What is a jump starter and how does it work? That’s very popular yet very confusing among car enthusiasts. In fact, many vehicle owners have jump starters in the storage box of their cars. However, they don’t know how to use them when their car batteries die.
Jump starters are small devices that can provide instant power to the battery. They help start the car engines when the car battery is not working. Remember, these starters are even more critical when your cars remain outside in cold weather. In this article, I’ll discuss everything about jump starters and their working and advantages.
Basic Rundown of Jump Start
A jump starter is a portable device. It provides an instant burst of current to the dead batteries. This device has two clamps that are attached to the terminals of the batteries. These weaker batteries, upon high current, can crank the engine of the cars. Without a jump starter, those weak batteries cannot ignite the engines of the vehicles.
Jump starters come with dedicated lithium-ion or lead-acid batteries. These batteries are enclosed or sealed perfectly. They have two clamps and cables. One of these clamps is of red and attached to a positive terminal. The second clamp is of black color. It is connected to this black clamp on the body of the car, instead of the negative terminal of the battery.
Now, when you switch on the car, the weakened battery will crank the car’s engine. How? Because the jump starter provides current to the battery. This current is enough to ignite the car engines. Once the car’s engine starts, you can remove the jump starters. What makes jump starters stand out is their lightweight and compact size.
Modern jump starters come with powerful lithium-ion batteries. These batteries occupy less space and provide higher energy bursts. This ensures that these jump starters, being small, offer the same performance as the old, bigger ones. Due to their compact size, owners generally keep them in the trunk of their cars. They have become an emergency tool that every vehicle needs.
How Jump Starters Work?
Car jump starters come with rechargeable batteries. The electrical energy is stored in these batteries. Some of the old jump starters used to come with lead-acid batteries. However, modern devices generally feature lithium-ion batteries. The use of these lithium-ion batteries enables the jump starter to be compact without compromising on energy storage.
Now, imagine a vehicle whose battery is dead. The car won’t start as the battery of that vehicle is not providing electrical energy. You’ll have to connect the jump starter to the dead battery of the vehicle. As I said earlier, jump starters come with two clamps, one of which is red, while the other is black.
You will have to attach the red clamp of the jump starter to the positive terminal of the vehicle’s dead battery. This black clamp of the jump starter will be connected to the vehicle’s metal part. Remember, the black clamp should be far from the battery. It will help prevent sparks and the risk of fires on the battery. Now you turn the engine on.
The jump starter will provide sudden electrical energy to the dead battery. This sudden burst of energy will ignite the vehicle’s engine. Once the vehicle’s engine starts, you’ll have to remove the jump starter from the dead battery of the vehicle. The vehicle’s engine will turn on the generator. This generator will start charging the dead battery of the vehicle.
Will you need a jump starter every time to start the vehicle? The answer is NO. Once the vehicle starts, the generator will charge the dead battery. Next time, the vehicle’s own battery will have stored energy to crank the vehicle’s engines. The jump starter is used only once, allowing vehicle engines to start for the first time.
Types of Jump Starters
Interestingly, there are different types of jump starters available. In the past, portable jump starters were not available. People used to rely on donor vehicles and use them as jump-starters. In the section below, I will explain possible types of jump starters.
1- Portable Jump Starters
Portable jump starters are advanced portable devices. They consist of small enclosed batteries that are chargeable. These jump starters can be charged and then used if a vehicle has a dead battery. The size of these portable jump starters is very compact, which makes them stand out. They are highly portable and generally carried in the vehicle as emergency tools.
2- Jumper Cables
Many vehicles use and carry jumper cables as jump starters. These cables cannot provide energy to dead batteries on their own. Instead, they use a dedicated donor vehicle to power the dead battery. The jumper cables have clamps on both ends. Clamps on one side are attached to the battery terminal of the donor vehicles.
The clamps on the side of the jumper cables are connected to the terminal of the dead battery. Now, the donor vehicle’s engine is switched on. This donor vehicle starts to supply electrical energy to the dead battery. The dead battery started to revive upon receiving power. After some time, it gets some electrical energy stored in it.
As a result, it can now start the vehicle. Interestingly, you can immediately ignite the engine of a vehicle when the dead battery is connected to the donor vehicle. In this way, you won’t have to wait for a dead battery to charge and revive. As the dead battery gets power from the donor vehicle, it will start to act as a temporary jump starter. Using donor vehicles and jump starter cables is an old way of igniting the engine of other vehicles.
3- Battery Chargers
Some people also consider battery chargers as jump starters. However, they are not actually jump starters – instead, they are battery revival. There are dedicated chargers available in the market that can charge the battery. Imagine your vehicle battery becoming dead for any reason.
