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Stranded by a Flat Battery near Woop-Woop? Never Again! by Ross Tester It’s an all-too familiar scenario. You’re out the back of Woop-Woop* and have had a great day . . . until you return to your car and find you’ve left the lights on. You turn the key (or more likely press the engine start button) and the starter motor clicks but that’s about all. W hat to do? You could phone a friend (is there mobile phone service at Woop Woop?) but you could be in for a long wait. Similarly, you could call Road Service – ditto the wait. Or you could wait until someone else comes along AND has a pair of jumper leads. Oh yeah? Or you could . . . Or you could open the car boot, take out a small package, connect its leads to your car battery . . . and start your car. That’s if you happened to have one of these “Battery Fighters” from Master Instruments. They come in various models, to suit all sizes of vehicles from small motorcycles to large cars and SUVs. There’s even a 24V model to suit trucks and heavy vehicles with the higher voltage system. The Battery Fighters are portable, lithium-polymer powered devices which offer starting “grunt” far greater than their size would suggest is 48  Silicon Chip available. For instance, the smallest 1500mAh model (which fits in the palm of your hand) offers 150A cranking – suiting engines up to about 1200cc. The significantly larger (though still reasonable sized) truck models are rated at 12V or 24V, 9000mAh but can handle notoriously more demanding diesel engines (as well as petrol) up to 13 litre capacity in the case of the 24V JPR9024M, with their 810A cranking availability. This one weighs 2.2kg, reflecting the size of the cells it contains. All models are said to be good for ten cranks, so if the engine doesn’t start first off, you should still be able to get it to go. If you’re in any doubt as to whether the particular Battery Fighter model has the power to handle your particular vehicle, there’s a handy chart printed on some models to tell you. Simply choose the model suitable and you can be assured you’re ready for the deep unknown . . . But wait, there’s more! On most of the models, there is also a 5V USB output which can be used to charge and/or power your mobile phone and other 5V devices. Again, when you’re stuck in the scrub without power this could be a lifesaver! The USB outlet is rated at 2A so is more than capable of supplying the power you need. Obviously, it’s capable of supplying power to much more than mobile phones. Given the number of “5V” or “USB” devices around these days, you almost certainly have several in your arsenal which could benefit from having reliable (and virtually unlimited, with reason) power available. We don’t believe USB cables are supplied with any of the Battery Fighters, mainly due to the number of different USB connectors used (then, of course, everybody has a spare cable or two!). Work light Given the fact that the most usual siliconchip.com.au * Woop Woop: that mythical place you’re out the back of, when something goes radically wrong. This one is the 12V/4500mAh JPR4500M, which is good for all engines up to about four litres and has a suggested price of $239.95. There are five models in the series, ranging from the 1500mAh JPS1500M <at> 149.95 through to the “big daddy” , the 24V 9000mAh Truck starter (good for 810A) which retails for $799.95. All contain lithium-polymer batteries and come with the range of leads, charger and case shown here. application for the Battery Fighter will be in the pitch black when there’s no battery to power a work light (Murphy’s Law No XIV), they’ve thoughtfully included a high power LED work light (and in some cases two!) in each model. Very handy when you are out the back of Woop Woop! In use It’s simply a matter of connecting the large alligator clips to your battery, as you would a set of jumper leads. The output is short circuit proof so you won’t get that nasty “splat” when the leads short together! A range of indicators on the side of the units tell you what status your battery is in (as if you didn’t know – it won’t start!). In addition, the information is repeated in the quite comprehensive intruction manual. You press the “JUMP START” button and it’s ready for you to crank the engine in the normal way. Once it’s started, you turn off the power and disconnect the Battery Fighter. Unlike siliconchip.com.au jumper leads, there is no risk of spark and/or explosion. If the engine dies once the Battery Fighter is turned off, it’s a pretty safe bet that your alternator and/or electrical system is faulty. We are given to understand that the Battery Fighter cannot be used to drive, or even limp home, because it will turn itself off after two minutes. It automatically limits individual cranking times to three seconds. OBD II “Saver” function. What impressed us – apart from the units themselves – was the extensive range of leads and adaptors supplied with each one. These vary according to the size of the unit but all include heavy-duty 100% copper jumper cables. All except the 24V Truck model include USB output cables; some also sport an OBD II connector plug, which is used to “power up” the car, maintaining alarm and radio codes and other computer information while the car battery itself is changed. While modern cars are usually capable of holding this information for a short time, if left too long (ie, when a battery is dead flat or removed) it can be lost – and on some cars, this is a disaster! The OBD II cable simply plugs into the normal Battery Fighter output socket and into the OBD II socket, normally located under the dashboard. After use The Battery Fighter is supplied with a 12V 1A switch-mode plugpack, which is used to charge the lithiumpolymer cells. It is recommended that the unit is checked every three months to ensure the cells are charged and ready for use. Where from? The Battery Fighters all came from Master Instruments, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne Brisbane and Perth. Full contact details and technical specifications are at www.batteryfighter.com.au SC August 2015  49