Dead power tank - options?

[gooseholla]

Hello,

2 years ago I purchased a 17ah jump start from Aldi. It served me well for 2012, but at Kelling last year it died.

I have lost - I suspect it was binned - the receipt, so warranty option is out.

It won't charge from the power cable. If I charge it via jump leads off the car it gets up to about 10V for a couple of hours. If I actually turn the thing on the voltage drops to something pitiful.

So, it is dead. But what are my options? Any replacement battery for it? A way to revive it? Or get another setup completely?

Thanks

John

[Stephen]

You can try a smart battery charger to try and resurrect it - but I won't guarantee this will work

[gooseholla]

Yes, that is my worry. c. £30 for a charger, which is getting on towards a new battery to make a home made pack, or half of a new battery pack.

[IanWatkins]

These things don't last forever anyway, especially if discharged all the way down and left in that state.

Due to the costs these days you may be better off in the long term just buying a new unit. You may find the technology has moved on a little as well giving better features, capacity etc.

I picked up a 17Ah unit from (I think) Maplins a couple of years ago that is still going strong with the added benefit it has a compressor for tyres, work light, two cigarette lighter outputs, jump leads etc. That replaced a similar unit (minus compressor) that had died. Price for a new battery for that older unit, £45, price of this whole new unit, £50.

I hate doing it personally, maybe I'm just wired to be able to fix things rather than throw them away, but sometimes it just makes financial sense to do so.

Cheers

Ian

[ronin]

I think it is a new battery if you can locate a suitable, shouldn't be a problem on the net these days.

However being a normal lead acid the same will occur again eventually. If they drain they get damaged. The problem is astronomers tend to use a scope until clouds come in or the scope runs out of power. If it runs out of power then the battery is stuffed. Bet there are very few who will set a time limit of say 2 hours then pack up if it is still clear.

Many now build their own from a deep cycle battery, they cost more and need a trickle charge, so a new charger could be required.

[sologuitarist61]

I'm sorry to say that I think your only option is to replace it - I have never got one to come back to life yet. I got to the stage where I used my on-line calender to remind me to recharge it every fortnight when not regularly in use.

[Stephen]

Yes, that is my worry. c. £30 for a charger, which is getting on towards a new battery to make a home made pack, or half of a new battery pack.

Here's the catch though if you're going to make a new battery pack you really, really, really should use a smart charger anyway

[pete_l]

17aH batteries are reasonably easy to get hold of. However, ones that actually DO have the claimed capacity will be expensive.

What I'd be inclined to do is 2 things:

Take the battery out of the power tank and measure its dimensions and its weight. It's not unknown (you'd better sit down, this could be a shock   ) for manufacturers to misrepresent the capacity of rechargable batteries. However, reputable SLA sellers will have branded units available that do actually have the claimed capacity. They ARE worth the money. However you might not be able to get a replacement SLA that has both the physical dimensions of your original and the claimed capacity.

Secondly, invest in a good charger. One that will charge at the recommended rate and then, automatically, switch to a float charge. A lot of the cheaper chargers, sold with budget power tanks have no protection and can (voice of experience here) keep pushing current into the battery until it's a burned-out, useless wreck - if you forget to turn it off after the right number of hours charging.

I've tried battery "rejuvenators" and anti-sulfation schemes. None of them have ever worked.

[perfrej]

A 12V lead-acid battery, with the exception of AGM technology, will never recuperate if discharged below 11 volts. You need to replace the battery.

/p

[Velvet]

A 12V lead-acid battery, with the exception of AGM technology, will never recuperate if discharged below 11 volts. You need to replace the battery.

/p

i would agree on the small jump start batteries, however on deep discharge leisure batteries they and their chargers are designed for this and if kept

regularly charged will be fine  but they are much heavier to lug about   mine is over 20kgs for 105 Ahour

[keithatrochdale]

Hi this may be of use, same size as the old 17Ah battery, but better capacity;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251505703490?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Do charge it up after use and treat yourself to a smart charger; if you do these simple things you should get many years of use. I have batteries that are 7 plus years old.

[Tinker1947]

Bite the bullet and buy one of these, people on here use them and swear by them, there are bigger size if you have a deep wallet.......there complete smart charger, leads ect.....

