This is a pretty big issue, and I'm sure there will be a lot of calls into DJI for "defective" motion controllers.  I know I spent about two and a half hours on the phone with DJI and tech support folks who couldn't tell me why there were none of the charging LEDs turned on when the motion controller was plugged in.  It did not behave like a "normal" DJI product...when you plug it in, you get an animated LED light show as the product charges.  In this case, NOTHING.
I MIGHT ADD THAT DJI COULD HAVE AVOIDED SUPPORT PHONE CALLS AND CUSTOMER FRUSTRATION BY INCLUDING A CHARGING BLOCK AND THE CORD NEEDED TO CHARGE THE HANDLE.  For the price of this drone, it should have included everything needed to charge.


The issue is this: it shows in the manual that USB Power Delivery chargers are not supported. I personally have no idea what this means...I have many little charging blocks, and all of them "deliver power."  I tried three different Apple USB-C charging blocks, one Amazon USB-C charging block, and the Oculus Quest 2 USB-C charging block.  On all of these, the motion controller showed no lights or indication of charging.

All of these chargers worked fine with the battery charger and also the goggles.  So why it didn't work with the handle was baffling.  Here's a clip from the manual that shows that you CAN use "USB Power Delivery chargers" with the drone batteries.




THE WORKAROUND: Use an old Apple square block USB charger with a USB (male) to USB-C male adapter.  This works.



I wish tech support at DJI would have told me this yesterday.  I was frustrated beyond belief, and ready to send back my controller...until I figured out that the controller is NOT covered by DJI refresh, so I would have to send the WHOLE SET back for "analysis and repair."  I leave on an Alaskan cruise in about a week, and bought the drone to get footage on my vacation, and didn't have time to send it back and wait weeks for a repair.  Especially since the handle wasn't actually broken...it was a problem with charging caused by an improper charging block.

DJI, please fix update the manual with this information, or at least provide examples of recommended power blocks.  Or add a DJI power block as a "recommended purchase" when someone is checking out.  I own probably six or seven DJI products...I have never had a problem like this.  

And sorry, but I can't figure out why where are extra screen shots at the bottom of this post...or how to delete them.

Try using a thinner cable connector. Bulky cable heads will not fully seat on some DJI products.

Same issues as you but also for the FPV controller that also included no cable and couldn’t connect to the DJI assistant program for update. I ended up using a GoPro usb a to usb c. It’s currently charging off that at 3-5w.

JakeWest Posted at 9-2 08:37
Same issues as you but also for the FPV controller that also included no cable and couldn’t connect to the DJI assistant program for update. I ended up using a GoPro usb a to usb c. It’s currently charging off that at 3-5w.

Good to know!  I can understand not including the charging block in the package because of differing electric standards around the world, but they should at least let people know so when you receive the product you are ready to get out and fly.  Or make it a drop-down option at checkout, even if for an additional charge.

bjr981s Posted at 9-2 08:30
Try using a thinner cable connector. Bulky cable heads will not fully seat on some DJI products.

Good thought...I used probably four different USB-C cables, including the more expensive Apple Thunderbolt 3 (I think) cable.  It failed with every cable.  It was only luck that I had an old-style USB to USB-C adapter cable.  I didn't realize I bought it a couple years ago.  

We live in the mountains west of Denver, so there is not really a convenient way to obtain random little cables.  It would have been an hour and a half drive to Denver...we don't really even have Amazon Prime delivery within a reasonable amount of time.

Fortunately, it's working now with my alternate setup.  Kind of a super whiny little drone!  We live next to a golf course, and the golf cart motors drive us nuts...this should be fun.

Thank you for posting, I even went out and purchased a 2nd controller thinking the one that came with my Avata was faulty.  Working now with an old iPhone charger and a USB to USB-C cable.

Hi, there. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.
We will contact the relevant team and forward your feedback to them.
We are sorry again for the unpleasant experience.

Besides, if there is anything else that we can help with, please just feel free to contact us.

DJI Natalia Posted at 9-2 18:13
Hi, there. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.
We will contact the relevant team and forward your feedback to them.
We are sorry again for the unpleasant experience.

