I know the answer will be fairly straightforward and I'll slap my own forehead, but I'm standing here unpacking my Mavic Air and cannot for the life of me figure out how to charge the remote.  I know it has a charge port on the left side, which is microusb, but which set of connectors do I string together to charge this from the USB port on the charging block?

Thanks in advance.

You received an adapter in the bag with the 2 spare stick for the remote.

It took me also a few seconds to figure it out.

Ah yes!  Thank you!  

I was thrown by the difference in the shape between the small adapter and the opening on the remote.

Damager, make sure you don't damage the Air Mav.

Enjoy & fly safe

Damager Posted at 2018-1-31 10:21
Ah yes!  Thank you!  

I was thrown by the difference in the shape between the small adapter and the opening on the remote.

Well... you were not the only one!  
I never saw the USB adapter in the bag either.
I used another Micro cable to charge it till I figured it out.  :>)

S.D. Pilot Posted at 2018-1-31 10:44
Damager, make sure you don't damage the Air Mav.

For sure - I guess my Forum name isn't the best one for a drone forum.  Not my first DJI product - I've had a Phantom 4 for a while now.  

Just got mine as well and was actually the other way around in that I saw the adapter and didn't know where it went for a moment. Seems really silly with the whole array of peripheral cords and wires to have an adapter for the charging of the remote - I am sure there is a reason for it but i am also sure that I will surely loose that tiny adapter sooner or later....

Now thats sorted good luck on your first flight

Damager Posted at 2018-1-31 10:21
Ah yes!  Thank you!  

I was thrown by the difference in the shape between the small adapter and the opening on the remote.

Same here. Adapter didn't look like it should fit the RC. .......  finally read the instructions :-)

Griffith Posted at 2018-1-31 11:46
Same here. Adapter didn't look like it should fit the RC. .......  finally read the instructions :-)

Yep - always best to read the manual and refer back to it a few times before heading out - I imagine there is nothing worse in this hobby than coming home without your drone!

Griffith Posted at 2018-1-31 11:46
Same here. Adapter didn't look like it should fit the RC. .......  finally read the instructions :-)

Same thing here. Not sure why DJI designed the port this way, but I'm sure plenty people will break the controller port because of this bad design.

The port is actually a normal micro USB port, but for some reason dji decided to put a proprietary square microusb port for its controller to phone cable, but this "square" port does not have the normal micro USB design so the charge adapter can be inserted the wrong way.

I couldn't figure this out when I first got it, because I tried plugging in the adapter the wrong way, looked at it (adapter end is normal microUSB), and visually inspecting it its natural to assume the adapter is not designed for that port.

Either change the adapter to your proprietary microusb connector, or change the controller port to a normal microusb.

You should watch a Youtube guide so you don't miss anything.

Damager Posted at 2018-1-31 10:58
For sure - I guess my Forum name isn't the best one for a drone forum.  Not my first DJI product - I've had a Phantom 4 for a while now.

"I've had a Phantom 4 for a while now.  "



Good stuff; then you'll be just fine.

A CW Posted at 2018-1-31 12:00
Yep - always best to read the manual and refer back to it a few times before heading out - I imagine there is nothing worse in this hobby than coming home without your drone!

I usually get around to reading the manual before I fly,  but my test of product design is how intuitive the process is.  So I must say that requiring an adapter on the charging cable is NOT intuitive and therefore a design flaw :-).  

I actually tried the adapter initially, but it didn't seem to fit into the RC - or even look like it should fit.

Griffith Posted at 2018-2-1 06:56
I usually get around to reading the manual before I fly,  but my test of product design is how intuitive the process is.  So I must say that requiring an adapter on the charging cable is NOT intuitive and therefore a design flaw :-).  

I actually tried the adapter initially, but it didn't seem to fit into the RC - or even look like it should fit.

It does seem a bit odd to me too - even seen posts on here with new Air owners saying it's missing and they can't charge the RC because of it!

A CW Posted at 2018-2-1 07:52
It does seem a bit odd to me too - even seen posts on here with new Air owners saying it's missing and they can't charge the RC because of it!

It could easily be missed.  As I recall,  it was in a stamp-size bag - perhaps with the spare RC sticks.

The detachable RC sticks, BTW, are great.  The MP should have them.  They unscrew easily and are stored within the phone mount arms area.

I wish they would just used the USB-C port for both video and to charge the MAVIC

PS013 Posted at 2018-1-31 10:09
You received an adapter in the bag with the 2 spare stick for the remote.

It took me also a few seconds to figure it out.

i was going crazy looking for the adapter, i thought it was bigger based off the picture so i didnt look in that bag until much later on

Griffith Posted at 2018-2-2 06:11
It could easily be missed.  As I recall,  it was in a stamp-size bag - perhaps with the spare RC sticks.

The detachable RC sticks, BTW, are great.  The MP should have them.  They unscrew easily and are stored within the phone mount arms area.

I got an incase compression case from Apple for my MPP - doesn't need any cover and is fully protected. I can see the removable sticks getting lost or becoming loose overtime + it will add to the set up time too. Good idea for those who carry their drone equipment in a jacket but thats not me LOL

Hi Damager, I hope you already figured out the issue, we have made it clear in user manual about how to charge the RC, please read the manual.
If there is any further issue, please keep us updated, thanks for your support to DJI.

PS013 Posted at 2018-1-31 10:09
You received an adapter in the bag with the 2 spare stick for the remote.

It took me also a few seconds to figure it out.

The most confusing part is the different shape plug, I got onto support before pushing it in, a round plug (sort of)  into a rectangle socket very strange,  shame they never made it the same shape as the controller cable's.
Now the controller is charging... phew!

Tomcatuk Posted at 2018-2-5 06:08
The most confusing part is the different shape plug, I got onto support before pushing it in, a round plug (sort of)  into a rectangle socket very strange,  shame they never made it the same shape as the controller cable's.
Now the controller is charging... phew!

yes, round plug and rectangular socket ... quite puzzling
But I am glad to read that you are now all powered up!

C'mon man,,,,the thing came with instructions right?

Acenspades Posted at 2018-2-6 15:09
C'mon man,,,,the thing came with instructions right?

The instructions leave out major steps & generally require the pilot to "fill in the blanks". This is just one example - nowhere does it tell you to fit a micro usb connector into a proprietary rectangular connector, nor which way was up. Also, the illustration in my manual looks very different than the one posted a few comments above. I guess they made some changes to the documentation before mine was printed?
Anwyay, I would never have guessed if I didn't find this discussion! Thank you so very much!

Acenspades Posted at 2018-2-6 15:09
C'mon man,,,,the thing came with instructions right?

Yes, it is in the manual BUT the manual was released 1 day after this thread was created.
Also, it TRUE that the quick start guide mention the adapter ( see attached picture ) but it is not clear at all ... and the adapter is REALLY small ...

Finally, the shape of the adapter and socket do not help much