Battery will not charge with Phantom 2 charger

BaldEagle · Jan 9, 2015

Many of you might have known this already, but I tried to charge the Inspire's battery with my Phantom 2 battery charger. The battery lights up for a moment but then it goes dark. I shouldn't be surprised comparing batteries and chargers. Just to review:

Inspire 1(TB47)

Battery 4500mAh
99.90 Wh
22.2V

Charger
Output 26.3V
3.83 Amp

(Inspire charger capable of simultaneously charging both controller and battery)

Phantom 2 Vision Plus

Battery 5200mAh
57.72 Wh
11.1V

Charger
Output 12.6V
4.0 Amp

All those Phantom chargers, too!

Quadpilot · Jan 9, 2015

BaldEagle said:
Many of you might have known this already, but I tried to charge the Inspire's battery with my Phantom 2 battery charger. The battery lights up for a moment but then it goes dark. I shouldn't be surprised comparing batteries and chargers. Just to review:

All those Phantom chargers, too!

So what gave you a clue, the fact that Phantom batteries are 11 volts and Inspire batteries 22 volts?

And no, the Inspire charger is not capable of charging both the Inspire battery and the Radio. Read the manual and battery warnings.

BaldEagle · Jan 9, 2015

I thought maybe it would charge VERY SLOWLY...

BaldEagle · Jan 9, 2015

Wait - what do you mean, Quad? The video on the DJI website show them charging up both at the same time and I'm watching my charger charge both now. Should I prepare myself for Armageddon?

Morgon · Jan 9, 2015

Quadpilot said:
And no, the Inspire charger is not capable of charging both the Inspire battery and the Radio. Read the manual and battery warnings.

It's weird, because DJI's recent video (published Jan 4th) explicitly states (~2:05) that you can. Not contradicting you specifically, more pointing out how DJI continues to contradict itself.

BaldEagle · Jan 9, 2015

Check out the video -
Around 50 seconds or so - they charge both simultaneously

Quadpilot · Jan 9, 2015

BaldEagle said:
Check out the video -

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Around 50 seconds or so - they charge both simultaneously

I'm aware of the video, but it was cut weeks ago. Take a look at the case that they unbox the Inspire from: not the new case, is it? These videos used pre-production units, and probably someone should have reviewed them for errors, but the manual, which was published on 31 Dec, clearly states on page 21 not to charge them both at the same time due to danger of overheating. Thought you should know.

BaldEagle · Jan 9, 2015

Thanks, Quad. I will review.

BaldEagle · Jan 9, 2015

I'm not sure what to believe. I charged both to full capacity together and the brick really didn't get that hot.
I guess we'll see if an official version of the truth comes out.

Quadpilot · Jan 9, 2015

BaldEagle said:
I'm not sure what to believe. I charged both to full capacity together and the brick really didn't get that hot.
I guess we'll see if an official version of the truth comes out.

How much more official than the "official" manual do you want to get? I'm not making this up. It's been mentioned by DJI personnel on the DJI Forum.
But do what you want. It's your Inspire.

BaldEagle · Jan 9, 2015

Quad - I'm not arguing w/ you. I'm just saying that "official" manuals also have drafts and updates. If they were this sloppy with two videos, how do I know that there weren't as sloppy with the manual?

I'm going to contact DJI myself and find out what they say. I'll let you know.

hbmak · Jan 10, 2015

BaldEagle said:
Quad - I'm not arguing w/ you. I'm just saying that "official" manuals also have drafts and updates. If there were this sloppy with two videos, how do I know that there weren't as sloppy with the manual? Obviously, it's better to be "safer" and charge one at a time.

I'm going to contact DJI myself and find out what they say. I'll let you know.

There is no reason to call DJI, its on page 21 of the manual. I cant believe you charged the inspire batteries with the Phantom charger, C'mon use a little common sense. Read the manual.................

Morgon · Jan 10, 2015

hbmak said:
There is no reason to call DJI, its on page 21 of the manual.

Right, but two videos from the official DJI YouTube channel explicitly state that one of the advantages of the charging cable is being able to charge both at once, and show you how to do so. That's the current contradiction.

Funnone · Jan 10, 2015

Quadpilot said:
I'm aware of the video, but it was cut weeks ago. Take a look at the case that they unbox the Inspire from: not the new case, is it? These videos used pre-production units, and probably someone should have reviewed them for errors, but the manual, which was published on 31 Dec, clearly states on page 21 not to charge them both at the same time due to danger of overheating. Thought you should know.

That's the first thing I noticed on the video was on the unboxing I thought to myself I sure hope mine comes with the case! And then I thought to myself that's probably preproduction video.

Rig · Jan 10, 2015

Personally, I would err on the side of caution here and charge individually, as per the manual. However, I see both sides of the debate. The manual was released on Dec 31, but the contradictory videos were released in January without any documentation on when they were recorded. The DJI hand does not know what the DJI foot is doing. If BaldEagle wants to charge both simultaneously and report his findings, I won't stand in his way. Take temperature readings if you are able!

BaldEagle · Jan 12, 2015

Just as a follow up. I tried again charging both the RC and battery at the same time and this time, the transformer became very hot to the touch. I disconnected the RC and left battery to charge alone. All is well w/ all hardware.

I think I will charge one at a time. I did my own experiment and learned by experience.

Ultra310x · Jan 12, 2015

BaldEagle said:
Just as a follow up. I tried again charging both the RC and battery at the same time and this time, the transformer became very hot to the touch. I disconnected the RC and left battery to charge alone. All is well w/ all hardware.

I think I will charge one at a time. I did my own experiment and learned by experience.

good info thanks for taking the plunge. I can see this being a big issue for DJI if they don't put an announcement at. you have to rmeber hadly any of the owners will be on forums.

Quadpilot · Jan 12, 2015

Ultra310x said:
good info thanks for taking the plunge. I can see this being a big issue for DJI if they don't put an announcement at. you have to rmeber hadly any of the owners will be on forums.

Why would they need to make an announcement when the Inspire Manual clearly states on p. 21 not to charge both simultaneously?

BaldEagle · Jan 12, 2015

Quad - Many people (like me) saw both video and manual and weren't sure which was more authoritative. You intuitively trusted the manual (and were correct). But others might be confused. The video seems authoritative as well.

Quadpilot · Jan 12, 2015

BaldEagle said:
Quad - Many people (like me) saw both video and manual and weren't sure which was more authoritative. You intuitively trusted the manual (and were correct). But others might be confused. The video seems authoritative as well.

I get your point, but I think the engineers at DJI right now are up to their a$$ in alligators, dealing with the issues that have come up, and probably have not been made aware of the error in that video. When in doubt, I tend to lean toward official printed material direct from the source, rather than a second-hand interpretation of some guys on a video, "official" or not. DJI will eventually figure it out, and hopefully post newer, more detailed, and up-to-date videos.