You should let the development team that this is easily fixable.

The reason is that the device is not totally compliant with the USB-C protocol.
Unlike USB-A to USB-C, which always has 5V active in the plug, USB-C to USB-C normally has 0V in the power pin.   When the device is not recognized, there is no power in the USB-C plug.   It works with USB-A to USB-C because the power pin always has 5V.

It is very easy to make it compliant, all it takes is a pull down resistor across the CC and GND.   Almost no material cost.
But since it requires a circuit board redesign to accommodate an extra resistor, I really don't expect DJI would bother to fix it, until a new model is released.
Just hope that DJI would take this into account for all future new device and new models.

nosnoop Posted at 9-3 09:43
You should let the development team that this is easily fixable.

The reason is that the device is not totally compliant with the USB-C protocol.

Thank you very much for the feedback.
We will report this issue to see how we can do better.
If you need any support or have any questions, you can contact us here at any time.
Thank you again.

I wish I would have found this thread earlier (or it even existed earlier) as I was suffering myself with the same issue. Have tons of cables and lot's of power bricks but all of them using PD standards and as such none did work. Worst thing is that it's not even mentioned in the quick start guide that PowerDelivery units won't work only on the motion controller. This is really like kicking us back a few years in time where PD was not invented.  With all the frustration I have send my unit back for a refund last week...with all the hassle that comes with it. I only hope that this process will complete smoothly...Never had such an issue on any of the DJI products I bought.

Wow. Thank you for your tip bro! You saved my life and this drone also.
I was soo frustrated as I got myself Avata as a Bday gift (this is my 1st proper drone!) and spending so much money on the kit I thought something broke done not even after a week of flying!
My controller was charging before and then it stopped. I thought this could be because of a firmware upgrade or because it has discharged completely (it is beeping non-stop insanely annoyingly)

And I am leaving for a 3 weeks shoot next Monday so was trying to resolve through support page or thinking I need to buy a second one.
Totally agree with folks above that for the price of the pro kit they should put a proper charger in place to be able to charge all the devices together!  And DJI needs to fix this asap this is just a shame compared to otherwise toplevel product experience.

djiuser_j7Bi8ImDRHaW Posted at 9-2 11:21
Thank you for posting, I even went out and purchased a 2nd controller thinking the one that came with my Avata was faulty.  Working now with an old iPhone charger and a USB to USB-C cable.

I actually went up to the DJI website to try and buy the motion controller separately.  I didn't find a way to buy it unless it was with the goggles.  I know Best Buy usually carries DJI stuff, but I live in the mountains over an hour from Denver, and I was getting ready to make the trip down the mountain when I figured out the vintage iPhone charging block trick.

To DJI's credit, I've had several calls from them in the past two days (including around 7 a.m. this morning, on Labor Day holiday), trying to make sure that my motion controller was working.  I told them about the problems with the user manual...even mentioning that since all of my DJI products work the same, so I haven't found it necessary to actually read the user manual for my past few products.  

Just went out with no battery ! That I reliize this , so stupid .

Yeah this is a bad situation. We just flew out from California to Texas for a job where I’m using the Avata for a few shots. I burned through 8 batteries in the drone and 2 for the headset yesterday. Everything held up well and was easy to charge except the now dead remote. I packed plenty of USB C chargers and cables only to find out none of them will charge the remote which makes us pretty much dead in the water for this Avata on this part of the shoot. Unfortunately the area we are filming for this job is pretty remote and acquiring a USB A to C cable is not going to happen. I have a RED Komodo mounted on another drone but for some of the sequences it’s a lot less nerve wracking to be able to use the Avata :/

I was also looking at this yesterday though noticed if plugged into USB port on the PC it started charging straight away

This was incredibly helpful thank you so much!!! I agree with everything you said! Dji is starting to follow in Apples's irritating path.

Great info!

so an accessory that dji has been selling for over a year and us regular dji fpv users never had a problem with....it's giving avata owners a fit, huh?

these things don't arrive dead, do they?  did you try to power it up right out of the box so you know the accessory wasn't defective?

