Yes please, would make travelling by motorcycle with the Air in a tankbag a lot easier

LoSBoL Posted at 2018-2-17 09:53
Yes please, would make travelling by motorcycle with the Air in a tankbag a lot easier

Completely agree.  For a drone advertised for adventure travel, it should have a much easier method to charge the batteries. Hopefully DJI is listening when they return from holiday

PUMMY Posted at 2018-1-31 04:17
Can the DJI admins please explain why the questions on ticket..

https://dji.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/957103

Seems like the ticket itself is gone. Any update please?

Ticket was closed for comments, but you can create a follow up.  I will do that

Created the follow up, and DJI will not divulge this information.  My guess is that the first iteration would of had ALL components be powered off a single power source, and no thought was given as to how to intelligently power sub systems over USB-C.  I am guessing that the design elements required to allow systems to power on, depending on which power source is available, would of been an exponential amount of R&D for DJI, when compared to the planned release dates they had planned.  I am guessing this will come in the next hardware revision of the AIR and not over a firmware update.  If this does come over a firmware update, I will be the first to give Kudos to DJI

Please add usb charging!!!

Please add the option to chare Mavic Air from USB powerbank!

Chelton Posted at 2018-2-8 04:36
This is shocking news, guys! I could not even imagine that charging via ubs-c would not be possible. It reminds me of the days when compact cameras were competing in size, but after unboxing, the REQUIRED charger was as big as the camera itself. Now many yeas later, with a common usb charging standard, I have a faboulous mini drone useless without the SPECIFIC and BIG REQUIRED charger?! I bought the mavic air to take it with me on a 6 month bicycle tour, where evrery gram and packing volume really counts. I can charge all gadgets with my usb power booster, except the mavic air because it requires an additional charger. This is extremly dissapointing. Sorry for writing only another complaint. How about at least a compromise solution? VERY  SMALL external usb powered charging adaptor for instance.

I received my mavic air 2 day ago. Now I'm dissapointed to miss such a self evident feature...

Shocking?!!? If it doesn't meet your needs you can still return it and get a Spark instead.

PUMMY Posted at 2018-1-31 04:17
Can the DJI admins please explain why the questions on ticket..

https://dji.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/957103

Perhaps you could copy and insert your zendesk submission.  Without your email address and password we cannot get access.

PUMMY Posted at 2018-1-31 04:17
Can the DJI admins please explain why the questions on ticket..

https://dji.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/957103

.....double post

Maybe the MA2 will come with USB charging! I like my spark because it has USB charging.

WebParrot Posted at 2018-3-16 16:29
Perhaps you could copy and insert your zendesk submission.  Without your email address and password we cannot get access.

Hi

Post #12 has the three questions I asked, but I copied the entire submission below...

------------------------------------------
Hi
Can you please advise if USB-C charging will be possible on the Mavic Air. There is some interest in this, given USB-C protocols have the means to allow upto 100W of power, however we are getting conflicting information from DJI about this, when pressed. The thread on the support forums is below...
https://forum.dji.com/thread-130913-1-1.html
and my questions are...
1) Do you have the hardware to support this in the Air?
2) Is the limitation due to missing hardware or a firmware / driver issue?
3) If the hardware IS present, do you have plans to unlock this feature for users?
This would bring a LOT of potential buyers into the fold, as this would allow true portability.
Also, if you do release this, can you please specify in the manual the power protocol (USB-PD / QC3.0) and the profile that is supported for the protocol
------------------------------------------

Their response was...

Thank you for your response.
We do apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you and we will do our best to assist you.
As we checked for the update of the Mavic Air, we do apologize the USB-C port does not support charge.
Your patience and kind understanding are greatly appreciated.
Best regards,

PUMMY Posted at 2018-3-17 04:25
Hi

Post #12 has the three questions I asked, but I copied the entire submission below...

Thx, PUMMY.  That helps, seeing the whole thing in context.

any update?...

I will be happy to have something "portable".. like SPARK has....

Wyke Posted at 2018-2-4 04:25
Buy a PowerStation, like the RAVpower one I have. 100W AC outlet means I can charge anywhere.

How many charges do you get out of it?

Rawsome Posted at 2018-3-26 09:34
How many charges do you get out of it?

