Skydio 2 (OEM) Dual Charger VS. 3rd Party Options?

[SunTunnel]

Hi All,

I just received the email to say my Skydio 2 order was ready to be completed. I have searched the forum but wanted to ask some additional questions to clarify the charger situation.

As has already been pointed out, the Skydio 2 OEM Dual Charger is pretty expensive. I've seen posted that it's not even an actual charger, but just a battery holder with contacts? At the time of writing this thread, it costs $149 (discounted by $20 if ordered with the drone).

It's hard to stomach spending that much money if it's not necessary.

Also, I'm presuming that means you should be able to buy a 3rd party charger from Amazon, as long as it is rated at the correct wattage (90W?) and has a USB C connector. If this is correct, you should be able to plug it directly into the battery with no issues, but I'm not 100% certain.

So, that being said:

* Can you safely charge the Skydio 2 batteries using a third-party option from Amazon - (I think you need one that is 90W)? I saw a few posts with links like this: Amazon.com: Feirsh 87W USB-C Power Adapter, 90W Type C AC Laptop Charger Cord Replacement for MacBook Pro,HP,Dell,Lenovo and Other USB C Laptops Pads or Phones: Electronics​

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* Can anyone tell us how quickly you can charge two Skydio batteries using the official charger, versus the time it takes using a 3rd party charger rated at 90W you may have bought?​

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* If you use a 3rd party battery charger, does anyone know if it will invalidate your warranty?​

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* Are their 3rd party dual chargers so you can charge two batteries at the same time, or do you need to buy two separate chargers?​

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* Does the battery itself have indicator lights on it, so you know when it's fully charged if you don't use the official dual charger?​

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* Lastly, someone on here also mentioned that " the SD charger occasionally gets firmware updates tells me there's a lot more going on there than just providing current to the battery." - so what would that be? If it's just a battery holder, what could it possibly be doing that needed a firmware update that I guess you wouldn't get with a 3rd party option? And if that is true, I presume it would be updating something in the battery? Would you get that update by having the battery connected to the drone and just charging that way from time to time?​

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I've asked a lot of questions, but I figured it might be helpful to aggregate information about the charging situation on one thread.​

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Cheers,
ST​

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[VEGASROBBI]

I don't have answers to many of your 3rd party questions but here is my take on the official charger. I paid $129 for it and thought that was steep. I have had mixed results with 3rd party chargers(not for SD batteries) so I got the official SD charger. I did not like charging through the drone because it got hot.

Over time I have come to appreciate the SD charger, using the supplied adapter I can charge both batteries from about 15% to full in 40-45 minutes. In the high charge mode both batteries charge at once and both use the battery as the charge indicator. I hear a fan come on in the high charge mode.

In the low charge mode only one battery at a time charges and it can take 45 minutes to an hour.

With over 100 flights my batteries still perform well and I see no drop in flight time so I think the OE charger has maintained them well.

I think updates have added pass through charging for the Beacon using the second port but I charge it separate.

 

[deedeebulldog]

Also, I'm presuming that means you should be able to buy a 3rd party charger from Amazon, as long as it is rated at the correct wattage (90W?) and has a USB C connector. If this is correct, you should be able to plug it directly into the battery with no issues, but I'm not 100% certain.

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I don't think you can plug it directly into the battery. The battery itself does not have a USB C port. Where are you going to need a charge? On a hike or something away from power? You can charge a battery with the Dual Charger with a good power bank. I think you will still need to charge through the drone with the one off Amazon. I think people were saying that with that and the Dual Charger it is a faster charge.

 

[SunTunnel]

Thank you both for the info. Maybe for now I'll just suck it up and buy the OEM charger. I mean, I'm already planning on spending a small fortune on the drone and other accessories

 

[skydioconvert]

I don't have answers to many of your 3rd party questions but here is my take on the official charger. I paid $129 for it and thought that was steep. I have had mixed results with 3rd party chargers(not for SD batteries) so I got the official SD charger. I did not like charging through the drone because it got hot.

