Many DJI Phantom 4 users have reported that their Phantom 4 remote controller stops charging at LED 2 or 3 (in some cases blinks red LED) and doesn’t charge fully. This issue is very annoying because it reduces the flight time not because of the aircraft battery life. I have seen many users have asked for solutions for this issue.
After going through research about the issue on the internet, we were able to figure out the causes of the Phantom 4 remote controller charging issue and how to fix it. So in this article, we would talk about why DJI Phantom 4 remote controller not charging fully and how to fix the issue.
Why DJI Phantom 4 is remote controller not charging fully?
In most cases, DJI Phantom 4 remote controller not charging fully, because of transmitter IC chip issues of the transmitter and controller battery cells issues. Besides that faulty controller circuit also could cause the issue.
1. Transmitter IC chip issue.
Many DJI users faced this issue because of IC chip issues which are usually caused by leaving the remote controller for the long term. So if you are turning on the remote controller after a long time, the transmitter’s IC chip needs to be refloated by applying some heat to it. We would talk about how you can do that in this article, so don’t worry.
2. Remote controller battery issues and battery management system issues.
If the remote controller is not charging even a little bit, and the only thing you see is a red blink, the remote controller’s battery or the circuit might be faulty. Usually, those issues need to be repaired through professionals and DJI. It’s so advisable if you can get it done through DJI because they would be responsible for the Phantom 4 unit.
How to fix DJI Phantom 4 controller not charging issue.
Now we would walk you through step by step process to fix the DJI Phantom 4 controller.
Step 1: Heat up the IC chip of the transmitter.
As I mentioned above, this issue was causing the Phantom 4 remote controller charging issue in many cases. So I have big faith that you are also facing the issue because of that and this step would troubleshoot the issue.
For this step, you need to have a heat gun and dissemble the remote controller. If you are not comfortable with dissembling the remote controller or messing with circuits move to step 4 which is getting help from DJI to fix the issue.
If you are ready for that, follow the below steps.
- First, let’s unscrew the Phantom 4 remote controller. Peel off these two tabs behind the controller to expose some screws.
- Also, remove other rubber caps at the bottom behind the remote controller to expose those screws.
- Unscrew four screws of the small rectangular cover of the back cover and open the cover.
- Now you’ll reveal a circuit board that is connected to the controller with three ribbons from left, right, and bottom.
- Disconnect those ribbons from the circuit carefully.
- Then unscrew 3 screws that connect the circuit to the controller. Then get off the circuit board from the controller.
- Then unscrew the other screws of the controller.
- Put some power and open the controller’s back cover.
- Then disconnect the battery cable which is coming from the back cover.
- Then we need to take out the circuit connect to the font cover of the controller. For that, you need to unplug some ribbons, cables, and two screws. Before unplugging them, take a photo to remember how they were plugged in.
- Once you take out the circuit, it’s time to heat up the IC chip. IC chips is the small chip located just right to LEDs. Also, it’s better to remove the LEDs cover that could melt on heat.
- Use cardboard and hold it covering the rest of the circuit board. Then get the heat gun and set it to about 700 degrees. Then heat the IC chip for few seconds. Then let it cool down.
- Then connect the charger to the charging port of the circuit and turn on the charger.
- Now you would see the problem is fixed and the four LEDs would blink in sequence. If it doesn’t fix, heat up the IC chip again for more few seconds and let it cool down, and check again.
- Once the issue is fixed, reassemble the Phantom 4 remote controller as it was.
Check out the complete demonstration video below.
Step 3: Replace the Phantom 4 remote controller battery.
If the remote controller battery is not charging at all and LED blinking red, the battery might be faulty and need to be replaced.
Buy DJI Phantom 4 remote controller battery.– Amazon
- Disassemble the remote controller as shown in step 1.
- Once you remove the back cover of the remote controller, you would find a wire going from the back cover box to the circuit. That is the battery power cable. Unplug that cable from the circuit.
- Then take out the battery-containing box from the back cover.
- Take the old battery out and insert the new battery into the box and insert the box back into the back cover.
- Then plug the new battery’s cable into the circuit of the remote controller.
- Then plug in the charging cable and check whether the issue is fixed. If didn’t fix the issue move to the next step.
- Once the issue is fixed reassemble the remote controller as it was.
Check out the complete demonstration video below.
Step 4: Request DJI repair online.
If the Phantom 4 remote controller is still not charging, the final step to take is to request a repair online from DJI. Then you would have to send the controller to DJI and they would figure out the issue and repair or replace the controller and charge you price according to damage. We have written a complete article on how you can request a repair online from DJI. Check out that article below for more info.
Read the Detailed Article: How to get DJI support to repair your DJI unit’s issue.
