Charging DJI Phantom batteries in the field

[lloyd77]

Hi,
Can anyone advise the best way to charge Phantom batteries whilst out in the field away from home?
Thanks
Andrew

 

[chopperflyer]

the only way you can do this either take a charger that runs off 12v from your car or a 12 leisure battery, a car battery by itself will go flat pretty quick.

 

[ElGuano]

You can charge quite a few 2200mah batteries off a typical car battery. a charger that accepts 12v DC in can be hooked up to your car battery via alligator clips or through the cigarette lighter.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[rmklaw]

I purchased a 400w inverter that runs either from the car battery or from a standalone motorcycle battery, and plug my charger into it. The inverter has 120 volt output as well as USB outputs. Bought it at BestBuy.

 

[lloyd77]

Thank you all for your help, I am looking into the 400W inverter. Thanks again
Andrew

 

[ElGuano]

Instead of going the circular dc-AC-dc route, consider just getting a true balance charger, they can cost less than the inverter and come with everything you need to connect to a car battery. Plus, they'll show you true data on your balance cycle so you can track your battery health.

 

[joeflyer]

Get a 12v charger. Charge off your car battery or an auxillary battery at the field and get a power supply for use at home. There's a couple of suggestions in this thread viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6547

 

[Driffill]

Instead of going the circular dc-AC-dc route, consider just getting a true balance charger, they can cost less than the inverter and come with everything you need to connect to a car battery. Plus, they'll show you true data on your balance cycle so you can track your battery health.

^what he said . . .

I've explained this plenty of times before, but the threads get buried (try searching, but I don't expect you to have much luck). In short, I myself have a Imax b6 charger that runs off 12v but I also have a 240v to 12v adaptor in the box so I can charge from AC or DC. You should be able to get 2 or 3 batteries charged and still be able to start a car . . .

Car batteries average ~40Ah, or 40,000mah, charging 3 2200mah batteries would suck out 5500~7000mah from the battery (depending on the efficiency of the charger), not even 15% from a fully charged car battery. Still a wise move to start the car and let it recoup some charge

 

[EMCSQUAR]

Like this one -> http://www.ebay.com/itm/171216827556?ss ... 1426.l2649

 

[TXhillcountryphantom]

I have multiple LIPO chargers from my RC plane and jet world. What is the easiest way to adapt the to P2V/P2 intelligent battery connector(s)? Is there a converter or harness out there I am missing in these charger threads?

Thanks!

 

[ElGuano]

I have multiple LIPO chargers from my RC plane and jet world. What is the easiest way to adapt the to P2V/P2 intelligent battery connector(s)? Is there a converter or harness out there I am missing in these charger threads?

Thanks!

there are some prelim reports that the p2 battery will charge with a balance charger plugged to the battery's spade connectors. That sounds a bit weird to me personally, and i'd wait a bit to be long-term confirmation that it's a good idea. But this is a good case where an inverter may be the better route.

 

[nwillitts]

i use 2 12 volt solar batteries from harbor freight placed in a plastic milk container that i lug around in my van-also have a 4 batteries at once charger.works great!

 

[ladykate]

I have a small converter that I pack around in the car for many things. I charge batteries all the time from the car. I DO run the engine most of the time. It is easy to do - especially if moving around to and fro on the site.

 

[Fatbloke-Dim]

There's no end of mains/12v chargers to be had , but txhillcountryman may have hit the nail on the head with the requirement to connect to the terminals on the p2's intelligent battery. Also, the issue remains of a balance connector . Does the DJI supplied charger do the balance thing?

 

[ElGuano]

There's no end of mains/12v chargers to be had , but txhillcountryman may have hit the nail on the head with the requirement to connect to the terminals on the p2's intelligent battery. Also, the issue remains of a balance connector . Does the DJI supplied charger do the balance thing?

Nope, the charging AND balancing circuitry is integrated into each and every P2 battery. The black "charger" brick is just a PSU.

 

[Insight Aerials]

Having a truck I tow my 5th wheel with, I have a 7 way plug in the truck bed. With that said, I have converted that plug to a 4 way flat plug and then attach a 2 way plug cable with one end and eyelets on the other end. The eyelet side attaches to and powers my 5000 watt power inverter which has a USB outlet built into it. I am able to charger my phantom batteries, my rechargeable batteries for my controller and charge my wifi extender all at the same time if need be. I drop the tail gate which turn into my work table. Put up my 10' x 10' canopy to get out of the sun and a couple of lawn chairs and I'm all set.

 

[Fatbloke-Dim]

Sun?........Wot DAT?!?. We down' t have to worry bout that in England !! Water wings be needed about now, though !

 

[BruceTS]

Try running a really long extension cord.........j/k

Get a 12v battery charger and you can charge all the batteries you want, I've never had a problem draining my battery down to the point where I couldn't start my SUV.

 

[Blade Runner]

Try running a really long extension cord.........j/k

Get a 12v battery charger and you can charge all the batteries you want, I've never had a problem draining my battery down to the point where I couldn't start my SUV.

Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that standard car batteries aren't designed to be discharged much beyond what's necessary to start a car. If you keep discharging your car's battery to the point it won't start your car it (the battery) will live a shortened life.

If you want to use a 12V battery you really should get a marine *deep cycle* battery. Those batteries are designed to be discharged much more deeply (hence, "deep cycle") than a standard car battery -- which are designed to provide short, high-amp bursts and then get recharged quickly from the alternator. Think "shallow cycle." Anyway, I got my deep cycle battery at WalMart for about $75.

The downer is that you have to lug the marine battery with you, and get a charger for it, but it sure beats getting stuck with a dead battery -- which died in half the time it should have (say, 2 years instead of 4 years for example) -- in the middle of nowhere.

 

[sar104]

Rather than running the engine to keep the vehicle battery charged I just run an inverter generator, which provides plenty of power for everything and not too noisy.