Hello!I got my Spark recently, the Standard pack and for me its an awesome drone for its size and price but the battery life is what dissuades me from playing with it more. I'm waiting for spare batteries to arrive but for the meantime, what is the fastest way to charge the battery via Spark's USB port? I know the included charger is mediocre though.

Thanks in advance!

The included chager is a QuickCharge 3.0 compatible charger.
You can't charge the batterys inside the Spark faster than with the included one.

It charges with 12V and 1.5A. So 18W is pretty good.
"When using the USB charger, it takes 80 minutes to fully charge a battery."

If you want to charge faster you have to buy the charging hub incl. the fullsize charger.
"When using a Charging Hub, it takes 52 minutes to fully charge one battery, 55 minutes when charging two batteries and 85.2 minutes when charging three batteries at the same time."

Dirk52 Posted at 2017-7-10 05:27
The included chager is a QuickCharge 3.0 compatible charger.
You can't charge the batterys inside the Spark faster than with the included one.

Does this mean I can use any QuickCharge 3 compatible charger for the Spark? It would be nice to have a decent car charger....

Yes, anyone try this yet?  ^^^

OneMatt Posted at 2017-7-10 07:14
Does this mean I can use any QuickCharge 3 compatible charger for the Spark? It would be nice to have a decent car charger....

Sure you can. Also in the car.

I've had pretty good luck with the iPad pro charger and also the charger that came with my Sony z4 tablet, they work faster than the included charger that comes with the spark...

Also, saying the included charger is mediocre is being very generous on your part..

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2017-7-10 09:29
I've had pretty good luck with the iPad pro charger and also the charger that came with my Sony z4 tablet, they work faster than the included charger that comes with the spark...

Oh man, please not again. You were told several times here how wrong you are.
http://forum.dji.com/thread-102816-1-1.html


The included charger is the fastest way to charge the battery via the spark. It is 18W, the maximum wattage for a QC3 charger. Look at my video in the linked thread.

You need a Qualcomm power bank, It is the quickest method, http://amzn.to/2t6Y1fJ I would say you can charge the spark up in about 40 Mins... I have an equivalent power bank to this one made by Aukey and it charges in around 40 - 50 mins, however the Aukey one is no longer Made. That Ravpower in the link looks like a good model though

Since some mentioned about Qualcomm’s QC 3.0 spec, I’ve looked at some power banks and chargers locally and found these. Are they good?

Lipo batteries and MAH charging rates. DO NOT CHARGE THE BATTERY OVER THE MAH OF THE BATTERY. So, in human terms - The battery for the Spark is 1480 mAh. The general rule of thumb is to put a point after the 1st number. This would mean that a charging rate of 1.4 amps for the battery. You could get away with a 1.5 amp charge as most decent 3rd party chargers have an amp setting which you can set to the capacity of the battery. Charging any Lipo battery over the simple calculation could result in this happening -



Using the above 3amp chargers could present problems like in the video. You could ruin your battery and maybe your Spark. You will be able to use a 3amp charger but I would sit and watch it in case it starts transforming into a balloon or just bursts into flames - I have seen it happen.
I have had a number of FPV Quads with numerous capacity Lipo's and using my method above, have never had an issue. The battery I have seen burst into flames was my mates. Luckily it was on a ceramic tile and in a charging bag and didn't ruin anything.

Don't mess with Lipo batteries guys. You need to know how to charge them 1st.

CoreyB10 Posted at 2017-7-10 22:20
Lipo batteries and MAH charging rates. DO NOT CHARGE THE BATTERY OVER THE MAH OF THE BATTERY. So, in human terms - The battery for the Spark is 1480 mAh. The general rule of thumb is to put a point after the 1st number. This would mean that a charging rate of 1.4 amps for the battery. You could get away with a 1.5 amp charge as most decent 3rd party chargers have an amp setting which you can set to the capacity of the battery. Charging any Lipo battery over the simple calculation could result in this happening -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U3h_46ZKcQ

Thankyou for the Info.... I would have thought charging at at least 2Amp or 2.4Amp would be fine by this charger http://amzn.to/2ucBdAi because the Spark is 3S X 1450M so charging at 1.5Amp or 1C would take over 3hours to charge.... it does not even take that long with the wall charger. Also I hope DJI would have been to inbuilt current regulators into the battery.