In such a case, you can use a battery charger and connect the charger’s clamps to the battery’s terminals. In a few hours, the charger will fully charge the battery and revive it. Once done, your vehicle battery will have no electrical energy stored. It will now provide the energy burst required to start the engine of the cars.
This method takes a few hours as the charger charges the battery. However, some modern chargers charge the battery quickly. Within a few minutes, you can start the engine as the charger remains connected to the battery. The battery will get energy from the charger and use it to start the engine.
Advantages of a Jump Starter
Jump starters are of utmost importance, especially for vehicles with dead batteries. In the section below, we will discuss some potential benefits of jump starters.
1- No Need for Another Vehicle
In the past, reviving the dead battery of the vehicle was challenging. The drivers used to get service to the donor vehicle. That donor vehicle was used to restore the battery using jumper cables. However, the jump starter has changed how things work now.
A single portable device (jump starter) is enough to crank a vehicle’s engine. The jump starter provides the required power to the dead battery. Upon getting energy (power), a dead battery can start the engine of the work. There is no need to have another donor vehicle to crank the engine of the vehicle.
2- Portable and Convenient
One of the prominent advantages of jump starters is that they are very portable. The size of a modern jump starter is very small. Due to compactness, they can fit in the trunk of the cars, and they don’t require more space. Their compactness makes them easy to carry, especially on long trips.
Additionally, the jump starters are very lightweight, which is another significant plus point. Their lightweight design simply means that they are easy to use. If you’re in a remote area and your car’s battery dies, you’ll be able to use this starter with ease. The use of these jump starters does not require more people due to their lightweight design.
3- Quick Operation (Time Saving)
A jump starter is a very simple device without a complex wire system. Every jump starter comes with two clamps. These clamps are connected to the terminal of the battery. Once done, you’ll have to switch on the jump starter. The modern jump starter comes with a button to turn it on. Once switched on, the jump starter will start to provide electrical energy to the dead battery.
You can then start the vehicle. The dead battery, upon getting power from the jump starter, will crank the vehicle’s engine. In this way, your vehicle will start. This is how easy and fast the jump starter works. You can remove the jump starter immediately once the engine of the vehicle ignites. Once the vehicle starts, the generator will start charging the battery.
4- Versatile Uses in Remote Areas
In the past, jump starters were very limited in their functionality. Their role was to provide sudden electrical energy to the dead battery. Right? However, things have changed, especially when it comes to jump starters. How? The modern jump starter comes with many new features. For example, they have USB ports that can help charge mobile phones.
Additionally, they also have flashlight features to provide light in remote areas. These additional features make jump starters a must-have tool when you’re touring remote regions. They will help you start the engine if your car’s battery dies. They also help charge the mobile and provide lights if you’re camping.
5- Cost-Effective & Safer
In the past, vehicles with dead batteries were a big problem. You had to call roadside assistance or get service from a professional to revive the battery. Right? That service from professionals was expensive. However, the jump starters are super inexpensive and help you fix dead battery issues with ease. You won’t have to wait for roadside assistance.
Additionally, you don’t have to pay for mechanics to fix your dead battery. The cost of jump starts is very low compared to the value it offers. What I like about these jump starters is that they are very safe. Modern jump starters are spark-proof, which reduces the risk of potential fires. Additionally, they come with reverse-polarity protection, which serves as an extra security layer. The person using jump starters is also safe from shocks due to the enclosed body of these jump starters.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a jump starter work?
Jump starters work by providing a sudden surge of energy to a dead battery. This sudden energy burst ensures the dead battery is revived and the vehicle’s engine starts.
Will a jump starter start a completely dead battery?
Yes. The jump starter provides an energy burst that can make a dead battery alive. However, if the battery cannot be charged, you’ll need a jump starter every time you start the engine of the car.
How long will a jump starter stay charged?
It depends on the capacity and power of the jump starter. On average, the jump starter can remain charged for at least a week if you charge it once. However, a more frequent charge will reduce its duration on one charge, and vice versa.
Can a jump starter damage a battery?
No. The modern jump starter is spark-proof and does not mess with the interior component of the battery. So they do not cause any damage to the battery. Their job is to provide electrical energy bursts to the battery to ensure the dead battery starts working.
Conclusion
Jump starters are indeed game changers, especially for those who love camping in remote areas. Sometimes, vehicles face dead battery issues if they are left unchecked for a long time. Right? In such cases, people generally call the professional mechanic to fix the battery. However, the jump starter can resolve these issues.
All you need to do is connect the jump starter to the battery, and that’s it. The jump starter will provide an energy burst to the dead battery. Upon getting power, the dead battery will crank the engine of the vehicle. Once the vehicle starts, its generator will begin to charge the battery. In this article, I’ve explained all the details and the working of jump starters.