So here's today's story. Massively early for a client and worked really late last night so I thought, "well I'll just sit in the car nearby and have a nap". Put on some gentle tunes, left the iPhone plugged into my "special" 2.1A cigarette lighter socket charger... One hour later, it's time to go...or not. It turns out a 2.1A charger for an hour will *seriously* nuke my old Copen's little battery. Thanks heavens for road service fees, went and saw the client, came back and got the battery man to come and seems ok. The 2.1A charger has been retired to the ashtray in favour of its little brother the 1000mA charger.
The capacity of the charger isn't really relevant as it's the device that will determine the load on the battery. The iPhone will charge at 2A where it's available but one of these may be your saviour next time --> DBPOWER 300A 8000mAh Portable Mini Car Jump Starter: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
The phone was definitely low on battery when I plugged it in so it would have demanded the full 2A. Had I been using the 1000mA charger, it would've got 1A rather than 2. I'll see how I go for the next few weeks on the 1A one...I seem to remember I upgraded because with GPS and music constantly running, the smaller charger wasn't really keeping the phone topped up. I'll have a look at that device you linked to.
Those lithium jumpstart packs are great. I have one in my Copen - never used it on the Copen, but I've used it on an Audi with a big, dirty, diesel, engine without issue. Even had enough charge left over to get my phone back up to 100%
Good tip Rob, I have an old B & D one which is too big for the glove compartment so I keep it in the boot which causes a problem when I can't open the boot as the battery is flat (resolved on another thread). So I want to buy one for the glove box but Amazon don't deliver to Thailand so I use a local online company called Lazada for most of my purchases. The one you quote is 8,000 mAh and there are several on Lazada around the same mAh and similar price. However, there is one brand quoting 55,000 mAh, is this a better buy ? Eaze Jump Starter Power Bank 55000 mAh12-19 V รุ่น TM-15B (Green/Black) Thanks.
Most of the jump start battery figures are lies - the only way you'd get 55000mAh is to short circuit the battery which, in a Lithium battery, will cause "thermal runaway" (a fancy way of saying explode). This is the one I got, after going through reviews online - Amazon.com: BESTEK 500A Peak Current 13600mAh Portable Car Jump Starter and Power Bank with LED Flashlight: Automotive . It works fine. Realistically the pack only lasts about 10 to 20 jumpstarts due to battery damage.
Apart from the name Bestek on it, it is identical to many on Lazada, you can see all the inputs are the same on this particular one : Startup Jump Jump Starter Power Bank 55,000 mAh12-19 V รุ่น TM-10B- Green/Blackแถมฟรี ปั๊มเติมลมยางรถยนต์
I'd reckon its impossible to fit enough battery cells in something that is 16 x 8 x 4cm to reach 55000mAh (= this product is a scam) Better buy something from a reputable manufacturer and not have it explode in your face If it really had 55000mAh, it would take approx. 2 days to charge it up
I picked the DBPower version based on price and reviews. The capacity is more than enough for the Copen but would be no use whatsoever for my X5. The instructions are very explicit about maximum cranking time and allowing sufficient time for the battery pack to cool. I think in essence, all these devices are pushing the lithium cells to the max but it's still much more convenient than a heavy lead acid version. Except that you won't have kept it charged for when you actually need it
You can tell that's not a UK site, never get away with 'Even women can do it.' in the advert here I have right here a totally genuine Xiaomi powerpack that's 10,400 mAh. I've seen tests so I know my powerpack is actually slightly better than claimed - it also somehow charges a phone faster than the mains, it did on video tests and it does on my sony experia z5, I have no idea how so I'm going with 'Aliens'. It's 9 x 6 x 2cm which is 108cm3 volume, the one claiming 55,000 mAh is 512cm3 volume, almost 5x the size for slightly more than 5x the power. Totally realistic power claim, it might not actually be that if it's poorly made but it's not claiming anything wild. Edit-Salieri, if you come across any old battery/power packs, it might interest you to open one up. There's usually a collection of small generic batteries wired together with a chip to control charging ect and often most of the casing is empty or just packed out.
