Has anyone tried this?
https://www.smartpowercharge.com/categories.php

I am waiting on someone to bit the bullet and let us know.  I would love to have this charger at home, would solve a lot of problems with being ready for projects.

Considering that the DJI charger retails for $55 and this third-party device is "discounted" to $400, which is $100 per charging position, I'm not sure I see the advantage over buying three additional DJI chargers.  Half the price and no threat to your battery warranty.

I currently have 5 batteries and will be purchasing 3 more.  The charging station makes life much quicker and easier for myself.  Nothing like having cables all over the place.

I have the SPC 4000 for the Phantom Vision Plus and must say if you do a lot of flying, It's a great product! Not only charges simultaneously, but deep charges also. Can charge the controller at the same time. The one for the Inspire also has this feature. With the two USB ports suppled, and DJI's USB charging cords (one is supplied with Inspire purchase) you can charge 6 batteries at once.

Im planning on picking one up as well once it is ready.

Funny you should ask:

I have contacted the company directly on 4-18-2015 to try and get some clarification as to how they deal with the charging in light of discoveries made by me on the way the batteries take charge... however I have not gotten a response. Let's see if they respond. It seems expensive, however the discharge/charge feature might be worth it when in combination with everything else.

This is the email I sent them:

Hey there,

A few of my friends with Inspires are very interested on the station but have a couple questions I did not get an answer by reading the description... Maybe I just didn't know what I was reading?:

1. I see there is deep cycle, but is there a discharge ONLY function? And if so... Can it be set to a certain percentage amount? Or is it fixed?
2. What is the charging amperage/wattage at each terminal? Is it adjustable?
3. What is the total wattage of the charging station?

Hope to hear back from you soon. You can call me at

Best Regards,

John Cascante

John,

Thank you VERY much for letting us know about your email.  I'm very much interested in finding out what their response is.  The person that I have been speaking with directly has been very responsive.  His name is Rich Howard and is reachable via richie.howard@angeltrax.com.  I would appreciate you keeping us informed.  Until I hear back from you I am going to hold off on pre ordering the SPC4500 (for the Inspire 1).

Rich

smcbrearty@roge Posted at 2015-4-21 22:58
I currently have 5 batteries and will be purchasing 3 more.  The charging station makes life much qu ...

Do you have this device for your Phantom?  If so, how long have you had it and have you seen any degradation of performance on your batteries since you have been using it?

GENETTICO Posted at 2015-4-22 07:56
Funny you should ask:

I have contacted the company directly on 4-18-2015 to try and get some clarif ...

You naughty boy

rsghowellnj@gma Posted at 2015-4-22 18:44
Do you have this device for your Phantom?  If so, how long have you had it and have you seen any d ...

no I do not have it for my phantom.  had to buy 4 chargers for that

smcbrearty@roge Posted at 2015-4-22 21:52
no I do not have it for my phantom.  had to buy 4 chargers for that

Okay so it sounds like we do not have anyone here that has tried the Smart Powercharger that can give us feedback as of yet.  Sounds like another beta test to me (lol).  Sorry for the poor humor.  Hopefully John will here something back from the reseller soon.

Here you can have a closer look at SPC4000, the product made for Phantom 2, I assume the build quality will be the same for Inspire.


I think in few days we will see also a video review of SPC4500, as the first round of preorders was completed in less than 10 minutes.
I tried also to purchase one, but I am located in Europe and preorder was officially open somewhere during the night, european time, so I was too late for the party.

What I can add, and you will not find it on the Smartpowercharge website, is that the weight of the SPC4500 is 12,5 lbs, for europeans pilots that would be around 5,5-6 kg. This information was confirmed by Mr. Rich Howard, the mind behind Smart Power Charge products.
I am also very curios to see a video review of this product, if it delivers as expected it is in my opinion the best unofficial Inspire accessory I have seen so far.
If someone from this community already managed to preorder, please share your experience as soon as possible here, thanks.

PeteGould Posted at 2015-4-21 21:28
Considering that the DJI charger retails for $55 and this third-party device is "discounted" to $400 ...

Hi Pete,

I think you should take in consideration that for extra 200 bucks you will save a lot of time, you will have a compact charging solution for multiple batteries and last but not least the deep cycle / discharge option of the charger, if it works as mentioned on their website, will definitely make your batteries last longer.
Of course, if it will work as advertised.
I think a DJI  official could help us with this matter, to have some official answer regarding this charging solution, but I am afraid it might interfere with their business, as this is a real competitor to their official charger.

mani wrote "I am afraid it might interfere with their business, as this is a real competitor to their official charger."

