Power Pack Care

[John]

Now I've got my EQ6 for use with my big refractor I've had to get a portable power pack of course. It seems to power the non-GOTO EQ6 that I have well but I want to try and maintain the power pack in decent condition so I'll need to use the correct re-charging regime.

From reading I've done one recommendation seems to be to top up the charge in the power pack around monthly even if it's not fully discharged. Is that the right way to go about it or should I follow the indicator lights and only top up when the appropriate indicator light comes on ?

I'm not going to be using this mount / pack that often - maybe a couple of times per month ?

It's just the 7a Skywatcher one as I don't run anything off it except the EQ6 motors.

You can tell I don't use EQ mounts or powered setups much from these sort of daft questions ! 

Thanks 

[knobby]

I charge mine monthly, put a reminder on my phone :-)

Been a year now and alls well so far

[John]

Thanks for the reply   

I charge mine monthly, put a reminder on my phone :-)
Been a year now and alls well so far

Do you do that even if the indicator light is showing "Ready to Use" ?

[knobby]

Yep, just trickle it overnight once a month

[Marki]

I have the 17a "celestron" badged thing (I know, coulda got it cheaper... but I bought it with my first telescope and was a complete newbie back then ). I always put it on charge for a few hours after each time I use it, and periodically just leave it charging all day or all night. Seems to be good for a couple of sessions on a full charge when I use it with my 80mm apo and the iOptron Minitower, or with my Skylight or Tal scopes on my AZEQ6GT but seems to deplete faster when the AZEQ is pushing the Istar Perseus 150mm f10 around for a couple of hours.

[John]

Thanks Mark and Knobby 

Sounds like a regular monthly top up is the way to go then.

[Brian Nordstrom]

Sorry for the late reply , but yea once a month and recharge after every use is about perfect as I have been doing this now for nearly 4 years with my jump start pack and it gets a lot of use .

Brian.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I tend to charge monthly or slightly more frequently, and certainly after each use. I keep it on the charger until the "charging" led switches off. The deeper you cycle a battery, the lower the number charging cycles you can get out of the battery. This is why I prefer getting a rather heavier battery than strictly required by my set-up, the same amount of use equates to a lower percentage of power drain on a heavier battery. One other issue: do not store the battery in a cold shed, it can seriously curtail the lifespan of the battery. It killed my 17Ah battery. I managed to get it going again, but the capacity had dropped dramatically. Rather than replacing the entire power tank when that happens, you can easily replace the battery (in my case with a 22Ah one with the same physical dimensions)