Comments on: Finds: Simple Start Vehicle Battery Booster http://toolmonger.com/2006/12/13/finds-simple-start-vehicle-battery-booster/ All tools. All the time. Your source for news, information, and reviews of hand tools, power tools, and tools of all kinds. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:37:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Toolmonger » Blog Archive » Back In The Day: A Year Ago This Week On Toolmonger http://toolmonger.com/2006/12/13/finds-simple-start-vehicle-battery-booster/#comment-178439 Toolmonger » Blog Archive » Back In The Day: A Year Ago This Week On Toolmonger Wed, 12 Dec 2007 23:12:56 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2006/12/13/finds-simple-start-vehicle-battery-booster/#comment-178439 [...] Though pooh-poohed by most hard core toolies, low-buck battery boosters can still save your ass in wintertime. [...] [...] Though pooh-poohed by most hard core toolies, low-buck battery boosters can still save your ass in wintertime. [...]

]]> By: Myself http://toolmonger.com/2006/12/13/finds-simple-start-vehicle-battery-booster/#comment-8236 Myself Thu, 21 Dec 2006 14:40:56 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2006/12/13/finds-simple-start-vehicle-battery-booster/#comment-8236 The Coleman Powermate unit (from Radio Shack) that I took apart had a simple boost converter and, I believe, ten NiCd cells for a nominal 12 volt pack. The lighter socket was connected straight to the batteries, and you could run small items (cell phone chargers, principally) from it directly. When you plugged its lighter plug into a running car, it would charge from the nominal 13.8v system, with a simple "LED turns green" indicator to show when it was fully charged. I think it was measuring the current across a blocking diode to determine this. When you plugged it into a non-running car, the less-than-13-v incoming voltage wouldn't wake it up. You'd push a button, and a (charge-pump?) converter circuit would begin transferring charge from the internal batteries to the car's electrical system, flashing the LED as it went. When the flashes turn into a steady glow, it's given all it can give, and hopefully the car is ready to start. I wonder if anyone's ever made a car starter with zinc-air batteries, or some other long-shelf-life primary chemistry. Do not puncture bag until ready to use! :) The Coleman Powermate unit (from Radio Shack) that I took apart had a simple boost converter and, I believe, ten NiCd cells for a nominal 12 volt pack. The lighter socket was connected straight to the batteries, and you could run small items (cell phone chargers, principally) from it directly.

When you plugged its lighter plug into a running car, it would charge from the nominal 13.8v system, with a simple “LED turns green” indicator to show when it was fully charged. I think it was measuring the current across a blocking diode to determine this.

When you plugged it into a non-running car, the less-than-13-v incoming voltage wouldn’t wake it up. You’d push a button, and a (charge-pump?) converter circuit would begin transferring charge from the internal batteries to the car’s electrical system, flashing the LED as it went. When the flashes turn into a steady glow, it’s given all it can give, and hopefully the car is ready to start.

I wonder if anyone’s ever made a car starter with zinc-air batteries, or some other long-shelf-life primary chemistry. Do not puncture bag until ready to use! :)

]]> By: Roy Baker http://toolmonger.com/2006/12/13/finds-simple-start-vehicle-battery-booster/#comment-8173 Roy Baker Thu, 21 Dec 2006 01:34:48 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2006/12/13/finds-simple-start-vehicle-battery-booster/#comment-8173 This is an interesting concept. I am an electronic Engineer who understands battery systems. Unlike units that provide the Amps to start the car from the unit and must be connected directly to the battery, this unit has a booster built into it which will force ALL the energy from the three internal 6V 3 Ah batteries into the car's battery. This is why it takes a several minutes. I suspect It can only do this once. The unit can be charged from the cigarette lighter plug after the car starts as well as from AC. It is a clever way to provide a way to start a car from a small unit and from inside the car. It would not provide a solution for a car with a failed alternater as Rick described above This is an interesting concept. I am an electronic Engineer who understands battery systems. Unlike units that provide the Amps to start the car from the unit and must be connected directly to the battery, this unit has a booster built into it which will force ALL the energy from the three internal 6V 3 Ah batteries into the car’s battery. This is why it takes a several minutes. I suspect It can only do this once. The unit can be charged from the cigarette lighter plug after the car starts as well as from AC. It is a clever way to provide a way to start a car from a small unit and from inside the car. It would not provide a solution for a car with a failed alternater as Rick described above

