Chinese Charger / Warning

[themis4]

I received this famous type of charger from China.
I was trying to find the new type with ground and EU plug for my Country .
So when i received , before i use it , i check with my digital voltometer , if there is ground connection ,because is very important for the safety , or not.
I surprised , when i realized that the ground connection exists for fun .Because of the chassis paint of the charger .
So i proceed to this simple modification to resolve this stupid problem.
Cleaning from paint for better contact to body.
Sorry for my Eng.

 

[waylander]

Hi themis4

Wow that is crap...., I would have been tempted to make the ground connection to both the end cover plate where the incoming mains connector is located and the blue painted metal casing, so as not to rely on the end cover fixing screws, other than that, well spotted and great job in sharing your find.

Waylander

 

[Dan]

Thanks for the find, going to have to do this mod

 

[locoman]

How old is this charger. I though that they fix the ground issue. Are they still selling ones with out the ground wire connected. I am about to get one, but will have to wait now until I hear it has be fixed.

 

[Mari]

They still sell them... but it is an easy fix....

 

[themis4]

How old is this charger. I though that they fix the ground issue. Are they still selling ones with out the ground wire connected. I am about to get one, but will have to wait now until I hear it has be fixed.

This charger is the last model type.
The ground cable was connected from the beginning.

 

[Mari]

... ground cable is connected, only not how it should be... is doesn't make contact with the backplate, scrape away some of the coating...

 

[themis4]

... ground cable is connected, only not how it should be... is doesn't make contact with the backplate, scrape away some of the coating...

Correct.
For this reason a make this modification.

 

[mavicn00b]

Mine set off the smoke alarm at my hotel. No idea why as I couldn't see any smoke and haven't had any issues charging the battery either. The mind boggles....

 

[Slayerstwin]

I did this back when they first came out. There are many threads about this and I also posted about it back then. Just saying and they did fix this problem. Maybe he got some old stock from some place..

 

[dwallersv]

Ahh yes, the missing ground connection. You are just the latest victim of this mfg. ALL units made by them are like this. The stories about this problem, and the fix (which you did yourself quite well without seeing it first on YT, apparently ) are all over the internet.

 

[rcflyingaddict]

Best accessory purchase to date.

 

[themis4]

Ahh yes, the missing ground connection. You are just the latest victim of this mfg. ALL units made by them are like this. The stories about this problem, and the fix (which you did yourself quite well without seeing it first on YT, apparently ) are all over the internet.

I saw all threats for this issue.
I am trying to explain that this charger is the new type with ground cable connected from the beggining .
To the old types the ground cables missing completely.
But here , to the new type , the problem is that even we have ground cable , due to paint coating , cannot operate as should be .

 

[mavicn00b]

The DJI charger is not grounded, so why does this one need to be?? I haven't heard of anyone getting electrocuted by this charger yet...

 

[themis4]

The DJI charger is not grounded, so why does this one need to be?? I haven't heard of anyone getting electrocuted by this charger yet...

The dji charger is not grounded . Correct . For me is wrong . All laptop chargers, if you see, are grounded from manufacturer .
From the other hand dji charger has plastic casing .
The above charger has aluminium case .
I think this is a big difference for the safety .

 

[Kilrah]

The DJI charger is not grounded, so why does this one need to be??

Because it has a metallic casing. Double insulated plastic cases don't need grounding, but metallic ones yes. If a live part touches a plastic case it does nothing, if it touches a metal case you get shocked when you grab it.

 

[SafariMan]

RC Groups - View Single Post - Official DJI Mavic ***Owner and Developer'sThread***

I followed that great tutorial a few months ago to make it safe.

 

[Mavic 57]

The first ones had no connection from the earth pin, then they connected the earth pin in latter units, but failed to make a clean low resistance connection.

 

[dwallersv]

I saw all threats for this issue.
I am trying to explain that this charger is the new type with ground cable connected from the beggining .
To the old types the ground cables missing completely.
But here , to the new type , the problem is that even we have ground cable , due to paint coating , cannot operate as should be .

Nothing wrong with your service to the community here -- you deserve praise for it.

Facts are not emotional -- they just "are". And simply put, this is not a new problem with a new design. This problem has been around -- and discussed, and fixed -- for some time, with EXACTLY the design you have with the grounding strap.

The problem is the case painter -- there's no mask for that part of the case, so it gets painted over. Yx doesn't care, and hasn't forever. The addition of the ground strap was in response to the same complaint with the original design, but they didn't bother with fixing the paint mask. Maybe they will eventually, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[dwallersv]

The DJI charger is not grounded, so why does this one need to be?? I haven't heard of anyone getting electrocuted by this charger yet...

Simply because it has a sealed, plastic case.

Just about everyone who isn't an Electrical Engineer (I am one) understands that grounding is for safety, but have no idea in any detailed sense as to why.

There is a single reason: Exposed metal parts (like a case) that can complete a circuit to ground through a person. When there is no such exposure, grounding provides no additional safety at all.

Only highly conductive passive components of an appliance -- usually metal -- present an electrical safety issue.

As such, the DJI charger design does not need grounding -- what would you ground in the design?