Usually its 18650 cells (18mmx650mm), which are 3,7v and ~2000-2700mA. For 55000mA you would need a lot of cells (and high quality ones!) which do not fit into the shell, given that you also need space for the circuit board, LED flashlight, belt cutter and usb/charging port :/ Also, keep in mind that in order to reach ~15v (= 4x 3,7v), you have to put the cells in a parralel circuit. So given that you can put about 20 high current rated cells (@ 2000mAh) into the shell, you will get (20 x 2000)/4 = 10000mAh, which is far from 55000 and seems more reasonable As for your Xiaomi powerbank, there are probably 4 cells at 2600mA in it. There are mains chargers that can put out 2A, maybe you need to get one of those if you want a fast charge (and your phone can handle it ) I had to do it and write a wall of text, sorry!
If you hover the mouse over the first pic it does enlarge it and you can just make out writing on the side which says model no D25 and capacity which looks like 13,600, not 55,000. Anyone with sharper eyesight or a magnifying glass may be able to confirm. Does your Bestek one have the same text on the side Number 6 ? I'm sure it's an identical model, probably Chinese made and sold by different outlets with their own badge on it. The link again : Startup Jump Starter Power Bank 55,000 mAh12-19 V รุ่น TM-10B- Green/Black
My Bestek one is 13600mAh. And yeah, there are multiple white labels of the same pack. The jumper cables are fairly thin gauge wire, so there's not a hope in hell of you getting the full charge out of the pack in a short amount of time. Looks to be copper coated aluminium strands on the tip, which will melt off the clip contacts when enough current goes through. I'm sure that's some form of really shitty overheat protection
I hadn't considered the voltage, however it's not entirely BS - 22 cells would fit by my math, 2500mAh each (slightly below my phone chargers) makes up 55,000, they've given the total figure instead of the 'usable' figure it looks like to me? I do have a 2A charger, the powerpack still beats it! I just had a look to see if I could find the test I remember, found this While most power banks support 5V 2A fast charging, the Xiaomi Power Bank Pro steps it up a notch with Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0. The tech is only supported on some phones and tablets for now, but allows devices to charge at 9V or 12V, rather than just 5V 2A. and this it’s able to output up to 2.1A, which is great for tablets and even smartphones that are capable of accepting more than the standard 1A. Even the input charging port accepts up to 2A Except it actually managed 2.2a when tested! I really like my powerbank
I knew it! 4x 18650 cells Your explanation of the high mAh declaration sounds plausible, still I would be very cautious (scammers gonna scam) I kind of love and hate quick charging mechanisms. On the one hand you can charge your phone withing the hour, on the other hand it wears the battery cells down a lot faster
It is slightly scamming, I'd say it's equivalent to giving a car's Bhp at the flywheel rather than the wheels. Fast charging doesn't actually affect battery life very much at all, not enough to be noticeable over 2-3 years. With a proper charger that's designed for it that is, for example I know most charge fast to around 60-70% then slow right down to avoid overheating, that's why fast chargers usually brag how fast they can hit 50% rather than how fast to full. Completely draining your battery is bad for battery life, as is number of charge cycles, for max life you're better keeping it between 50-80%. This is for newer mobile/charger Li-ion batteries, the old Ni batteries worked better if you fully drained them.
I had to use my jump start pack today and it worked very well. I hadn't driven the Copen for 9 days and when I went to start her up, I just got the clattering of a relay under the bonnet. At first I thought it was the starter motor sticking but soon realised it must be the main relay. Voltage was down around 11.5 volts from memory. Anyway, that brings me on to a question. Anyone with the Cobra alarm/immobiliser manage to leave their car standing for more than a few days without experiencing battery problems ?
I haven't got a Cobra alarm but I often don't drive mine for 3 weeks at a time with no issues. Only time it didn't start it had been sitting for 6 or 7 weeks.
Thanks Jez. I think the Cobra installation is UK specific but it must come with a power draw as it includes the remote central locking and boot release mechanisms so it must have an RF receiver on standby. Any UK users able to help with how long your battery lasts between drives ?
Don't have a Cobra, but I know of the battery problem. If I don't use the car for 2-3 weeks the battery will be significantly weaker, depending on battery health it might not even start. Driving the car for 100 miles from time to time greatly helps improve battery life
