If you’ve recently acquired a new Mini 4 Pro, there is a lot to learn about your new drone.
It can be daunting trying to figure out how to charge the batteries, charge the remote controllers, choose the proper photo and video settings, enable the obstacle avoidance sensors, and everything else in between.
This article and the included YouTube video serve as a step-by-step tutorial showing how to:
- Charge the DJI Mini 4 Pro drone batteries individually and collectively within the charging hub
- Charge both types of DJI remote controllers – the DJI RC 2 and DJI RC-N2
Charging the DJI RC 2 or RC-N2
After purchasing the DJI Mini 4 Pro, or any new drone, it is important to charge all batteries before using them, whether these be drone or remote controller batteries.
It’s understandable to want to open the DJI box and fly immediately, even if this means flying on half-battery power. Charging the batteries first, though, is very important.
Following the trend of the Mini 3 and Mini 3 Pro before it, the Mini 4 Pro does not include a power adaptor.
» MORE: How Long to Charge DJI Mini 3 / Mini 3 Pro Controller (Explained)
For the quickest charging speeds, DJI recommends their 30-watt DJI Charger.
With a 30-watt charger, you will be able to charge a controller through the battery hub, as well as the drone’s batteries.
While using the DJI-branded 30-watt charger is recommended, most 30-watt aftermarket chargers will work just fine.
In the following steps, I’ll walk you through charging the DJI RC 2 and RC-N2 with a single charger.
Further on, I will demonstrate charging individual Mini 4 Pro batteries, as well as the DJI remote controller, along with the Mini 4 Pro batteries in the charging hub.
STEP 1: Using the included DJI USB-C cable, attach the cable to a USB-C charger and plug the charger into your power source.
Again, the USB-C charger doesn’t have to be a DJI 30-watt charger. Any 30-watt charger will be a fast charging device for the drone batteries and controller.
STEP 2: Plug the USB-C cable into either the DJI RC 2 or DJI RC-N2 controller. The lights on the controller will blink, showing that they are charging.
If you do not have a 30-watt charger and are using a 12-volt charger, the DJI RC 2 and RC-N2 will take 2 hours to charge from zero percent.
Subsequently, if a 15-volt charger is used, the RC will fully charge from zero percent in just about one and a half hours.
STEP 3: After charging is completed, remove the USB-C cable from the remote controller.
If you’d like to check the amount of power the remote controller has at any given time, simply press the power button once, and the LEDs will alert you to the remaining battery level.
Below are the values for battery power on the DJI RC 2 and RC-N2:
- 4 green LED: 75% – 100% battery life
- 3 green LED: 50% – 75% battery life
- 2 green LED: 25% – 50% battery life
- 1 green LED: 0% – 25% battery life
» MORE: How Long Do Drone Batteries Take to Charge?
Charging a Single Battery
Only one battery will be included if you purchase the Mini 4 Pro & Controller-only combo.
To charge the single battery that came with the Mini 4 Pro, it must be done so within the Mini 4 Pro itself:
STEP 1: As with the RC, attach the included DJI USB-C cable to a USB-C charger and plug the charger into your outlet or power strip.
STEP 2: Insert your Mini 4 Pro drone battery into the Mini 4 Pro.
STEP 3: Plug the USB-C cable into the Mini 4 Pro. The lights on the drone will blink, showing that it is charging.
STEP 4: After the Mini 4 Pro has completed fully charging, unplug it from the USB-C cable.
When charging the batteries, while inserted into the Mini 4 Pro, it will take 64 minutes to fully charge each standard battery and 101 minutes to charge the Plus version batteries.
You might notice there is no way to check how much battery percentage is left on the battery when it is not plugged into the Mini 4 Pro.
If you only have one battery and not the charging hub, you will either have to:
- Press the power button once on the Mini 4 Pro with the battery inserted, or alternatively,
- While in Camera View on your remote controller, check the upper right-hand side of the screen for the Mini 4 Pro’s current battery percentage.
» MORE: DJI Mini 3 Pro: How to Charge Batteries (VIDEO)
Charging via Two-Way Charging Hub
The two-way charging hub in the Mini 4 Pro Fly More Combo allows you to charge up to three intelligent flight batteries, whether the Standard or Plus version of the batteries, along with your DJI RC 2 or RC-N2 controller.
The charging is done sequentially, meaning the drone battery with the highest battery level will be charged first, followed by the remote controller.
To charge 3 batteries and the Remote Controller:
STEP 1: Insert your Mini 4 Pro batteries into the charging hub.
STEP 2: You should have 2 DJI USB-C cables: The one that came with the Mini 4 Pro and the other that came with the Fly More combo.
Plug one of the USB-C cables into your USB-C charger. Plug the other end into your charging hub. After this, plug your charger into an outlet.
STEP 3: Take the 2nd USB-C cable and plug the USB cable, this time the USB-end, into the charging hub.
STEP 4: Take the 2nd cable and then plug it into your remote controller.
Your Mini 4 Pro batteries and the remote controller will all charge sequentially until all batteries have fully charged.
When all three batteries are charged through the charging hub using a 30-watt USB-C charger, it will take 57 minutes to fully charge each Standard battery and/or 77 minutes to charge each Plus version battery.
To quickly check how much battery life is left on the batteries in the charging hub, simply press the button on the side of the charging hub. All the LEDs under the batteries connected to the hub will light up with their respective battery percentage.
Note: It is very important to avoid over-discharging the Mini 4 Pro batteries. Over-discharging the batteries can cause damage to the battery and reduce its overall capacity. To prevent over-discharging, it is recommended to keep the battery level above 60% when stored and not in use.
