Charging the SD2 off 12V

[Ridefreak]

Ran some tests recently in preparation for an upcoming MC trip with the drone. I"ll be camping so no access to A/C power. I picked up a cigarette lighter 90W PD power adapter and connected it up to the bike's 12V. You can see the PD function is working since it output is 3.2A @ 19V from a 12V source, that's very close to the same readings I got when charging a battery off an A/C outlet. I only plan on charging 1 of the batteries at a time, charge duration should be very similar to plugging it into a wall.

The power module runs a little hot when it's passing 3A but the power adapter will be in the windstream so I don't expect a heat issue..

I used a pelican style case bolted on the back of the bike with a usb power routed inside, I hate putting a big box on the back of the motorcycle but we'll be doing allot of off road miles and I didn't want to damage the drone. Plus I really didn't want to charge the drone battery in the bike's tank bag which is inches away from the fuel, this puts everything together and easy to get to.

The case holds the drone, 5 batteries, charger and props all wedged between the upper and lower layers of the box's foam so everything is cushioned and nothing moves around. The box is no longer 100% waterproof since I drilled a small hole in it but with the drone also in it's case I'm not too worried about water, doesn't rain much here anyway.

If the power adapter holds up I can see this providing sustainable power throughout a multi day trip w/o ever plugging into an outlet. I wouldn't recommend using this unless the vehicle is running though, 3.2A will draw a battery before you realize it.

 

[dmac1]

Ran some tests recently in preparation for an upcoming MC trip with the drone. I"ll be camping so no access to A/C power. I picked up a cigarette lighter 90W PD power adapter and connected it up to the bike's 12V. You can see the PD function is working since it output is 3.2A @ 19V from a 12V source, that's very close to the same readings I got when charging a battery off an A/C outlet. I only plan on charging 1 of the batteries at a time, charge duration should be very similar to plugging it into a wall.

The power module runs a little hot when it's passing 3A but the power adapter will be in the windstream so I don't expect a heat issue..

I used a pelican style case bolted on the back of the bike with a usb power routed inside, I hate putting a big box on the back of the motorcycle but we'll be doing allot of off road miles and I didn't want to damage the drone. Plus I really didn't want to charge the drone battery in the bike's tank bag which is inches away from the fuel, this puts everything together and easy to get to.

The case holds the drone, 5 batteries, charger and props all wedged between the upper and lower layers of the box's foam so everything is cushioned and nothing moves around. The box is no longer 100% waterproof since I drilled a small hole in it but with the drone also in it's case I'm not too worried about water, doesn't rain much here anyway.

If the power adapter holds up I can see this providing sustainable power throughout a multi day trip w/o ever plugging into an outlet. I wouldn't recommend using this unless the vehicle is running though, 3.2A will draw a battery before you realize it.

Nice setup! Where all ya goin in Utah? We need to do another DS trip on dirt bikes!

 

[frankbonatelli]

Ive been doing a similar setup myownself. One question for you, looks like you have this wird directly into the hard case. are you sealed from the elements? or are you going through the bottom? I see the s2 charge cable over top of the case and it looks like your charging while rideing

 

[Ridefreak]

Ive been doing a similar setup myownself. One question for you, looks like you have this wird directly into the hard case. are you sealed from the elements? or are you going through the bottom? I see the s2 charge cable over top of the case and it looks like your charging while rideing

I have a small feedthrough in the lower front of the case with a rubber grommet, it's sealed pretty well but more importantly the power adapter is exposed so if it's raining I need to unplug it or it might short out. I didn't want to locate the adapter inside the box because it gets pretty warm, it's an off brand Chinese part so I don't fully trust it not to burn up. It doesn't rain very often around here so I don't worry about that too much. I definitely charge while riding, @ 3A I could see this setup sucking down the bike's battery if it wasn't running,

 

[Ridefreak]

Nice setup! Where all ya goin in Utah? We need to do another DS trip on dirt bikes!

It's a big circle ride, some of the UTBDR, the Swell, Burr trail, Hells Backbone, Hwy 12, Monument Valley, you've ridden allot of it. About 2K mi, 5 days.

I'd be up for a DS ride, I retired back in June so I have no excuses.

 

[dmac1]

It's a big circle ride, some of the UTBDR, the Swell, Burr trail, Hells Backbone, Hwy 12, Monument Valley, you've ridden allot of it. About 2K mi, 5 days.

I'd be up for a DS ride, I retired back in June so I have no excuses.

CONGRATS ON THE RETIREMENT!! Lets get something figured out at some point...sooner rather than later! Don't worry about conflicting drones, I'll leave mine home.

Have fun on the big ride!!! Sounds awesome!

 

[VEGASROBBI]

So 3 amps is the minimum adapter required? I found myself on the mountain with a couple auto discharged batteries and no access to my charger.

I tried a few standard 2 amp 12v adapters with no luck. I got a 2.4 amp adapter @ 9V to charge but it took overnight to go up just one bar, frustrating.

If we assume voltage is electrical pressure and amperage electrical volume it appears a minimum of a 12V power source @ 3 amps is the minimum to push into the S2 battery at a reasonable rate. My dual charger can charge two batteries in less than an hour, I wasn't ready for such a long charge time with"normal" equipment.

Thanks for sharing this I'll be on the lookout for a quality 3 amp adapter@ 12V, having a Jeep power supply shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Ridefreak]

So 3 amps is the minimum adapter required? I found myself on the mountain with a couple auto discharged batteries and no access to my charger.

I tried a few standard 2 amp 12v adapters with no luck. I got a 2.4 amp adapter @ 9V to charge but it took overnight to go up just one bar, frustrating.

If we assume voltage is electrical pressure and amperage electrical volume it appears a minimum of a 12V power source @ 3 amps is the minimum to push into the S2 battery at a reasonable rate. My dual charger can charge two batteries in less than an hour, I wasn't ready for such a long charge time with"normal" equipment.

Thanks for sharing this I'll be on the lookout for a quality 3 amp adapter@ 12V, having a Jeep power supply shouldn't be a problem.

Rob, the key with that setup is the PD charger, it bucks up the vehicles 12V to 19V@3A. That will put you back to normal charge times (at least on one battery), I don't know if I'd trust it to charging two at the same time, it's pulling 60W in that picture above, the adapter is rated for 90W but you really want to run something like that at 50~75% of its rated output, going much higher can and probably would shorten the life if that adapter. It gets hot @ 60W. Inexpensive Chinese electronics are often over stated on their ratings, I felt happy to get 60 out of it.

 

[VEGASROBBI]

Thanks I didn't realize that little adapter bumped the voltage up, I should have read more carefully.

Never had a problem with 12 volt car chargers with DJ or Parrot; the more we learn about the S2 the more we realize how much different it is then everything else.