How To Charge DJI Mini SE Controller


How To Charge DJI Mini SE Controller

If you are a beginner drone pilot, you may find yourself confused about how to charge the DJI Mini SE controller. Don't worry, you aren't the only one.

It's pretty important to know basic drone stuff such as how to charge your RC or turn off your DJI remote controller. Without a functioning controller, you won't be able to do much with your drone. Except maybe look at it and wish you knew how to charge your controller so you could actually use it.

The drone itself has a micro USB charging port. So you plug the cable in, and it charges. Nice and easy. But that's not the case for the controller. Oh no. As bizarre as this may seem, there's actually a pretty simple explanation. It just isn't perhaps as obvious as it could have been. Let's explain.

How To Charge DJI Mini SE Controller

While the Mini SE has a very clear and obvious micro USB charging port, the controller does not. But you still need to use the micro USB charging cable in order to charge your controller. Confused? That's probably reasonable. The explanation does make sense - sort of - but it isn't obvious at first glance.

In order to charge your controller, you need to carefully inspect the port on the side. This is described in the instruction manual as the video-downlink/power port. In essence, the port does two different jobs. Which is actually very clever, but not necessarily intuitive.

You will use this port to connect to a mobile device for video linking. And you will also use the same port with the USB charger in order to charge the controller. The port has a compatible micro USB connector inside. It's exactly the same principle as on the Mavic Mini drone, and there is a handy YouTube tutorial from Concise Tech:

While it isn't the same drone, the controller design is the same when it comes to charging it. So if the instruction manual doesn't make things clear for you, hopefully, this video will.

Which Way Do You Plug In The Micro USB Cable?

The one thing you want to make certain of is that you are inserting the micro USB charger the right way around. The simplest way to remember is that the shorter part of the connector should face the front of your controller.

Usually, a USB cable also has a USB symbol on it, to indicate the 'top' part of the connector. This would also be expected to face the front of your controller.

When you plug in your cable, you shouldn't have to force it. If you are meeting a lot more resistance than you would expect, that usually indicates you are putting it in the wrong way. If you attempt to force it in, then you risk doing damage to components, which may make your controller impossible to charge in future.

Presumably, DJI felt this was an elegant solution to minimise the number of separate ports you need on your controller. And while it may be neat, it needed to be clearer for people to find the charging port on it. At least now you know where it is.

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