Only one but it turned out I had a faulty product and I sent it back for a refund. Fortunately I’d bought it from Amazon and they gave me full refund, as when I contacted RavPower support, they were useless and tried to fob me off.

Wyke Posted at 2018-3-26 23:57
Only one but it turned out I had a faulty product and I sent it back for a refund. Fortunately I’d bought it from Amazon and they gave me full refund, as when I contacted RavPower support, they were useless and tried to fob me off.

the joys let me know ones you get to test it )

I almost buy the Mavic Air, but just read that post before. So I will keep my Spark , waiting for this feature to be implemented ASAP !!!!!!!!

manudad Posted at 2018-4-10 11:57
I almost buy the Mavic Air, but just read that post before. So I will keep my Spark , waiting for this feature to be implemented ASAP !!!!!!!!

Everyone here is being far too nice and polite about this.  
USB-C is an industry standard which specifically supports charging.  By not supporting this feature, the USB-C protocol is not being complied with and therefore, this is not a true USB-C compliant device!  

I just received my new Mavic Air in the mail today and reasonably assumed that I should be able to simply plug the Mavic air with the USB-C power cable and it should have charged.  To my great dismay, it did not appear to be charging!  
Then I immediately searched for "mavic air usb charge" and this was the first hit.  Apparently, I am just now joining a chorus of many other disappointed and bewildered Mavic air owners.  This is simply unacceptable.  Especially, when this was already a feature of the Spark.  New versions should be improvements upon older models, not a step backwards.  

Whoever is responsible for this asinine decision at DJI really needs to have their head examined.  I am honestly going to try out the drone, but seriously considering returning it just out of principle.  

DJI isn't even giving us a status of when or whether this could possibly even be corrected in a future firmware update.  We don't even know if the proper USB-C compliant charging circuitry exists in the drone.  They might have simply slapped in a USB-C connection at the last second with only the data wires connected.  If this actually turns out to be the case, everybody should be livid and return their drones.  It bears repeating, this is unacceptable!

where to sign the petition??

It is very sad that the Mavic Air doesn't support USB-C charging. Unfortunately DJI doesn't really seems to hurry with these product developments as they have no competitor on this market

Traveled the last 2 weeks, had an Anker PD USB-C power bank, was able to run my Nintendo Switch off it, my Pixel 2 XL, Sony A7R3, hell even was able to trickle (slowly but worked) my 15" MBP.

The only thing that was left was my Mavic Air.....which once I ran out of the 2 batteries, was worthless. For a drone they advertise for travel, camping, etc - it's pretty useless without USB charging IMHO.

Yes I'm aware about the USB powerbank with power-plugs but common - those things are huge, expensive and weight a ton. No thanks.

Have you gotten enough $$ from your car adapter charger yet DJI so you can enable this through firmware updates?!!?

@fansa6b0fb5c I have the same problem. I bought the anger power bank 26800/ USB C for my Mavic Air .. And no .. he don’t work !

When I leave few days, I can’t charge my 3 batteries. It’s a big problem. :/

that's a s..h..i...t!
i was about to update my spark to the mavic air, but after reading and confirming in this post u cant charge it by a normal usb device i wont buy it

this is unacceptable! im so angry right now

Perhaps the real problem is that usb-c is poorly implemented by companies that produce cheap chargers. Unlike the usb a & b micro that all produce 5 volts, it is not fixed for usb c. Imagine you are DJI and cannot control the charger you use and it damages the drone. Best they wait until the standard has been universally achieved.

The wordt think about this drone. Without USB-C or Portable Charger it not travel drone at all and only reason why I have canceled my order and stayed with Spark.

When you travel on Scooter and do backaping you cant be without portable charger. C’mon DJI its must have feature. Travel drone without this is completely useless...

j0k3r Posted at 2018-5-1 00:53
where to sign the petition??

Here: https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... p;page=1#pid1383581

WTF DJI, thankfully I checked if USB charging was really possible and saw this topic....

I was litteraly ready to buy it, to press "order" on Amazon....

What a terrible mistake from DJI, I have a Spark and this feature should be mandatory on a such small drone as Mavic Air, I wanted a way better image quality and range than Spark, but this is terrible.....

Too bad, I will have to wait for a fixed Mavic Air new version or something like that...

Some Posted at 2018-6-17 07:00
WTF DJI, thankfully I checked if USB charging was really possible and saw this topic....

I was litteraly ready to buy it, to press "order" on Amazon....

