In The Field Charging Solutions?

[GB_Amateur]

This topic has come up before but I haven't been able to find the thread I remember, and battery technology seems to change rapidly anyway.

I'm wanting a small device which can serve two purposes:  1) charge up my detecting rechargeable batteries multiple times, and 2) be capable of jump starting my vehicle in the event its battery runs down.

I thought there was a solution for all three, but it seems devices I'm finding capable of jump starting a vehicle are both A) bulky and B) don't carry all that much charge.  No expert here but I think a unit capable of jump starting a vehicle has to have high current capability.  The small lithium devices with lots of charge tend not to put out a lot of current.

Here are a couple interesting, affordable small devices I found searching Amazon, both carrying quite a bit of charge (neighborhood of 40 Ah = 40,000 mAh).  But I don't think they put out enough current to jump start a vehicle.

Wall charging type.

Solar charging type.

Can anyone point me to a high (charge) capacity, high current capable (for jumping a vehicle), compact charger?

[Valens Legacy]

I also remember that thread on here, and I can't find it either.

What I did was to add an extra battery in the back of my truck to add extra power. I hooked it up to the same battery post's with some number 6 gauge wire to charge it and added a 100 amp breaker.

I also found a 12 volt solar panel that I plug into the cigarette lighter to keep both batteries charged when I am hunting.

If you don't like that idea or don't have room to put it in your car you can try this Dewalt item. grandfather used one similar to it for a while. It also has usb charging and an air compressor.

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DXAEJ14-Jump-Starter-Compressor/dp/B06XD6XBCM/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_pop_multi_srecs_sabr_cn_sccl_2_1/130-4585746-8190268?pd_rd_w=mgARU&pf_rd_p=e5d4e3ef-33b3-4006-815f-6088a235aa86&pf_rd_r=5MJ46S1X8MFHVWG4CWAH&pd_rd_r=28b80a22-47c5-4c22-b61f-91a6aca68569&pd_rd_wg=JqHJD&pd_rd_i=B06XD6XBCM&psc=1

Good luck on finding the thread.

[jasong]

GB, I think most of those mini battery pack ratings are arbitrary fiction, the manufacturers just put basically whatever they feel like on them. I bought a wide range of them to test as battery backups for some offgrid crypto (Helium) mining rigs I built and not a single one was anywhere close to even 50% of it's rated capacity, many were seriously like only 10-15% rated capacity. And I was only using the ones that advertised like 10 or 15AH or something like that, these 44AH ones can't possibly be anywhere close to that in a package that size.

Those car jump starters like in Valen's link are usually rated around real capacity and work ok for day trips and whatnot, that's why they are so much larger. But you have to remember to recharge them, and remember to put them back in the truck. A friend has something like that which also comes with a solar charger, and he was camping out the back of his truck with it for many days at a time detecting and running a small mini fridge as well as his ML chargers, and I believe it jump started trucks too. I can't remember what he said it was offhand though, but I think it was pricey, like $1k or something. If I can ever remember the name of it, I'll post it.

I do a 100w (or 50w on my side x side) panel on the roof-->charge controller-->100ah LiPo battery-->1500w inverter, and then I run a switch to put that LiPo in parallel with my main battery in case I need a jump start. $300 to build but prices have probably gone up. Benefit being it recharges itself automatically, always. Even a cloudy day regens enough juice to turn over my starter a bit if I drained the LiPo the night before. Come to think of it, a switch to remove the dead battery and one to put the starter directly in parallel with the LiPo would be even more efficient, then switch the dead battery back in once the motor/alternator is going again...hmm.

But all I own are vehicles that spend most their time in the dirt, not the streets, and which I don't care about driving self tappers through the roof or support bars, so this probably isn't much help for street vehicles. 

[F350Platinum]

This one was hiding in the description page for Valens' post:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09N1FY63W

It only weighs 2 pounds, and has a high 5 star rating percentage. It's PD so you can even strap it to your Equinox, though I would opt for a much lighter PD option. 😀

[phrunt]

A guy did a decent review on it although most of it is boring, he proves it jumps his car though.

 

[geof_junk]

The main things that you know your car battery cranking amps, and the Capacity in Amp-Hour value of the battery and the Amp-Hour of what you need to charge multiplied by number of times needed to be charged and allow a bit for losses. Hope this makes the decision easier. 🙂

https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/battery-articles/battery-basics.html

Extract...........

4. CCA, CA, AH and RC. These are the standards that most battery companies use to rate the output and capacity of a battery.

CCA: Cold cranking amps   is a measurement of the number of amps a battery can deliver at 0°F for 30 seconds and not drop below 7.2 volts. So a high CCA battery rating is especially important in starting battery applications, and in cold weather. This measurement is not particularly important in deep cycle batteries, though it is the most commonly "known" battery measurement.

CA: Cranking Amps are measured at 32°F. This rating is also called marine cranking amps (MCA). Hot cranking amps (HCA) is seldom used any longer but is measured at 80°F.

RC: Reserve Capacity is a very important battery rating. This is the number of minutes a fully charged battery at 80°F will discharge under a 25 amp load until the battery drops below 10.5 volts.

AH: An Amp/Hour is a rating usually found on deep cycle batteries and is a capacity rating. The standard rating is a based on how many amps you can pull out of the battery over a 20-hour period. For a 100 AH rated battery this means you can draw from the battery for 20 hours, and it will provide a total of 100-amp hours. That translates to about 5 amps an hour (5 x 20 = 100). However, it's very important to know that the total time of discharge and load applied is not a linear relationship. As your load increases, your realized capacity decreases. This means if you discharged that same 100 AH battery by a 100-amp load, it would not give you one hour of runtime. On the contrary, the perceived capacity of the battery will be that of 64-amp hours.

[Steve Herschbach]

20 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

I'm wanting a small device which can serve two purposes:  1) charge up my detecting rechargeable batteries multiple times, and 2) be capable of jump starting my vehicle in the event its battery runs down.

The one I got. It adds a nice sense of extra safety when way out in the desert by myself. This unit is much more for jump starting, and less about charging detector batteries, though it can be used for that also. Up to 40 jump starts on a single charge, rated for gasoline engines up to 9 liters, and diesel engines up to 7 liters. They make smaller, less expensive units, but I’m into overkill when it comes to emergency devices.

 

[GB_Amateur]

Good responses; thanks all.  But now I'm confused regarding the engine fuel capacity specs.  (The items F350 and Steve linked at Amazon both mention those.)  My vehicle has a modest ~13 gal (~54 liter) capacity, which is a significant multiple of those specs.  Something doesn't make sense....

Thanks for that link, Steve; I'll read it now.  That probably is the thread I was remembering, but surprised it's been 4 years!  "Time flies when you're having fun," and apparently also when there's a worldwide pandemic. 🥴

9 hours ago, jasong said:

I think most of those mini battery pack ratings are arbitrary fiction, the manufacturers just put basically whatever they feel like on them. I bought a wide range of them to test as battery backups for some offgrid crypto (Helium) mining rigs I built and not a single one was anywhere close to even 50% of it's rated capacity, many were seriously like only 10-15% rated capacity. And I was only using the ones that advertised like 10 or 15AH or something like that, these 44AH ones can't possibly be anywhere close to that in a package that size.

Thanks, Jason; that clears up one of my points of confusion.  I don't know what adjectives to use to describe this false advertising/marketing.  'Disappointing' is way too mild.  I'll leave it at that.

I have a moderate(?) sized unit (this is the modern replacement) which charges dead vehicle batteries, electronic devices (e.g. ML Equinox) via USB, and has a built in air compressor for emergency tire re-inflation.  I've had it at least 4 years and it's getting a little weak.  I also bought at the same time two of those pocket power banks which also aren't performing nearly as well as when new.  In both cases I wonder if my charging practices (particularly charging them up fully before a long period of inactivity) has contributed to shorter lifespans....

[phrunt]

They mean the litres of your engine in displacement, like a 5 liter V8 ,or a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder.  Not your fuel tank capacity 🙂

Displacement is the total volume of all the cylinders in an engine. An engine with four cylinders of 569cc each totals 2276cc, and will be rounded off and referred to as a 2.3 liter engine.

[rexhavoc]

Can crank 9 liters you say? That's a relief because I often find my 8.3 liter V10 Viper is dead when I get back to it after being walkabout. But I wonder if it can do anything for the porcupines chewing on the rubber hoses...