AUTOWIT SUPERCAP 2 jump starter..

BorealOverland

BorealOverland

Active member
Hi guys..

In a previous tread i was exploring the possibilities of using my DIY LIFEPO4 pack
as a back up for jump starting a car:

expeditionportal.com

Jump starting from DIY LIFEPO4 battery pack..

Hi guys, i have a question and hope you fine folk can help me out a bit.. Earlier this year i build a DIY Battery pack, see link: https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/diy-105-ah-lithium-powerpack-with-victron-mppt-battery-protect-and-smart-sence.217571/#post-2821448 So far the pack is...
expeditionportal.com expeditionportal.com

And came to the conclusion that a small portable jump starter would be a better way of doing it.

Fellow Expo member Chris Boyd pointed me in the direction of the Autowit Supercap 2.
After looking at many outstanding (buyer) reviews and some popular Youtube (sponsored) reviews
i decided to give the Supercap 2 a try and bought one.
Looked at Amazon but they were out of stock.. so i bought it on Aliexpress and it got delivered
in a Amazon box within 3 days.. weird but fine with me.

Supercap 2 is basically a supercapasitor that uses what's left of voltage in the flat (not dead) battery,
and transforms it to 14,50 Volts and releases the stored energy after a countdown signal in a 10 second burst of power so can start your car again.. that's the plan anyway lol..

Here's a photo overview of the Supercap 2
It arrives in a nice sturdy case:
BorealOverlandimage00001.jpeg

Pre-charging options.. i say Pre-charge, remember it's not a battery in the way it works..
BorealOverlandimage00002.jpeg

It's fairly large and weighs 1KG! (nope... not what she said..)
BorealOverlandimage00004.jpeg

Multiple Pre- charge options, via the USB port on my DIY LIFEPO4 pack, takes about 30 minutes..
BorealOverlandimage00007.jpeg

Or straight on the 12-13V busbar, charging only takes a 2 or 3 minutes this way.
BorealOverlandimage00008.jpeg


BorealOverlandimage00009.jpeg

When the supercapasitor is full it sounds a alarm that it's ready for action.
BorealOverlandimage00011.jpeg

After you connect it to the flat battery or maybe you used the flat battery for Pre-charging it in the
first place, you push the little red button and the unit sound the count down alarm..
At zero the stored energy burst into the flat battery and you turn the key and start the car!

I used it on a little flat 12V agm battery that had only 5V left and you see the burst is 14.50 Volts..
BorealOverlandimage00012.jpeg


Please remember this is not a battery charger!
So when jump started the flat battery you still need to look at what had caused the battery to not charge
or drop in voltage in the first place..

I like the idea of not having to worry if i left the jump starter in the car with a full battery,
and i can pre-charge the supercapasitor in varies ways without the need for a 110 or 230V outlet.

So there ya go.. a little overview of the Autowit Supercap2
i hope this helps you who are looking at jumpstarting alternatives like i did.

Thanks Chris Boyd for pointing me to the Supercap2.

Stay safe all,

Steve
 
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Chris Boyd

Chris Boyd

Explorer
Glad I could help!

Now just figure what plug they use and make a charge cable for your Anderson connector, so you don’t have to open the box!

I too have ordered one... hasn’t arrived yet.
 
BorealOverland

BorealOverland

Active member
Chris Boyd said:
Glad I could help!

Now just figure what plug they use and make a charge cable for your Anderson connector, so you don’t have to open the box!

I too have ordered one... hasn’t arrived yet.
Click to expand...

Yes that's smart thinking Chris, great idea and more practical when on the road!
Looks like a XT90 variant, but different.. lol, i will find it.

They had a sale last week, i paid 80€, free shipping, don't no how much that would be in dollars..
Hope yours arrives soon.
 
BorealOverland

BorealOverland

Active member
Verkstad said:
Interesting thing. Variant of a Joule Thief ?
Click to expand...

I have never heard of that term..
But I looked it up!

