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Jumpstarter

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by magnumrtawd, May 18, 2020.

  1. magnumrtawd

    magnumrtawd Member

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    Looking for advice on how to use a 18 volt nicad drill battery for a powerpac or emergency jump starter!
    I would need to reduce the voltage and I would like to wire a plug (cigar lighter) on the end!
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not a bad idea, but i don't think anyone has done it. you can be the pioneer!:p
     
  3. magnumrtawd

    magnumrtawd Member

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    would have been easy if radioshack was around!
     
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  4. magnumrtawd

    magnumrtawd Member

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    You will get a kick out of this Bisco, I have the original 12 volt in my 2010. I get it checked at Walmart twice a year And its 100 %.Not going waste 150$ until necessary!
     
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  5. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    Is 18V even too high? Spec for the DC-DC converter (aka Prius alternator) is up to 15 V. Sounds like close enough to plug and play....

    moto g(7) power ?
     
  6. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    I’d pay to see that jump start on a prius.
     
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I have a jumpstarter, but can never get too excited about them. I've never used it on our car; it's basically to play good Samaritan for others, without endangering the Prius electronics.

    I'd suggest to invest more in chargers and testers.

    And a 10 year old battery? Just replace it.
     
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  8. 2012 Prius v wagon 3

    2012 Prius v wagon 3 Active Member

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    I may be wrong, but I believe the 12V outlet in these cars turns off when the car is turned off. And if the 12V battery is dead enough, the outlet may not be turned "on" to enable a connection to the car's 12V battery. Might be OK if the car's 12V battery is strong enough to turn things on enough to get the outlet powered. But you may want to not count on that if this is your backup plan.

    That said, the next thing to worry about would be the power outlet fuse blowing. On most cars, that's a 15A fuse. Good thing is that it would probably protect your 18V Ni-Cad from damage. Those things probably put out 15A when used in power tools, so if you wanted to test, probably the worst that would happen is to blow that power outlet fuse. Clipping it directly to the 12V battery would avoid that problem, but would also not benefit from the fuse's protection.

    If you're lucky, the boosted 12V would engage the 200V and the DC-DC converter would come up to voltage quickly enough, dropping the 18V battery current, and you'd be good to go.

    Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
     
  9. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    It will be cheaper to set that battery aside and get another with a more appropriate voltage.
    As pointed out in #8, that outlet gets turned off. And even when turned on, it is fused low enough to interfere with jump starting.
     
  10. Maarten28

    Maarten28 Active Member

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    18V is no problem as long as you don't leave it connected. Connecting an 18V power source to a battery will not instantly jump it to 18V, there will start to run a current to charge the battery and eventually (sooner or later) you will overcharge and damage the battery, but if you only use it for a quick jumpstart it should be fine.
     
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  11. 2012 Prius v wagon 3

    2012 Prius v wagon 3 Active Member

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    True in general. But in this case, considering the size (capacity, mass, however you want to measure that) of the 18V drill battery vs. the 12V car (OK, tiny, but still go-kart sized) battery, there's really no way the 18V can harm the 12V. Any concern should be for the 18V, or perhaps for damage to the car (fuse, electronics sensitive to a surge). And I think going through the power outlet would provide a fuse that will limit any current to about the same as the 18V provides when drilling, so no harm there, other than the inconvenience if the fuse blows.

    I really hope magnumrtawd gives this a shot and lets us know. As someone with a garage PACKED with stuff, I always much prefer to use something I already have than go and buy something new. See my Oil Catch Can post recently where it was fabricobbled from an Amazon bought OCC and everything else was stuff I had on the shelf :D:
    Intake Manifold Cleaning and OCC? | Page 4 | PriusChat

    So it would be nice to use an 18V battery I already have, vs. buying a jump pack that will die a little each day, maybe never being needed, until it also needs replacement due to age.

    But of course, this whole project / experiment assumes one wants to play battery roulette rather than pre-emptively replace it. Whether that's a good idea or not depends on other situational factors.
     
  12. GG707

    GG707 Member

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    Well maybe you can unplug the poles (positive or negative) and parallel the 18v pack for I moment to give some charge the 12 bolt bat of your car then reconnect and start it as normal... An other approach would be to open the case of the pack and use only 10s (assuming is nimh or nice so 12 to 14 volts charged the 10s...) And clamp it as normal to jump start the car... Or if it is liion use 3 cells 12.6 fully charged to jump as normal or if it is lifepo use 4s 13.2 fully charged to jump as normal... Although the safest route in case of emergency would be to take at least one pole out and quick charge the bat for a fiew secconds with the 18v pack... That would give you some power to allow it to start but will be safer than put 18 to ecus (without taking the pole of)

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  13. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Buck down 12v converter, reduces higher voltage up to 24v and bucks to 12v. Doesn’t cost arm and leg
     
  14. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    MMMM?? No way 18 volts can harm 12 volts?
    So I guess 12 volts can't harm 6 volts either.
    Anyone converting a 1966 VW 6 volt system to 12 volts might not agree with that....
     
  15. Maarten28

    Maarten28 Active Member

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    It all depends on the circumstances. Sure, a 6V bulb will blow when connected to 12V, but a 12V system with a battery will not immediately fail when you connect 18V because the voltage will not instantly jump to 18V.
     
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  16. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Unless you disconnect the battery, you could fry the computers....
    Buttttt,,,,,, It's YOUR vehicle...
     
  17. Maarten28

    Maarten28 Active Member

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    Why would you disconnect the battery if you want to jumpstart the vehicle? Sure, we can invent many different circumstances when it will go wrong, but when they will not occur, what is the point in that?
     
  18. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    ... to safely charge the 12V battery, so that it can subsequently start the vehicle, without putting any of the expensive electronics at risk?