Charging the range extender

[slothead]

I know there was a short thread on this topic before, but I can't find it in numerous searches! The first time (and maybe the second time) I charged my range extender it worked just as prescribed... Solid yellow while charging, solid green when (supposedly) fully charged... And it always showed the 100% on the vision app after charging to the green light. Now it still shows the yellow LED while it is charging, but it seems to charge "forever!" I charged it for at least 4 hours yesterday waiting for the green light. Today, wanting to resolve the issue, I turned everything on just to see what the Vision App said about its state of charge and it reported 100%. So I plugged the charger in again and it is still showing the yellow light... And I've had it on for 20 - 30 minutes now with no green!

So I was reminded of the poster a few months back that said his extender would not charge subsequent to its first charge, and I am wondering if this is what he meant. It's not a big deal, since the charge in the extender seems to last a long long time, but it is still bothersome (and may be indicative to a future failure) that it doesn't work as claimed. I really don't want to overcharge it.

So does anyone know how long the extender should take to charge? I seem to recall that the first time I charged it it took no more than a couple hours, but it may have been partially charged already.

 

[CYeutter]

I charge mine after every flight. It always hits green in less than an hour.

 

[CYeutter]

I charge mine after every flight. It always hits green in less than an hour.

 

[Questa]

I just recharged mine last night it took about 2.5 hours and it was at 10% when I started

 

[justin00]

Mines 2-3 hrs.. didnt really time it.

Whats the other end on ypur usb connected to??
A PC or wall socket? Pc will take aggges (same if you charge a phone) and will socket is heaps quicker.

 

[slothead]

Mines 2-3 hrs.. didnt really time it.

Whats the other end on ypur usb connected to??
A PC or wall socket? Pc will take aggges (same if you charge a phone) and will socket is heaps quicker.

Good question Justin. I've been using a Motorola cell phone wall wart. I know that the extender is charged since it is reporting 100% through the Vision App, so honestly I think the extender is malfunctioning somehow.

 

[timtown]

I doubt I'm going to be any help here considering the problems I've experienced plus not knowing anything about the RE circuit and/or battery. Having just bagged my 2nd Phantom due to wi-fi communication problems, I'm leery of the behavior when charging. I always charge from the wall using an Apple 12W power block. I can turn on the RE for 10 min and it will take more than 50 min for the yellow light to disappear. If possible, I would take the RE apart and try to determine the battery type and if removable. If you can, I would measure the voltage and current drain by using a Fluke instrument. Some batteries will reach a plateau and will not yield power under the same load after many charges. Perhaps DJI Tech can tell you more, if not sell you a replacement.

Have you tried draining the RE battery completely, and then recharge it?

Wish you luck. Luck certainly hasn't been on my side since I have yet to receive a plane that works reliably, nor has been flown.

 

[Panamon Creel]

The RE uses a single cell 3.7V 2000mAh LiPo battery

 

[Dirty Bird]

I charge my extender & batteries after every flight session. I usually fly off all four of my batteries down to 10-12%, and the Extender is generally down to around 65-70% at the end of the session. My extender typically takes about an hour to charge back to full from that point using a 1000 Mah wall charger. Hard to say if your issue is with the battery, the charger, or the charging circuit? Does the extender even have a charging circuit or some sort of charge-limiting circuitry, or does the light turn green when a specific battery voltage is achieved?

How powerful of a charger have you been using to charge your extender battery?

 

[Panamon Creel]

Most certainly the RE has a charge circuit, it's a LiPo in there and they are sensitive to overcharging or overdischarging and can become a fire hazard if the charge is not controlled.

 

[denofr]

You might want to try taking it all the way down then recharging it. Just leave it on overnight.

 

[slothead]

I charge my extender & batteries after every flight session. I usually fly off all four of my batteries down to 10-12%, and the Extender is generally down to around 65-70% at the end of the session. My extender typically takes about an hour to charge back to full from that point using a 1000 Mah wall charger. Hard to say if your issue is with the battery, the charger, or the charging circuit? Does the extender even have a charging circuit or some sort of charge-limiting circuitry, or does the light turn green when a specific battery voltage is achieved?

How powerful of a charger have you been using to charge your extender battery?

That's an excellent question DB. I'll have to look at the OEM charger and make sure that if I'm not using that (and I didn't most recently), that it at least has the same specs. Thanks for bringing this up.

 

[kennca]

The wifi extender battery charging does seem to be the weakest part of the system. Has anyone figured out how to power the wifi extender from the transmitter batteries? The transmitter batteries hold up just fine and have a total of 6 volts in series. The USB cable now provides 5 volts. You could use a 5.1 volt zener diode with a current limiting resister to provide that 5 volts from the transmitter batteries. Let's hear from some of the EEs on this forum!
kennca

 

[Michigan_PI]

I just noticed my R/E at 10% after a flight this evening. I expect it will be charged by morning before i go to work. Mine takes a long time to charge and I usually run it overnight. From 10% I almost expect to see yellow in the morning.