Starting current
Rated starting current of the starter or booster (see "Type").
In this case, we mean the current that the device in the engine start mode can produce for a relatively long time (at least 30 s, or even more). This indicator must not be lower than the rated starting current consumed by the starter of the car — otherwise the device simply does not have enough power to effectively scroll the starter and start the engine. Information about the required starting current can be clarified by the documentation for the machine, or by the characteristics of the battery that is used in it as standard. For most passenger cars, this figure lies in the range from
200 to 400 A ;
less powerful starting devices are intended mainly for motorcycles and other similar vehicles, and more powerful ones for buses, trucks and other heavy equipment, among such “starters” there are models for
400 – 600 A and even
more.
Built-in battery capacity
Capacity of the own battery provided in the design of the starter-charger.
As a rule, boosters and launchers with a power bank function are equipped with their own batteries (see “Type”). The main purpose of such a battery from the point of view of helping to “light up” is to provide the power necessary to start the engine. However, in some models the battery is responsible for other functions, such as the built-in compressor or flashlight. The larger the battery capacity, the longer the device can operate, and the more tasks it can perform on a single charge.
In starting devices with the powerbank function, this parameter is also given to estimate how much energy the battery can accumulate and then transfer to connected gadgets. It is important to consider that there is a nominal (declared) and real capacity - the latter is always less, because it takes into account the inevitable losses during energy conversion. Typically the difference is from 30 to 40%, i.e. a model with a conventional battery capacity of 10,000 mAh will not fully charge a smartphone with a 3,000 mAh battery three times, but at best will provide two power cycles, because in practice its working capacity is about 6,000 mAh. Therefore, it is not entirely correct to compare the mAh values of your gadget’s battery with the nominal capacity of the built-in battery - you should definitely take into account that the real capacity is always less than the “rated” one.
USB A
Full-size USB A connectors are popular in computer technology, they are standardly used in adapter chargers for 230 V household networks and 12 V auto sockets. In starting devices, such outputs are also widely used for charging gadgets. These ports are characterized by low power, which does not exceed 15 W (although this is quite enough to charge gadgets) and a stable current strength, which is constant throughout the charging process.
DC connector for gadgets
The presence of a
DC connector (or several such connectors) in the device to power external gadgets with direct current.
The standard DC jack is round and has a pin in the centre. And the voltages output to it can be different, the most popular options are 18 – 20 V for powering laptops and 12 V for various specialized devices. A cigarette lighter adapter can be connected to the same socket, see below for more details about it.
Built-in cigarette lighter
The presence of
a built-in cigarette lighter in the design of the launcher. Of course, in this case we are not talking about the cigarette lighter itself (a device for igniting cigarettes), but about the characteristic plug for it.
Such a connector today is actually a standard "car socket" used to connect various devices to the car's on-board network. Accordingly, this function allows you to use the charger as a power source for such devices. The number of sockets in different models can also be different — most often there is only one cigarette lighter, but there are options for a couple of connectors. And in some models, the cigarette lighter has the form of a separate adapter that is included in the DC connector.
