So I only charged my spark remote twice in the two months that I used it, On the third time I went to charge it I must have tried to plug in the cable upside down.So I flipped it over and went to plug it in thinking no big deal, common mistake, but it wouldnt charge once I had plugged it in properly. On closer inspection the pins looked bent so I decided not to do anything and sent it back to DJI. They have sent me an invoice for £100 to replace the component as it is not covered under warranty!

Has anyone else had this issue? and thinks this invoice is completely unreasonable? I havent paid it yet.

My micro USb port is fine but it seems that the port has become much loser compared to other micro USB devices i have had since i got my spark and rc.

From another post on here, it seems they used a different shaped port for the controller, its more rounded instead of being almost the same shape as the connector and more likely to allow you to put your adapter in the wrong way causing this to occur. Perhaps you could replace it yourself if you are nimble enough and have a very fine tipped soldering station and the skills to match. The connectors are cheap as chips as long as they are standard ones.

I assume, they will change the RC for you.
And send your RC to china or elsewhere, with lower labor costs, for changing the chip with the USB socket in one piece

Malakai_UK Posted at 2017-11-6 08:20
From another post on here, it seems they used a different shaped port for the controller, its more rounded instead of being almost the same shape as the connector and more likely to allow you to put your adapter in the wrong way causing this to occur. Perhaps you could replace it yourself if you are nimble enough and have a very fine tipped soldering station and the skills to match. The connectors are cheap as chips as long as they are standard ones.

The plug is actually a Micro USB A plug, while the supplied cable, and most devices, use Micro USB B.

B is designed to resist plugging in the wrong way, while A does not have the cuts in it to prevent this. Not sure why DJI did this, but it is a huge error in my opinion, as it does make backwards plugging and therefore pin breaking very easy.

OneMatt Posted at 2017-11-6 08:25
The plug is actually a Micro USB A plug, while the supplied cable, and most devices, use Micro USB B.

B is designed to resist plugging in the wrong way, while A does not have the cuts in it to prevent this. Not sure why DJI did this, but it is a huge error in my opinion, as it does make backwards plugging and therefore pin breaking very easy.

Excellent, thanks for posting that!

Thanks for the replies! I think I may chance it and attempt to fix myself, has anyone ever opened up there's and had a look? It seems ridiculous to pay £100 for a part that probably only cost 50p.

djiuser_01dB69S Posted at 2017-11-6 10:36
Thanks for the replies! I think I may chance it and attempt to fix myself, has anyone ever opened up there's and had a look? It seems ridiculous to pay £100 for a part that probably only cost 50p.

I also think this is ridiculous, I don’t believe this is your fault and if it were me I would seriously kick up a stink about this,
I would ask for another decision on this, it’s €120 for a RC this is a rip off and it’s ripping of a customer which is worse again.

If you don't have experience soldering tiny connections, I would suggest going to an electronics repair shop or local maker space and pay someone to do it.

And if you are going to solder a new connector, put a proper Micro B plug on there.

djiuser_01dB69S Posted at 2017-11-6 10:36
Thanks for the replies! I think I may chance it and attempt to fix myself, has anyone ever opened up there's and had a look? It seems ridiculous to pay £100 for a part that probably only cost 50p.

I would not recommend you repair it on your own. If you don't have any experience, you may cause a further damage.

same problem!
Dji no wants to warranty that. It's 100€
It's ridiculous ! That Micro usb is too fragile! it's not my fault!

Did anyone managed to fix it? I have the same issue on my spark RC..

djiuser_01dB69S Posted at 2017-11-6 10:36
Thanks for the replies! I think I may chance it and attempt to fix myself, has anyone ever opened up there's and had a look? It seems ridiculous to pay £100 for a part that probably only cost 50p.

I’ve repaired a few of these connectors on various items, they are typically attached to the board and the soldering points are very small and usually in close proximity to other connections, steady hands and high end station are key.
$100 is not unreasonable for a manufacturer fix.

So, OneMatt, is the Spark plug a Micro A or a Micro AB???  Your text says A but the diagram says AB.  Or is there any difference???