CoreyB10 Posted at 2017-7-10 22:20
Lipo batteries and MAH charging rates. DO NOT CHARGE THE BATTERY OVER THE MAH OF THE BATTERY. So, in human terms - The battery for the Spark is 1480 mAh. The general rule of thumb is to put a point after the 1st number. This would mean that a charging rate of 1.4 amps for the battery. You could get away with a 1.5 amp charge as most decent 3rd party chargers have an amp setting which you can set to the capacity of the battery. Charging any Lipo battery over the simple calculation could result in this happening -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U3h_46ZKcQ

Ouch...please read again about charging current.
What you are saying about 1C is correct, buuut:
You are talking about 1480mAh at 5V. Then 1.48A would be 1C.
The Spark has 3 cells. So 11,4V.
Calculate it with the Wh is easier in this case.
11,4V * 1,48A = 16,872Wh.
A charger with 5V and 3A has 15W.
If you charge the battery with a 5V and 3A charger you will charge it with less than 1C.
So everything is okay.

Dirk52 Posted at 2017-7-10 22:55
Ouch...please read again about charging current.
What you are saying about 1C is correct, buuut:
You are talking about 1480mAh at 5V. Then 1.48A would be 1C.

Yes you are right,  

CoreyB10 Posted at 2017-7-10 22:20
Lipo batteries and MAH charging rates. DO NOT CHARGE THE BATTERY OVER THE MAH OF THE BATTERY. So, in human terms - The battery for the Spark is 1480 mAh. The general rule of thumb is to put a point after the 1st number. This would mean that a charging rate of 1.4 amps for the battery. You could get away with a 1.5 amp charge as most decent 3rd party chargers have an amp setting which you can set to the capacity of the battery. Charging any Lipo battery over the simple calculation could result in this happening -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U3h_46ZKcQ

Exactly.....

So using the Xiaomi 20000mAh power bank should be fine?
http://www.mi.com/sg/pb20000/

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2017-7-11 02:59
Exactly.....

Yeah, exactly wrong...look post #13.

taimingkoh Posted at 2017-7-11 03:02
So using the Xiaomi 20000mAh power bank should be fine?
http://www.mi.com/sg/pb20000/

That's the one I use. charges at 12V @ 1.6A. Works great!

GCBrent Posted at 2017-7-11 03:49
That's the one I use. charges at 12V @ 1.6A. Works great!

I have that particular model as well, but it seems to charge very slow especially going up to the second LED indicator. Do you have the same problem as well?

Dirk52 Posted at 2017-7-11 03:49
Yeah, exactly wrong...look post #13.

Hey just asking for your opinion on my previous post on #10, what do you think about the power bank and charger in terms of charging speed?

matthensem Posted at 2017-7-11 03:56
Hey just asking for your opinion on my previous post on #10, what do you think about the power bank and charger in terms of charging speed?

I don't own one of these powerbanks, but what I can say is that a QucikCharge 3.0 compatible one is the fastest way to charge the spark via it's usb port.
It will take about 70min (10% to 100%) with a 12V/1.5A charger.

30.000mAh @ 5V = 30A*5V = 150Wh.
150Wh/16,87Wh =  8,89
So you can charge approx 9 spark batterys with one fully charged 30.000mAh Powerbank.
Hope this helps you.

This deal has just come up for Prime day : http://amzn.to/2tDRv3B Only £11 and has a 2.1 Amp output

Bradders Posted at 2017-7-11 05:32
This deal has just come up for Prime day : http://amzn.to/2tDRv3B Only £11 and has a 2.1 Amp output

Yes, but only 2,1A @ 5V. So it is really slow with 10,5W.

Dirk52 Posted at 2017-7-11 05:44
Yes, but only 2,1A @ 5V. So it is really slow with 10,5W.

This is a lot faster then ? http://amzn.to/2tEvBgP it is 3 Amp

Bradders Posted at 2017-7-11 05:52
This is a lot faster then ? http://amzn.to/2tEvBgP it is 3 Amp

It is faster, but not as fast as a QuickCharge3.0 compatible powerbank with 1.5A @ 12v. (18W)

3A @ 5V =15W
1.5A @ 12V = 18W

Oracle Miata Posted at 2017-7-11 06:47
When using the a Quickcharge 3.0 powerbank, can I use the usb cable included in the fly less package from the wall charger or will I need to purchase something else?

