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DJI is well-known for their excellent lineup of drones, videography gimbals and actions cams etc, but all these devices have one thing in common. They are all powered by batteries.
And that’s where the DJI Power 2000 comes in, letting you charge your DJI drone (amongst other devices) while out in the field. It’s not the first from the company, but is it the best portable power station for drone operators? I put it to the test.
FEATURES AT A GLANCE
2048Wh capacity from LiFePO4 batteries
3000W continuous output
4 x AC sockets, 4 x USB-A and 4 x USB-C
0-80% charge in 45minutes
Multiple methods of charging
Fast 10ms response UPS
For drone operators, 30 minutes of flight can equal hours of charging unless they were to buy several expensive, propriety batteries which only have one use, drone power.
DJI may now have the answer for drone operators who not only want to fast charge their drone batteries but other things as well with added flexibility.
Not wanting to miss out on the action, about a year ago DJI brought out their Power 1000 Station. Now they have released the Power 2000 increasing everything for those who need more which we are reviewing with some accessories.
DJI Power 2000: Packaging
The power station and its accessories were all packaged individually in non-descript, plain cardboard boxes with only simple outlines of the products and what they were printed on the box. No fancy glossy or satin box with listed features, photos, pictures or illustrations.
Removing the Power 2000 from the box, we were given only the quick start guide, certificate of conformity and AC power cable, no other accessories were provided.
DJI Power 2000: The power station
Once out of the box, the Power 2000 measures 448 × 225 × 324mm or 17.6 x 8.9 x 12.7 inches (L x W x H) and weighing in at 22kg (or 48.5lbs).
The Power 2000 has two large, grippy handles on the top to facilitate portability
All the sockets, plugs, ports etc are at the front of the Power 2000 as is the status screen. The sides and back are bereft of anything much save for some threaded holes which we will come back to later.
At the front of this UK model are the following sockets/plugs:
4 x UK Type G sockets outputting 230V at 50Hz AC pure sine wave
4 x USB-C sockets, 2 x max. 140W and 2 x max 65W
4 x USB-A sockets, each able to output 24W
1 x AC charging socket
2 x SDC multi use sockets
And the status screen
DJI Power 2000: Charging
Switching on the Power 2000 the first time showed us a state of charge of 51%. We were pleased to see that the AC charging socket was an industry standard C13/14 connector.
But it was here that we stumbled on the first hurdle, the cable has screws on either side to prevent accidental disconnection, but the screws were too small, tool free thumb screws would have been better.
Next to the AC charge socket is a small switch that allows you to set it for fast or slow charge, on slow charge the Power 2000 was charging at 1300W and on fast nearly double that at 2200W.
The AC charging socket at the front wasn’t well received, having reviewed several power stations, they often segregated charge on the side or back and discharging sockets on the front.
Also, to the right of the AC socket is a mysterious multi pin socket, is not documented in any of the manuals or software, our assumption, it’s a terminal used by DJI for servicing.
Charging it using solar panels sent for this review, it was noted that this was a third-party panel made by “IBCPower”. Fortunately, the panel uses MC4 connectors. Using the provided MC4 to XT60 cable means that the panels can be used for other power stations.
Plugging in the panels into the Power 2000 is a nuisance. The panels plug into the provided DJI Solar panel adapter module (MPPT). A small adapter box with three XT60 sockets, this allows you to plug three panels to the Power 2000 via this box which is plugged into the Power 2000’s large SDC sockets to charge it.
With only one 200W panel on a moderately bright day, we were only seeing 180W input with already 89% charged, an estimated 92minutes to full charge. Charging from 0% to 100% using only one panel would likely take over 10 hours.
Mentioned before were the screw holes on the sides and back of the Power 2000. You can see that the MPPT box has screw holes through it and it is here that the MPPT box is screwed on to the side of the Power 2000 to secure it in place so you don’t lose it. Screws and a hex wrench are provided.
DJI Power 2000: In use
The status screen is your typical affair that shows all the useful information that you will need at glance such as state of charge, input and output wattage. Output voltage and AC Hz, USB as well as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connections.
Putting the Power 2000 through its paces, using it to power a variety of high draw household devices such as a rice cooker, mini-induction cooker, hair dryer, air fryer. The Power 2000 was able to power all of them separately and remained silent throughout.
