Dronesgator logo

Mavic DJI Flight Controller Serial Number (Where to Find it?)

Updated in 2023 by Paul Posea
DJI flight controller serial number

While you’d rarely have any use for the serial number of your Mavic’s flight controller, when you do… it’s almost always urgent. You might also need it to unlock some geographical areas locked by the authorities (though I’d advise against doing that before doing your research. Check out my U.S drone laws to learn more).

There are other reasons for needing the serial number of your DJI flight controller, if you’re the impatient type then I’ll tell you straight up: You can find the serial number of your DJI flight controller in either the DJI Fly app or DJI Go 4 app.

If you’re however someone who likes to dig into things further and needs more details then stick around for the article.

What’s a DJI Flight Controller?

So what’s a DJI flight controller in the first place? Or rather, what’s a flight controller in general?

Put simply, a flight controller is nothing more than a circuit board with electronic chips on them. You can compare them to the motherboard and processor in your laptop.

The flight controller is the brain of a drone. A small box filled with intelligent electronics and software, which monitors and controls everything the drone does. And just like the brains of different organisms, flight controllers also vary in sizes and complexity. 

gkfeiCtcfO79H3Tkj7rwRWVHBPNl 1N Kf4MWOMraYoZhwzXCdbtJM2iZ7X0 7HicbyCMNqWzcHW3x75XIBaJRP2RxvrdlP 9QGRNBL4 oxjCRx1aEuKCHhxCebCJeBDjDw4Z oCVmEH OIDHmLBWjE5usia

Basically, it’s like a mini computer within the drone that combines control information from the pilot (the commands you give your drone through the remote controller) with sensor information to adjust the thrust at each propeller and fly your DJI drone as desired. It’s responsible for: Flight control, motor control, manual as well as pre-programmed flight.

That pretty much sums it up.

What’s a DJI serial number?

Fair question, what is the serial number of your DJI drone’s flight controller and how is it formatted?

A DJI serial number is a set of 14 characters, made up from a string of letters and numbers. While the average person can’t decode it, DJI drone serial numbers (and those of their components) have information that can allow you to trace your drone from its manufacturer all the way to the end consumer.

An example of a serial number you might find for a DJI flight controller would be: 3N3LEHMI0200MY

Keep in mind that for the sake of avoiding confusion, DJI has made it so that the letter “ O “ is excluded from the possible characters of its serial numbers. So any 0 you find is a zero, not an “O”.

Where is the serial number of your DJI Flight controller located?

There are three ways to find the S/N of your flight controller. 

The actual flight controller

Let’s start with the first place which is the actual FC. Some flight controllers have their serial numbers on them through a sticker, some don’t however. Besides, you probably don’t want to go dismantling your $3000 Mavic drone just to find the serial number of your flight controller. 

Which brings us to the next and more popular option…

DJI Go 4 App

There is another way to find your flight controller’s serial number and that’s to go through the DJI Go 4 app. 

To find it, follow these steps:

  • Open up the DJI Go 4 App (your drone must be turned on)
  • Go to the upper right corner and click on the three dots (that should take you to the settings)
  • Scroll all the way down and click on “About”
  • At the bottom, you’ll be able to see your flight controller’s serial number
hkCA8Cb RMVcEaUkIoCRNGZNW8DCKh9F0SxZlbVt5hR1ohv0uD7UVy8Y3dkXzHP4IUyq22hQqxQytid P4dYIsbJAiwuOaMOKLYNphhftzqfFZ

DJI Fly App

If you’ve already activated your drone with the DJI Fly App, you can use that as well to find the S/N of your flight controller.

To find your flight controller’s serial number via the DJI Fly App, follow the follow these 3 simple steps:

  • Open the App screen and tap on the 3-dots on the top right corner.
  • From the menu, tap on the “About” section on the right side.
  • Scroll down until you will see “Flight Controller SN'' and a 14-digit alphanumeric number in front of it. That’s your serial number.
tja WJoSi9bwDzsp8V9cRfgCp2SA4y

Why do I need to know the serial number of my DJI Flight Controller?

You may be wondering why go through all the hassle. After all, you don’t bother to know the serial number of your phone or laptop, why bother noting that of your drone?

The serial number of your DJI Flight Controller  is important because With it you can repair, unlock geofencing and do maintenance as well as get access to various other drone services. It’s a good rule of thumb to make sure you write it down or take a picture of it, in case you need it in the future but have no way of accessing it.

Here are the two main reasons you’d need your flight controller’s S/N for…

Repair & Maintenance

Drone accidents happen all the time. And sometimes it might not be your fault and it will be the drone that malfunctioned, and sometimes that malfunction will be due to the flight controller. In which case you’ll need to send it off to the manufacturer for repairs. The problem is if the serial number has been wiped in the crash they’ll have no way of identifying your drone.

So be sure to take a picture of it or write it down somewhere to keep it safe.

Unlocking Geofencing on your drone

That’s right, to unlock Geofencing on your drone, knowing the serial number of your flight controller is crucial. Without it, you simply can’t get around flying restrictions.

You may already be familiar with what Geofencing is, but if you’re not, it’s basically the enforcement of virtual restrictions on drones using a combination of Global Positioning Satellites, WiFi, Radio Frequency Identification, and your drones’ internal software. 

Look at it more as a safety measure that restricts access to certain areas. These areas are visible on your drone app which alerts you when you get close to them. I’ve written a more in-depth article about that here which you can check out.

There are two ways to unlock your drone (Custom and Self unlock) and both require you to fill out a form which will ask for the serial number of your flight controller. 

Conclusion

I’d say we’re just about done with this article, we covered pretty much all you need to know about the flight controller’s serial number.

Honestly, the main reason why you’d need to be able to know our serial number is to unlock geofencing. Many times the areas aren’t actually restricted in reality and it’s really frustrating not to be able to fly because your drone said so… That and in case your drone malfunctioned and crashed and you had some sort of warranty.

Many things can cause the serial number to get erased off your flight. So to be safe, I recommend you either write it down somewhere or take a picture of it and upload it to the cloud.

author-paul-posea-picture
Hi, I'm Paul.
A big drone enthusiast, reviewing, comparing and writing about drones since 2015. I'm all about helping people enjoy and even monetize their hobby.

Become an FAA-Certified Drone Pilot

  • make money from your passion
  • pass the Part 107 test Guarantee (money back
  • 50,000 students and 3,000+ reviews

Use the code DRONESGATOR for $50 off 

Show me the Course!
paul posea
Paul Posea
Hi, I'm a long-time drone reviewer and I hope my articles and comparisons on this site as well as Dronesgator's youtube channel are of as much help as possible.
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram