Battery Jump Starter

[deserteagle56]

I bought a Micro-Start XP-10 jump starter several years ago and have used it multiple times on various vehicles (usually not my own!). It has proved itself 100% effective whenever needed so now I carry it in my Jeep and side by side and pickup whenever I'm out in remote country.

[daveb]

Interesting video. One thing not mentioned was what heat might do to these things when stored.



Too bad he didn't test the anti gravity unit like I have but they are so over priced it probably wasn't worth it. I don't think I'd purchase an anti gravity model again but was looking at the NOCO...guess not after watching the video.



With more and more of these on the market, getting a good product for the cost makes videos like you posted worth watching.



I'm still planning to make one using the batteries I use all the time.

[daveb]

Originally Posted by deserteagle56

I bought a Micro-Start XP-10 jump starter several years ago and have used it multiple times on various vehicles (usually not my own!). It has proved itself 100% effective whenever needed so now I carry it in my Jeep and side by side and pickup whenever I'm out in remote country.

Same here. Both my XP-1 (IIRC) and XP-10 have never failed to start a vehicle. My XP-1 turned over a friends tractor when his huge AGM starter wouldn't even get it to crank. It did finally blow the jumper cable fuse though. But it wasn't designed to pull such a load and was just a fun test.



It was ignorant on my part storing it in a black car in 100+ temps season after season.



With all my airplane LiPo's, I store them in a LiPo bag and an insulated container to help avoid being exposed to high mid/late-day heat in my cargo hauler. One thing I've noticed is the same battery from the same manufacture vary. I have six 3s 2800mah 100c batteries purchased over the last 3 years. The oldest are fine and the newer year old batteries are swelling up bad. Go figure.

[basssears]

No experience with their jump starters, but Noco is a known / well regarded brand in general so that seems as good a starting point as any. -- Bass

[Timerider]

After seeing the reviews/testing of jump-starter packs on Project Farm, we got an Audew unit (like N147JK's), which comes with a semi-rigid carrying case and a few other useful accessories (iPhone USB charger/battery from hell anyone?). We have carried it in the rear of our 2001 RB-50 SMB which always faces the sun when parked (with the blinds closed on the rear windows).

Our Audew has worked every time on vehicles large and small, has not swelled in the heat over the last three years (we see 100°F+ every summer), and the self-discharge rate has been as low as advertised. I just charged it up last week before a trip, and found that it was only down to 77% after sitting for a year before I charged it again (YMMV).

I really like the built-in digital charge display, as allows me to check on the battery status periodically, and I only charge it up again when it goes below 80% of fully-charged.

[twotimer]

The timing of this article just happens to coordinate with my own research. I have a NOCO GB150 I keep handy for my 2003 E-350 Superduty 7.3L. Mine is about six years old and has finally given up the ghost. I haven't used it that much, but it is more of an insurance policy for my needs. I am attaching my dialogue with NOCO which has some very important information that is very helpful.

[motovan_mn]

Just got an email from AntiGravity for a 40% off code for their jump starter batteries. Valid thru 11/5

MS40

[FarmHand357]

I have gone through several automotive jump starters in my vehicles, dating back to the clunky, heavy, lead acid versions that never seemed to last long or be very capable. The new lithium ion ones are far superior in size and weight, but I have toasted a few jumping a vehicle when the jump starter was less than fully charged. Lithium ion batteries like to be at about 50% charge for long-term storage in the car, so my logic now is to get a larger capacity one so that it has plenty of oomph even while stored at about half charge.

I also used to carry separate portable compressors but now my feeling is there are units available that include both for about the same size. These are the two I have gotten most recently that have large battery capacity (15,000 mA hour and 28,000 mA hour capacity, respectively, although I take those ratings with a grain of salt as possibly exaggerated) and built-in compressors that can be set to shut off at a given pressure (valuable because these take a while to air up a tire).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

[vandiesel]

Thanks for the code motovan_mn I grabbed one last night!

[Twoxentrix]

Originally Posted by twotimer

The timing of this article just happens to coordinate with my own research. I have a NOCO GB150 I keep handy for my 2003 E-350 Superduty 7.3L. Mine is about six years old and has finally given up the ghost. I haven't used it that much, but it is more of an insurance policy for my needs. I am attaching my dialogue with NOCO which has some very important information that is very helpful.

Figured I'd post this for reference since I just experienced the same issue twotimer encountered (He kindly shared with me in a PM about 9 months ago during the activity of this Thread, and also eluded to in his post above but unfortunately seems wasn't able to attach at the time):
It's now caught up with my Jump Starter since I failed to 'deplete' the battery & recharged occasionally - I just plugged it in a couple times a year to make sure it remained fully charged ).
I suspect this recommended maintenance would apply to most (if not all) Lithium Jump Starters:

SierraSupport Specialist (NOCO)
Oct 18, 2022, 14:19 MST

If your unit has not been used much, that may be contributing to the issue. The Boosts have an internal lithium battery, and when lithium batteries sit for long periods of time without use, or are stored outside of the recommended temperature range (-20ºC to 50ºC), this can damage or weaken the internal battery, just like how your car battery's lifespan and performance will be negatively affected with extreme temperatures or lack of use. This is true not just of our products, but of lithium batteries in general. We suggest the Boost get regular usage by depleting the battery occasionally. You can simply charge USB devices like a cell phone to do this. This occasional cycling of the battery can help with longer battery health.

The Boost's internal Lithium battery has a ~1000 cycle life. The cycle life is the number of complete charge/complete discharge cycles that the battery is able to support before its capacity falls under 85% of its original capacity. So if the battery is discharged to 60% and then charged to 80%, it isn't a complete cycle. The Boost should last several years with normal use and proper storage. In an industrial application, the amount of years they last will depend on the amount of use. We recommend cycling the battery occasionally (depleting and recharging) to keep the internal battery healthy. This can be done by jump-starting or charging USB devices.