I. What is a Car Jump Starter?
A car jump starter is a portable power source developed for car enthusiasts and business people. Its key feature is its ability to start a car when the battery is dead or unable to start for other reasons.
The car jump starter is designed for ease of use and portability. It uses PVC material and polymer battery cells. A color LED battery status display shows the charging level. The car jump starter can be charged from a 220V power source using a charger. The built-in charging control circuit has an automatic shut-off function to prevent overcharging and provides important protection for the power circuit. The emergency light is controlled by a white switch, and the voltage status is controlled by a main control switch. Pressing this switch displays the internal battery status. Pressing and holding the HOME button will activate a strobe light or an SOS remote emergency LED signal light.
II. Functions of Car Jump Starters
- Car jump starters can start any car with a 12V battery output, providing emergency rescue services.
- Standard features include a super bright white LED light, flashing warning light, and SOS signal light, making it a helpful tool for travel.
Car jump starters not only support emergency starting but also support multiple outputs: 5V output (supports various mobile devices such as phones), 12V output (supports routers), and 19V output (supports most laptops), increasing their versatility.
Car jump starters use a built-in high-performance polymer lithium-ion battery, which is far superior to ordinary lead-acid batteries. Lead-acid batteries are bulky and heavy, making them inconvenient to carry and use, and unsuitable for everyday applications.
Car jump starters have a long lifespan, with over 500 charge-discharge cycles. A full charge (5 bars on the battery indicator) can start a car 20 times (this is based on the author’s experience and does not represent all brands).
Special Note: The battery level must be at least 3 bars before starting the car to avoid damaging the jump starter unit. Remember to charge it regularly.
III. Types of Car Jump Starters
Traditional Flat Lead-Acid Batteries
Advantages: Inexpensive, durable, and safe at high temperatures; Disadvantages: Bulky, requires frequent charging and maintenance, prone to leakage or drying out with diluted sulfuric acid, and cannot be used below 0°C.
Wound Batteries
Advantages: Inexpensive, compact and portable, safe at high temperatures, usable below -10°C, easy to maintain, and long lifespan; Disadvantages: Relatively larger and heavier than lithium batteries, and fewer functions compared to lithium batteries.
Polymer Lithium Cobalt Oxide Batteries
Advantages: Compact, aesthetically pleasing, multifunctional, portable, and long standby time; Disadvantages: Can explode at high temperatures, cannot be used at low temperatures, complex protection circuitry, cannot withstand overload, small capacity, and high-quality products are expensive.
Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries
Advantages: Compact, portable, and aesthetically pleasing, long standby time, long lifespan, more heat-resistant than polymer batteries, and usable below -10°C; Disadvantages: Unsafe above 70°C, smaller capacity than wound batteries, and more expensive than polymer batteries.
Supercapacitor Batteries
Advantages: Compact and portable, extremely high discharge current, rapid charging, and ultra-long lifespan; Disadvantages: Unsafe at temperatures above 70°C, complex protection circuitry, smallest capacity, and extremely expensive.
IV. Car Jump Starter Selection
Safety: A car jump starter is a tool that accompanies a car throughout its entire lifespan. The interior environment of a car can sometimes be harsh, such as extreme high or low temperatures, severe bumps, humidity, or dryness. This places high demands on the manufacturing quality of car jump starters. There have been incidents of car jump starters exploding. Whether it works or not is secondary; firstly, nobody wants to buy a time bomb and place it in a corner of their car. Therefore, the first thing to consider when choosing a car jump starter is whether its safety technology meets standards.
Battery Capacity: A car jump starter is essentially a portable power bank. A key indicator of a portable power bank’s quality is its battery capacity—how many times it can start a car without needing to recharge, especially important for long journeys or road trips. A large capacity provides peace of mind and a strong safety net.
Functionality: Simply being able to start the car is not enough. It would be even better if it could provide other practical functions, such as providing more ports to charge other electronic products, being able to save the day when mobile phones, tablets, cameras, etc. run out of power, providing lighting at night, and being able to call for help in remote areas.
V. Using a Car Jump Starter
5V Digital Product Charging Steps
- First, turn on the main switch of the car jump starter.
Then, plug the USB connector into the USB port of the car jump starter.
Select the appropriate charging adapter for your phone. iPhone 4, iPhone 5, and iPhone 6 have dedicated connectors; other Android smartphones generally use Micro USB interfaces.
After connecting, press the power switch button to start charging. The charging process is the same as using a power bank.
Laptop Charging Steps
- First, confirm the laptop’s input voltage. This is a Lenovo laptop, which is 20V. We’ll be testing with 19V power.
Remove the laptop battery before powering it. Some manufacturers recommend plugging it in directly, which is also acceptable; it will charge the battery.
Choose a compatible laptop charging adapter. Eight adapters are provided.
Connect the adapter to the laptop.
Connect the laptop adapter to the charging adapter. Alternatively, you can connect the adapter first and then connect the laptop.
Turn on the car jump starter. Within 3 seconds, use the power button to switch the laptop’s voltage. We’ve selected 19V.
Plug the laptop cable into the laptop output port of the multi-functional car jump starter.
Press the laptop power button to test powering on.
The laptop charging process is now complete. Start your laptop!
Car Starting/Ignition Procedure
- First, open the car hood and ensure the kickstand is properly in place.
Locate the battery and correctly attach the clamps to the positive and negative terminals (red “+” for positive, black “-” for negative).
Turn on the ignition port of the car jump starter.
Insert the blue connector of the battery clamp into the ignition port of the car jump starter.
Check that the battery clamps are securely attached and that the positive and negative terminals are correctly connected.
Enter the driver’s seat and turn the key to start the car. Some cars have a keyless start system; in that case, simply press the start button once.
High-Intensity Headlight Procedure
- After turning on the main power switch, press and hold the switch button for 3 seconds to turn on the high-intensity headlights.
Press the switch button once to activate the strobe mode; press it again to activate the SOS distress light.
VI. Car Jump Starter Maintenance
Before using the car jump starter, its safe charge level should ideally be maintained at 60-70%.
If the lithium battery of a multi-functional car jump starter is not used for an extended period, it should be charged at least once every three months. This will prevent the capacity of the jump starter from decreasing and will greatly help extend its lifespan.
The car jump starter battery should be stored in an environment with good temperature and humidity, and a relatively dry room temperature. Excessive humidity or excessively high or low temperatures will affect the normal operation of the multi-functional car jump starter. It is not suitable to store the battery in such environments; a dry, room temperature is sufficient.