“The joule thief (aka blocking oscillator) is an electronic circuit that allows you to make use of batteries normally considered dead. A battery is often considered "dead" when it can't power a particular device. But what's really happening is that the battery voltage is no longer high enough for the device when it's used directly. The joule thief circuit massages the voltage and current coming from the battery so that the voltage is high enough, for periods of time, for the device to work continuously”

Yes, although the Supercap2 has other components the technique sounds the same..

Thanks @Verkstad, I learn something new everyday here on the forum.

Steve
 
Martinjmpr

Martinjmpr

Wiffleball Batter
Interesting. I got a much more mundane small Li-Ion battery jump starter a couple of years ago that looks similar but I presume it doesn't have the capacitor.

So I guess I'd have two questions: First off, is this also a battery? It sure looks like one (it looks very similar to the one I have which is this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FTG9PBK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 )

And second, what's the advantage of the capacitor vs just a fully charged jump starter battery?
 
BorealOverland

BorealOverland

Active member
Martinjmpr said:
Interesting. I got a much more mundane small Li-Ion battery jump starter a couple of years ago that looks similar but I presume it doesn't have the capacitor.

So I guess I'd have two questions: First off, is this also a battery? It sure looks like one (it looks very similar to the one I have which is this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FTG9PBK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 )

And second, what's the advantage of the capacitor vs just a fully charged jump starter battery?
Click to expand...

Hi,
No this is not a battery and it doesn’t have a powerbank function..

The disadvantage is: it doesn’t have a powerbank function lol..
And if a battery is completely dead you can’t use it to pre charge the Supercap2.
So I will always carry a good pair of jumper cables with me anyway, on longer trips that is.

The advantage is since it doesn’t have a battery you can leave it in the car and never have worry if the jumpstarter battery has enough charge left or was it depleted because someone charged there Ipad with it.. Or see you car going up in flames because that cheap lithium battery overheated in the summer.
And IF the car battery is completely dead (and that’s a very small chance) you can use a powerbank (usb) or maybe another car’s battery 12V to pre charge it and than use it.

It’s a completely new tool and technique for me,
so we have to see how it holds up over time
but the reviews so far look promising.
 
J

john61ct

Adventurer
Martinjmpr said:
Interesting. I got a much more mundane small Li-Ion battery jump starter a couple of years ago that looks similar but I presume it doesn't have the capacitor.

So I guess I'd have two questions: First off, is this also a battery? It sure looks like one (it looks very similar to the one I have which is this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FTG9PBK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 )

And second, what's the advantage of the capacitor vs just a fully charged jump starter battery?
Click to expand...
Lithium batteries will lose their charge over time, and then lose their health.

Capacitor charges up from the "dead" battery just before you use it, does not wear out (as quickly)
 
Martinjmpr

Martinjmpr

Wiffleball Batter
john61ct said:
Lithium batteries will lose their charge over time, and then lose their health.

Capacitor charges up from the "dead" battery just before you use it, does not wear out (as quickly)
Click to expand...

Ah, got it. OK, that makes sense. (y)

You know, you could almost call it a "bootstrap device" because it gives a vehicle with a dead battery a way to "pull itself up by its bootstraps."

I like that it doesn't have to be kept in a charged state.

Here's the Amazon link for those interested.

 
BorealOverland

BorealOverland

Active member
john61ct said:
Now we just need the Banggood and Ali ones at lower price if you don't mind waiting
Click to expand...

I bought it on Aliexpress for 80€ (euro’s) on sale..
Shipping is very fast!! I asked how long it would take because at the product page it said about 2 months, they said 7 days but mine arrived in the Netherlands at my door in 3 days! Like I said, they shipped it locally via Amazon (but amazon was out of stock, weird) so you know and it looks like you are buying directly from Autowit either you buy it on Amazon, Aliexpress or Bangood.
Just keep a eye for a nice deal and it should arrive within days..
 
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