Battery Hub Charger Green/ Blue Indicator
- Thread starter RPM
- Start date
That's a great question, until you asked it I never bothered trying to figure it out myself and thought it was just for looks. Turns out when it is Blue the charger is in parallel charging mode meaning it will charge the lowest battery first then charge two batteries at a time until both are 100%. When it is green it is in Sequential charging mode which means it will start charging the battery with the highest level first then move to the next one.
From the sounds of it, Sequential charging will get you back in the air the fastest (but only for one battery), while Parallel charging will keep you in the air the longest (but will take longer to get in the air). This is another great option that DJI does not offer. DJI is always Sequential mode only.
Yes I hated that with the hub they offer. Even if your out remotely , you would have to wait for a decent charge. So I opted to get the energen portable Multi charger. That helped with charging 2 batteries simultaneously. I’m looking now for a multi charger for the Autel. Thanks for the clarification on this. I would watch, both options, and yes , when in the blue setup , it takes awhile longer for all to charge. I do take the hub with me when I’m out doing a few jobs during the soirée of the day. Need an alternative.
I would be very careful of those multi-chargers, they could burn your house down. LiPo batteries are very specific in how they are charged and they draw a lot of current while charging. Neither DJI nor Autel charge both batteries truly in parallel; what Autel does is charges two at a time but both only get half the charging power so it still takes a long time. Truly in parallel would mean both batteries get full charging power while charging.
Third party multi-charges may not properly charge the batteries or have incorrect balancing circuitry which will greatly shorten the life of your batteries or could overheat and start a fire. No matter what the cost, I always get the batteries and chargers from the equipment maker. I have 4 Autel batteries and I just put them on the charger the night before I plan to fly.
If you frequently find yourself short on battery life, I would either get more batteries or buy additional single chargers so that you can truly charge both at the same time. This ensures there is no heat build up from the chargers, the batteries are properly charged, and you get the speed you need.
A lot of knockoff vendors take shortcuts with their products to save on costs but what happens is your $200 batteries only last 6 months vs 2+ years and you void your warranty as well.
I have known photographers who try to save $30 by getting knockoff batteries for their $5000 cameras then end up with camera problems.