Over time I have come to appreciate the SD charger, using the supplied adapter I can charge both batteries from about 15% to full in 40-45 minutes. In the high charge mode both batteries charge at once and both use the battery as the charge indicator. I hear a fan come on in the high charge mode.

In the low charge mode only one battery at a time charges and it can take 45 minutes to an hour.

With over 100 flights my batteries still perform well and I see no drop in flight time so I think the OE charger has maintained them well.

Nice to see the extra money was well worth it and that its probably paying dividends on prolonging battery life.

Learned a long time ago that trying to save some money often comes back to bite you.

 

[loyukfai]

Where do you see yourself charging? If you are out hiking or something then you can charge a battery

I don't think you can plug it directly into the battery. The battery itself does not have a USB C port. Where are you going to need a charge? On a hike or something away from power? You can charge a battery with the Dual Charger with a good power bank. I think you will still need to charge through the drone with the one off Amazon. I think people were saying that with that and the Dual Charger it is a faster charge.

This. Personally I do think the dual charger is too expensive for what it does, but it's the only option as of writing, aside from charging through the drone.

Cheers.

 

[deedeebulldog]

This. Personally I do think the dual charger is too expensive for what it does, but it's the only option as of writing, aside from charging through the drone.

Cheers.

I agree

 

[Cicada]

The dual charger with pass through is nice. I can charge other devices from the S2 batteries in a pinch aswell.

 

[richinAZ]

since we are on the topic of the dual charger, id like to hear of any experiences of charging off a power brick thru the Dual. i havent done this yet, but going to want the option.

 

[deedeebulldog]

since we are on the topic of the dual charger, id like to hear of any experiences of charging off a power brick thru the Dual. i havent done this yet, but going to want the option.

I still do not have my Skydio, but this is the video I watched for the Dual Charger with power brick. Dual Charger. I also got the same one he uses.

 

[widronezone]

Expensive is relative. If people don't see value in an item, they will think it's expensive. Skydio does allow you to charge through the drone, which I'd imagine should be OK. Though you are sending current through the drone to charge the battery - and who knows what may happen with a power surge or just in general constantly pushing current through the drone.

If you don't see charging the battery through the drone as a risk, then you don't need the dual charger and won't see value in it - no matter what the price.

If you think there's risk involved - such as your Skydio 2 circuits getting fried or something else, then you may see value in paying the asking price for the dual charger. It is also very convenient.

There may be other hacks you may find to charge the battery, but is it worth risking battery life or failure just to save some money?

Fwiw, I think enough people see value in it based on Skydio being out of stock for quite sometime. Good luck!

 

[Ridefreak]

I just picked up another battery (5 total) no way I'd be w/o the dual charger.

 

[hawg_ryder]

I bought the cinema kit which came with the dual charger and the inadequate 45w. wall wart... So, I bought this one on Amazon... seems to work ok... Just my 2 cents..
Amazon.com: 87W/90W USB C Power Adapter, WEGWANG Type C Power Delivery PD Wall Charger 87W(Compatible 61W, 45W, 30W and 12W) for MacBook Pro Air 2018, HP, Dell, Lenovo and Any Laptops or Smart Phones with USB C
pass thru worked great charging controller while charging two batteries...

 

[JoeydDetroit]

I bought 2 batteries. I wis

Hi All,

I just received the email to say my Skydio 2 order was ready to be completed. I have searched the forum but wanted to ask some additional questions to clarify the charger situation.

As has already been pointed out, the Skydio 2 OEM Dual Charger is pretty expensive. I've seen posted that it's not even an actual charger, but just a battery holder with contacts? At the time of writing this thread, it costs $149 (discounted by $20 if ordered with the drone).

It's hard to stomach spending that much money if it's not necessary.

Also, I'm presuming that means you should be able to buy a 3rd party charger from Amazon, as long as it is rated at the correct wattage (90W?) and has a USB C connector. If this is correct, you should be able to plug it directly into the battery with no issues, but I'm not 100% certain.

