From this coming Thurday, Lidl have a new model (rather than their other ones which come up from time to time) car battery charger for 40 quid. Claims to be able to start a car very quickly. But no real details of maximum charge current or how much 'boost' it has to achieve this.
bit high for a cheapie brand
NT
If it can jump start, I would guess it has an internal LiPo which is used to kick out the start current. If you need say 500A at 12V, that's beyond what you can get out of a 13A mains socket, but a reservoir LiPo can put out a lot of current and be charged from the mains over a longer time.
(OK, you can probably get 6kW out of a mains socket instantaneously, but it's going to need some pretty bulky power electronics to do it)
They also have another 40 pound jump start pack in 'power bank' format.
Theo
manuals available at
I have one of those but find the functions being printed in red on a dimpled black background almost impossible to read!
Mike
Generally, such things from Lidl are more like what they should cost, rather than the excessive amounts many charge.
Be interesting to know who owns the factory your 'expensive' brands are made in. ;-)
I don't think this sort of thing would attempt to deliver starting current all on its own. Just supplement the battery.
It says up to 15 amp charge rate and 75 amp pulse for starting. So could be useful for getting a car going where the battery is low rather than totally flat.
Their power bank is only for small to medium size engines. No use for either of mine. ;-) But I do have one for travelling - useful to re-charge a phone etc in the sticks.
Thanks Robin.
£40 is in the good quality charger region, not the cheapo aldiddle zon e.
Random Chinese factory owners I expect. Not sure what's interesting about t hat.
NT
I have an earlier version of one of these, I wonder if it is comparable
It is quite good, although it won't get the 2.5 diesel in the Renault Master started from flat. Gets enough charge in in about 10 minutes though. Fine for starting 1.3 petrol engines.
I take it you have no experience of such products?
40 quid will just about buy you a 'quality' trickle charger with a posh name.The interesting part is you often pay dearly for that 'posh' name.
You'd need a massive charger to supply the 300 amps or so needed on a continuous basis. But one that partially charges the battery quickly and then supplements that with a boost might make very good sense.
I have a few, have designed & built some as well as constructing & to a lim ited extent renovating & modding lead acids. I don't know it all but to say I have no experience of such products is as silly as it gets.
If you look at the MTBF figures you'll find you can get quality, not 'quali ty' at that price.
I see we have different ideas about what's interesting.
NT
IIRC mine claims to do 200 amps or so on boost, for about three seconds before the trip operates. And it does all depend a bit on how flat is flat.
On reflection, if the van is stuck I am supplying it from 1 kW inverter generator so probably don't get even 100 amps. I must get out my clamp-on meter some time. Just put a new battery on the van so with any luck no more problems this winter.
Bought one this morning. Remarkable value for money.
Says in the instructions it can try and recover a flat battery, and also switches to a maintenance charge when the battery is full.
Weighs a ton so I'd guess uses a transformer. A 12v 180VA type would cost you as much as the entire thing. ;-)
Can you easily read captions for the functions? I have one from their previous offer and struggle to read them.
Mike
I've never seen this one on offer from Lidl before?
Do you mean the printed bits alongside the function buttons? Easy enough to read at the moment.
The display is red LED, so should last well.
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