]]> By: Rick http://toolmonger.com/2006/12/13/finds-simple-start-vehicle-battery-booster/#comment-7263 Rick Thu, 14 Dec 2006 15:49:04 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2006/12/13/finds-simple-start-vehicle-battery-booster/#comment-7263 Those larger jumpstarter packs saved my behind on more than one occasion. When my alternator went on my old '98 Chevy Malibu as I was driving home - I got stranded about 2 miles from home. Luckily my mother-in-law was driving by and gave me a ride home and then I had my father-in-law drive me back to the car with one of those packs. I started the car and drove all of 500 feet before it dies again.. (I basically drove the car 8 miles on just the battery because the alternator was toast). So what I did was I hooked up the pack to the terminals, started the car, and instead of disconnecting the pack and driving, I just lay the pack down on the engine, and closed the hood as far as it would go. I got all the way home and was even able to back the car into the garage. The next time was when my battery died in the bimmer. I was able to get around town for a day until I had a chance to go pick up a new one. - Rick Those larger jumpstarter packs saved my behind on more than one occasion.

When my alternator went on my old ‘98 Chevy Malibu as I was driving home - I got stranded about 2 miles from home. Luckily my mother-in-law was driving by and gave me a ride home and then I had my father-in-law drive me back to the car with one of those packs. I started the car and drove all of 500 feet before it dies again.. (I basically drove the car 8 miles on just the battery because the alternator was toast). So what I did was I hooked up the pack to the terminals, started the car, and instead of disconnecting the pack and driving, I just lay the pack down on the engine, and closed the hood as far as it would go. I got all the way home and was even able to back the car into the garage.

The next time was when my battery died in the bimmer. I was able to get around town for a day until I had a chance to go pick up a new one.

- Rick

]]> By: Myself http://toolmonger.com/2006/12/13/finds-simple-start-vehicle-battery-booster/#comment-7251 Myself Thu, 14 Dec 2006 14:07:55 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2006/12/13/finds-simple-start-vehicle-battery-booster/#comment-7251 It doesn't turn over your car's starter, it just recharges the main starting battery, which then does the grunt work. The directions say to plug it in and wait 10 minutes for charge to transfer. This will work if your starting battery would normally have the guts to start the car, but is partially drained. If it's completely drained, this probably won't be able to replace enough charge. If it's fully charged and simply too cold to work up the amps, this won't help. The larger jumpstarter packs with the big clamps are designed to directly power the starter, in parallel with the starting battery, to assist in situations where temperature has limited the battery's output. This is not one of those. It doesn’t turn over your car’s starter, it just recharges the main starting battery, which then does the grunt work. The directions say to plug it in and wait 10 minutes for charge to transfer.

This will work if your starting battery would normally have the guts to start the car, but is partially drained. If it’s completely drained, this probably won’t be able to replace enough charge. If it’s fully charged and simply too cold to work up the amps, this won’t help.

The larger jumpstarter packs with the big clamps are designed to directly power the starter, in parallel with the starting battery, to assist in situations where temperature has limited the battery’s output. This is not one of those.

]]> By: Jason http://toolmonger.com/2006/12/13/finds-simple-start-vehicle-battery-booster/#comment-7170 Jason Thu, 14 Dec 2006 04:39:55 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2006/12/13/finds-simple-start-vehicle-battery-booster/#comment-7170 I'm surprised that something this small has the amps to turn over your car's starter and can hold it's charge for years on end. Sounds too good to be true. I’m surprised that something this small has the amps to turn over your car’s starter and can hold it’s charge for years on end. Sounds too good to be true.

]]>