Hi people.

Have any of you used the multi chargers for the Vision2+ that I've seen on ebay etc?

I think they can charge up to 3 batteries at once.

I'm only really interested in getting one if they are genuine DJI products and not cheap copies.
(I normally love a bargain, but I'm not the type to buy a Ferrari and then piss in the fuel tank)

Can anyone tell me if DJI do make them and also are they worth it or does it just take 3 times as long to charge them all?

Thanks in advance.

DJI do not make them , and you answered your own question it takes 3 times longer using the supplied dji power brick on these adapters.

uptowndisco.hot Posted at 2015-2-11 03:26
DJI do not make them , and you answered your own question it takes 3 times longer using the supplied ...

I have one from EBAY,  they take about 30 minutes longer to charge 3 of them than 1 on the single charger.  You have to turn on the batteries before you connect them to the branch.

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-2-11 03:29
I have one from EBAY,  they take about 30 minutes longer to charge 3 of them than 1 on the single  ...

I have to turn on the batteries as well, to use my 12v power source or multi-charger as well.

This is what I use.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DJI-Phan ... hash=item51c1cc4a33

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-2-11 03:38
This is what I use.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DJI-Phantom-2-Vision-Quadcopter-Rapid-Multi-Battery-Par ...

That's pretty slick.

pretty cheap too... i was looking at this...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O1OT ... liid=I2X8MYF2JWFXA4

gnixon2015 Posted at 2015-2-11 05:24
pretty cheap too... i was looking at this...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O1OTOO4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_ ...

It does work as advertised.

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-2-11 03:38
This is what I use.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DJI-Phan ... d-Multi-Battery-Par ...

I have one of those also but I always got a 12 volt car charger with it. Any 12 volt charger that puts out 4 amps or less should work with the Phantom batteries. Since the Phantom batteries regulate how much current the battery will take it it might not take exactly three times as long to charge three as it would one but certainly longer than it would take to charge one. The advantage to charging three at once is that you do not have to switch batteries.

Capt. Bill Posted at 2015-2-11 05:34
I have one of those also but I always got a 12 volt car charger with it. Any 12 volt charger shoul ...

I connect it to the DJI charger, and it is quicker than charging one at a time.

I use one like Gerry1124 has and it works good.  Basically they all will alternate between the battery they are charging until they are all full.  Beware though, sometimes it won't top off all of the batteries.  I use it to bulk charge all of them, then once they show full, I connect 1 at a time, turn it on and let it top them off.  Usually 1 out of the 3 is completely full and the other two require an additionally 10 minutes or so to top off.  Overall it's well worth it.

kleake.rapfire Posted at 2015-2-11 05:40
I use one like Gerry1124 has and it works good.  Basically they all will alternate between the batte ...

gerry, do you have this similar situation as well?  

gnixon2015 Posted at 2015-2-11 05:51
gerry, do you have this similar situation as well?

Most of my batteries are just about 30 % or so, it charges the lowest first to the highest, getting them all the same, then brings them all up together

Capt. Bill Posted at 2015-2-11 05:34
I have one of those also but I always got a 12 volt car charger with it. Any 12 volt charger shoul ...

That's not 100% correct,  if you throw 6 amps at them they will charge with 6 amps (the max. I tried, others tried even higher)  so they don't regulate the charge amperage down to 1C which can be detrimental for your batteries.  And that's where it also it could cause issues with those parallel charging strips since you could get a power surge from a battery with a higher charge into one with a lower charge when powered on and interconnected on the strip.

PanamonCreel Posted at 2015-2-11 05:56
That's not 100% correct,  if you throw 6 amps at them they will charge with 6 amps (the max. I tri ...

I corrected my post to say a charger putting out 4 amps or less

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-2-11 05:54
Most of my batteries are just about 30 % or so, it charges the lowest first to the highest, gettin ...

no, i mean does it only get yours close to full but not fully topped off like he said

gnixon2015 Posted at 2015-2-11 06:46
no, i mean does it only get yours close to full but not fully topped off like he said

Gets them full.  you have to turn on the batteries before you connect them.  It will bring the lowest one up to equal the next one, then bring the 2 of them up to equal the last one, then bring them all up to full at the same time.

I have 3 batteries in various power settings and I'll check them all and post the results here, then charge them all together and check them after and post results.

here are the 3 batteries before charge

Gerry, what I have found is as it's bringing them up equal to the others, once they are above a certain charge then they never automatically turn back on to top off to the highest voltage.  So I'll end with 1 fully charged and the other 2 at ~95%, just a guess.  It's as if you used a battery doing some bench tests and only used it for a minute or two, then you have to turn it on when you put it on the charger,,,, same thing happens here.  You think you have it full, but if you put it back on the charger and turn it on, you can get more in.  Kinda hard to explain, but if you check every battery individually after charging on that strip I think you will see.   It's pretty simple why it does this.  On that strip, or the charger with 3 leads, it's just tying the legs of all batteries together so it has to bring them up one at a time or when the charge circuit turns on, the bus (strip) voltage may be lower than that particular battery.  Putting some high amp diodes in place or a voltage/current limiter in line would make for a really nice charger, but would definitely increase the cost.

kleake.rapfire Posted at 2015-2-11 06:58
Gerry, what I have found is as it's bringing them up equal to the others, once they are above a cert ...

