Can I leave my P3 charging hub plugged in?

[Chrislaf]

I purchased the OEM DJI P3 charging hub after being disappointed with a non OEM hub. Can I leave it plugged in without any batteries in it? The contacts are protected by spring-loaded covers so they are not exposed. Leaving it plugged in would reduce the wear and tear on the power port. This was the problem with the non OEM charger - after a few uses the power adapter would just fall out immediately or mid charging cycle.

Chris

 

[Phill2]

Transformers don't like being powered up with nothing connected.
I personally wouldn't do it just in case.

 

[Chrislaf]

Transformers don't like being powered up with nothing connected.
I personally wouldn't do it just in case.

Thanks for your reply. I was thinking that too. It doesn’t say anywhere in the documentation that came with it about leaving it plugged in.

Having had a Spinido 3 port battery dock (and a replacement), have the DJI power connector fall out after a few uses, I am worried the same thing will happen to the DJI charging hub.

For now I’ll keep unplugging it and hope the same thing doesn’t happen.

Chris

 

[alokbhargava]

Nothing bad will usually happen if you leave your hub connected. If you are worried about power points, get an extension cord and unplug that when not needed, this way you don't need to make any disconnects on the hub.

 

[Brother Dave]

Or you could get a switchable power strip and just turn it off when not in use.

 

[Monte55]

Transformers don't like being powered up with nothing connected.
I personally wouldn't do it just in case.

Can you explain your statement?

 

[Chrislaf]

Or you could get a switchable power strip and just turn it off when not in use.

I do have a switchable power strip but it has other things plugged in like my Spark charger and others. Don’t really want to add another strip.

 

[Phill2]

Can you explain your statement?

Transformers tend to get hot if not connected to anything.

 

[stuka75]

Actually chargers only get warm when they are charging. Laptop chargers are a good example.

 

[Monte55]

Transformers tend to get hot if not connected to anything.

What about the millions of doorbell transformers that work for many years not being used but a few times in a day maybe. The primary windings draw less power if there is no load on secondary.

 

[Phill2]

What about the millions of doorbell transformers that work for many years not being used but a few times in a day maybe. The primary windings draw less power if there is no load on secondary.

It's what I was taught many years ago as an apprentice electrician and have stuck by it.
I think unplugging is better than taking the risk but it's your decision.

 

[Monte55]

It's what I was taught many years ago as an apprentice electrician and have stuck by it.
I think unplugging is better than taking the risk but it's your decision.

Well, obviously the transformer will still consume power even with no load on secondary and that power will generate some heat. It will consume more power and get warmer depending on the load. It's an EMF and counter EMF thing. To leave it plugged in when not using is silly to me. Especially with so much junk import stuff being made today.

 

[Chrislaf]

Thanks for all the replies.

I leave both my P3 charger and the Spark charger (for the Charging station) plugged in all the time, just like my laptop charger. From what I understand the charging hub just distributes the power it gets from the charger evenly and when there are no batteries on it the only thing drawing power is the LED lights. So leaving it plugged in shouldn't draw much more power and shouldn't cause any wear and tear on the circuit board inside it. I might try leaving it plugged in and see if there are any noticeable changes in the temperature of the hub when the batteries are not on it.

Chris