Yup.  And for that reason their OFFICIAL position is that the use of non-DJI chargers voids their warranty - so we would use something like this at our peril unless they decide to make an exception for this product.

I decided to build my own power station!  This toolbox allows me to house all of my chargers and the moveable containers fit the size of the battery bases perfectly!  It also gives me additional storage to keep those small DJI backup parts in tidy fashion as well as hold my controllers and ipad while charging.  Works for me and was only a $25.00 solution!
        

rsghowellnj@gma Posted at 2015-4-22 22:32
Okay so it sounds like we do not have anyone here that has tried the Smart Powercharger that can gi ...

Ok... So Richie answered back.. And I do like the answer... Though the station might not charge batteries faster, definitely will do so safer if the specs hold true. I replied to Richie  again to try and see about getting one to test it and so I can provide all of us with a review, and to ease on concerns for all of us interested yet not wanting to take the plunge until we hear back from actual users on how it actually works.... and observations. Hopefully I hear back from him... So hang tight and lets see if he answers back again.
On top, it is a power supply that reinforces my findings.. So this is great news!

Here is his my email and his reply:


A few of my friends with Inspires are very interested on the station but have a couple questions I did not get an answer by reading the description... Maybe I just didn't know what I was reading?:

1. I see there is deep cycle, but is there a discharge ONLY function? And if so... Can it be set to a certain percentage amount? Or is it fixed?

This is discharge to 8% capacity. Fixed.

2. What is the charging amperage/wattage at each terminal? Is it adjustable?

It fluctuates based on thermal properties. Typically 115w to 120/ station. FW controlled. About 4.5a.

3. What is the total wattage of the charging station?

About 600w.

Hope to hear back from you soon. You can call me at

Best Regards,
John Cascante

rsghowellnj@gma Posted at 2015-4-22 22:32
Okay so it sounds like we do not have anyone here that has tried the Smart Powercharger that can gi ...

Ok... So Richie answered back.. And I do like the answer... Though the station might not charge batteries that much faster, it would definitely will do so safer if the specs hold true. I replied to Richie  again to try and see about getting one to test it and so I can provide all of us with a review, and to ease on concerns for all of us interested yet not wanting to take the plunge until we hear back from actual users on how it actually works.... and observations. Hopefully I hear back from him... So hang tight and lets see if he answers back again.
On top, it is a power supply that reinforces my findings.. So this is great news!

Here is his my email and his reply:


A few of my friends with Inspires are very interested on the station but have a couple questions I did not get an answer by reading the description... Maybe I just didn't know what I was reading?:

1. I see there is deep cycle, but is there a discharge ONLY function? And if so... Can it be set to a certain percentage amount? Or is it fixed?

This is discharge to 8% capacity. Fixed.

2. What is the charging amperage/wattage at each terminal? Is it adjustable?

It fluctuates based on thermal properties. Typically 115w to 120/ station. FW controlled. About 4.5a.

3. What is the total wattage of the charging station?

About 600w.

Hope to hear back from you soon. You can call me at

Best Regards,
John Cascante

GENETTICO Posted at 2015-4-23 08:50
Ok... So Richie answered back.. And I do like the answer... Though the station might not charge bat ...

Good news ... thanks for sharing.

Nice to see they updated the specs.  Richie originally stated to me they only dropped the battery to 10% - it was unnecessary to discharge more than 10%.  When I pointed out that the DJI manual stated to discharge to 8% every 10 ten charges, I never received a response.  I like the idea, but I won't be the first person to review this unless they send me one.     

GENETTICO Posted at 2015-4-23 08:50
Ok... So Richie answered back.. And I do like the answer... Though the station might not charge bat ...

Based on our other discussions we have established that these batteries can handle 180 watts (per Bob M and the manual). So this multi charger is still coming up on the short side at 600 watts..

Its to bad they don't put a larger power supply in this thing to handle all the battery packs and the remotes / iPads etc...

chris Posted at 2015-4-23 04:53
I decided to build my own power station!  This toolbox allows me to house all of my chargers and the ...

Hi chris,
Maybe this pic will help you in your build.

Hi Genettico, i really like to see your final build.
If you look carefull at this picture, all components are build into a aluminium frame.
This frame allows me to easely lift it out of the toolbox in case of issues.
(only 4 bolts on the bottom of the frame to get it out)

https://drive.google.com/open?id ... UOUk&authuser=0

hi all

i would like to build a multi charger but to use stock chargers would be £250
i am very able to knock one together  but i would want to only use one power supply
could one of the experts please advise me on the capacity power supply i would have to buy to have 5 or six batters charging at the same time

thanks in advance for any help

alan

RichJ53 Posted at 2015-4-23 12:17
Based on our other discussions we have established that these batteries can handle 180 watts (per  ...

