Hey folks, I´m from Brazil and just purchased a DJI Spark.

I´m looking to buy the Spark Portable Charging Station Pack (with 2 batteries), but unfortunately, this is with 10~15 days delay to ship from Online DJI Store;


I have a friend of mine flying to USA and will be there from 17/Jan until 21/Jan.
Do you know where can I buy this pack(Charging plus 2 batteries), instead of DJI Online Store?



Thanks
Jose martins

I’m not from the US, but should be easy enough to google this and find out, it’s a really good price in the USA and having purchased just before Christmas I can tell you it’s a great add on particularly if your travelling. Good Luck.

Hi, there. I think you can buy the Portable Charging Station from retail stores in USA. Here is the link for your reference: https://www.dji.com/where-to-buy?site=brandsite&from=footer

I have a problem with Portable Charging Station. When I put the spark to charge, it begins to emit a beep. This does not happen when I put batteries only

fans2774f4ca Posted at 2018-1-14 18:14
I have a problem with Portable Charging Station. When I put the spark to charge, it begins to emit a beep. This does not happen when I put batteries only

Probably a poor connection to the charging contacts, do you have the propeller guards on ?

One thing I found, is that I purchased an aftermarket gimbal protector and the Spark wouldn't seat correctly with it.

Make sure you clear away any accessories you might have on the drone.

The charger is brand new, I used it yesterday for the first time. Spark is without any accessories. It loads normally, it just beeps constantly and every time it emits a beep the propellers give a little stir.

fans2774f4ca Posted at 2018-1-15 08:47
The charger is brand new, I used it yesterday for the first time. Spark is without any accessories. It loads normally, it just beeps constantly and every time it emits a beep the propellers give a little stir.

Your Spark is off when you put it in the charger, correct?  My charger makes no noise at all.

fans2774f4ca Posted at 2018-1-15 08:47
The charger is brand new, I used it yesterday for the first time. Spark is without any accessories. It loads normally, it just beeps constantly and every time it emits a beep the propellers give a little stir.

do you switch on the spark before plug-it in?

do you have a gimbal protector ?

what's the colors of the led on charging station?

Yes. It's placed off

do you switch on the spark before plug-it in? Yes

do you have a gimbal protector ? No. No accessories

what's the colors of the led on charging station? Green flashing. Recharging normally.

fans2774f4ca Posted at 2018-1-15 09:47
do you switch on the spark before plug-it in? Yes

do you have a gimbal protector ? No. No accessories

you don't have to switch on the spark. just put it switched off, with battery mounted of course, into the station.

EDIT: my apoligies, it say it will auutomatically turn-off. My guess is : feel free to contact DJI

see official youtube channel  (tuto also disponible into academy on DJI GO app)

i'm in two minds about this.  It's a neat unit.  Very practical, and i think reasonably priced.  Really like it.

However I already have a 12,120mah powerbank.   It costs less and more portable.   I can't charge three at once, but I guess the portable station does them sequentially anyway, so at the end of the day, i'm better off with that.  I get more than twice the amount of charges out of it.  (will need to buy an after market battery charging cable though)

Cookster670 Posted at 2018-1-16 13:37
i'm in two minds about this.  It's a neat unit.  Very practical, and i think reasonably priced.  Really like it.

However I already have a 12,120mah powerbank.   It costs less and more portable.   I can't charge three at once, but I guess the portable station does them sequentially anyway, so at the end of the day, i'm better off with that.  I get more than twice the amount of charges out of it.  (will need to buy an after market battery charging cable though)

You'll get less than two Spark batteries' worth of charge off your powerbank.

I have the Smatree SP90...it's not available for purchase right now but will be soon.  It is half the size of DJI's, charges three batteries in less than an hour while I'm flying with my fourth battery, and will charge 25% charged batteries up to six charges (three batteries can be recharged twice).  This effectively gives me ten batteries if I leave the house with the four fully charged.  I can have three batteries charging at one time and be flying versus two charging and be flying with DJI's charging station.   

AMAZON!!! https://www.amazon.com/DJI-Porta ... g+station&psc=1

Zbig Posted at 2018-1-16 13:49
You'll get less than two Spark batteries' worth of charge off your powerbank.

Not familiar with the mechanics and mathematics of Lipo charging.   Can you elaborate ?  I have made the assumption that  spark battery is 1480mah.  I have a 12,120mah powerbank, therefore should get about 8 charges.  Granted there is going to be some overhead, but only 2 charges ?

Also, if the 5000mah DJI powerbank can charge 3 batteries, how do you figure 12,120mah (more than twice the DJI) will give me less than two ?

   What the Smatree looks like.

   Here is a pic of the Smatree dimensions.

Cookster670 Posted at 2018-1-16 19:10
Not familiar with the mechanics and mathematics of Lipo charging.   Can you elaborate ?  I have made the assumption that  spark battery is 1480mah.  I have a 12,120mah powerbank, therefore should get about 8 charges.  Granted there is going to be some overhead, but only 2 charges ?

