Maplin Power tanks

[Space Cowboy]

Just familiarising myself with the world of power tanks. This one from Maplins has been mentioned on the forum but the reviews are mixed, some say it fails after only a few charges and one states after testing the tanks capacity is only a fraction of the 17ah stated.

Anyone used this particular item? :

Portable Jump Starter and Air Compressor : InCar Battery Chargers and Compressors : Maplin

[brantuk]

I use the 17ah "5 in 1" from Maplins - never had a problem with it in 2yrs (yet) lol

[xboxdevil]

Yep, that's the one that I'm using, too early to say about longevity yet as I've only had it a few weeks, but so far so good.

[brianb]

These devices are designed for light / emergency use, the batteries are not rated for repeated use to near total discharge & will definitely fail prematurely if used that way.

Deep cycle leisure (camping / marine) batteries are what you want.

[NGC 1502]

There's several of these in my club, including mine, still ok after 3.5 years.

I found it useless to start a neighbours car ( 1.2 ltr ) but fine for what

I use it for, cooling fan, 12v dew gun.

Regards, Ed.

[bcfcciderhead]

I got this one from Maplins-

HeavyDuty 5in1 Jump Starter Free Delivery : InCar Battery Chargers and Compressors : Maplin

Cost a bit more, well alot.

It was bought for a back up to start my boat incase it's battery is flat after a week or 2 not being used.

It is very good, has 2 cigar light type sockets, can be charge via cars cigar lighter socket, has a bright LED light, which i covered red, also a 3 pin plug socket at the rear, this was used for 2 days non stop when on holiday by the kids Nintendo DS and the charge hardley dropped, so may be good for laptops.

[red dwalf]

i have the one mentioned but don`t use the mains charger that comes with the unit, it only charges at 1/2 amp per hour so takes forever to fully charge up, therefore i charge it with a car battery charger then it`s ok.

i`ve had it running for 4 hours at a time without a problem so far.

Maplins also do a black version with out the air pump for £20, ideal for the money

[Space Cowboy]

Thanks for all your feedback guys!

[Space Cowboy]

Just got the 3 in 1 Jump starter from B&M for £25, looks identical to the Maplins one.

[acme]

Mine died after about a year, I read a post on here about using a car charger .. Left it on charge for a few hours and it worked. It holds it's charge and has been great ever since..

Acme

[brantuk]

"I found it useless to start a neighbours car ( 1.2 ltr )"

If you use these to jump start a car - Don't start the engine straight away or it generally won't work - connect it to the car battery and let it stand for 5 mins first. Turn the ignition key after it's been connected 5 mins and you'll be up and running first time.

This gives some time for the voltage levels in both batteries to even out so the car battery has enough juice to turn the engine. Recharge your field battery straight away of course.

I had to do this at Kelling this autumn cos I left the doors open too long when packing up, and the interior lights drained the battery lol

[Astro_Baby]

I have the one the OP mentioned. Owned it for two and a bit years and use it with an HEQ5 (so a big power hungry mount).

Mines been fine. Its longest run was about 8 hours of use with moderate amounts of high speed slewing on the mount.

They do need to be charged regularly to keep them tip top whether they are used or not so I usually hook mine up for charging at the start of every month and let it have 8 hours worth of charging time. They also dont like to be fully discharged so when ist been out in the field it gets another recharge straight away. Mines stored in the warm and I am told that left in the cold they can be troublesome.

Its been fine so far and for £24 you cant really complain I guess. Itc compact enough, fairly robust.

The torch bulb blew on mine and its a weird bulb size that I cant find anywhere. Gave up in the end and put a lower power bulb in as a glowlight.

The compressor on it wouldnt blow up a paper bag BUT does make a wonderful loud noise thats useful for frightning small children

[Dangerous-Dave]

These devices are designed for light / emergency use, the batteries are not rated for repeated use to near total discharge & will definitely fail prematurely if used that way.

Deep cycle leisure (camping / marine) batteries are what you want.

Concurred Brian.

I bought a 100AH Lucas leisure battery for 50 quid off ebay and it will run an EQ6, camera and dew straps all weekend. I've used it extensively for 2 years now and it's never let me down. You need to buy a charger and something to convert the poles to 12V sockets but that is a one off payment.

For £65 you could have a 12V 86Ah Numax deep cycle leisure battery with 2 year warranty.

Numax Leisure Batteries - Leisure Batteries

The unbiquitous yellow starter gets appalling reviews on amazon:

PORTABLE POWER STATION / ENGINE JUMP START c/w AIR COMPRESSOR: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

[pete_l]

Just familiarising myself with the world of power tanks. This one from Maplins has been mentioned on the forum but the reviews are mixed, some say it fails after only a few charges and one states after testing the tanks capacity is only a fraction of the 17ah stated.

Anyone used this particular item? :

Portable Jump Starter and Air Compressor : InCar Battery Chargers and Compressors : Maplin

Funny thing about those Maplin "power tanks" (I've got one). After it dies, which it surely will, you take it apart out of curiosity. You find that the 17ah battery weighs about 3.7kg. That compares with the 2.4kg of my Yuasa 12V 7ah batteries and the 6.2kg of a Yuasa 17ah battery.

I'll leave any conclusions up to you. Personally I think it's a wonder of the modern age - that they've been able to shrink the weight (if not the size) of these down so much and still retain the capacity

[Space Cowboy]

As long as it runs my scope I will be happy. For sure there is no way its 17ah but at least its light weight. Time will tell if my £25 has been wisely spent