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/power/tracer-12v-10ah-lithium-polymer-battery-pack.html

[Rustysplit]

I bought a lucas 22ah golf trolley battery off ebay, to replace the dead 17ah in my powerpack. Got a ctek smart charger as well at the same time. Just fit it in the old housing and keep charger connected when not in use. Job's a good'un.

[hippie]

Here's your answer to a decent power pack that will last you a lifetime, they're lightweight and can be charged from your car if necessary  :-

 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121171329940?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&var=420169615654&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[gooseholla]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies.

I feared getting this thing working was pretty much out of the question.

I like the look of the Tracer Lithium batteries. But I am wondering how often I'd be going out anywhere to justify the cost. I'm not keen on lugging about a 20kg battery either, so perhaps making my own rig isn't a good idea. Yet, I suspect, I'd be more willing to go places if the battery was light and fitted in my bag or pocket.

To get this working, if one of those golf batteries fit, + smart charger = c.£50. Slightly more than what I paid for this jump start. But it would at least still give me the compressor, lights, jump leads of the pack, and it would be light. The ultimate would be for the receipt + instruction manual to magically appear, then I could get it repaired under warranty.

There is a lot to think about before deciding.

[nitram100]

Bite the bullet and buy one of these, people on here use them and swear by them, there are bigger size if you have a deep wallet.......there complete smart charger, leads ect.....

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/power/tracer-12v-10ah-lithium-polymer-battery-pack.html

Yup, I got the 14Ah version and it powered my NEQ6 Pro for 6 hours and showed 70% remaining lol. It is expensive but it is amazing, very well built and can even clip it to your belt! Only weighs just under 1kg.

[gooseholla]

I must say I am drawn to the Tracer battery, but how do you get multiple connectors to plug into it? Is there a cable you can buy?

[PeterCPC]

You can get cigar lighter extensions that go from one connection to 2 or 3. http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p3984.m570.l1313&_nkw=cigar+lighter+extension&_sacat=0&_from=R40

Never tried it but I assume that would work.

Peter

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have just replaced the battery of my 17Ah powertank with a 22Ah unit that has the exact same dimensions. I have just charged the unit and everything seems to be fine (charging times are up, but that is to be expected). The new battery cost me 64 euro including shipping. This is a lot cheaper than a new unit, and replacing the battery is straightforward. I will post a new thread in the DIY section this evening

[terryc]

I used to Fly model airplanes with LiPo batties. They are very good BUT have to be well looked after.  They need to be charged with a balance charger. Which, if you go for a good one could cost you more than the battery. There used to be lipo batteries 'exploding' on You Tube.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

BTW, mine was just a simple sealed lead acid battery (maintenance-free deep cycle type).

[gooseholla]

Hello,

Well today I took the plunge on a power source. I purchased a 6amp smart charger, with float charge, and limited battery reviver capabilities. My old power pack didn't want to know. I also purchased a 70AH leisure battery from Halfords for £60. It is connected to my old power pack, as quite frankly, at the moment, I am too lazy to strip the parts I want off it and build my own box up.

A lithium pack was going to be about double the price for a decent AH rating, and with expansions I plan to make, this was the best option, at the moment.

If it last a few years I'll be happy. Then lithium will have come down in price hopefully.

John

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Good solution. The advantage of a battery with HUGE capacity is that you do not cycle it as deeply as one with smaller capacity. Suppose you draw 2 A during a 4 hour session (nothing special). That means you have drained 47% of the capacity. Under the same conditions you have only used 11.4 % of the 70Ah battery's capacity. Even deep-cycle batteries do not like being cycled to 50% of their capacity, and it reduces the number of charging cycles dramatically. This was one consideration for me to get a 22Ah rather than the cheaper 18Ah alternatives.

[gooseholla]

I was looking at batteries for in the shop that would have fitted in the pack. They were all near enough the same cost, and like max 10AH. I could of gone online and got one, but I thought, you know what, forget it - it is my hobby and now I can just get on and enjoy it out and about without limitation or worry.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I was looking at batteries for in the shop that would have fitted in the pack. They were all near enough the same cost, and like max 10AH. I could of gone online and got one, but I thought, you know what, forget it - it is my hobby and now I can just get on and enjoy it out and about without limitation or worry.

Sounds good. I do think I would like a bigger battery at some stage, but for now I like the compact form factor of the powertank. I could get an 18Ah version at an electronics store in town, but the 22 Ah version was only 10 euro more expensive (including shipping costs), so I thought I should go for that (for the power-cycle reason in my previous post).