller fully or to a sufficient level.
- Check whether both the DJI Mini SE controller and aircraft are on equal firmware. Keeping the same firmware version in the Mini SE aircraft and the controller is so important to avoid these kinds of connection issues.
- If the DJI Mini SE indicators blink yellow, you need to link the aircraft to the controller. Turn on DJI Mini SE aircraft and controller. Then open the DJI Fly app and click on “Connection Guide”. Then select DJI Mini SE and wait for a few seconds. Once the “Unable to connect to aircraft” button appeared, click on that and press and hold the Mini SE aircraft power button for 4 seconds (until it the drone starts to beep). Once you have done that, hit on “Pair” button on the DJI Fly app. Then wait until they bind together.
- Update DJI Mini SE Firmware.
Read the Detailed Article: Why Drone not connecting to the controller and How to fix it.
Problem 5: DJI Mini SE not charging.
Usually, DJI Mini SE refuses to get charged because of higher or lower amperage or voltage. Besides that, heated or damaged Mini SE battery, outdated battery firmware, and faulty or broken chargers cause this issue.
Solutions.
- Plug the charger into a power outlet with the required voltage and current. Usually, the DJI battery charger voltage is around 100 – 240 V and amperage 0.5 A.
- Check whether the charger is faulty or broken. Inspect the charger output and check whether the output similar to 12V 1.5 A / 9V 2A / 5V 3A.
- If the Mavic Mini SE battery is warm, leave the battery in an airflow. If the battery is on an improper temperature, it would be harmful to charge the battery. Therefore the smart battery would refuse to get charged.
- Kick the Battery out from hibernation mode. If you left the battery for the long term, it might have gone into hibernation mode. Plug the battery into the charger and wait for a couple of hours to take the battery out from hibernation mode.
- Upgrade the DJI Mini SE Battery firmware. Upgrade the Mini SE battery while keeping the faulty battery inside the aircraft.
Read the Detailed Article: Why Drone Battery not charging and how to fix it.
Problem 6: DJI Mini SE not recording.
In most cases, DJI Mini SE won’t record video because of SD card issues like invalid file systems, incompatible SD cards, outdated firmware Viruses & Malware.
Solutions.
- Use a compatible SD card. Check out DJI Mini SE Spec and check whether your SD card is compatible with the DJI Mini SE. Else buy a compatible one. (SanDisk Extreme V30 A1)
- Format the SD Card.
- Repair the SD card using the Windows command prompt. Connect the SD card to the PC and open the command prompt. Then type “chkdsk” and leave a space and specify the SD card driver letter (Ex: chkdsk D). and hit enter. Once the process is done the sd card is repaired.
- Scan the SD card using an antivirus program.
- Update DJI Mini SE Firmware.
Read Detailed Article: Why drone not recording to the SD card and how to fix it.
Problem 7: DJI Mini SE not updating.
As I found in most cases DJI Mini SE firmware updating process fails because of updating the firmware using the DJI Fly app. I think this problem is caused by DJI Fly app glitches.
Solution.
- Update the DJI Mini SE firmware using DJI Assistant 2 PC application. Download and install DJI Assistant 2 PC application from the DJI Downloads Center. Connect the Mini SE to the PC using a USB cable and open the DJI Assistant 2 application. Then log in to your DJI account and enter to the firmware update tab. After that select the latest or preferred firmware version and hit Update. Check out the below video for a detailed description.
Problem 8: DJI Mini SE is not stable.
In most cases, DJI Mini SE is not stable and won’t stay still because of miscalibrated Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). Other than that, Electromagnetic interference, malfunctioning motors, and distorted propellers could cause unstable flight.
Solutions.
- Avoid Electromagnetic interference. Avoid flying near powerlines and communication towers.
- Calibrate DJI Mini SE IMU. Read the How to Calibrate DJI Drone article to know how to calibrate DJI Mini SE.
- Inspect DJI Mini SE propellers. First, check whether you have installed propellers in the proper pattern. Also if propellers are distorted, replace the propeller set with new ones.
- Check whether a motor is malfunctioning. Malfunctioning motors also could cause unstable flight. In this case, you might need to get DJI Support help for replacing motors.
Read the Detailed Article: Why Drone is not hovering one place and how to fix it.
Problem 9: DJI Mini SE no GPS signal.
In most cases, DJI Mini SE is unable to find GPS signals because of outdated firmware or DJI Fly app glitches, poor internet connection, or other environmental interferences.
Solutions.
- Connect to a strong internet connection.
- Try to connect GPS signals in an open wide area. Try to fly in clear weather and open areas. avoid huge buildings, powerlines, communication towers, and dense wood.
- Update the DJI Fly app if it’s outdated.
- Try with another device.
Read the Detailed Article: Why Drone not connecting to GPS and how to fix it.
