Inspire2 charger hot!

JoePGM · Jul 9, 2017

Hey Pilots, my stock charger getting quite hot during battery charging. It feels like as hot as a coffee mug....

Is that normal? Anyone could share your view?

Thank you in advance!

AeroMirage · Jul 9, 2017

Yes, this is normal.
I lay mine on it's side to help dissipate heat a little. (More surface exposed to the air)

JoePGM · Jul 9, 2017

thanks for the note!

Casey53 · Jul 9, 2017

I'll add that it blew out my car's fuse using an inverter. Guess the pull was more than enough for the inverter which is rated to 400 watts could handle. Charger supposedly is 180 watts and the inverter could have handled it, but the car's wiring and fuse for the lighter socket couldn't. Guess I have to go to the battery direct...someday.

JoePGM · Jul 9, 2017

Casey53, I have a watt meter connect with the charger. From the meter it shows the maximum wattage draw is around 200w, so a 400w inverter should do the job

mercury · Jul 15, 2017

Casey53 said:
I'll add that it blew out my car's fuse using an inverter. Guess the pull was more than enough for the inverter which is rated to 400 watts could handle. Charger supposedly is 180 watts and the inverter could have handled it, but the car's wiring and fuse for the lighter socket couldn't. Guess I have to go to the battery direct...someday.

Same thing happened to me.

Viper Pilot · Jul 15, 2017

What size fuze did it blow?

Casey53 · Jul 15, 2017

I think it was 15 amps in mine. I thought 12x15=180 watts, but the inverter has a cooling fan and heat sink so it's eating up power as was the DJI charger. This was on the P4 charger which is less at 120 watts and why I thought it could handle it too, but I think it is a bit more than that too as it gets hot. The owner's manual says "No more than 120 watts" so their fuse math is odd, or they are using a safety buffer. The inverter says Max. surge is 400 watts and Continuous is 200 watts. Fan is sort of loud and annoying so not really missing it. Bad purchase on my part going with a cigarette lighter inverter version that sucks a load of amps just to run it.

I think the DJI car charger for the P4 takes less juice to run off a cigarette lighter, but it takes twice as long to charge up the battery according to some. Least it doesn't need the inverter. Don't know if DJI makes a cigarette version for the I2.

NickU · Jul 15, 2017

There's a 12V I2 charger available from DJI now. Not quick, something like 2.5hrs for the 2 batteries.... Buy Inspire 2 - Car Charger. Like the Phantom 12V charger, no doubt it'll get nice & warm too

cvanhoose · Jul 16, 2017

I hit my charger with a thermal laser and had a hot spot at 130 degrees F.
Too hot!!
I find that charging only the batteries or remote one at a time will decrease the temp significantly by 30-35 degrees.

Casey53 · Jul 16, 2017

cvanhoose said:
I hit my charger with a thermal laser and had a hot spot at 130 degrees F.
Too hot!!
I find that charging only the batteries or remote one at a time will decrease the temp significantly by 30-35 degrees.

Yep. Wonder what it's like with all four batteries and the remote too?

I have an issue with the black carbon fiber legs in the desert. They get really hot and too hot to touch at times. I know if I have to shoot fashion stuff out there with the Nikons, I have to cover them with a thermal blanket or else the LCD display goes an inky black until it cools down again. The legs of my Really Right Stuff tripod are also black carbon fiber and get too hot to touch just like the Inspire arms so I have to wrap the camera's thermal blanket around the legs to carry it too. I found I can carry the I2 better by grabbing it under the belly to carry it than the hot arms, and maybe less damage to twisting the arms by carrying it that way too.

Typical day for me with black toys in the desert along with black tripods and black light stands too. Ugh!