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Matt · Guest

I am a master auto technician, and I am seeking the opinion/advice of
other master technicians who work in the field.

We've all come to know (and love, in my opinion) battery jump-boxes in
the last 10 years or so. The days of jumper-cables are pretty much
over.

What would it take to make a jump-box part of an automobile?

Let me explain... a jump box can easily be connected to a battery, and
even left there if desired. A basic parallel circuit. It would then
take a charge from the alternator right along with the regular car
battery. Trouble is, if something were left on such as an interior
light, the jump-box would be drained right along with the car's
battery. Not the result I am looking for.

What device might be created that would allow a jump-box to be wired
into a vehicle were it would be charged during vehicle operation, but
not drained when the vehicle was turned off?

Example: vehicle drives from point A to point B. The battery and the
jump-box are charged along the way. Owner shuts the car off but
accidentally leaves the dome-light on, thus killing the battery.

How might it be possible for the jump-box to receive the alternator's
charge but not be drained by the forgotten dome-light?

Some sort of magnetic switch (a solenoid, perhaps) comes to my mind,
but how that configuration might be alludes me.

It has occured to me that constant charging of a battery (jump-box)
might not be a good thing, but I have also observed that a vehicle can
charge a battery for dozens of hours without said battery exploding. I
have also seen jump-boxes be left on a plug-in charger for weeks (even
a month) with no apparent negative effect.

The final product I seek: An jump-box stored in perhaps the trunk or
elsewhere that is kept charged by the alternator during vehicle
operation, but would not be drained if a device were accidentally left
on after the engine was shut off. Should the vehicle have a dead
battery, just take that jump-box out of the trunk and get going.

Is it possible? It must be. It has to just be a matter of power here,
switch there, relay here, jump-box there...

Calling on the best of the business, I know you're out there!

Matt