Let's take a detailed look into the insides of the DJI Mavic Mini drone.
This teardown is courtesy RC Geeks . All the images were obtained from their website.
Screwed on propeller blades and body shell
The CCW propeller blades are fastened to the individual motors by screws, as is the top and bottom shell of the drone. Opening the battery door gives you access to two additional screws attached at the edge of the battery tray, which when removed exposes the heatsink for the motherboard. The warranty void sticker is present beneath the battery door.
IMU and GPS module
The IMU / GPS board is screwed on to the frame using a plastic mount. The loom ribbon cable, when carefully released, separates the unit from the frame altogether. After this, soft rubber dampers need to be pried away which connect the GPS / IMU board to the mount.
The system board and processor
With the heatsink removed, the cables are the only thing attaching the motherboard or system board to the chassis. Upon further prying, the motherboard, heat spreaders and the thermal compound can be removed which lets you inspect the drone in detail. The motherboard features an Ambarella processor, which is a step up over previous DJI drones. On the flip side, the same board is seen with an SD card slot.
Extracting the motors
Sticky-back foam pads cover the screws holding the motors in place. Once removed, the antenna panel can also be released from the leg. If you were to replace the motors altogether, it would need to be de-soldered from the ESC board and then untangled from the antenna wire. The motors are tiny and brushless with fourteen sets of windings that are set on metal mounts.
Dismantling the transmitter
Two 1.5 mm hex bolts need to be removed after which the lower plastic strip of the transmitter can be stripped away. After this, undoing a few more screws will let you release the two communication cables. Finally, the front of the transmitter can also be popped off. The transmitter processor board lies under a metal shield. Here, you will find an Atheros AR1021X-CL3D Wi-Fi radio chip.
Camera capable of 2.7K video footage
With the system board out of the way, the gimbal is in view which is fastened it to the frame using four suspended rubber mounts. Unscrewing the cable guide from the top part of the gimbal frees up the camera as well. The Mavic Mini is capable of shooting 2.7 K video at 30 FPS or 1080p video at 60 FPS. The sensor, measuring 1 / 2.3-inch, can capture 12 MP images across several modes. Due to the structural complexity of the camera / gimbal unit, DJI usually replaces them and strays away from repairs.
Follow Us
Dhriti Datta
Perpetually sporting a death stare, this one can be seen tinkering around with her smartphone which she holds more dear than life itself and stuffing her face with copious amounts of bacon. View Full Profile
