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Charger Question

ufgatorvet

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Sorry if this is a noob question, but when I purchased on DJI.com the Mini 3 Pro with Fly More (249g small battery bundle), it prompted me/suggested that I also throw in an 18W charger (which I did, it's a $1,000 purchase, what's $15 more?)

I am reading the finer print on the 3-battery charger, and it seems to indicated that a 30W charging brick is recommended.

Can someone help me to understand why DJI recommended I add on an 18W charger, when the 3-battery charger suggests a 30W charger?

Is the 18W used for charging directly to the drone itself, and the 30W used to charge the 3-battery charger? Or did I just buy a $15 brick that really isn't going to be all that useful.

If I need a 30W charger, I can purchase one from Anker or probably have one lying around the office somewhere .. I don't see the need to make a separate purchase on DJI.com just for a 30W charger ... ???

Thanks for helping clarify my confusion.
 
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30 W is certainly the better option here, faster charging times or possibility to charge the RC and the battery simultaneously.

I might suspect, that the 30 W charger was out of stock or in high demand, that's probably why it recommended a 18 W instead?
I guess, if you order 3rd party chargers, you could go higher to, maybe 65 W for charging even faster (not saying that it will cut the times in half, certainly not) or hook up more devices without sacrificing these times.
 
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Ahh ok that makes sense.

Is it damaging to use a higher W charger than is specified for the product?

So, If I bought one of those Anker 65W two port chargers, and plugged the Mini 3 directly into one port with the drone containing a battery, and the other port plugged into 3-battery charger, would each be delivered 32.5W? And ok?

Is there a techical battery reason why we just don't all use say a 100W charger to charge everything we use? Phone, AirPods, laptops, drones, etc?

Thanks for any info, realize this isn't a battery forum but the vast array of wattage chargers out there has always been difficult to understand, and DJI suggesting I throw in an 18W charger adds to it (and I bought it maybe out of lack of understanding / due diligence).
 
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How does USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) work?
The power pack and end device negotiate the combination of voltage and current and thus the performance (profile). For this purpose, the power supply offers the available combinations and the end device selects a suitable profile from them. USB-PD takes into account the charging direction of the connected devices.
 
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Is it damaging to use a higher W charger than is specified for the product?
The device being charged will only draw the power it was designed to take safely. For example, I charge my old phone on a Qualcomm quick charge port and will charge slower than my wife's phone which is designed to take advantage of Qualcomm's higher charging speed. High watt chargers create more heat which can lower battery life over time. There is the point of deminishing returns as a 60w charger isn't twice as fast as a 30w charger and will get even less as the watts increase. There is a sweet spot for the best charging rates and DJI recommends a 30w charger for the Mini 3 Pro two way charger. USB-C PD (power delivery) can communicate with a device being charged and deliver best power output without damaging the device.
 
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According to reviews with a 30W charger it takes just under an hour for each battery to charge, so lets say 3 hours in the hub for 3 batteries. With 18W it would be more like 5 hours and nearly all day for a little 5W charger. The 30W would be worth the investment but you can use the 30W USB-C chargers from anywhere like Amazon, some may be cheaper.
 
18w charger for the controller?
 
I ordered a 100 W 4 port charger for all my devices abroad (that is Mini 3 Pro, RC, tablet, mobile phone, watch).
It's unlikey I need to charge them all simultaneously, but it was only a minor difference in price and size.

Be sure to check the individual output power of ports, especially in combination (1 - x). They may vary significantly. If 30W is the maximum here, then good 65 W chargers can do them both together (depending on the socket if USB C or USB A), ie 30 W.

With this I can hook up my tablet with superfast charging too and still power the DJI stuff with at least 30 W for reduced times:

e9d2fc08-c98c-4294-a6d1-bae8cbeaee2b.__CR0,0,970,600_PT0_SX970_V1___.jpg

But there are plenty out there.
So be sure to check the ports and cables for your desired result.

