Rick, I purchased the Power 500 this week and used it on Saturday to charge my Air 3 batteries using the SDC port. Having the ability to fast charge drone batteries in 30 minutes is a game changer. I also like that it slows down the import charge at 95 percent and slowly gets it up to 100 percent. I am sure that it helps prolong the battery life. For the first time, I was able to stay up flying without fear of running out of usable batteries. (I have 4 Air 3 batteries) I was filming the sunrise and during ND filter changes, I would change the filter and also pop in a new battery, so that I could stay up longer with that ND filter on. I would put the removed battery on the SDC port and top it off. Also, having so many different charging ports options is great. During a break, I plugged my controller, strobe light and cell phone. The Power 500 is perfect for providing sufficient power for a day of flying.
I agree that it’s a game changer and lets me extend the flying day by quite a bit. The 500 is perfectly portable and packs a ton of power. The SDC port makes all the difference for charging the Mavic and Air 3.
I was still a bit confused as to the advantage of the SDC port as I know the USB-C PD port also has varying levels of voltage and amps. In looking at the specs I noticed the USB-C PD voltages occur in steps depending on the PD version from 5v/2A all the way to 48v/3.75-5.9A. Whereas the SDC port can produce continuously variable voltage from 9-27v at 240W (max). So unless a device requires exactly one of the stepped voltage levels form a USB-C PD, a double conversion process would have to be made resulting in some loss of efficiency. For example, the Mavic 3 battery requires a charging voltage from 15.4v to 17.6v. With the USB-C PD connection the 20v (Profile 4) stepped voltage would be used and the Mavic battery circuitry would step this voltage down to the charging range (15.4v to 17.6v) resulting in some loss of charging efficiency (probably very minor) . Whereas with the SDC port there would only be one voltage conversion, the internal battery bank to the requested voltage by device being charged. The other advantage the SDC port has is it can provide a much higher level of wattage output than UBS-C PD can.
Mark thanks for the post. The USB-C port is the most powerful "standard" port on the unit and is limited to 100W (20V X 5A) and can only provide stepped voltage changes. It's great for most devices but a little crude for charging drone batteries that require a little more control. The SDC port on the other hand can provide up to 240W, which means that it's moving more electrons into the battery, more quickly that results in a faster and safer charge. The new USB-C standard does provide for 240W charging but is only available on a limited number of devices at this point and hasn't been adapted by many device vendors. Even still, the drone batteries will still be on the older standard and limited to 100W max. I hope that helps.
Thanks so much for the post and the kind words. I love tech and hope that discussing it on the channel helps others understand the gear. Stay tuned for more this week.
Can you use both SDC ports to charge 2 Mavic 3 batteries at the same time if you had 2 of the adapters? Looking at the specs and both the SDC and SDC Lite ports appear to have the same input/output voltage. So I wonder if you can output max charging speed to two batteries at the same time or not? (confused why it's called "Lite" unless the limitation is that you cannot output max speed from both ports at once)
It sounds like a great piece of tech. I'm being honest I've been looking at the 4patriots one they have, but I don't know if it's stronger than this DJI one. I do know it's a lot more expensive than the DJI. What do you think. Which of the two would you recommend Rick. Thanks for sharing.👍👍👍
Thanks for the post and the 4patriots line of Power Stations is a bit of a gimmick. They don't actually produce them, they just use generic Power Stations and brand them. The DJI 500 and 1000 are built completely by DJI and if you're flying a drone either one of them would work well for you. The addition of the SDC port allows you to charge the Mavic 3 and Air 3 batteries in less than an hour and I think they are both the best of the bunch right now for drone fliers.
Hi Rick, I bought the 1000 power station and car charger a couple weeks ago, pretty happy with it. I wonder if DJI is working on making this power station expandable by using one of the SDC ports as an output to an input to an expansion battery? Just a thought.
I was referring to a typical DC to DC converter that has a fixed input and output voltage that is more of a "brute force" conversion. This SDC port on the DJI Power 500 and Power 1000 is more nuanced and can adjust the output voltage through software and interacts with the various external connections to provide just the right amount of DC at a much higher current. Unlike a traditional Dc to DC converter that is fixed, this SDC port is adjustable.
Nope, not yet at least but I do expect that DJI will be releasing more adapters for the SDC port over time. I'm hoping the Mavic 4 Pro is next. Stay tuned.
I’m not sure but I have my fingers crossed. I’ll ask the folks at DJI to see if they have plans. I think it makes sense since the Mini 4 Pro is so popular. In the meantime, the USB-C port does a great job since it’s PD.
Finally the SDC wire for Mavic 3 was available and DJI emailed me. What a Rip-Off….$19 for the wire and $10 for shipping=$30 Friggen dollars for the stupid little SDC wire. POO
That's the challenge with custom products with low production runs. They tend to be expensive but you have to remember that it's more than a wire. The base has a controller in it that negotiates with the Power 1000 and controls the charging. Besides, you're flying a $1500 drone, $30 should not bother you to be able to recharge the batteries in about 30 minutes. That extra air time is well worth it.