Well... they actually take up to 240-250Watts max if you give them that much. The Manual DOES state however they are rated up to 180watts, and  I think this is the safest charging rate.
However, they do not take this over the entire charging cycle. If you have a power supply that provides up to 10amps (240Watts at 24v) to a single battery, they will charge at this rate to about 60% capacity, and from that point start diminishing the wattage intake all the way down to the 20's and even 10's. This Charging station will allow for a bit faster charging rat ates than the DJI Power Supply, and since it is limiting the Amperage to about 4.5amps per terminal (120Watts), that's about 480Watts (120x4) or about 5 amps at 24v and this power supply has about 600w leaving about 5amps available... plenty of power for the USB connections it has.

GENETTICO Posted at 2015-4-23 22:11
Well... they actually take up to 240-250Watts max if you give them that much. The Manual DOES stat ...

Hey man,

I understand your point. Personally, I would rather see a larger power supply if I was going to spend money for a pre-manufactured unit. I still think making our own solution using a 1200 watt power supply with adjustable voltage and amperage is the better option, well a least at this point.

Rich

PeteGould Posted at 2015-4-21 21:28
Considering that the DJI charger retails for $55 and this third-party device is "discounted" to $400 ...

Hey Pete...was is the best way to discharge the batteries to zero.....I normally land at about 25% & one should discharge the batteries to 0% and then re-charge to 100%......DJI said you should take the battery out of the bird and switch it on until it discharges,,,but after a while it turns itself off on it's own.

dundee Posted at 2015-4-23 14:28
Hi chris,
Maybe this pic will help you in your build.

Hey Dundee...how you doing m8.....what is the best way to discharge the batteries to zero.....I normally land at about 25% & one should discharge the batteries to 0% and then re-charge to 100%......DJI said you should take the battery out of the bird and switch it on until it discharges,,,but after a while it turns itself off on it's own.

stephenbrink62@ Posted at 2015-4-25 17:23
Hey Pete...was is the best way to discharge the batteries to zero.....I normally land at about 25% ...

According to DJI, the best way to fully discharge the battery is to leave it IN the Inspire, power up and let it idle until it shuts off for lack of power (page 22 of the Current version of the manual)..  Just turning the battery on won't discharge it because it won't have any load.

Although I haven't tried it, wiring two 12 volt automotive bulbs in series would result in an assembly that takes a 24 volt supply and theoretically one could use the accessory cable to connect it to the battery.  This would run the battery down until shutoff occurred.  I expect you would want a relatively low current draw (tail lights or backup lights, not headlights) to get a full discharge.  The disadvantage of this method (beyond the fact that it hasn't been tested) is that then you can't use the app to monitor the condition of the battery during discharge.  On the other hand, this way you wouldn't be putting hours on the Inspire just to run the battery down.

BTW you don't have to do this every time you fly - only every tenth discharge/charge cycle of each battery.

PeteGould Posted at 2015-4-25 21:03
According to DJI, the best way to fully discharge the battery is to leave it IN the Inspire, power  ...

Lol... I have actually tested It. I have suggested this in the past. I use a combination of LEDs and a fan to draw about 50watts. The idea I have now is actually to mount it all in a box (already ordered) and out a voltmeter to it as well... I will put a video here in a it to show the rig!

PeteGould Posted at 2015-4-25 21:03
According to DJI, the best way to fully discharge the battery is to leave it IN the Inspire, power  ...

Lol... I have actually tested It. I have suggested this in the past. I use a combination of LEDs and a fan to draw about 50watts. The idea I have now is actually to mount it all in a box (already ordered) and out a voltmeter to it as well... I will put a video here in a it to show the rig!

RichJ53 Posted at 2015-4-25 12:15
Hey man,

I understand your point. Personally, I would rather see a larger power supply if I was g ...

I hear you Rich.,. Your point makes sense... Why spend so much money when you only get 600w! I'm with you!

GENETTICO Posted at 2015-4-25 21:42
Lol... I have actually tested It. I have suggested this in the past. I use a combination of LEDs a ...

Great minds think alike.  

And - cool idea.  Bulbs burn out.  LEDs - not so much.  But I would think you'd need quite a few of them to draw 50 watts!

I just received notice they they are ready to ship.   I just now placed my order.  I'll post my findings and quick review of the product if you like.

-David

GENETTICO Posted at 2015-4-23 08:50
Ok... So Richie answered back.. 3. What is the total wattage of the charging station?

About 600w.
...

