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Jumpstart in the glovebox

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2008-01-06          149946

Most of you have likely saw the same TV ad as I'm talking about where the lady is stranded in a rainstorm with a carfull if kids and her battery goes dead. she reaches for a gizmo from the glovebox and plugs it into the cigarette lighter of the car and presto the car starts. I can usually figure out most anything mechanical but electricity and electronics aren't my best score. So, tell me how can enough current go thru the lighter circut compared to big healthy jumper cables to start the car? Frank.

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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2008-01-06          149947

I haven't seen that commercial but from your description it seems like starting the car from the gizmo wouldn't be possible. However, it should be possible to give the battery a bit of a charge that way - but it would take some time. Sort of like a regular (non jump-start) battery charger, they don't have heavy cables but small gauge conductors. Did they say you had to wait 15-30 minutes before trying to start the car? ....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2008-01-06          149948

KW; As you suggest being plugged in for a period of time maybe could get enough current to the battery, I wondered too if that could make it work. My take on the ad gives me the impression that it is a right now deal tho. Frank. ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2008-01-07          149968

HW, that ad if my memory is correct has been around for a few years. Again my memory of it is just as you said, gives the impression it starts right up. I fully agree with your thoughts on it. kt ....

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DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998
Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2008-01-07          149971

Is this what you saw? ....


Link:   Cigarette jumpers

 
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Just For Fun Off Topic Jumpstart in the glovebox
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Jumpstart in the glovebox

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2008-01-07          149973

Dennis, no that doesn't look the same. As I remember there was no other car that the dead one was jumped from, the power seemed to come from the gizmo in the glovebox. If I remember correctly it is a widely known brand name product, Black and Decker is the first to come to mind, but not sure. The one in your picture looks like it would work but probably take a bit of time to pump enough juice thru the small wires. I keep watching for the ad but haven't saw it again, probably a before Christmas ad for those who have everything. Thanks. Frank. ....

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yooperpete
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1413 Northern Michigan
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2008-01-07          149974

Dennis/Hardwood:
I seem to remember seeing something as has been described. If you read the data, it mentions that you also need another auto!

I always carry my jumpstart battery which costs about $45.00. It also has a mini air compressor, cigarette style connection and a light.

I've jumped dozens of vehicles with it over the years from lawntractors to trucks, pumped up a number of lawntractor front tires (takes a while), have used the light numerous times and have used the outlet to power one of those coolers with a frig element and also have used it on one of those powered scissors jacks and many more apps. ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2008-01-07          149977

I've seen the ads and I'm pretty sure I know what Frank is talking about.

Basically it is a battery powered battery charger.

It works like this; A smallish rechargeable battery is connected to a 'smart' battery charger and has a cigarette plug on a cord for connection. In use, you plug it into the lighter socket or power port and the charger pack, which has a battery with more than 12 volts in it, usually 18 volts, starts to charge the disabled vehicles battery from it's own.

You can do the same thing, although not as efficiently, by connecting a 12 volt and a 6 volt battery in series (negative of one battery to positive of the other battery) and then just putting a pair of cables between the remaining positive and negative, and then to the dead battery.

It doesn't take much to bring up the voltage level in a battery, I've seen it done with nothing more than 'D' cell batteries.

Best of luck. ....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2008-01-07          150001

Found it, It's on the Black and Decker website under Automotive. ....

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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2008-01-07          150002

Here's a link.

I suspect that it does indeed give a battery a slight booster charge, and it does says it does it "in minutes". ....


Link:   Simple Start

 
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DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998
Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2008-01-07          150003

Quote:
Originally Posted by hardwood | view 150001
Found it, It's on the Black and Decker website under Automotive.


Which one? Most of these are batteries with jumper cables attached.

Thanks Ken I see it now.

How long will that hold a charge before you have to recharge it I assume from an AC outlet? ....

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DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998
Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2008-01-07          150004

Amazon Review:


By chobo "chobo"

Note that this thing CHARGES your car battery, so that the car battery will have enough juice to hopefully start your car. This does NOT jumpstart your car. For jumpstarting your car, you really need a jumpstarter with lots of current, and direct connection (i.e. by opening the hood) to the car battery terminals. This is NOT meant for that. It is a battery *booster* which means it adds more charge to your car battery. Recharging takes time because it cannot pump too much current through that cigarette lighter (otherwise it will damage it). That's why you'll need to wait 15-20 minutes. There are faster chargers in the market, but because faster chargers put out more current for the charging, you will need to open the hood and connect directly to the battery terminals - not a tough job, but that takes at least 5-10 minutes anyways and you have to get out of the car, which can be dangerous if you're stalled by the road.

Also, note that depending on your car model, you WILL have to turn your ignition key to the "accessory" mode (i.e. car radio on) before you can charge through the cigarette lighter. I believe this is the problem of an earlier review where the charger beeps right after plugging it in.

I have used it a couple of times and it works perfectly. Sure, 15-20 mins is a long time to wait, but hey I always have a good book handy.

I dock 1 star from the ratings because I thought the instructions could be clearer and I wish the TV commercial hadn't been so misleading .......
....

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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2008-01-07          150005

Thanks, Dennis.

It's good to know that Ohm's law is still intact :) ....

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