Jump Starter Power Pack

[Busybeeyellam]

I'm thinking of buying a Topdon V2000 jump start power pack off Ebay as my engine battery is flat. Looking at the good reviews this power pack is more than adequate to start my engine. The question I'm asking is ; .... How is the power pack itself charged ? Neither the advert or reviews have given me the answer. Is it by Usb lead, or some other mains cable ? Any ideas ?

 

[Swifter]

Yes they normally have a micro usb input to charge and the cable comes with it .

 

[Dorset Diver]

NOCO power pack jump starters are said to be good. NoCo May be worth a look

 

[pappajohn]

If your battery is totally flat and has been for a while I would consider a new battery instead.
The power pack may well start the van but if the battery has failed it will need the power pack every time.
Dead batteries calcify in a short time and won't hold a charge for long.

 

[poppycamper]

NOCO power pack jump starters are said to be good. NoCo May be worth a look

I was looking at them but got a deal on a Trakpow which I prefer because you can disconnect the jump leads and you are left with a power pack that can be used to charge phones etc. My one is charged via usb but sorry don't know out the one you looking at.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Swifter]

If your battery is totally flat and has been for a while I would consider a new battery instead.
The power pack may well start the van but if the battery has failed it will need the power pack every time.
Dead batteries calcify in a short time and won't hold a charge for long.

I had a mate that did this with his car . Kept using the jump pack like he was some kind of genius because he didn’t have to get a new battery . What a lot of stress to have to start the car like that every time , rather than just get a new battery .That said , the power jump packs are still worth having as a bit of emergency kit

 

[autorouter]

The question I'm asking is ; .... How is the power pack itself charged ? Neither the advert or reviews have given me the answer.

The specifications say: Type C In & Out: 18W
Also: Input 5V/3A (Type C)
That means it needs a USB-C supply. The plug is NOT the same as a micro-USB.
It will work from a standard USB socket, using a cable with a standard USB 'Type A' plug on one end, and a USB-C plug on the other end. But charging may be very slow depending on how up-to-date the socket is.

I would buy a USB-C charger 'with PD', capable of at least 18W. You can get a cigarette-lighter-plug USB-C charger, and/or a mains USB-C charger. Cables with USB-C plugs on both ends are readily available.

For example
<Broken link removed>

Anker 323 Charger (32W)

Fast Charging: Charge the iPhone 13 series to 50% in just 25 minutes—that’s up to 3× faster than with an original 5W charger. Two-in-One: With 1 USB-C Power Delivery port, and 1 PowerIQ USB-A port, you’re ready to charge two of your devices simultaneously. Ultra-Compact: All this power comes...

uk.anker.com

PD means Power Delivery. 18W is fairly modest, and enough for this job. If you really want to, you can buy PD adapters that deliver up to 100W from a single USB-C socket - for charging a laptop for example. These will work fine when only 18W is required, but are unnecessarily expensive if you don't need the full power.

 

[Swifter]

The specifications say: Type C In & Out: 18W
Also: Input 5V/3A (Type C)
That means it needs a USB-C supply. The plug is NOT the same as a micro-USB.
It will work from a standard USB socket, using a cable with a standard USB 'Type A' plug on one end, and a USB-C plug on the other end. But charging may be very slow depending on how up-to-date the socket is.

I would buy a USB-C charger 'with PD', capable of at least 18W. You can get a cigarette-lighter-plug USB-C charger, and/or a mains USB-C charger. Cables with USB-C plugs on both ends are readily available.

For example
<Broken link removed>

Anker 323 Charger (32W)

Fast Charging: Charge the iPhone 13 series to 50% in just 25 minutes—that’s up to 3× faster than with an original 5W charger. Two-in-One: With 1 USB-C Power Delivery port, and 1 PowerIQ USB-A port, you’re ready to charge two of your devices simultaneously. Ultra-Compact: All this power comes...

uk.anker.com

PD means Power Delivery. 18W is fairly modest, and enough for this job. If you really want to, you can buy PD adapters that deliver up to 100W from a single USB-C socket - for charging a laptop for example. These will work fine when only 18W is required, but are unnecessarily expensive if you don't need the full power.

Won’t the correct type of usb charger come with the starter then ?

 

[TinaLes]

I like the sound of these small Jump starters, they could be very useful in certain flat starter battery situations, that there is no denying.
However, one thing that would concern me now having learnt about Ducato's is that if I had tried to start the engine only to discover the battery was flat, in doing so have I fried my Airbag ECU?
If so that's a load of hassle in taking it out, wrapping it and sending it off to Crash Data Engineering to get it fixed, plus minimum of £70 for the privilege.

Others with experience of airbag ecu's being fried in these situations will, hopefully help address my concerns of being a potential problem or not.
Will using the jump starter packs have any bearing on the vans ECU's in general?
Is it purely luck of the draw, happens sometimes, doesn't happen others? That's the impression that I have been left with reading threads on this problem.
Hopefully I am over thinking this as being a potential problem.
Thanks.
LES