Despite DJI saying it can't do this, has anybody actytried it to see if it works?
I would expect even if it does, it will be rather slow. MA battery charges at 5Amos. So even with a 2 Amp capable powerbank, it would take a couple of hours or more.

fansc9eb0833 Posted at 2018-6-24 21:44
Despite DJI saying it can't do this, has anybody actytried it to see if it works?
I would expect even if it does, it will be rather slow. MA battery charges at 5Amos. So even with a 2 Amp capable powerbank, it would take a couple of hours or more.

Amperage is only one part of equation.
Voltage is other part of equation.
Voltage from USB-C is insufficient to charge MA Smartbattery pack, which needs 11.6vdc to 13.2vdc (closer to 13vdc).

HedgeTrimmer Posted at 2018-6-24 21:57
Amperage is only one part of equation.
Voltage is other part of equation.
Voltage from USB-C is insufficient to charge MA Smartbattery pack, which needs 11.6vdc to 13.2vdc (closer to 13vdc).

Yes of course, I had forgotten that! Spark manages it so presumably must have built in dc to dc boost converter? (I'm assuming spark has multiple series cells also?) I have MA but not familiar with spark.

So even if it could step up the USB 5V , then the 2A USB limit would become  much less than 1A. So charging would become super mega slow. Sounds likely to be  a non starter to me.

I have the DJI car charger which works great with the 4 way hub so don't need this USB charging option anyway. Though I'm surprised they didn't also include USB out on it too (like the grid charger has) , for charging the Tx and phone/tablet etc!

Cheers

Peter

Please release a firmware update to support this. I know the charging time will be long but most of the time I charge the batteries overnight so it doesn't matter to me.

I would love to be able to charge the MA or at least read the micro sd card without having to power the aircraft.
Please @DJI take a look at this!

God damn it DJI! I bought the Mavic Air because I wanted to take some beautiful imagery on my week of hiking in Scotland. How in the world will I need to do that now!?
1. The batteries are only allowed to be charged to 30% when taking them on the plane, I have 4 of them, how am I supposed to charge them completely when I am hiking?
2. I almost bought a USB-C PD powerbank today, but decided to check if the MA can charge using USB-C, just to be sure. Am I glad I didn't do that yet.
3. I will be driving in Scotland, but those drives will be only a couple of hours, which will only be enough to only charge one battery
1 hour of flight time in a week of traveling is nothing! What the hell DJI, that is a pretty expensive drone, not having something as simple as USB-C charging is a big mistake, especially for a "go anywhere" drone.

Stitch10925 Posted at 3-30 13:12
God damn it DJI! I bought the Mavic Air because I wanted to take some beautiful imagery on my week of hiking in Scotland. How in the world will I need to do that now!?
1. The batteries are only allowed to be charged to 30% when taking them on the plane, I have 4 of them, how am I supposed to charge them completely when I am hiking?
2. I almost bought a USB-C PD powerbank today, but decided to check if the MA can charge using USB-C, just to be sure. Am I glad I didn't do that yet.

Not sure if you can get this in Europe, but this has worked awesome for me!  It’s a bit on the chunky/heavy side for hiking, but it will definitely charge some batteries while on the go. I created this video last summer and still use it regularly.

https://amzn.to/2MAQsJ6

Despite the drone not supporting charging... has anybody maybe found a little tiny adapter that can charge a Mavic Battery from a QC 2.0/3.0 wall charger? Even weight & volume weenies (like myself) travel with one of these for our mobile phones. They weigh next to nothing and can usually supply 12V at 18W at least. Obviously charging would be slower compared to DJIs monster brick, but who cares. You do not have to superfastcharge the batteries with 40W or something, there are enough cheap chinese mavic car chargers on amazon that go much slower. 18W from a QC wall charger should be fine.

DJIM0254-05 ?
https://www.alza.cz/dji-mavic-air-adapter-baterie-power-bank-d5262857.htm

But it works like Mavic Air battery as a power bank, probably not vice versa. If there is a USB charger for Mavic Battery, I would buy it immediately.

Hi all! Goin to a big 3-month trip this summer, and was searching for a drone with usb-c charger. So sad.
Have my pc, phone and camera powered by only one usb c cable and wall charger. Looks like i will not buy drone at all, really need more space in my bag
DJI is out of trends