Hi all, I have run into trouble with DJI spark RC controller. The issue is most probably battery / battery & power controller, I look for “controller” posts for last 2 years, no similar symptoms.
The setup is 1,5 year old, drone was bought brand new, RC was aftermarket (bought from a guy with 1h of flight, not much used). I started getting this syndrome November last year, after more than a year of operations. Total 10h of flight of a drone, 50+ km done. Nothing particular happened to the RC, spark had some adventures, but survived
Farthest I‘ve let it go was around 1km, highest - far above 100m I’m allowed here
1. The controller switches on by itself when connected to USB power (plug in, white leds lighting up 1 to 4, bi-di-bip, red light blinking, 1st white led blinking). No matter what power source (DJI brick, or some other usb power source - checked). You can try to power it off, but it will rise from dead immediately.
2. In this powered on state, short pressing power shows 4 white leds blinking, then it returns to one white. This is - i guess - normal.
3. When left in this state long enough (blinking red and white, powered up) - it starts to give loud beeps after some time (like, 5-10 minutes) - never waited long enough to see if it just dies after that, or just keeps beeping for a week
4. When powered off and unplugged, pressing short power button just wakes the RC to the state in point 1 (red blinks, 1st white blinks). Pressing short power again - shows four white blinking, for a second, then returns to red / white blinking. (This is strange, the first press should be showing the power level, then - a long press to power up, right?).
One way to get it start pretend to charging is - plug it in, let it wake, hold the power to power off, holding the power unplug and plug again, and voila, it starts charging without turning on (white leds lighting up consecutively 1 to 4) for like 5 minutes, then goes bi-di-bip again and red / white blinking. I did it a few times, and it looked like charged up. For short time.
Once or twice today I managed to get it power up properly and show 4 white leds. I cannot reproduce the sequence now. It didn’t last long as well.
Now, strange / funny thing is: you can operate drone on controller in this one led blinking state. Everything works almost fine, though ranges are not brilliant, up to some moment when the video gets super choppy (like RC was short on power, and WiFi connection to phone was failing first).
Things look a bit better with OTG cable, the video is stable in DJI GO, but in this scenario (micorusb - lightning to Iphone XS max) phone reports unknown accessory, then looks like its being charged from RC controller (Which does not help the battery problem).
Of course, with one white led blinking - DJI GO reports low battery level of controller.,
That was long
thank you for getting as far as here 
Questions:
1. Any way out of this? RC reset (How? Long press power in some cases was giving 3 beeps, pause, 2 beeps, and in some cases - just 3 beeps).
2. Is this the battery - and should I try to replace it? (Seen some replacement batteries on Amazon, 22$)
3. Maybe it’s the power on switch? Again, give it an replacement? (does not seem to be the reason, although the power-on scenario looks non standard here)
4. Or is it the controller board / power controller board?
5. Should I just give up and try to replace the controller with DJI (its not under warranty period anymore)?
6. Or just get a refurbished (no new ones on DJI) ******* controller and close the thread ?
The setup is 1,5 year old, drone was bought brand new, RC was aftermarket (bought from a guy with 1h of flight, not much used). I started getting this syndrome November last year, after more than a year of operations. Total 10h of flight of a drone, 50+ km done. Nothing particular happened to the RC, spark had some adventures, but survived
Farthest I‘ve let it go was around 1km, highest - far above 100m I’m allowed here 1. The controller switches on by itself when connected to USB power (plug in, white leds lighting up 1 to 4, bi-di-bip, red light blinking, 1st white led blinking). No matter what power source (DJI brick, or some other usb power source - checked). You can try to power it off, but it will rise from dead immediately.
2. In this powered on state, short pressing power shows 4 white leds blinking, then it returns to one white. This is - i guess - normal.
3. When left in this state long enough (blinking red and white, powered up) - it starts to give loud beeps after some time (like, 5-10 minutes) - never waited long enough to see if it just dies after that, or just keeps beeping for a week
4. When powered off and unplugged, pressing short power button just wakes the RC to the state in point 1 (red blinks, 1st white blinks). Pressing short power again - shows four white blinking, for a second, then returns to red / white blinking. (This is strange, the first press should be showing the power level, then - a long press to power up, right?).
One way to get it start pretend to charging is - plug it in, let it wake, hold the power to power off, holding the power unplug and plug again, and voila, it starts charging without turning on (white leds lighting up consecutively 1 to 4) for like 5 minutes, then goes bi-di-bip again and red / white blinking. I did it a few times, and it looked like charged up. For short time.
Once or twice today I managed to get it power up properly and show 4 white leds. I cannot reproduce the sequence now. It didn’t last long as well.
Now, strange / funny thing is: you can operate drone on controller in this one led blinking state. Everything works almost fine, though ranges are not brilliant, up to some moment when the video gets super choppy (like RC was short on power, and WiFi connection to phone was failing first).
Things look a bit better with OTG cable, the video is stable in DJI GO, but in this scenario (micorusb - lightning to Iphone XS max) phone reports unknown accessory, then looks like its being charged from RC controller (Which does not help the battery problem).
Of course, with one white led blinking - DJI GO reports low battery level of controller.,
That was long
thank you for getting as far as here Questions:
1. Any way out of this? RC reset (How? Long press power in some cases was giving 3 beeps, pause, 2 beeps, and in some cases - just 3 beeps).
2. Is this the battery - and should I try to replace it? (Seen some replacement batteries on Amazon, 22$)
3. Maybe it’s the power on switch? Again, give it an replacement? (does not seem to be the reason, although the power-on scenario looks non standard here)
4. Or is it the controller board / power controller board?
5. Should I just give up and try to replace the controller with DJI (its not under warranty period anymore)?
6. Or just get a refurbished (no new ones on DJI) ******* controller and close the thread
?