Also, if the 5000mah DJI powerbank can charge 3 batteries, how do you figure 12,120mah (more than twice the DJI) will give me less than two ?

Sure. "mAh" is a measure of electrical charge. For most practical uses it's rather meaningless when not accompanied by the battery's voltage figure, especially when there's voltage conversion involved in the charging process and in case of Spark there very much is. In my opinion, what the industry should be using instead is a "Wh" figure which is a measure of electrical energy. That gives you a clue of what is the real amount of work your battery/device can do. The nominal voltage of your powerbank's battery is 3.7V (or 3.8V for a "high voltage" LiPo battery) and it can store 12120 mAh (12.12 Ah) of charge. That gives us 12.12 Ah * 3.7 V = 44.8 Wh of energy. Spark's battery is a 11.4 V one (three HV LiPo cells in series) and it can store 1480 mAh (1.48 Ah) of charge for a total of 16.87 Wh of energy. Now, your USB power bank's battery voltage of 3.7V nominal has to be boosted by the powerbank's circuitry to the 5V mandated by a USB standard and then further boosted inside the Spark to 13.05V needed by the Spark's battery. This is a lossy process and when we're assume 90% efficiency on both ends (powerbank and Spark) for a total power conversion efficiency of 0.9 * 0.9 = 0.81 (81%), we're being generous here. Now we arrive at the maximum energy your Spark's batteries could ever get from a single charge of your power bank of 44.8 * 0.81 = 36.29 Wh. Divided by Spark's battery capacity, we get 36.29 / 16.87 = 2.15 of empty Spark battery recharges under ideal conditions.

Now, while DJI isn't exactly as clear as they should with their Portable Charging Station's specs (battery voltage is missing), they do specify its Wh figure of 54 Wh (54 / 16.87 = 3.2) and a capacity of 4200 mAh on the bottom of the device (strangely, it's 5000 mAh on the website). So you legitimately get three Spark battery charges with this one. They don't specify voltage but 54Wh / 4.2Ah  = 12.86 V. This kind of hints at 3S2P configuration of 2 parallelled series of 3 LiIon cells (3.6 V) of the 2100 mAh capacity each. But don't quote me on that as I neither opened my station up nor seen any teardowns of it. Speculations aside, what's important is they do state 54Wh figure and that's good for 3 * 16.87Wh Spark batteries.

Hope it helps.

ADDED:
When in doubt, just compare the weight of your powerbank to the weight of a single Spark battery. I assure you they made the Spark battery as light as they could for a given energy it has to store. In other words: it would be a waste if the Spark battery weighed half the weight of your powerbank while storing only a small fraction of the energy your powerbank does and it, indeed, is not the case.

Rustic17 Posted at 2018-1-16 22:47
[view_image]   Here is a pic of the Smatree dimensions.

Is it availiable on Amazon USA?

Zbig Posted at 2018-1-17 01:56
Sure. "mAh" is a measure of electrical charge. For most practical uses it's rather meaningless when not accompanied by the battery's voltage figure, especially when there's voltage conversion involved in the charging process and in case of Spark there very much is. In my opinion, what the industry should be using instead is a "Wh" figure which is a measure of electrical energy. That gives you a clue of what is the real amount of work your battery/device can do. The nominal voltage of your powerbank's battery is 3.7V (or 3.8V for a "high voltage" LiPo battery) and it can store 12120 mAh (12.12 Ah) of charge. That gives us 12.12 Ah * 3.7 V = 44.8 Wh of energy. Spark's battery is a 11.4 V one (three HV LiPo cells in series) and it can store 1480 mAh (1.48 Ah) of charge for a total of 16.87 Wh of energy. Now, your USB power bank's battery voltage of 3.7V nominal has to be boosted by the powerbank's circuitry to the 5V mandated by a USB standard and then further boosted inside the Spark to 13.05V needed by the Spark's battery. This is a lossy process and when we're assume 90% efficiency on both ends (powerbank and Spark) for a total power conversion efficiency of 0.9 * 0.9 = 0.81 (81%), we're being generous here. Now we arrive at the maximum energy your Spark's batteries could ever get from a single charge of your power bank of 44.8 * 0.81 = 36.29 Wh. Divided by Spark's battery capacity, we get 36.29 / 16.87 = 2.15 of empty Spark battery recharges under ideal conditions.

Now, while DJI isn't exactly as clear as they should with their Portable Charging Station's specs (battery voltage is missing), they do specify its Wh figure of 54 Wh (54 / 16.87 = 3.2) and a capacity of 4200 mAh on the bottom of the device (strangely, it's 5000 mAh on the website). So you legitimately get three Spark battery charges with this one. They don't specify voltage but 54Wh / 4.2Ah  = 12.86 V. This kind of hints at 3S2P configuration of 2 parallelled series of 3 LiIon cells (3.6 V) of the 2100 mAh capacity each. But don't quote me on that as I neither opened my station up nor seen any teardowns of it. Speculations aside, what's important is they do state 54Wh figure and that's good for 3 * 16.87Wh Spark batteries.