Just got my Avata today, thought it was strange that all the batteries gave charge indicator except for the motion controller. Found your post and it is now charging with a USB A to C cable. As nosnoop wrote, this is an issue with the USB C interface and how DJI implemented it. I had a similar problem a few years ago when USB C was new but forgot all about it. Any power block that is USB A will work, not just an iPhone adapter. Thanks for your post!

       
Thank you!  I wasn't able to charge my motion controller, but I didn't particularly care about it and ordered the RC2 to use instead.  Turns out this has the same issue.  Once I used a conventional USBA - USBC cable, it started charging.  

So glad I found this thread. I pulled a USB C cable into a USB hub into the motion controller and it instantly started doing the blinking charging. Fingers crossed! Can't wait to try it tomorrow.

This was INCREDIBLY helpful.  If it wasn't for this post, I would have returned my drone.  Thank you! And I agree 100%

Thanks for this. This is my first drone and it's a serious omission on DJI's part. I dug out a discarded Anker charging station with USB-A ports and now the Motion Controller is charging.

You can also use any usb C male to usb A female adapter and then a USB A male to USB C male cord with a USB-C power block. That way you don't need different power blocks.  It does seem pretty silly that the other components are compatible with a USB-C charger, but the motion controller isn't.  This should be fixed. Hope the FPV controller 2 doesn't also have this problem.

I have this issue with some vapes, so I immediately knew what it was as soon as I plugged in the controller to my typical USB-C charging stations.

What a hilariously stupid problem DJI.   I just spent hours trying to sort this out, including time with your tech support.   Found the answer here.   Tried a gazillion different charging devices, and only found one that worked - the one I use to charge my Kindle funny enough.

I suspect this is because we're using chargers that can deliver more than 2A?
Older chargers are lower powered.  Dunno.

I've had this happen with an Insta360 (gopro type camera) battery charger.  A USB-C to USB-C cable will not work, but any USB-A to USB-C will work fine.  Very annoying in 2022 for this to be happening.  You would think if the device has a USB-C port then any USB-C cable should work, sigh.

Ok I've tried 10 USB-A (to USB-C) chargers, they all work.  Different power, different manufacturers but they all work.
I've tried 7 USB-C (to USB-C) chargers, none of them work.
I also tried thickest and thinest cables, this made no difference on either side.

a) this is stooooopid, as others have mentioned, it's just a massive waste of time for everyone.
b) they should at least change the wording to be understandable like "WARNING: USE ONLY USB-A chargers with a USB-A to USB-C cable"

Yes, I can see this is what the diagram shows, but the wording below is ambiguous.

THANKS FOR THE POST OP, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING NUTS !!

I requested a full refund since I only travel and own a PD charger since 2017 , so DJI should get their head out of their a** and truly start complying to the standards that have been defined some time ago… complete waste of my Saturday trying to figure out China junk!

It's quite absurd really I was doing alternatives for 2 hours and read this text. Thanks for solution. Why DJI is getting hard life while all usb ports are going to type c?

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, for that post! I went crazy trying all my USB-C // USB-C cables and none worked.
It's really devastating to get that cool thing flying, 5mins later the controller battery is low and all the fun is gone and you cry, thinking your new awesome device just came to you broken or so.
Also I didn't get what 'power delivery' meant.
Also, for ~1.500€ it would have not been a big deal to just add the cables you need into that Combo.
Although the drone and the googles and the controller are the coolest sh** i own now.... That's something dji should be a bit ashamed of. Maybe more than a bit.

Thanks again for your post, it helped a lot. I was 2 seconds before sending all that back.
Kind Regards, Mathias

DJI Natalia Posted at 9-2 18:13
Hi, there. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.
We will contact the relevant team and forward your feedback to them.
We are sorry again for the unpleasant experience.

