Nigel
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Actually, the tool battery voltage is very important:The newer LiPo ones are definitely the way to go, but bear in mind that they have temperature limits for use and storage, so in really cold weather they may go hoverboard on you, leaving you with a lithium fire and a dead battery too The thing is that after several cycles of a car starting battery getting run down completely, it's ability to hold a charge will be greatly diminished and it will need to be replaced, so avoidance is the best method to use. I'm always near someone with a running car so I just carry jumper cables- they store forever with no maintenance, work at all temperatures, and work with any size engine. In my almost 6 decades here on Earth, I have found that most people will help out if you ask nicely
And here's a trick which I had to try to believe- you can use a cordless tool battery to jump-start a car battery. You must know which terminals to use on the tool battery but otherwise just hook it up, wait a few minutes, then start up and go. Tool battery voltage is irrelevant; any will do this if the tool battery is charged up. One of my winter projects is going to be taking a dead cordless drill and turning it into a jump-starter for my workvan since there's always some charged tool batteries in there
Phil
- If it is less than 12 volts then it may charge your tool battery from the almost dead car battery making things worse!
- If it is less than 12.8 volts then it will have very little effect.
- If it is more than 16 volts then there is a risk of blowing up your car electronics, and a new car CPU is very expensive.
Need to be careful though, if there is nothing limiting the current then a lithium battery can easily melt wires, and it is possible the car battery has failed in a way where your external battery can cause sparks internally to the car battery which can then ignite hydrogen gas that has collected at the top of the battery causing an explosion and spray of battery acid - keep your eyes well away when you make the connections!