Using the USB is about as ubiquitous as it is, it was able to charge a variety of phones, a Lenovo ThinkPad, MacBook Air laptops with ease.
The Power 2000 has a combined output power of 3000W continuous power.
A feature that stood out to us was the Uninterruptable Power Supply or UPS feature, whilst other power stations are capable of this, most advertise a 20 to 30ms response time or require setting up. The response time is the time the power station detects grid outage and switches over to battery.
The Power 2000 boasts a fast 10ms response time. UPS mode is automatically activated when the Power 2000 is plugged into mains, AC is on and power drawn.
We tested this by plugging in a typical home office setup, into the Power 2000 via multiplugs. The setup drew around 200W, we let the set up drain the Power 2000 for about two hours taking it from 89% to 61%.
We then switched the mains on to charge the Power 2000 back to 100%, you can see the UPS logo (small, orange battery with arrows under the “INPUT”) automatically activated and the Power 2000 began charging at 1360W in slow mode.
Once at 100%, we flicked the mains switch again whilst keeping an eye on the setup, not a flicker. The set up carried on as if there were no power outage, the Power 2000 drew power from the batteries and the UPS mode switched off.
One prominent feature that stands the Power 2000 different to other power stations is the inclusion of two SDC ports on the far upper right.
These are multi use sockets able to charge or discharge from the Power 2000 using DC power, the connectors are essentially QS10 sockets/connectors which are high current anti spark connections.
We were only able to use this to charge the Power 2000 via the afore mentioned MPPT solar adapter box.
The SDC connections would allow a user to plug in add on batteries to the Power 2000 or charge it faster using separately available cables and adapters capable of up to 1800W of input.
The other is to allow fast charging of DJI drone batteries using one of the appropriate adapter cables. It can charge a DJI Mavic 3 series battery from 10% to 95% in about 32minutes. The Mavic 3, Mavic 4, Air 3, Matrice 30, Matrice 4 and Inspire 3 drones, each cable costs £19 at time of review.
Also provided as part of this review is the DJI Power Series Hand Truck.
Essentially a hand trolley with a sculpted foot for the DJI Power Series batteries so that a power station such as the Power 2000 sits nicely at the base. The trolley supports a further two add on batteries to stack on top of the main one with a simple ratchet strap to batten them down.
Also, we mentioned the screws on the back of the Power 2000, these are for the middle handle retaining arm to screw into so that the Power 2000 has at least two points of anchorage to the trolley.
The trolley has 12cm heavy duty rubberised wheels, it can also be folded up for storage but the handle cannot be shortened or extended. The handle height is 98cm high.
DJI Power 2000: The app
This is one place we think that DJI could vastly improve upon and was one where we had some concerns.
Most brands of power stations such as Jackery or Bluettti have apps that go beyond just simply controlling the power station. They are the place where you access your profile/account for that brand as many have loyalty schemes. It is the app that allows you to access your power stations hidden features, settings to tweak to your liking, even if just once.
The competition, mentioned above, have well translated apps that are downloaded from your app shop of choice, here we used the Google Play Store.
On setting up the Power 2000, we searched the Google Play Store to get the DJI Home app and could not find it. It was then discovered that you have to manually download and install the APK file from the web, not exactly what we like doing as it isn’t as curated as it would be from the Play Store.
On firing it up, the first menu is a DJI Product Improvement Project that gives us the choice to disagree or “加入”? It was in Chinese but we were able to translate this as “Join In”. Not off to a good start.
Detecting the battery and setting up was straight forward but once in the app you can see the Power 2000, see where/what is drawing power, state of charge etc. There are limit options you can tweak.
DJI Power 2000: Pricing
Currently the Power 2000 is on retail in the UK DJI store for £1185
DJI Power 2000: Final verdict
The Power 2000 is a solid power station but needs some improvement here and there.
If you have already invested in one of DJIs above mentioned drones and are in the market for a power station, then the Power 2000 is the one for you. The SDC connectors allows you fast charging of your drone batteries will allow you to fly more for longer.
The UPS feature was among the fastest response and easiest to set up and its near silent operation means that it can happily work silently in your home office too.
However, it is let down by some poor decisions such as the AC charging socket at the front and the woeful app, both in getting it and it being a glorified status screen if anything.
For more power solutions, we’ve reviewed the best UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply).
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desire.athow@futurenet.com (Desire Athow)