So, that being said:

* Can you safely charge the Skydio 2 batteries using a third-party option from Amazon - (I think you need one that is 90W)? I saw a few posts with links like this: Amazon.com: Feirsh 87W USB-C Power Adapter, 90W Type C AC Laptop Charger Cord Replacement for MacBook Pro,HP,Dell,Lenovo and Other USB C Laptops Pads or Phones: Electronics​

​

* Can anyone tell us how quickly you can charge two Skydio batteries using the official charger, versus the time it takes using a 3rd party charger rated at 90W you may have bought?​

​

* If you use a 3rd party battery charger, does anyone know if it will invalidate your warranty?​

​

* Are their 3rd party dual chargers so you can charge two batteries at the same time, or do you need to buy two separate chargers?​

​

* Does the battery itself have indicator lights on it, so you know when it's fully charged if you don't use the official dual charger?​

​

* Lastly, someone on here also mentioned that " the SD charger occasionally gets firmware updates tells me there's a lot more going on there than just providing current to the battery." - so what would that be? If it's just a battery holder, what could it possibly be doing that needed a firmware update that I guess you wouldn't get with a 3rd party option? And if that is true, I presume it would be updating something in the battery? Would you get that update by having the battery connected to the drone and just charging that way from time to time?​

​

I've asked a lot of questions, but I figured it might be helpful to aggregate information about the charging situation on one thread.​

​

Cheers,​

ST​

​

​

​

​

I bought 2 batteries, the beacon & controller. I wish I would have bought the dual charger. Yes it does require the wall wart that comes with the drone so I can see you thinking it's just a passthrough device, which doesn't really matter when I get back from using the drone I have 1 charger to recharge both batteries and the controller 1 at a time and I have to use the drone as a passthrough device to charge each of the batteries. (I take the 128G uSD chip and read the video off of it using a 3rd party device.)

I don't think you can use just any battery charger off of amazon because it has a row of contacts that the charger would have to be made specifically to mate with.

 

[JoeydDetroit]

Expensive is relative. If people don't see value in an item, they will think it's expensive. Skydio does allow you to charge through the drone, which I'd imagine should be OK. Though you are sending current through the drone to charge the battery - and who knows what may happen with a power surge or just in general constantly pushing current through the drone.

If you don't see charging the battery through the drone as a risk, then you don't need the dual charger and won't see value in it - no matter what the price.

If you think there's risk involved - such as your Skydio 2 circuits getting fried or something else, then you may see value in paying the asking price for the dual charger. It is also very convenient.

There may be other hacks you may find to charge the battery, but is it worth risking battery life or failure just to save some money?

Fwiw, I think enough people see value in it based on Skydio being out of stock for quite sometime. Good luck!

I actually never thought of a risk to the drone. But I do wish I had the dual charger bc I have 2 batteries and a controller to charge every time to come back from flying it and being able to charge both batteries at once would be awesome. I regret not thinking of it when I ordered the Drone.

 

[skytwo]

I actually never thought of a risk to the drone. But I do wish I had the dual charger bc I have 2 batteries and a controller to charge every time to come back from flying it and being able to charge both batteries at once would be awesome. I regret not thinking of it when I ordered the Drone.

The dual chargers are finally back in stock

 

[Flying Buffalo]

Is there a car charger available? just ordered my 2+

 

[Saladshooter]

Is there a car charger available? just ordered my 2+

The dual charger is versatile.... it connects by usb-c so you just need to find any adapter that will connect it to your vehicle. No need for another charger.

 

[MikeA]

The dual charger is $149 and doesn't even include the 90W wall plug required for fast charging. I know some things are pricey but that is just gouging it seems. Every other tech company on earth can manage to figure out a ~$50 charging solution and still make a huge profit.

 

[Saladshooter]

The dual charger is $149 and doesn't even include the 90W wall plug required for fast charging. I know some things are pricey but that is just gouging it seems. Every other tech company on earth can manage to figure out a ~$50 charging solution and still make a huge profit.

Its way too expensive, but works better than all of my other drone chargers. I paid $16 for a 95W charging block for it on Amazon. Charging in dual mode it gets the batteries back up and running very quickly.