Does anyone have any solutions for charging your I2 batteries in the field? I've tried to use car inverters and an outlet in our Buick Enclave. They don't seem to work with this system. Right now I only have 4 batteries with only gives me about 45 mins of flying time and then I'm down for the next two hours re charging. Beyond buying more which is obvious, what are you using to recharge in the field when outlets are not available?

You normally cannot use the accessory plugs in a car to run an inverter large enough for the Inspire 2 charger. The wires going from the fuse box to the plug are so small that you end up with voltage drop and the inverter shuts down. I had an 800 watt inverter installed in my car by a local car electronics shop. They used 4-gauge wire directly to the battery. I've run 2 DJI Phantom 4 chargers at the same time and have charged many a pair of Inspire 2 batteries on it. Mine is mounted under the seat out of the way. I just have to remember to move the floor mat away when using the inverter. After several hours of running with the floor mat blocking the air flow it finally did a thermal shutdown. Never had that happen before but I usually don't deprive it of all air flow either.

You can also buy a DJI Inspire 2 Car Charger for $109.00. Note that this option takes longer for the batteries to charge (~2.5 hours) but shouldn't have the issue I mentioned above about low voltage. This device is using DC power without inversion and should only pull what power is needed. The inverter solution is taking DC power, inverting it into AC power then the charger converts it back to DC power so it's not near as effecient. Plus inverters themselves aren't always that effecient. I think mine pulls ~40% more power than what it is outputting.

Cobra44Magnum Posted at 2017-4-17 11:54
You normally cannot use the accessory plugs in a car to run an inverter large enough for the Inspire 2 charger. The wires going from the fuse box to the plug are so small that you end up with voltage drop and the inverter shuts down. I had an 800 watt inverter installed in my car by a local car electronics shop. They used 4-gauge wire directly to the battery. I've run 2 DJI Phantom 4 chargers at the same time and have charged many a pair of Inspire 2 batteries on it. Mine is mounted under the seat out of the way. I just have to remember to move the floor mat away when using the inverter. After several hours of running with the floor mat blocking the air flow it finally did a thermal shutdown. Never had that happen before but I usually don't deprive it of all air flow either.

You can also buy a DJI Inspire 2 Car Charger for $109.00. Note that this option takes longer for the batteries to charge (~2.5 hours) but shouldn't have the issue I mentioned above about low voltage. This device is using DC power without inversion and should only pull what power is needed. The inverter solution is taking DC power, inverting it into AC power then the charger converts it back to DC power so it's not near as effecient. Plus inverters themselves aren't always that effecient. I think mine pulls ~40% more power than what it is outputting.

I think the one I bought had at least 800 watts but I tried using the cigarette lighter. I'll try hard wiring it and see if that will make a difference. Thanks!

For serious charging and field use, do not use the cigarette lighter based inventers as you will quickly blow the fuses if you plug in two of the larger DJI charger.  Not to mention that on may cars, you will have to leave the ignition in the Acc or On position to maintain current to the adapter.

I found that getting yourself an inverter that connects directly to your vehicle's battery is the way to go.  These systems typically have a 30 amp fuse on each circuit which is 2-3 times the amperage you will get from a typical cig adapter directly.  Works like a champ!  

Although this isn't the exact unit I am using, here is a link to something comparable. https://www.amazon.com/gp/produc ... d_i=583328&th=1

Sharif@Forged Posted at 2017-4-18 04:23
For serious charging and field use, do not use the cigarette lighter based inventers as you will quickly blow the fuses if you plug in two of the larger DJI charger.  Not to mention that on may cars, you will have to leave the ignition in the Acc or On position to maintain current to the adapter.

I found that getting yourself an inverter that connects directly to your vehicle's battery is the way to go.  These systems typically have a 30 amp fuse on each circuit which is 2-3 times the amperage you will get from a typical cig adapter directly.  Works like a champ!  

Great, thanks Sharif.

I have a power converter connected to a deep cycle battery (marine battery). this thing runs my chargers, PC, and anything else while in the field. It has even run my extra 32" HD TV which can be hooked up with the HDMI and others have a bigger screen to watch :-)

Thats what I use:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Zipper-ZI ... 2385738.m2548.l4275

I use 700W inverter connected directly to the car battery and with dedicated large fuse. This works fine once car is running when charging begins. Once charge started car don't need to be running. However car battery can be drained surprisingly quickly and car don't start after Inspire battery charge. Small inverter generator is in use for field charge when flight position is stationary. Car inverter is good  for charging while driving to filming location.

I'm building a photovoltaic plant for my car. I can tell you that the power (watts) of the inverter must be 5 to 7 times the absorbed load.
This dimensioning is not necessary when using only bulbs (resistive circuits) but it becomes when connecting instruments using transformers (inductive circuits).
Transformers - such as those contained in battery chargers - are inductances that require a starting power of 5 to 7 times the declared power on the connected instrumentation: in the case of i2 battery charger (with input power of 194.54 Wh) a 1500 Watt inverter should be optimal. I use the conditional cause I'm waiting for a friend (really expert) to confirm my calculations.

Another important thing is the battery ...or the batteries. Car batteries are often used, but they are not suitable. The plant works the same but since they are not designed for the purpose they deteriorate quickly, and may have problems themselves. To avoid this, I have chosen - for my plant - the AGM one among the various, and more expensive, types of battery suitable for this purpose. They have a great ability to withstand the initial absorption of inductive devices and provide electricity for a good number of hours. Why do I say "number of hours"? Batteries suitable for photovoltaics have a parameter C (Capacity) that indicates the number of hours the power is released. This parameter normally is C10 or C20 and it means that the Ah (Amperes hours) are released in 10 hours for C10 and 20 hours for C20. For our purpose C10 is more than required.

Something about inverters. Buy pure sinusoidal wave inverters. If the manufacturer does not specify this feature then you are buying a square wave inverter ...which puts the connected devices in a tough work.

Finally, always FUSES between batteries and inverters. Batteries can be dangerous.

I realize that what I write does not say everything, but here it is not possible to give complete explanations. I recommend you search for information on photovoltaic websites.

I was forgetting something important when I say "another important thing is the battery ... or the batteries". In my case I will use two 12Volt 100Ah batteries connected in parallel mode so I can input 200Ah on my inverter.

12V x 200Ah = 2.4 kWh
2.4 / (C)10 = 0.24 kWh ...for ten hours; 0.5 kWh more than the energy required by the i2 battery charger.
2.4 / (C)20 = 0.12 kWh ...not enough for the i2 battery charger.

I will charge the batteries with photovoltaic panels but, if you prefer, it is possible to charge them from chargers connected to the domestic power grid.
Another info: Watts are calculated by multiplying Volts x Ampere, like I do above. So those who want my power but with 24Volt batteries can use a 100Ah only.