The cable should fit... nothing special about it.

When using the a Quickcharge 3.0 powerbank, can I use the usb cable included in the fly less package from the wall charger or will I need to purchase something else?

So, I bought this Aukey Quick Charge 3.0 car charger and attempted to charge my spark after a flight.  The battery was at about 20%.  After I plugged it in I waited for the usual sequence of lights when charging.  Instead the light to the immediate right when looking at the battery started flashing.  Thoughts?

Oracle Miata Posted at 2017-7-12 09:39
So, I bought this Aukey Quick Charge 3.0 car charger and attempted to charge my spark after a flight.  The battery was at about 20%.  After I plugged it in I waited for the usual sequence of lights when charging.  Instead the light to the immediate right when looking at the battery started flashing.  Thoughts?

Your battery is too hot for charging.
Let it cool down... then try again.See manual page 29.

Thank you sir.  ^

well. this none of QC3.0... but I may set up wireless charging solution..

such as... Micro USB QI Receiver Ultra Thin Charging Receiver
https://www.amazon.com/aceyoon-R ... ywords=qi+micro+usb

taimingkoh Posted at 2017-7-11 03:02
So using the Xiaomi 20000mAh power bank should be fine?
http://www.mi.com/sg/pb20000/

I used XIAOMI 10,000mAh battery for USB charging direct with the Spark. In line with battery also used Voltage/Current meter.

Left it charging overnight (took forever)and to my surprise found that just over 5,000mAh were transferred to the battery.

I'm worried the battery could have  I been damaged by overcharging?

No signs of swelling and the battery should have protection?

In my opinion charging Spark batteries other than OEM is not recommended.

fansb616cdc9 Posted at 2017-8-26 19:27
I used XIAOMI 10,000mAh battery for USB charging direct with the Spark. In line with battery also used Voltage/Current meter.

Left it charging overnight (took forever)and to my surprise found that just over 5,000mAh were transferred to the battery.

Forgot to mention, charging current at 1.5A

No matter what the capacity of the power supply, the sparks's charger must regulate the current to the batteries. So a 5 volt 10 amp supply should be ok. Only 1.5 amp max should reach the batt for a 1C charge if 1 hr. The charger also tapers the current in the last stages.
If it takes c. 1 hr its fine, although some batts can fast charge at 2, 3 or more, but with a detrimental effect on batt life.

OneMatt Posted at 2017-7-10 07:14
Does this mean I can use any QuickCharge 3 compatible charger for the Spark? It would be nice to have a decent car charger....

The battery can use any USB power supply to charge the battery.  The difference is just the time it takes to complete the charge.  I bought a small volt/amp meter for USB on Amazon and haven't found a battery that accepts close to 3 amps yet of all the USB charged devices I own including the Spark.  IOW the amperage is decided by the battery itself which on a 1.5 Amp charger would theoretically be only 1.5 Amps even if the battery could accept 3 amps.  I haven't found a USB charged battery yet that would accept more than 1.6 amps.  Even the so-called Quick Chargers.  But I also haven't tried it with a battery with less than 25% power left.  Perhaps they would take a 3 amp charge if they were dead (or near dead) to begin with.
On my Nvidia Shield K1 tablet it actually loses charge if the screen is on while charging and not taking more than around 1.4 amps for the battery (the same if the screen is on or off).  It could be my battery is in poor shape as I've had the tablet for quite a while.

The battery will take 50 amps if you put enough voltage across it. (Not for long) Charging is done by regulating the current and should never exceed 1C.
To charge at 1c with a 5v supply would need as everyone says 18 watts, which with a 5 v supply would be, as everyone says , about 3.6 amps

Invest in a DJI 3 batteries charger, I have had great speed with charging them, less then 30 minutes.....best add-on for Spark

matthensem Posted at 2017-7-10 20:40
Since some mentioned about Qualcomm’s QC 3.0 spec, I’ve looked at some power banks and chargers locally and found these. Are they good?

I've got the Aukey 30.000mah powerbank but I don't know why it stops charging after a few seconds.

SeanGillian Posted at 2017-8-27 09:26
Invest in a DJI 3 batteries charger, I have had great speed with charging them, less then 30 minutes.....best add-on for Spark

Do you have a link?

Well if the dji charger charges in 30 min then it must charge at 2C. And it must be supported.