Controller charging issue

[Mark Ryan]

I have had the same issues as many on this forum. Battery not charging, lights stopping flashing etc.
I thought I'd start with the battery replacement and as people have said you can't buy the 6000mah lipo that's originally in there.
People have said there are 3 main issues, bad battery, bad board that attaches to battery and a bad joint on main circuit board.
I changed the battery to a 3500mah lipo the same as the ones people are using on the YouTube videos and still have the same issue. This took out 2 of the 3 possibilities as the new battery was connected direct without the balance board so it must have a bad joint somewhere.

Has anyone got any detailed instructions of areas to try and reflow on the main board? Most people just hover around the whole board and hope for the best. I am borrowing a hot air reflow station to try and revive the controller before I sell the whole drone as Spares. It's a shame as it's only been used 6 times since new

 

[Kirby Johnson]

I have never opened mine up so I can not be specific to a Phantom RC. But I have worked with electronics for decades and have seen a zillion circuits who choose to drive humans crazy.

If your suspicion is a bad solder joint the first thing is to get a good magnifier and just visually inspect the board as best you can. Many times you can see a small fissure of sorts under magnification. I use those jeweler's lopes from Harbor Freight. Not lab quality, but not bad. Many times when there is a bad connection, it creates resistance and generates heat also, so look for any heat discoloration on the board.

Lastly, if it is possible to power it up opened up, take something non conductive, like a pencil eraser and gently press around on the board and other electrical connections. Many times that will cause an intermittent defect to work as you touch the problem area.

Good Luck