18w charger for the controller?
It's not specified, but the old Smart Controller had a 3.6 - 8 V with 3 A, 12 V with 2 A so a 24 W charger included. I suspect, you'd be on the safe side for fast charging with 30 W too.
 
I ordered a 100 W 4 port charger for all my devices abroad (that is Mini 3 Pro, RC, tablet, mobile phone, watch).
It's unlikey I need to charge them all simultaneously, but it was only a minor difference in price and size.

Be sure to check the individual output power of ports, especially in combination (1 - x). They may vary significantly. If 30W is the maximum here, then good 65 W chargers can do them both together (depending on the socket if USB C or USB A), ie 30 W.

With this I can hook up my tablet with superfast charging too and still power the DJI stuff with at least 30 W for reduced times:



But there are plenty out there.
So be sure to check the ports and cables for your desired result.


It's not specified, but the old Smart Controller had a 3.6 - 8 V with 3 A, 12 V with 2 A so a 24 W charger included. I suspect, you'd be on the safe side for fast charging with 30 W too.


I've always though no matter how much power a charger is CAPABLE of putting out, a device will only pull from it what it needs. So too big a charger isn't a problem, only too small of one. Am I wrong here? That would toss out decades of what I always understood to be fact.
 
I've always though no matter how much power a charger is CAPABLE of putting out, a device will only pull from it what it needs. So too big a charger isn't a problem, only too small of one. Am I wrong here? That would toss out decades of what I always understood to be fact.

You are correct but that isn’t what he was saying. He is talking about a scenario where multiple products can use up to 30W so buying a good charger like a 65W or 100W that then advertises multiple plugs that go up to 65-100W for one item or 30W each for multiple items is useful. The problem is buying a “30W charger” with 2 outlets on it usually means each outlet only puts out 15W max if both are occupied… that means in the case of the mini 3 pro hub only charging at half speed.
 
I've always though no matter how much power a charger is CAPABLE of putting out, a device will only pull from it what it needs. So too big a charger isn't a problem, only too small of one. Am I wrong here? That would toss out decades of what I always understood to be fact.
You are not wrong generally speaking in today's times.
Longer time ago, it was essential to keep a good eye on the in-/output etc. but with USB a lot has been standardised in data, connectors and power.

Besides that, @boldblue737 already explained what I originally meant. :)
 
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i purchased the samsung 45w travel charger which came with a 5A usb c type cable, my mini 3 turned up today and there were no charge in the battery so i plugged it in and it charged to full capacity in 40 minutes.
 
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i purchased the samsung 45w travel charger which came with a 5A usb c type cable, my mini 3 turned up today and there were no charge in the battery so i plugged it in and it charged to full capacity in 40 minutes.
I think I have one of these. Is it the one that looks like a "fatter version" of the normal charger that you get with the Higher end Samsung phones?
 
Most Samsung devices do NOT use the standard Power Delivery protocol of USB-C and therefore wont quickly charge the drone (if at all).
They ignored standards and invented their own protocol.

Any standard USB-C PD of 30W or higher will work correctly. Measuring the power use and my Mini 3 takes about 28.7W to charge when empty (tapering to 4w or so as it nears full). Controller N1 takes 8W.

These days its not what the charger is *capable* of giving - its having the software and correct protocol to negotiate with the device to set the required voltage and current constantly in the charge cycle.
A device can't pull what it needs unless it can actually tell the charger WHAT it needs in the first place.
 
Today's chargers are a different breed. The important part is the "PD". That stands for Power Delivery.
The DJI Mini 3 Pro items use a USB-C PD charger. It does not use QC=Quick Charge. (Another standard)
The PD part makes it so the correct power is sent to the battery. The smart part. So if you plug in something which only takes 15 watts, it only sends 15 watts. Say you have a 65w PD charger, plug in the battery hub, it will call for what it needs. 30 watts I guess at the moment.

DJI Mini 3 Pro needs a 30 watt or higher PD charger to charge fast. A 18 watt PD charger works, just slower.
 
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