130W laptop charger with the Air 3s

[Mrktn]

I bought an Anker 100w charging brick, and used the stock USB-C cable and one of those small devices that plug in-line with the cable to measure wattage and all that, and I was getting only 35-37W. I then bought a USB-C cable that is rated to 240W, and I STILL get 35-37W. It doesn't seem like it takes to long to charge the batteries, but I'm just curious if there's something up.

To put it into context if it’s any help, I have the 3 battery OEM DJI charging hub for the Air 3S and the OEM DJI 65w charger and each battery takes 59 minutes from approx 10% charge state.

 

[kenjancef]

To put it into context if it’s any help, I have the 3 battery OEM DJI charging hub for the Air 3S and the OEM DJI 65w charger and each battery takes 59 minutes from approx 10% charge state.

I'm going to have to time it the next time I charge.

 

[Occams Razor]

I bought an Anker 100w charging brick, and used the stock USB-C cable and one of those small devices that plug in-line with the cable to measure wattage and all that, and I was getting only 35-37W. I then bought a USB-C cable that is rated to 240W, and I STILL get 35-37W. It doesn't seem like it takes to long to charge the batteries, but I'm just curious if there's something up.

Does the Anker charger meet the PD 3.0 or greater spec? That's required for fast charging. Also note that the charging rate will decrease as you get closer to 100% charge. Approximately how full was your battery when your measured the wattage?

 

[kenjancef]

Does the Anker charger meet the PD 3.0 or greater spec? That's required for fast charging. Also note that the charging rate will decrease as you get closer to 100% charge. Approximately how full was your battery when your measured the wattage?

I'm not worried about fast charging, I'm just wondering if the Anker brick isn't working properly. I had 3 batteries in the charger, all 3 were at roughly 40-50% capacity. Not sure about the PD 3.0 spec. This charger was recommended by a few Air 3S users on YouTube (of course... ugh...). Here is the link:

Amazon.com

 

[fnf]

I'm not worried about fast charging, I'm just wondering if the Anker brick isn't working properly. I had 3 batteries in the charger, all 3 were at roughly 40-50% capacity. Not sure about the PD 3.0 spec. This charger was recommended by a few Air 3S users on YouTube (of course... ugh...). Here is the link:

Amazon.com

I have the exact same one (along with another wall plug Anker charger and a couple of their power banks) and always get ~65W out of it. Using it to charge the Avata 2 I'd get either ~30W or ~60W depending on the battery's SoC and whether the hub was dual-charging. It sounds like your charger is defective.
To rule out the hub being the issue, you can try plugging the charger to the drone directly with a battery inserted. You should also get ~65W charge rate.

 

[kenjancef]

I have the exact same one (along with another wall plug Anker charger and a couple of their power banks) and always get ~65W out of it. Using it to charge the Avata 2 I'd get either ~30W or ~60W depending on the battery's SoC and whether the hub was dual-charging. It sounds like your charger is defective.
To rule out the hub being the issue, you can try plugging the charger to the drone directly with a battery inserted. You should also get ~65W charge rate.

Ok, so I just plugged in the charger to the drone directly, and I'm getting about 57-58W or so. So you think I may have an issue with the battery pack charger?

 

[fnf]

Ok, so I just plugged in the charger to the drone directly, and I'm getting about 57-58W or so. So you think I may have an issue with the battery pack charger?

Yes, I'd consider the charging hub defective if it cannot charge above 50W with the battery's SoC below 50%. The battery does adjust the charge rate dynamically once nearly charged, but you could expect 60W rate most of the time.

 

[kenjancef]

Yes, I'd consider the charging hub defective if it cannot charge above 50W with the battery's SoC below 50%. The battery does adjust the charge rate dynamically once nearly charged, but you could expect 60W rate most of the time.

I'm on a chat with DJI right now. I'll see what they say. Hopefully they feel the same.

 

[kenjancef]

Yes, I'd consider the charging hub defective if it cannot charge above 50W with the battery's SoC below 50%. The battery does adjust the charge rate dynamically once nearly charged, but you could expect 60W rate most of the time.

So they are having me send it in to get checked. I can still charge through the drone, so no big deal.

 

[fnf]

So they are having me send it in to get checked. I can still charge through the drone, so no big deal.

If you have a USB-C power monitor then it's also worth checking the voltage as well.
The charge rate needs to be negotiated (whether by the charger/battery or both), it is possible that the battery is more relaxed than the charging hub and allows it to work at voltages slightly outside of the accepted range.

That could happen because either the voltmeter on the charging hub/battery is incorrect, the voltage produced by the charger is slightly out of specs.

The manual lists the voltage/current that the charging hub takes https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/DJI_Air_3/AC/DJI_Air_3_Battery_Charging_Hub_User_Guide_multi.pdf . To charge at 60W, the charger must produce 12V@5A.

It's possible that the charger is defective and will not produce 12V@5A, but the battery might take 15V@5A and consumes a bit less current anyway. The only way to be sure is to monitor the output voltage/current of the charger when charging with battery & with the hub.

 

[kenjancef]

If you have a USB-C power monitor then it's also worth checking the voltage as well.
The charge rate needs to be negotiated (whether by the charger/battery or both), it is possible that the battery is more relaxed than the charging hub and allows it to work at voltages slightly outside of the accepted range.

That could happen because either the voltmeter on the charging hub/battery is incorrect, the voltage produced by the charger is slightly out of specs.

The manual lists the voltage/current that the charging hub takes https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/DJI_Air_3/AC/DJI_Air_3_Battery_Charging_Hub_User_Guide_multi.pdf . To charge at 60W, the charger must produce 12V@5A.

It's possible that the charger is defective and will not produce 12V@5A, but the battery might take 15V@5A and consumes a bit less current anyway. The only way to be sure is to monitor the output voltage/current of the charger when charging with battery & with the hub.

Good info, thanks. I will definitely try that. Unfortunately our weather sucks right now, so I can't get out to fly off some batteries. I'll try to do it before I send the hub back.

 

[fnf]

Good info, thanks. I will definitely try that. Unfortunately our weather sucks right now, so I can't get out to fly off some batteries. I'll try to do it before I send the hub back.

The Air 3 charging hub does seem to be rather strict/marginal. I have a charger similar to this one Amazon.co.uk and it'd often fail to charge at all, or only manages to charge for 15 minutes before stopping.

I switched to a much higher capacity one Amazon.co.uk , it works with the charging hub well.

You might find that there's nothing wrong with the charging hub, it's worth testing with another charger.

 

[DarR-T]

I use a 160W UGreen charger. Charges fast.

Amazon.ca