WarrenJ Posted April 9, 2006 Report Share Posted April 9, 2006 Okay, I'm home recovering from surgery with far too much time on my hands. This is a subject I've no knowledge about. Of course, who better to put this question to than this very expansive base of knowledgable folk? Ever see those half-brick-sized battery boosters for sale at 7-11 stores? It's a one-time-use item. Should you ever find yourself with a dead battery, you're supposed to make certain all your accessories are off and then plug this thing into your cigarette lighter. After a 10 minute wait, supposedly your battery will have been restored to the point that it will start your vehicle. Well, a few months back I bought one ($20) with very little confidence. Much to my surprise, I gave it to a neighbor in distress lately and guess what? Her car started! Has anyone here had experience with such things. Or have any info about them? An opinion on reliability? Shelf life? Or would I be better off just buying a Vornado Supercharger? Regards, Warren There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeal1892 Posted April 9, 2006 Report Share Posted April 9, 2006 Thats very interesting . I have seen them in the stores before, but I dont own one. I'm pleased to hear it really works. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted April 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2006 Thats very interesting . I have seen them in the stores before, but I dont own one. I'm pleased to hear it really works. Michael Let's keep in mind I'm aware of only ONE instance where it worked. That's why I'm scrounging for opinions. Regards, Warren There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbuc Posted April 9, 2006 Report Share Posted April 9, 2006 I'm amazed it doesn't roast all the electronics in the car regardless of whether they are turned off. It take at least 100amps or so to turn the starter fast enoguh to start the engine (most newer cars require more). The charge the battery with over 100amps in 20 minutes seems like it's enoguh to fry some wiring or at the very least, suflate the plates int he battery. That's alot of juice in a short period of time. Interesting to see that it actually works. Do you happen to know the make of the car, and the pack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted April 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2006 I'm amazed it doesn't roast all the electronics in the car regardless of whether they are turned off. It take at least 100amps or so to turn the starter fast enoguh to start the engine (most newer cars require more). The charge the battery with over 100amps in 20 minutes seems like it's enoguh to fry some wiring or at the very least, suflate the plates int he battery. That's alot of juice in a short period of time. Interesting to see that it actually works. Do you happen to know the make of the car, and the pack? I could be wrong here, but I *think* the cigarette lighter is on a 30 Amp fuse in my car. I'm not guessing that the "brick" might restore all systems on-board, just that it *might* supply enough juice to turn the S.O.B. over just a couple of the times necessary to get it going. I'm making the assumption it starts on the first go-round! Let's not forget the battery might have some charge left on it and only needs an "assist" as opposed to a complete replenishment. The car in question was a late model four cylinder Grand Am. Regards, Warren There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted April 9, 2006 Report Share Posted April 9, 2006 Is this the item you are talking about? http://www.startmeup2.com/marketing2.html I suspect this is a package of 7 cells or a similar arrangement that supplies something on the order of 14.5 to 15 Volts. If you still have the package your neighbor used to start her car, I would be interested in playing with it and doing some reverse engineering. It would be a single use item, correct? Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbuc Posted April 9, 2006 Report Share Posted April 9, 2006 I wonder what the CCA rating on that bettery is. The CCA rating on the AC Delco in my car is abotu 850A I believe. Something tells me that this little unit might have a hard time chargin a battery of that size. I wonder how well it wouild work on larger batteries. That Grand Am battery probably has a CCA rating of around 600A or so. Still, only 5 minutes to recharge a dead battery enough to turn the starter over fast enoguh to get the engine running is a really short time. I would used this thing repeatedly on the same battery. Charging a battery that fast can damage it. I also wonder if this thing is safe to use on Glass-Mat styloe batteries liek the one Mercedes, BMW and various other manufactures are using today. That would be nice if it worked on both styles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted April 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2006 Is this the item you are talking about? http://www.startmeup2.com/marketing2.html I suspect this is a package of 7 cells or a similar arrangement that supplies something on the order of 14.5 to 15 Volts. If you still have the package your neighbor used to start her car, I would be interested in playing with it and doing some reverse engineering. It would be a single use item, correct? That looks very similar to the product I bought. I can't be sure if it is the same one though. I seem to recall it required at least 10 minutes (or perhaps more) before you could start the vehicle. Also, I think, it had some sort of plastic tab that had to be forcibly removed to "activate" it. And yes, it was a one-time-use dofunny. Nope, I don't have the packaging. Regards, Warren There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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