Frosts came, as always, unexpectedly. Many car owners did not have time to update the tired batteries. Do not everyone know that at low temperatures, the battery capacity drops due to a decrease in the rate of flow of chemical processes. Sometimes not until the end of the charged battery due to the low temperature of the electrolyte turns out to be simply unable to start the engine after a long parking in the cold. How not to freeze in the parking lot, waiting for a taxi driver with wires or trying to get "from the pusher"? It will be about the so-called booster, or portable launchers for the car.
A little theory
Let's notify immediately: the best way to restore the battery-nodes to zero is to remove it from the car, attribute to the outlet and put on a long charging using special chargers. And if there is nothing wrong in the summer to get off the wires, then in winter, in the event of freezing the electrolyte, the battery after such operations can easily fail.
A few years ago, in addition to traditional charging or starting devices, portable models of starting devices began to appear on the market. The device has a compact body, low weight and built-in battery. Such a "PowerBank" can be easily obtained from the glove box at the right moment, simply connect the wires to it and throw them on the battery terminals. Unlike classic launchers, the socket is not needed.
From an external battery for gadgets, the automobile PowerBank is distinguished by high current cards. Many skeptics believe that the compact device is unable to physically give the current, sufficient to trigger the starter, but they doubt it in vain. The fact is that high currents are required by the starter only to move the rotor from the scene. Then the current immediately drops to lower values. As a rule, to launch a "healthy" engine just a couple of seconds, in winter - perhaps a little more. The huge amount of full-time car batteries is needed for the possibility of multiple launch, especially in the case of short trips and, as a result, short-term. In our case, the number of launches is not so important, and usually the containers of portable devices are enough for only several applications.
Simplified graph of current-time dependency when starting a motor. Source: Kolesa.ru What is on the market?
A couple of such devices fell into our hands. We decided to study the package, the stated characteristics and the capabilities of the devices.
If the brand name does not mean anything to you, then we clarify: 70mai is included in the Xiaomi ecosystem, which, as long as known, always "for his money top." The 70MAI brand devices are confidently included in the top ten in many sections of our catalog - for example, automotive compressors or DVRs. The manufacturer declares the capacity of the built-in battery at 11 100 mAh and the maximum starting current 250 A. The package, in addition to the device and documentation, includes terminals for starting the engine, a USB charging cable and a convenient transportation case.
On the device housing there are bulbs of the booster charge indicator. Also, the device can be used as a flashlight, highlighting the boost space in the dark. The device has protection against short circuit and reverse charge, and also blocked in case of incorrect connection of terminals. In addition to its main purpose, the port of the USB device TYPE-A has the output parameters 5 V / 2.4 A and can be used to charge almost all of your gadgets.
Three simple steps to start the car. First: connect a block with clips to the source of the charge and turn it on. Second: throw terminals on the battery (traditionally - red on plus). We are convinced that everyone did right: if the light burns red and the signal sounds, the terminals are confused. The green blinking indicator says that the battery voltage is too low and you want to click on the Boost button. The green burning indicator indicates that the device is connected correctly and ready. Finally, the third: Run the car and remove the wires for 30 seconds.
We are trying to test the devices in real conditions. Everything here is just expected. Relatively fresh gasoline Volkswagen Polo with a pre-discharged battery (the experiment requires the victims) starts quickly and without problems. Immediately the engine - we want to check the launch with another model.
The process is more clearly shown. On the passenger Rover installed a defective battery and tried to start the engine at first without a booster, and then with it.
What about charging gadgets? SAMSUNG smartphone is charging, JBL column is also. Lenovo laptop, which has the ability to charge from Type C, alas, refused to charge. Instead, I joy began to share a battery with a booster: the Type C port in this starting device only works on the entrance.
A similar previous device, but with some differences. The minus is that there is no bag in the kit. It is uncomfortable, but you can survive. As an advantage: the booster screen shows the percentage of the charge left in it by numbers, and not LEDs. Equipment and appearance - in the photo below.
Functionally model is more perfect. The container is comparable - 12,000 mAh. But the starting current is already significantly higher: 600 A (1000 and peak value), which may be an advantage if you need to start diesel cars. As in the previous device, the user is available for a flashlight.
As the last time, connect the terminals to Polo. Start, everything is beautiful. Let's complicate the task and try to start the Ford Transit cargo worker battery for some reason. The complexity is that the battery is located under the seat, and under the hood we found only the positive terminal. Minus hooked to the visible unpainted metal part, to which not too long wires could reach. Light bulb caught fire, there is a contact. The car also starts confidently in the frost.
On the video below the process of launching a passenger Rover with a faulty battery with Baseus CRJS03-01.
The smartphone and column were expected to be charged without problems, both through the output of Type A and through Type C. The latter, unlike 70mAI, works in both directions: to enter and output. However, the device controller gives 12 volts for only a few seconds, which is enough to start the car, but definitely not enough to charge the laptop. After this time, the charging laptop, alas, immediately stops.
Output
A portable starting device may well be useful. It will save from possible surprises and will get rid of the need to look for a charger, a socket or donor with wires in the cold. Users in reviews note that with the help of the device, you can even for a couple of years to extend the life of a diesel car battery, helping him in the cold. Also, thanks to its versatility, the device will help with charging mobile gadgets.
In the minuses we introduce the fact that the model from the review have a short wire for terminals. It may be a problem on some cars, but most of the scenarios are still non-critical. Also upset the lack of a laptop charging. There are options in the catalog that will help and even have a set of necessary plugs in the configuration. But this is a completely different story ...
See also:
AUTO.ONLINER in Telegram: Furnishing on the roads and only the most important news
Is there something to tell? Write to our telegram-bot. It is anonymously and fast