Ok....that was probably the best explanation I could have hoped for.  Makes sense when you referenced watt hours.

Thanks for the excellent and detailed response.

Cookster670 Posted at 2018-1-17 04:11
Ok....that was probably the best explanation I could have hoped for.  Makes sense when you referenced watt hours.

Thanks for the excellent and detailed response.

Thanks, glad I could help.

i'd just order it online or find a local store that carries it.

here is a video of what happens!

It's ticklish...

Are you running latest versions of Spark and battery firmware? Also, does this happen with the "retainer" cover closed as well (you're supposed to close it before turning the charging on)?

EDIT:
Another thought: isn't the battery button getting stuck in the pressed position somehow after you sit the Spark down in the station?

So this is fake review huh? Still wanna push Smatree here

Zbig Posted at 2018-1-17 07:35
Are you running latest versions of Spark and battery firmware? Also, does this happen with the "retainer" cover closed as well (you're supposed to close it before turning the charging on)?

EDIT:

This is happening with the 3 batteries. All, including Spark are with the latest firmware.

when I remove the spark from the station it is off. It means it is not turned on during recharging

MBastos Posted at 2018-1-17 09:36
This is happening with the 3 batteries. All, including Spark are with the latest firmware.

when I remove the spark from the station it is off. It means it is not turned on during recharging

Something wrong with that send it back.

I say. Batteries when placed (alone) at the station, normally charge.

when coupled to spark, all have the same problem

Zbig Posted at 2018-1-17 01:56
Sure. "mAh" is a measure of electrical charge. For most practical uses it's rather meaningless when not accompanied by the battery's voltage figure, especially when there's voltage conversion involved in the charging process and in case of Spark there very much is. In my opinion, what the industry should be using instead is a "Wh" figure which is a measure of electrical energy. That gives you a clue of what is the real amount of work your battery/device can do. The nominal voltage of your powerbank's battery is 3.7V (or 3.8V for a "high voltage" LiPo battery) and it can store 12120 mAh (12.12 Ah) of charge. That gives us 12.12 Ah * 3.7 V = 44.8 Wh of energy. Spark's battery is a 11.4 V one (three HV LiPo cells in series) and it can store 1480 mAh (1.48 Ah) of charge for a total of 16.87 Wh of energy. Now, your USB power bank's battery voltage of 3.7V nominal has to be boosted by the powerbank's circuitry to the 5V mandated by a USB standard and then further boosted inside the Spark to 13.05V needed by the Spark's battery. This is a lossy process and when we're assume 90% efficiency on both ends (powerbank and Spark) for a total power conversion efficiency of 0.9 * 0.9 = 0.81 (81%), we're being generous here. Now we arrive at the maximum energy your Spark's batteries could ever get from a single charge of your power bank of 44.8 * 0.81 = 36.29 Wh. Divided by Spark's battery capacity, we get 36.29 / 16.87 = 2.15 of empty Spark battery recharges under ideal conditions.

Now, while DJI isn't exactly as clear as they should with their Portable Charging Station's specs (battery voltage is missing), they do specify its Wh figure of 54 Wh (54 / 16.87 = 3.2) and a capacity of 4200 mAh on the bottom of the device (strangely, it's 5000 mAh on the website). So you legitimately get three Spark battery charges with this one. They don't specify voltage but 54Wh / 4.2Ah  = 12.86 V. This kind of hints at 3S2P configuration of 2 parallelled series of 3 LiIon cells (3.6 V) of the 2100 mAh capacity each. But don't quote me on that as I neither opened my station up nor seen any teardowns of it. Speculations aside, what's important is they do state 54Wh figure and that's good for 3 * 16.87Wh Spark batteries.

Anyone else drool a little while reading this insanely thorough explanation? Thank you so much for sharing that insight. So, they run three cells in series to boost the voltage. Is the higher voltage ideal for greater motor output?

Brambleman Posted at 2018-1-17 12:56
Anyone else drool a little while reading this insanely thorough explanation? Thank you so much for sharing that insight. So, they run three cells in series to boost the voltage. Is the higher voltage ideal for greater motor output?

Thank you, you're welcome Yes, P (power) = U (voltage) * I (current). In order to get the power you need using lower voltage, you'd end up drawing a proportionally higher electrical current (Amps). Higher current asks for thicker cables, larger connectors, beefier batteries and involves many other challenges. That's why it's practical to use higher voltages. It's all a kind of a balancing act and an exercise in compromises.

Cookster670 Posted at 2018-1-16 13:37
i'm in two minds about this.  It's a neat unit.  Very practical, and i think reasonably priced.  Really like it.

However I already have a 12,120mah powerbank.   It costs less and more portable.   I can't charge three at once, but I guess the portable station does them sequentially anyway, so at the end of the day, i'm better off with that.  I get more than twice the amount of charges out of it.  (will need to buy an after market battery charging cable though)

I agree with you.