Rustic17 Posted at 2018-2-23 07:39
So, OneMatt, is the Spark plug a Micro A or a Micro AB???  Your text says A but the diagram says AB.  Or is there any difference???

Micro AB, it fits both styles.

djiuser_01dB69S Posted at 2017-11-6 10:36
Thanks for the replies! I think I may chance it and attempt to fix myself, has anyone ever opened up there's and had a look? It seems ridiculous to pay £100 for a part that probably only cost 50p.

yes , 100 £ is too much for a replacement connector.
Better take the spark to a mobile repair shop who may be able to do it less than 15£

dji, poor show, the spark with all its faults should be recalled. i bought the spark for xmas with the prediction that its faults were software based and would get rectified. oh, how wrong was i. there seems to be just as many hardware problems as there is with the os. shocking, should of know, theres always been a stigma of things made in china. well dji are definitely keeping to that form.

Yep... I did that to mine the first day I got it.. terrible design on that jack.   Mine still works but I have to be very careful to get it to make a connection and a slight touch on the wire will make it stop charging. I will live with it for now and then repair it myself when it finally quits working altogether.

Mine is an upside down micro B socket.  I had to look at it with a magnifying glass since I am 50ish (old decrepit useless keep away from drones type) and my eyes need assist.  Note the angles in the upper corners.

I think the discussion is about the RC usb port...not the Spark one.

So both Micro B cords go in upright (with the curved side up) and the SD card goes in upside down...go figure!!!

HugoH Posted at 2018-2-23 05:25
Did anyone managed to fix it? I have the same issue on my spark RC..

I gave up in the end, after many many many many emails they offered me a discount and I eventually caved and paid the invoice.

this is exactly why they proceed to produce crap.

I HAVE A SAME PROBLEM, USB PORT SUCKS!!! VERY FRAGILE

I need to quit reading these forums.  I finally bought a remote yesterday after two months of owning my spark.  Now, I see that I need to be uber careful that I don't screw up the port.

Is there a solution?  Is there a special connector or cord that I can buy that will prevent these issues?

Langner91 Posted at 2018-3-10 07:19
I need to quit reading these forums.  I finally bought a remote yesterday after two months of owning my spark.  Now, I see that I need to be uber careful that I don't screw up the port.

Is there a solution?  Is there a special connector or cord that I can buy that will prevent these issues?

As I see it, the simplest solution is,

1) always make sure that you plug it in the right way,
and
2) never apply too much force if it doesn't wanna go in smoothly, because if there's a lot of resistance, you're probably doing it wrong.

I've be tempted to paint a dot at the RC connector side and cable to help my senile eyes...but I soon forget.

Same here too, it takes ages to find a sweet spot so I can charge it.

For another £29 you can get a new remote. £100 is a joke.

OK, so I received my remote control today and came up with a solution to prevent me from damaging the port of the remote.  I put a small red dot on the charging cable so that I can insure I orient it correctly when I plug it into the AC or the RC.

Same issue here.... the usb port is different shaped as the charger itself. Dji wants me to send on my own this part to Netherlands from Germany. Red already in other forum that a lot of the ppl with same issue had sent it, it came back unrepaired with a note ot got damaged by them using violence. Dji care refresh doesn't cover the remote btw, which I found out today. I am very angry, since the Dji products are not cheap at all , so we could expect better quality parts and as well better service in our country!

Its a bit of a joke, right???
They were recently on Amazon sale for £50.
Now you can get one for £87, tell DJI to sling their hook.
For sure that USB port seems to be fragile, noticed straight away!

Wow, that's spendy. Might as well find a used controller to buy and then try to fix that one. Or just by a whole new package with a controller.

Langner91 Posted at 2018-3-12 16:41
OK, so I received my remote control today and came up with a solution to prevent me from damaging the port of the remote.  I put a small red dot on the charging cable so that I can insure I orient it correctly when I plug it into the AC or the RC.

[view_image]

I have many things marked with little dabs of acrylic paint just because my eyes are 60.