@DJI Natalia:  Well, this is not meant to sound rude, but now we have November, 2 Month later, and today i had this exact same problem.
There was nothing changed in the wording of the PDF User Guide on your homepage.  
I really dont get why you make user experience instantly bad after flying for 5 mins.
The first thing is: 'hmm, no LED.. must be some issue'.
Then you look it up in the guide and yes, after you know it, its obvious.
But obviously nobody knows what 'USB power delivery charger' means.
I really dont want to know what in the world came into your mind that you sell a 1.500€ product, and just not deliver all the cables you need. This cable cost you what? 6€ per piece?
I BET that any costumer would pay these 1.506 €, 6 more, just to not having to f.... around with cables.
Or needs to go buy them (even cell phone come with USB-C on both ends...) and cant fly.  

As cool as this drone is, and it's reeeeally cool....   You screwed that up, totally. And didn't even fix that simple sentence in your user guide. I don't know what is worse. The missing cables or the missing added sentence.

Kind Regards,
Mathias

motzl94 Posted at 11-3 12:25
@DJI Natalia:  Well, this is not meant to sound rude, but now we have November, 2 Month later, and today i had this exact same problem.
There was nothing changed in the wording of the PDF User Guide on your homepage.  
I really dont get why you make user experience instantly bad after flying for 5 mins.

Hi, there.
Thank you for your feedback. We fully understand your concerns. As DJI Motion Controller does not support PD fast charging, the Motion Controller cannot be charged if a fast charging adapter is used. We recommend you to use a USB-A charger connected with the USB-C cable for charging. Besides, it takes around 2.5 hours to get the controller fully charged when connecting the controller to the USB-C port on your PC.
And we have also forwarded this problem to the relevant team already and will see how we can do this part better.
Sorry again for the inconvenience caused.
If there is anything that we can do, please just let us know.

Not sure if this is true, but I heard in a drone Youtuber video that DJI has a huge warehouse full of old Wii-style controllers (such as this motion controller). My guess is that they are lazily trying to unload their old inventory before updating the controller with modern charging capability. Super disappointed in this last minute surprise! Hope my first (ever) flight will be worth it!!

It also works with a USB-C charger if you use a USB-C to USB-A adapter and a USB-A to USB-C cable. That way you don’t need to carry an old charger around, just a tiny adapter or two if you have both FPV controllers. DJI please fix.

DJI Natalia Posted at 11-3 19:44
Hi, there.
Thank you for your feedback. We fully understand your concerns. As DJI Motion Controller does not support PD fast charging, the Motion Controller cannot be charged if a fast charging adapter is used. We recommend you to use a USB-A charger connected with the USB-C cable for charging. Besides, it takes around 2.5 hours to get the controller fully charged when connecting the controller to the USB-C port on your PC.
And we have also forwarded this problem to the relevant team already and will see how we can do this part better.

This information should have been put in the manual.

AND.... you should have supplied us with a cable to use!!!!!

I also was very frustrated when i could not charge my RC2...
"funny" thing was, i was able to charge my motion controller with my normal usbc to usbc cable and a phone charger we use for a lot of things, but NOT the rc2, it will only charge using a usba to usbc cable...

in my opinion, this is a serious flaw.... a fault of DJI....

BadBert Posted at 12-12 00:05
This information should have been put in the manual.

AND.... you should have supplied us with a cable to use!!!!!

Hi, there.
We apologize for your unpleasant experience and we fully understand your frustration.
We also hope the following information helps you check the problem:
Users can use 5V, 1A/2A chargers with the USB-C cable to charge their DJI Motion Controller and DJI FPV remote controller 2.
If the user used a USB PD Power delivery charger, it may not be recognized.
If you still meet the same problem, please keep us updated, and we will do our best to help.
As for the other requests you mentioned,  we have registered them as well.

DJI Natalia Posted at 12-12 20:28
Hi, there.
We apologize for your unpleasant experience and we fully understand your frustration.
We also hope the following information helps you check the problem:

Yeah, that's pretty much what we as users already figured out ourselves ;)

BadBert Posted at 12-13 03:54
Yeah, that's pretty much what we as users already figured out ourselves ;)

Sincerely sorry for the inconvenience caused and the unpleasant experience, we will ask the team to pay more attention to the feedback you mentioned and provide a better user experience.
If you have any more suggestions or need any support, please just contact me here anytime.