This has been going on for a while, I cant fly because of it. I cant do anything.

It wont connect to the ipad app or my drone. I see this is a commom issue.

This is a phantom 4 1st gen. When I plug it in only 1 light blinks and goes away after 5 min of it "charging" this is when I turn on the controller and it just beeps at me until I turn it off.

Is there a way to update the firmware from my Mac since it wont connect to my phone or ipad with the app?

ANY help is appreciated!

I have contacted DJI but they were NO HELP. They wantes me to send it in with deposit, this was when it was in warranty and I declined. Now it IS out of warranty and I feel stuck, I have under 8 hour of flight on this drone.

Never heard of DJI asking for a deposit.

Im new to Drones, I might have had a bad employee,  the problem now is that I have a broken product with no help or fixes.

You are charging the RC using the supplied charger plugged into the charging socket on the right hand side of controller ? Also make sure the plug is pushed fully into socket, ,meaning it may not be charging.

I ask, because some in the past have tried charging using the USB port.

Yes, I am using the supplied charger on the side with the round plug. Yes it is plugged as far in as possible.

"This is a phantom 4 1st gen. When I plug it in only 1 light blinks and goes away after 5 min of it "charging" this is when I turn on the controller and it just beeps at me until I turn it off."

The LED will blink red and the RC will beep if the RC battery is at a critically low level of charge.

The RC can take up to five hours or thereabouts to fully charge, so a five minute charge will deplete quickly when switched on again. Try charging for a few hours if you've not already done so.

Another thing to consider is that the RC will not update its firmware if its battery is below 50% charge.

So I left it charging over night with the same result.

If I can’t charge the battery, and I can’t update the firmware, what do I do?

You might have to send it in for rep or if out of warranty see if there is anything in this thread that could be of use.

Burrito, sorry to hear this situation. If the RC just beeps after startup and it can't be charged, it might because of the low battery level or RC stick is not in the central position.
In your case, you can try different USB cable or mobile device for connecting, but if it will still not connect to the mobile device or will not charge, you might need to send the RC in.