Will a DJI charger work correctly with a conventional generator, or do I need a DC inverter?

[pho383440]

I own a DJI Phantom 3 Advanced with three intelligent flight batteries which I always have charged at home with 120 volts to this point. I will be going to a remote cabin sometime this summer that only has a conventional generator and a couple of deep cycle batteries that are used as an alternative power source. My question is will the DJI standard and 60 Minute Chargers run correctly on the power from a conventional 4000 Watt generator? Or do I need to purchase an inverter to run off the deep cycle batteries? If so what would be minimum size converter be that I can get by with? Also would I need a pure sinewave inverter or could I get buy with a modified sinewave?

 

[Erised]

It will run fine on the 4000w generator (over 1000w are often pure sin wave) , it will take the same amount of time as when you charge at home. The chargers work on modified sin wave power supply, but the charger will run hotter.

 

[pho383440]

It will run fine on the 4000w generator (over 1000w are often pure sin wave)

Its likely not a pure sine generator. Its one of the no-name cheapie $400 Chinese products. So that said should the chargers still charge correctly with no damage?

 

[Erised]

I have used a modified sin wave in the past and all charged well. As I mentioned the chargers (any charger) will run hotter because it is getting full voltage all the time unlike sin wave witch is a gradual climb to full voltage. Many other pilots have use modified power supplies and I did not see of any blowing the dji charger. Pure is better but modified works since the charger is not that a sensitive device. Your batteries will control the rest.

 

[sar104]

Its likely not a pure sine generator. Its one of the no-name cheapie $400 Chinese products. So that said should the chargers still charge correctly with no damage?

The charging circuits use switched-mode power supplies. Some of those work well enough with messy input waveforms, while some do not. Perhaps someone who has used non-sine-wave generators can comment - I've only used them with a pure sine wave output.

 

[Erised]

Like sar104 says, if the wave is real messy in a cheapo generator your charger may not work at all or may or may get toasted. So far I have not seen any blow ups. If you plan on traveling more, I would consider a pure sine wave inverter, I got one for my motorhome last year, 2000 watts and they run well and are about 85% efficient and are not cheap.

 

[Erised]

If your friends are charging their laptops and phones and running a sound system or TV with the generator I would not worry about it.
Here is a small one to use from the batteries that would be enough. I don't have one but goggled it. It also would be good to charge toys in your car on the go.
Amazon.com: BESTEK 300W Power Inverter DC 12V to AC 110V Pure Sine Wave Inverter with 4.2A Dual Smart USB Ports Car Adapter: Patio, Lawn & Garden

 

[aburkefl]

Like sar104 says, if the wave is real messy in a cheapo generator your charger may not work at all or may or may get toasted. So far I have not seen any blow ups. If you plan on traveling more, I would consider a pure sine wave inverter, I got one for my motorhome last year, 2000 watts and they run well and are about 85% efficient and are not cheap.

I agree. I have a pair of those Honda EU2000i inverter/generators. Awesome and incredibly quiet. Used to use them for an RN in the sticks. Now mostly use them for tailgating at the Gator football games - power TV, satellite receiver, etc.

Yeah, they are not cheap! I bought mine for about $1,000 each 10 years ago and they're still selling for about the same price. On a low current draw (like a TV, satellite receiver and a box fan) it will run about 8 or 9 hours on a gallon of gas.

I had some experience running things in my RV, including some ham radio stuff, on a cheapo generator. Even the digital clock in the camper didn't like the power wave output. But the Honda generator/inverter delivers a superlative, clean power output. It might be overkill, but if I had to go out - way out - in the field, I would take my EU2000i to run the battery charging.

I really wanted even more power. What I really wanted was a 3,000 watt model, but it didn't have wheels and was far too heavy for me to carry (or even for my wife to help me). By contrast, the EU2000i weighs less than 50 pounds. Often, even my wife can carry one of them - but not very far - LOL

Art - N4PJ
Leesburg, FL

 

[sar104]

I agree. I have a pair of those Honda EU2000i inverter/generators. Awesome and incredibly quiet. Used to use them for an RN in the sticks. Now mostly use them for tailgating at the Gator football games - power TV, satellite receiver, etc.

Yeah, they are not cheap! I bought mine for about $1,000 each 10 years ago and they're still selling for about the same price. On a low current draw (like a TV, satellite receiver and a box fan) it will run about 8 or 9 hours on a gallon of gas.

I had some experience running things in my RV, including some ham radio stuff, on a cheapo generator. Even the digital clock in the camper didn't like the power wave output. But the Honda generator/inverter delivers a superlative, clean power output. It might be overkill, but if I had to go out - way out - in the field, I would take my EU2000i to run the battery charging.

I really wanted even more power. What I really wanted was a 3,000 watt model, but it didn't have wheels and was far too heavy for me to carry (or even for my wife to help me). By contrast, the EU2000i weighs less than 50 pounds. Often, even my wife can carry one of them - but not very far - LOL

Art - N4PJ
Leesburg, FL

That's good advice - I have the Yamaha equivalent and I've used the Honda version too. They are a slightly pricey but perfect solution for charging or running electronic equipment. I get around 10 hours running multiple mobile radio transceivers, laptops and a laser printer (intermittently).