Rick, I purchased the Power 500 this week and used it on Saturday to charge my Air 3 batteries using the SDC port. Having the ability to fast charge drone batteries in 30 minutes is a game changer. I also like that it slows down the import charge at 95 percent and slowly gets it up to 100 percent. I am sure that it helps prolong the battery life. For the first time, I was able to stay up flying without fear of running out of usable batteries. (I have 4 Air 3 batteries) I was filming the sunrise and during ND filter changes, I would change the filter and also pop in a new battery, so that I could stay up longer with that ND filter on. I would put the removed battery on the SDC port and top it off. Also, having so many different charging ports options is great. During a break, I plugged my controller, strobe light and cell phone. The Power 500 is perfect for providing sufficient power for a day of flying.
I agree that it’s a game changer and lets me extend the flying day by quite a bit. The 500 is perfectly portable and packs a ton of power. The SDC port makes all the difference for charging the Mavic and Air 3.
Can we connect external 6s battery to sdc with out any adapters?
I was still a bit confused as to the advantage of the SDC port as I know the USB-C PD port also has varying levels of voltage and amps. In looking at the specs I noticed the USB-C PD voltages occur in steps depending on the PD version from 5v/2A all the way to 48v/3.75-5.9A. Whereas the SDC port can produce continuously variable voltage from 9-27v at 240W (max). So unless a device requires exactly one of the stepped voltage levels form a USB-C PD, a double conversion process would have to be made resulting in some loss of efficiency. For example, the Mavic 3 battery requires a charging voltage from 15.4v to 17.6v. With the USB-C PD connection the 20v (Profile 4) stepped voltage would be used and the Mavic battery circuitry would step this voltage down to the charging range (15.4v to 17.6v) resulting in some loss of charging efficiency (probably very minor) . Whereas with the SDC port there would only be one voltage conversion, the internal battery bank to the requested voltage by device being charged. The other advantage the SDC port has is it can provide a much higher level of wattage output than UBS-C PD can.
Mark thanks for the post. The USB-C port is the most powerful "standard" port on the unit and is limited to 100W (20V X 5A) and can only provide stepped voltage changes. It's great for most devices but a little crude for charging drone batteries that require a little more control. The SDC port on the other hand can provide up to 240W, which means that it's moving more electrons into the battery, more quickly that results in a faster and safer charge. The new USB-C standard does provide for 240W charging but is only available on a limited number of devices at this point and hasn't been adapted by many device vendors. Even still, the drone batteries will still be on the older standard and limited to 100W max. I hope that helps.
Rick,you said that perfectly,😁🤠😎🇺🇸🤗.you are a great engineer!!😊
Thanks so much for the post and the kind words. I love tech and hope that discussing it on the channel helps others understand the gear. Stay tuned for more this week.
Can you use both SDC ports to charge 2 Mavic 3 batteries at the same time if you had 2 of the adapters? Looking at the specs and both the SDC and SDC Lite ports appear to have the same input/output voltage. So I wonder if you can output max charging speed to two batteries at the same time or not? (confused why it's called "Lite" unless the limitation is that you cannot output max speed from both ports at once)
It sounds like a great piece of tech. I'm being honest I've been looking at the 4patriots one they have, but I don't know if it's stronger than this DJI one. I do know it's a lot more expensive than the DJI. What do you think. Which of the two would you recommend Rick.
Thanks for sharing.👍👍👍
Thanks for the post and the 4patriots line of Power Stations is a bit of a gimmick. They don't actually produce them, they just use generic Power Stations and brand them. The DJI 500 and 1000 are built completely by DJI and if you're flying a drone either one of them would work well for you. The addition of the SDC port allows you to charge the Mavic 3 and Air 3 batteries in less than an hour and I think they are both the best of the bunch right now for drone fliers.
@@Dronevalley Thanks Rick. I have the Air 2 and air 2 S drones.
Hi Rick, I bought the 1000 power station and car charger a couple weeks ago, pretty happy with it. I wonder if DJI is working on making this power station expandable by using one of the SDC ports as an output to an input to an expansion battery? Just a thought.
Adjusting voltage is essentially the function of a DC-DC converter, so stating that DC-DC conversion isn't involved is incorrect.
I was referring to a typical DC to DC converter that has a fixed input and output voltage that is more of a "brute force" conversion. This SDC port on the DJI Power 500 and Power 1000 is more nuanced and can adjust the output voltage through software and interacts with the various external connections to provide just the right amount of DC at a much higher current. Unlike a traditional Dc to DC converter that is fixed, this SDC port is adjustable.
Is there a way to draw more current than 10 amp via the SDC port for amateur radio enthusiasts? We need up to 30 amps.
Nope, not yet at least but I do expect that DJI will be releasing more adapters for the SDC port over time. I'm hoping the Mavic 4 Pro is next. Stay tuned.
Great info than you
Any idea when DJI will release an SDC cable for the Mini 4 Pro?
I’m not sure but I have my fingers crossed. I’ll ask the folks at DJI to see if they have plans. I think it makes sense since the Mini 4 Pro is so popular. In the meantime, the USB-C port does a great job since it’s PD.
My wish list is a portable power station that can fast charge an EV
Finally the SDC wire for Mavic 3 was available and DJI emailed me. What a Rip-Off….$19 for the wire and $10 for shipping=$30 Friggen dollars for the stupid little SDC wire. POO
That's the challenge with custom products with low production runs. They tend to be expensive but you have to remember that it's more than a wire. The base has a controller in it that negotiates with the Power 1000 and controls the charging. Besides, you're flying a $1500 drone, $30 should not bother you to be able to recharge the batteries in about 30 minutes. That extra air time is well worth it.