Jammy

On 05/02/2023 at 11:14, Jammy said:

Still not decided!

I think I'm going for this one:

BLUETTI EB3A Portable Power Station | 600W 268Wh

https://bluettipower.co.uk/products/bluetti-eb3a-portable-power-station

268Wh should give 22.3 Ah at 12v.

Running at roughly 3 amp that is 7 hours. 

Thanks for all your help in this thread guys.

I went for the Bluetti EB3A portable power station.  £100 off on the website at the minute.

This gives between 6 to 7 hours running time which is more than enough for me.  Powers everything I need it to and works well so far.

Thanks @ONIKKINEN

I'm starting to work out the different specs and what they mean.

You are right, something like either of these will work fine.  LifePo4 cells seem to be the best.

Now to find the best deal!!

Thanks for your help

10 hours ago, ONIKKINEN said:

I have an Ecoflow river 300 with specs pretty much identical to this one you have linked (identical to the point that they may be the same actual battery in different clothes).

Mine has never been even close to 0 for a single night and usually could supply power for 2 or 3 before running out, not that it matters since it recharges so fast. Have used mine maybe around 100 times now and see no signs of slowing down or loss in capacity (used in -27 to +15). This will be exactly what you want for mobile AP, well worth the money!

I've seen a couple of people mention Ecoflow River 2 on another forum.

Is the 300 the same as this one?  https://uk.ecoflow.com/products/river-2-portable-power-station

I can't find the 300 for sale anywhere.

Still not decided!

I think I'm going for this one:

BLUETTI EB3A Portable Power Station | 600W 268Wh

https://bluettipower.co.uk/products/bluetti-eb3a-portable-power-station

268Wh should give 22.3 Ah at 12v.

Running at roughly 3 amp that is 7 hours. 

I bought the push fit adapter from FLO three years ago but never got round to buying the SW upgrade focuser!

The Astro Essentials focuser arrived today.  Looking forward to trying it out.

Thanks

My focuser failed again with the weight of the ASI1600mm Pro, filter wheel, spacers and focal reducer.

Astro essentials take my money! 😂

@Budgie1 is the EAF easy to fit onto this focuser?

I've just had to take my EAF off the Evostar 80ED and retighten the screws.

It is such a bad design but I find that if I really overtighten the screws I can get it to work.

The Astro Essentials focuser that Budgie1 has mentioned looks like a good replacement.  Tempting!

Thanks for the replies guys.

I checked my system with a multimeter yesterday.

The Amp draw on the system was :

2.4 Amps when idle

maximum 2.7 Amps when tracking and imaging

maximum 4.1 Amps when slewing

I'm now thinking that something that I could take camping as well as for astro would be good.  Nothing too heavy.

3 hours ago, knobby said:

Hi Jammy, when you do get an idea of how many Ah you'll need, pick a battery that's around 2 to 2.5 times the rating as the rating on the battery is to 'destruction' 🙂

My AGM diy jobby is rated at 14 Ah, but If I use it at around 3 Ah the voltage drops from 12.6v at the start then drops to 11.1 after about 3 hours.

Any further and the cells become damaged.

 

PS  -If you're willing to pay £299 I'll make you one 🤣

 

Sorry, I don't know what you mean by rating.  Could you explain?  Thank you

6 hours ago, Carbon Brush said:

You can use the current (AMPS) range on a multimeter, or buy a stand alone ammeter.

A multimeter is (in my opinion anyway) an important part of the astro toolkit these days.
As important as lens cleaners, collimation tools for newts, allen keys, etc.
A multimeter has many other uses around the home and car.

Just one example of the many hundreds available:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Multimeters-Battery-Voltmeter-Electrical/dp/B07W3T2542/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=10MQ03NOV69DU&keywords=ammeter+voltmeter+combined&qid=1673960163&sprefix=AMMETER%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-3-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

Thanks, I'll get one and see what the current draw actually is before I do anything else.

Thanks guys - I was hoping someone would say my figures were too high!  Yes, I used the info from the manufacturers details.

I've not measured the current draw.  I'm not sure what instrument I need to measure it??

1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

Tracer

Thank you.  Which one?

I'm looking for a portable power supply to power my astrophotography rig.

I'm wondering what everyone else uses?

I've just seen this on FLO website.  Is it any good?

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/batteries-powerpacks/powapacs-atom-pro-26ah.html

If I've worked this out correctly my 12v power consumption will be:

Equipment                          Amps
AM5 (Tracking)                   0.6
Astrozap Dew Heater         0.6
EAF                                     0.5
ASI 1600mm                      1.0
ASI 1600mm Cooler           2.0
EFW                                    0.15
ASI 290mm                         0.5
ASIair                                  5.0
        
Total                                   10.35

At 26ah, does this mean the power pack above will last 2.5 hours?  Or have I worked this out wrong?

Thanks
 

On 22/09/2021 at 17:41, Alanj49 said:

Did you manage to fit this? how did you remove the focusing knob on the left hand side of the OTA as mine does not have any grub screws to remove it

 

Sorry, only just seen your post.  Yes it came off easily from memory.  Are you sure there isn't a grub screw?  I think I just loosened a grub screw and it came straight off.  Don't remove the one with the fine tuning.

I've just tried guiding on my Star Adventurer for the first time.  As mentioned in the thread I am getting flashing lights at calibration and the calibration doesn't seem to be frozen with nothing happening other then the flashing lights.

Did anyone find what causes this, and is it working?  Also, do I need to adjust anything in PHD2 to tell it that I'm guiding in RA only?

Thanks

I've just bought this device which stops power bank batteries turning off.

It's called a USB battery pack keep-alive load by Sotabeams .co.uk which is an amateur radio stockist in the UK.

https://www.sotabeams.co.uk/usb-battery-pack-keep-alive-load/

I bought both an assembled and a kit version.  The kit was really easy to solder together with full instructions on their website.

Just trying it out now and it works fine.  It works by adding just enough current draw to stop the battery going to sleep.

Definitely something to consider if anyone would like to use a battery pack with the Star Adventurer.

I know this is a bit of an old thread but I've just bought this device which stops power bank batteries turning off.

It's called a USB battery pack keep-alive load by Sotabeams .co.uk which is an amateur radio stockist in the UK.

https://www.sotabeams.co.uk/usb-battery-pack-keep-alive-load/

I bought both an assembled and a kit version.  The kit was really easy to solder together with full instructions on their website.

Just trying it out now and it works fine.  It works by adding just enough current to stop the battery going to sleep.

Definitely something to consider if anyone has a similar problem.

I know, forecast isn't too great for the next week or so here, I'll be trying it out in the house! 😆

All received, thank you.  It's a perfect fit, I can't thank you enough for helping out.

If you are looking to produce others or make the design public you could probably lose 1mm on the ASIair's longest dimensions.

No complaints here though, it all fits well and feels really strong.

Here are some photos of it all assembled:

I bought this using  the Christmas offer and additional code.  A good purchase in my opinion.

The noise reduction is fantastic, but sometimes it can mess up the appearance of stars.

I was watching a YouTube video yesterday about starless editing.  Think I'll try the noise reduction after Starnet++, then add the stars back in.

Going to experiment...

Fantastic!  I'll DM you now 😀

That looks brilliant Steve.  I can't thank you enough for helping out with this.

Yes, all looks good to me 😀

Just had a quick check,  it's about 14mm.

I've just checked,  the USB and ethernet ports on the ASIair are 6mm from the side faces and the nearest power output port is  10mm from the adjacent face at its nearest.   On the TP Link the ports are further from the edges.