Modern jump starters/power packs...wow!!

[Iain C]

My "other" hobby is Land Rovers, and whilst attending the 70th anniversary celebrations of the marque at Gaydon last weekend, my alternator died meaning I needed a jump start to get home. In fairness, if there's one place to break down in a Land Rover, it's at a Land Rover event, and there was no shortage of help on hand. Firstly we tried jumping my old 110 off another vehicle...no joy...then someone turned up with what looked like an iPad with two flimsy leads hanging out of it. To my utter amazement it immediately started the 110 and off we went.

Basically, in the last few years the technology of these things has advanced hugely, and some of these items are now truly tiny, with huge capability. When I got home I immediately went online and ordered one...although I've gone for large capacity rather than small size. The jump pack I bought will apparently start a diesel engine up to 6 litres in capacity up to 40 times off a 4 hour charge, amazing for something about the size of small hard back book. It's got USB ports for charging phones, 12v socket for running fridges or dinghy pumps, and a built in torch and strobe light. Needless to say this will be coming with me on every sailing trip, just a really reassuring thing to have in the case of electrical or battery failure.

I have no commercial connection with the product...just thought people might like to know about them if they were not already aware.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07C7T4LBT/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[CLB]

Had something similar for a few years. It's like magic to see something so small start a four cylinder diesel. Mine has also started a v8 petrol.

 

[doug748]

Good stuff Iain.

I have fairly small battery capacity on the boat and was thinking I might take one of these to supplement things on longer legs. I think you can get 40 amps fairly easily. So electricity gurus, would that be a plan? Can you flatten them right down and then recharge at your leisure?

£70 or £100 would be a small price not to have to start the engine in the middle of the night, or for that matter not to fit more wet battery capacity that would be seldom needed.

 

[Richard10002]

I am wondering why we don't have one of these, rather than our normal bulky lead acid batteries for starting. Presumably they could as easily be charged from the alternator or mains/solar charging facility as a lead acid?

We also seem to be hung up on lots of Amp Hours for starters, but 20Ah is obviously plenty.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

My "other" hobby is Land Rovers, and whilst attending the 70th anniversary celebrations of the marque at Gaydon last weekend, my alternator died meaning I needed a jump start to get home. In fairness, if there's one place to break down in a Land Rover, it's at a Land Rover event, and there was no shortage of help on hand. Firstly we tried jumping my old 110 off another vehicle...no joy...then someone turned up with what looked like an iPad with two flimsy leads hanging out of it. To my utter amazement it immediately started the 110 and off we went.

Basically, in the last few years the technology of these things has advanced hugely, and some of these items are now truly tiny, with huge capability. When I got home I immediately went online and ordered one...although I've gone for large capacity rather than small size. The jump pack I bought will apparently start a diesel engine up to 6 litres in capacity up to 40 times off a 4 hour charge, amazing for something about the size of small hard back book. It's got USB ports for charging phones, 12v socket for running fridges or dinghy pumps, and a built in torch and strobe light. Needless to say this will be coming with me on every sailing trip, just a really reassuring thing to have in the case of electrical or battery failure.

I have no commercial connection with the product...just thought people might like to know about them if they were not already aware.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07C7T4LBT/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Wow, you could use a couple of those as a leccy land! Gotta be better than burning diesel.


Thing I don't get about landys is the monicker "bonnet up club" as far as I can see all procedures start with taking the bonnet off, even changing a wheel!

 

[Bouba]

Wow, you could use a couple of those as a leccy land! Gotta be better than burning diesel.


Thing I don't get about landys is the monicker "bonnet up club" as far as I can see all procedures start with taking the bonnet off, even changing a wheel!

My favourite is ‘I’d rather push a Landy than drive a Land Cruiser’
Ps I also have one of those battery packs. Luckily it’s mostly used for charging iPhones

 

[Iain C]

Wow, you could use a couple of those as a leccy land! Gotta be better than burning diesel.


Thing I don't get about landys is the monicker "bonnet up club" as far as I can see all procedures start with taking the bonnet off, even changing a wheel!

Ah...we already have a leccy Landy...built from scratch and based on a dead mobility scooter...just need to finish the last few details and paint it.

 

[lw395]

I think these things are great, but maybe not for the kind of very occasional use I'd want?
I seem to have a few Li-Ion batteries which have got weak due to neglect.
Those I use often are lasting well.

 

[Iain C]

In the instructions it says you only need to charge every 3 months or so. Once a quarter...I reckon even I can manage that!

 

[ghostlymoron]

How does it get so many amps through such titchy leads? Seems to defy physics.

 

[MikeBz]

Starter batteries are way over-specced in terms of Ah rating.... as long as you don't have an engine which is troublesome to start. 200A for 5 seconds (which is a slow start for most engines) is only 0.28Ah. I have a car with a 1.7 litre engine & 13Ah battery which is more than ample.

For house batteries on the other hand Ah is everything. Some boaters are using a small Lithium battery for engine start, and some are using Lithium house batteries - not cheap but you only need half the capacity (because you can virtually fully discharge them without damage) and they take up a lot less space. Need to be careful with the charging regime not to destroy them though.

 

[Yngmar]

How does it get so many amps through such titchy leads? Seems to defy physics.

By not sizing them for a long term load. They probably do get quite warm, but starting an engine tends to take only a very brief time, even if repeated there will be pauses so the cable can dissipate the heat. The leads are short so voltage drop isn't an issue, and there seems to be a thermal protection circuit in the connector on the OP's model.

 

[fergie_mac66]

when ar we going to see boats on fire started by amisscharged lithium bat

 

[chrishelen]

A guy started his 4x4 off my car using a thin wire plugged into my ciggy lighter. I said it would burn the wire, but it worked fine.

 

[MikeBz]

when ar we going to see boats on fire started by amisscharged lithium bat

When people start using the wrong sort of Lithium batteries on their boats... There are many kinds, not all spontaneously combust. Mind you with 'phones, tablets and batteries we're probably there already.

 

[Porthandbuoy]

Should give an hour's running, or more, for a Bison trolling motor. And a damn sight easier to lower into the dinghy than a 20ah lead/acid battery.