We will see,  as you can see from the pics, 2 are almost full now,  As far as only filling them up so full, you have to turn on the battery to do singles and top them off also.

I use a multi-charge bar. If I put one battery on and there is already a fully charged one on the bar it only charges the one that needs charging. If I put 2 on that need charging it fully charges both at the same time. I don't mind that it takes a little longer.

All three charged on the triple charger.  Batteries were 66% 96% and 96% before charge.  now all 99%

hmmmm,,, i'll do the same tests on mine just to verify, but I know I have had 3 on at once and when they finished, 2 out of the 3 I could still top off for another 15 or so minutes individually.  Since all of those bars are essentially the same, it makes me wonder if there is something different about the batteries.   Just to clarify though, did you power each battery on when connected, or did it power on automatically when you connected it?

kleake.rapfire Posted at 2015-2-11 08:35
hmmmm,,, i'll do the same tests on mine just to verify, but I know I have had 3 on at once and when  ...

I had them all powered up before I connected them to the triple charger.  These numbers as compared to the first 3 pics are the results.

I don't have to power mine up on the  charger bar. My bar functions just as the single factory charger. If the battery is below the 80 something % value it (they) will charge automatically.

JATO Posted at 2015-2-11 10:51
I don't have to power mine up on the  charger bar. My bar functions just as the single factory charg ...

I'm just going by what the ad said, so I do it.

1. For original 2.0 charger:
Default charge battery one by one. If you want 3 batteries charged together, please open battery switch one by one (short press + long press, Same as power on for Quadcopter)

I drained 2 batteries to 75%, 1 to 50% then put all three on the bar.  Turned all 3 on, and plugged in the charger.  They all blinked a few times and the two charged ones shut off and left the lowest one charging.  I attempted to turn them back on just to be sure, but they blinked a time or two and shut off again so I left them.  After about an hour of the lowest one charging, it eventually turned off and battery 2 started blinking.  Once it was charged some, it shut off and battery 3 started charging.  They have now cycled each one a couple more times and I'm awaiting the final result once they stop.   I think once they are above the 80% or so range, but not to 100% is when they don't automatically turn back on to top off.  We will see soon though.

I bought a multi charger with a 12 volt plug. Even if I only charge one at a time it was cheaper than the DJI car charger.

All finished: Battery 1=90%, Battery 2=93%, battery 3=99%.

When I put all 3 back on the charger and turn them on, battery 3 stays "on", battery 1 and 2 starts charging.

Maybe once they are all close enough to the same charge then they will all stay in "charge" mode, but if they are too far apart, the lowest one holds the voltage down and doesn't let the more charged ones get any juice so they power off.  So maybe that's the trick, put them all on there and after they charge enough to "balance", then turn them all on and they will stay?  Just a guess.

Edit: after they all finished this time, they were actually all charged fully.   So the trick may truly be to turn them all on once they have had a chance to get close to the same voltage.

Thanks for the info everyone. Very helpful.

Now can any of you suggest what brand of multi charger works best. By best I'm thinking fastest, safest, simplest and value for money.

gerry's link is about the cheapest you will find and it appears from the convos that it works well:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DJI-Phan ... hash=item51c1cc4a33

my link is a more refined consumer-grade looking product but much more expensive:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O1OT ... liid=I2X8MYF2JWFXA4

i have not decided yet which i am going to get.  i am tempted to go with gerry's but i may call and ask him a few more specific questions about it first.  it defn has the potential to be a better value proposition.

liamallen1973.y Posted at 2015-2-13 02:48
Thanks for the info everyone. Very helpful.

Now can any of you suggest what brand of multi charger  ...

Would it not be better to just buy 2 DJI original chargers and with the one that is included with the Phantom you can charge tree batteries at the time of one ?

nilsblix.gmail Posted at 2015-2-13 03:16
Would it not be better to just buy 2 DJI original chargers and with the one that is included with  ...

Each charger is 39 dollars at the store, so you would be paying $78 + $20 in shipping.

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-2-13 03:22
Each charger is 39 dollars at the store, so you would be paying $78 + $20 in shipping.

O yes that is of course the drawback - did not think of it, but I can se on eBay that a charging board is a lot cheaper.

The charging board I have is the same one as Gerry.  If you aren't in a hurry it works great, just keep in mind the quirks of how it works, but I believe all of the multi chargers just tie all of the batteries directly together.  For the price, it's great!  If you are in a hurry and need to charge several at a time, individual chargers are still faster.  

I'm thinking of keeping the multi board with a charger at home, then keep a single charger in the case for while I'm out.  If I need to charge more than one quickly while out, just grab the home charger to go with me as well.  I have an inverter in my vehicle so there isn't any need to pay the ridiculous price for the car charger from DJI.

I have the 3 battery charging board on order. I have one question. Is there a preferred order to powering sequence? In other words do I power up the strip first, then turn on the batteries and then plug them in? Or do I plug in the batteries and then turn them on??? Or maybe turn on the strip last?

mikeatlincoln Posted at 2015-2-15 01:06
I have the 3 battery charging board on order. I have one question. Is there a preferred order to pow ...

Turn on the batteries, connect them to the board and then connect the charger to the board.

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-2-15 01:11
Turn on the batteries, connect them to the board and then connect the charger to the board.

Thanks Gerry!