Lithium Jump Packs

[Cabrito]

Tried starting a friend Mustang today. Cranked it over a few times, and then quit. No start. Showed one light after that try. I will charge it back up and do more testing. Cloudy day, so no solar charge testing today.

Thank for the post Henry,

Did the mustang crank, and then refuse to crank after the first try?

Did you try it alone with the car battery totally disconnected like they did in the video?

Let us know how further testing goes.

 

[HenryJ]

Thank for the post Henry,

Did the mustang crank, and then refuse to crank after the first try?

Did you try it alone with the car battery totally disconnected like they did in the video?

Let us know how further testing goes.

It did turn over the engine three times, or so, but did not fire. We did it as demonstrated in the video with the cables removed from the Mustang's battery.
I will say it was a worst case scenario. Temp outside was in the teens. A cold 1965 Mustang with a V-8 is old school and draws lots of amperage. His cables were pretty nasty. Really need to be cleaned up. I tried a couple times to get a good connection before it would turn over.

 

[Cabrito]

Worst case scenario for sure. Especially if that thing had not run in a while.

More testing please?

I'm thinking about getting one for my gal's Miata because she runs the battery down sometimes listening to the radio or something. She carry's one of my jump packs in her trunk, but this think looks like it can be used for her phone too which is always dying from not getting charged.

 

[Gooseberry]

these are great if you have a vehicle that starts quick and does not need to be cranked and rumor has it that a higher capacity one for diesel trucks is coming.

 

[IdaSHO]

interesting jump packs, thats for sure.

But for those interested at all for legitimate engine jump starting, do not expect these packs to work well in the cold.


Li-ion batteries are know to not work in the cold. Massive voltage drop.

I have trouble with all of my Li-ion cordless power tools in anything colder than 40 degrees or so.


I know there has been some advancement in Li-ion tech, but Id have to see some serious testing of these particular packs before I spent any money on them.

 

[86tuning]

Tried starting a friend Mustang today. Cranked it over a few times, and then quit. No start.

Never used a lithium pack before, but have a fair bit of experience with conventional ones.

I've found that sometimes with a completely dead battery, and not a battery that's merely too weak to get the car cranking, it works better to disconnect one battery terminal (the negative) so that the jumper pack won't try to charge the dead battery.

Then clamp the positive terminal with the jumper, and the negative to a part of the engine that doesn't move.

With an engine that has recently started (say, a day or two) and has a dead battery, regular jumper packs work great!

With a car that's been sitting for a long time, most jumper packs won't do the trick. Booster cables hooked up to a running vehicle are likely the only thing that will do it. And disconnecting the vehicle battery (as described above) will help.

 

[Gooseberry]

yep I forgot about that the rep showing me this said that if its cold you will need to put inside your jacket to heat it before you use it.

interesting jump packs, thats for sure.

But for those interested at all for legitimate engine jump starting, do not expect these packs to work well in the cold.


Li-ion batteries are know to not work in the cold. Massive voltage drop.

I have trouble with all of my Li-ion cordless power tools in anything colder than 40 degrees or so.


I know there has been some advancement in Li-ion tech, but Id have to see some serious testing of these particular packs before I spent any money on them.

 

[HenryJ]

...I know there has been some advancement in Li-ion tech, but Id have to see some serious testing of these particular packs before I spent any money on them.

I hope to do enough testing to have an answer for what they are capable of doing. My rationale was that at the very least I would file this in the pocket of the solar panels and use it for electronic devices (laptop, cell phone, tablet, gaming, etc..)
In the mean time have a chance to put it through its paces and see if it really could be a back up plan for a rig with a dead battery. My truck already has dual batteries isolated from each other and via switch paralleled. That is my back up plan.

That Mustang had been driven that morning to the local fire station where we tested it. The engine was cold, conditions cold. The XP-1 was somewhat warm as it was in the interior of my truck which would put it at 50F or more. I am thinking that "V-6" may be the key here. Lower compression. Gear reduction starter. Easy once over good , start. Motorcycles should be easy.
I had been watching several Lithium battery hacks. Laptop batteries tied together to make booster packs. not my thing, but got me into this direction.

UPDATE:
Solar panel works just fine to charge up the Antigravity XP-1

I had to add a power port to the panel for charging an accessory like this. That should also allow me to plug another panel into the equation. Just a big junction block for the batteries. Kind funny to see the old school fuse inline, but that was what was already there

Not a real world test as the battery was not down much. The panel is inside getting only partial sunlight from the window. Still , it topped off in a few minutes.

 

[HenryJ]

A little real world testing this morning. 2005 Avalanche 5.3L V-8. Temp 18F. Sitting for five days. Battery drained to point it will not turn over engine. Little jump pack attached. Truck starts. Pack still shows five lights.
That is a passing grade from me. More to come.

 

[toyotech]

how well will the jump pack work if it was left out in the truck with it?

 

[HenryJ]

how well will the jump pack work if it was left out in the truck with it?

It was under the back seat of the truck. Not frozen, but not warm.

 

[toyotech]

It was under the back seat of the truck. Not frozen, but not warm.

now that is a good real world test since most jump packs should be in the vehicle
im impressed. keep us updated on any new finds


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[crawler#976]

Finally saw one of the AntiGravity XP-1's this last weekend. The gentleman that owned it had used it to jump a very dead battery on a '09 Power Wagon, and it still had all 5 lights lit.

I ordered one today via Amazon for $130.00. It will be stored in the Jeep, replacing a Schumaker lead/acid battery pack that never seemed to have a charge when needed. While not exactly cheap, it provides me with peace of mind since that's her daily driver.

 

[romz26]

This is interesting. I wonder if I can use my rc truck lipos to jump start a car!

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[crawler#976]

To put it to the test, I decided to use the larger motor (a 5.7L, 400 HP Hemi) of our two vehicles, and since the Power Wagon was parked outside, the engine is cold too boot. The main battery and house battery are completely disconnected, all that's hooked up is the wee little lithium Micro Start.