Can portable jump starter supply mobile power?

[pixsnap@gmail.com]

Left over from my boating days is a 300amp portable jump starter (www.
4earlybirds.com/jump charger.jpg) Both a laptop and small hp inkjet
printer are carried in my car along with two 75w DC/AC inverters that
plug into the cigarette lighter. The laptop is powered via the car
battery. Would it be practical to power the pinter simultaneously from
the female DC plug on the jump starter?
Upwards of 100 prints may be made in a single 5-6 hour day, over
varying intervals. (Am trying to avoid carrying a deep cycle battery
and dedicated inverter.)

 

[Rich Grise]

On Wed, 28 May 2008 08:25:42 -0700, pixsnap@gmail.com wrote:

Left over from my boating days is a 300amp portable jump starter (www.
4earlybirds.com/jump charger.jpg) Both a laptop and small hp inkjet
printer are carried in my car along with two 75w DC/AC inverters that plug
into the cigarette lighter. The laptop is powered via the car battery.
Would it be practical to power the pinter simultaneously from the female
DC plug on the jump starter? Upwards of 100 prints may be made in a single
5-6 hour day, over varying intervals. (Am trying to avoid carrying a deep
cycle battery and dedicated inverter.)

You could, but it wouldn't last very long. They're designed to start a
car; they can put out 600 amps or more, but only for a few minutes. Go
ahead and spring for the deep-cycle (marine, golf cart, RV) battery.

Good Luck!
Rich

 

[terryc]

On Wed, 28 May 2008 08:25:42 -0700, pixsnap@gmail.com wrote:

Would it be practical to power the pinter simultaneously from
the female DC plug on the jump starter?

Yes, but I don't know if it last that long, aka , do the number of prints
you want.

Upwards of 100 prints may be made in a single 5-6 hour day, over
varying intervals. (Am trying to avoid carrying a deep cycle battery
and dedicated inverter.)

I would seriously suggest getting a second battery installed. Make it a
deep discharge lead acid and run the laptop and printer off the second
battery. it would be a lot less fiddly then what you are going toend up
doing with the jump starter. Also, AFAIK, you would get better life and
value out of a decent capacity deep discharge lead acid battery than you
will out of the SLA in the jump starter.