I'm out. sounds like a 580w supply to me.
I really like the molded plastic and lack of wires but that power supply is too damn weak (600w) and it's too damned expensive!

The lipo packs themselves should have 200w each dedicated to them, then you have the 2 outputs for the radios, another 50w each, then the usb ports at 30w each adds up to 960w if you used this product as advertised.

The fact that it's published on page 60 in the I1 manual that the packs will ask for 180w each x 4 = 720w just for the packs themselves.

So, this $400 device is NOT even capable of supplying the 720w to charge the 4 packs at the same time, (much less the radios and the tablets/phones).

I would perhaps be a buyer w/1000w supply, (but would MUCH prefer they sell me a unit without the 600w supply and for less than $400 clams). (I'll get my own supply thanks)

Math really is not that hard folks -

Bob

caution, possible fire hazard - source asking for 960w from a 600w supply, keep a close eye while using this thing gents.
(u know how hot dji 100w supply gets when asked for 180w)

Bob Marley Posted at 2015-4-26 03:24
I'm out. sounds like a 580w supply to me.
I really like the molded plastic and lack of wires but t ...

Hey Bob, understood.  However, even at ~150 Watts per port + the convenient factor (also does deep cycle which I don't have a good way at the moment other than letting the I1 sit there with power), I thought I'd give it a whirl.   To each his own.    I did email the manufacturer and he did confirm that it is a 600 Watt unit.  So yes - not maxing out the battery charge rate but it's better than the DJI load and the fact I dont' have to screw with four power bricks.  Not sure what official wattage is dedicated per unit, CPU load, LED load, add any load you like here, and well, its just much more convenient for some (aka me).

"I did email the manufacturer and he did confirm that it is a 600 Watt unit.


I'm sorry but I don't believe you one bit. (show me the email correspondence)

fwi 180w is NOT "maxing out" the pack, it is the nominal, (normal) charge rate as recommended by the manufacturer.
(240w would be "maxing" the pack out, while 100w is dji's joke on us))

I'm happy for you and it does indeed look much convenient/less messy but inadequate is INADEQUATE, and if you want to spend $400 clams and NOT charge your packs at recommended rates (to decrease the pathetic dji charging times), I have no argument with that, it's your deal.
But the fake email correspondence to justify your decision makes me laugh myself silly

"However, even at ~150 Watts per port"
it's NOT 150w per port, that would be all of the 600w just on the packs alone. (then that means the 2 radio charge ports and the 2 usb ports are dead, no juice for them?)

Bob "Give Me Some Flippin' Watts" Marley

(Had I posted this math before your purchase, you would have prolly opted out)

Bob Marley Posted at 2015-4-26 09:36
"I did email the manufacturer and he did confirm that it is a 600 Watt unit.

Bob,  

I can add thank you very much.

Wow, for someone that has backed you in the past, way to go to be a major ass.

You're a troll - nothing more.  

chris Posted at 2015-4-23 04:53
I decided to build my own power station!  This toolbox allows me to house all of my chargers and the ...

And you could prolly heat a small apartment with that charging station too - I like it  


Bob

did import and vat calculation for uk
Import duty & taxes calculation result
c
From where to where you import

Importing from:        United States
Importing to:        United Kingdom  (view country guide)

The type of product, its value and where it was manufactured

Product description:        Model Charger
Product category:        Batteries - other  (Upgrade account to get HS code)
Product value:        US$399.00
Country of manufacture:        United States
The cost of shipping and insurance of importing
Shipping costs:        US$18.00
Insurance costs:        US$400.00
Calculation results
Total customs value (CIF):        £538.05       
This is the amount that customs values your import at
- Duty:        £14.53
- VAT:        £110.52
Total import duty & taxes due:        £125.05       
This is the amount that needs to be paid to customs
Total landed cost:        £663.10       
This is the total cost of importing, including product, shipping, insurance and import duty & taxes
at exchange rate of 1 GBP = 1.52 USD
Calculation and compliance notes
Notes on duty & taxes rates and compliance
Model Charger has an import duty rate of 2.7% and a VAT rate of 20% . Importation of these articles must comply with labelling requirements (CE marking) and safety standards (Low Voltage Legislation) controlled by European Commission. Please contact regulatory agency for more information. Restrictions will apply for shipping this product with courier or postal companies [High probability]. Various conditions apply to transportation of all batteries regarding labelling and packaging. Please, contact your courier for more information. .
Notes on import taxes due
Please note that your shipping provider may add an additional handling fee
Read more on how import duty & taxes are calculated for United Kingdom here

lol it amazes me no one has the charger yet but there those that find fault with it already.