Power Tank

[ScubaMike]

Could someone advise if a car booster pack is a suitable power supply?

I see the Skywatcher 7aH packs for around £60, but for that much I can get double the capacity in a booster pack. Maybe slightly less flexible in terms of output but a whole lot cheaper.

Would a suitably enclosed Car battery (along with connections options) be a suitable alternative power tank?

[Mr Flibble]

Hi ScubaMike,

I've been thinking about a rechargeable 6v power supply for the EQ5 drive as well.

I've seen 6v motorbike batteries online for about £15. I'm wondering if these may be suitable?

[Stephen]

I think the answer to your question is yes

I use one of these

3in1 Portable Jumpstarter : InCar Battery Chargers and Compressors : Maplin

[Stephen]

Grr dual post

[ScubaMike]

I think the answer to your question is yes

I use one of these

3in1 Portable Jumpstarter : InCar Battery Chargers and Compressors : Maplin

Nice price, but how to you get 6v output?

[Stephen]

Nice price, but how to you get 6v output?

The lead that runs from the tank to the device should up/down scale the voltage?

(I'm not a sparkie so I hope that the cables I use aren't liable to blow something up!!)

[ScubaMike]

I have a number of "cigarette lighter" adapters that do this voltage adjustment, but don't know that the unit from Maplins has these type of connectors.

Other models of "boosters" seem to have them.

[Stephen]

I have a number of "cigarette lighter" adapters that do this voltage adjustment, but don't know that the unit from Maplins has these type of connectors.

Other models of "boosters" seem to have them.

Yes, the Maplin unit has the cigarette output on the side.

[Mav359]

I bought one of these, Its great i get 2 sessions out of it before it needs a recharge.

Its got an air compressor & jump on the back as well, handy for the car.

[todd8137]

watch these portable ones i have the skywatcher one, thats designed for scope .use these other ones and they are prone at any point to shoot 100 200 amps in to the scope not good pluss the voltage is not regulated so it could infact send 12/13 volts at any time theres lots of bloggs about people who have blew there mounts check before you buy

these other ones you speak of are to jump start cars at high volts and amps i would suggest fuseing the power cable to the scope to be safe i did this even tho the sky watcher is safe

[ScubaMike]

good point Pat.

Guess a car inline fuse would be sufficient?

what rating fuse do you use?

[wrinkly]

watch these portable ones i have the skywatcher one, thats designed for scope .use these other ones and they are prone at any point to shoot 100 200 amps in to the scope not good pluss the voltage is not regulated so it could infact send 12/13 volts at any time theres lots of bloggs about people who have blew there mounts check before you buy

these other ones you speak of are to jump start cars at high volts and amps i would suggest fuseing the power cable to the scope to be safe i did this even tho the sky watcher is safe

From my simplistic electronic education in radar, using the normal Volts over Resistance equals Amps equation, means the Skywatcher/Celestron/Orion etc, etc, Powertank's battery would also be able to supply hundreds of amps if there is a fault on your mount. Voltage of charged batteries is around 13.8 volts which is why most Ham Radio gear power supplies are similarly rated. If you can persuade a 12 volt battery alone to provide higher voltage than 13.8, then patent it and make a fortune.

You can protect your gear by using individually fused supply cables.

[matsey]

+1 vote for the maplins 3-in-1, had mine for about a month on my 6SE and it works just fine... in fact it was the guys at FLO who recommended it to me over the standard powertank (saving me a fair bit of money in the process - thanks guys!!)

[todd8137]

From my simplistic electronic education in radar, using the normal Volts over Resistance equals Amps equation, means the Skywatcher/Celestron/Orion etc, etc, Powertank's battery would also be able to supply hundreds of amps if there is a fault on your mount. Voltage of charged batteries is around 13.8 volts which is why most Ham Radio gear power supplies are similarly rated. If you can persuade a 12 volt battery alone to provide higher voltage than 13.8, then patent it and make a fortune.

You can protect your gear by using individually fused supply cables.

HI wrinkly be in a radio ham my self and being in HMF for 12 years 4 years spent with the royal signals gaining three BAs in electronics ,Radio Telecommunication Systems, and mathematics in computers ,most ham psu's are rated at 13.8 but in fact you would be hard pushed to get just over 12volts ,the amps are regulated so they may be rated at 25 amp i have 4 , 4,10 amp 25 60 but in fact they do not supply all that amp at any one time as they are regulated so if the radio lets say is use in 10watts power out the rig ,it will only draw a few amps a power tank designed to start a car engine will provide between 70/100 amps most starter motors are high amp so a fuse is needed in line for astro use(on the power cable 3 amp minimal fuse) as for these batteries be in 12 volt get a power meter on them and see what volts they put out its more than 12 volts. and was teaching the m3/2eo course at my local club but if I do find the secret to get a 12v battery to put out higher voltages (some power tanks do put out higher voltages to jump start the car batt) then I will let ya no lol

[todd8137]

good point Pat.

Guess a car inline fuse would be sufficient?

what rating fuse do you use?

at least 3amp

[Skiddins]

You can get car cigarette lighter adapters which have a fuse in them, looks a lot like a transparent mains fuse.

The power requirement of your scope or mount might be written in the manual.

I know mine is 2.5A, so a 3A fuse should do the job.

Skiddins

[ScubaMike]

Great, Thanks folks.

[JamesM]

For me, I've kept it simple and just bought a small leisure battery that enables me to power my NEQ6, Dew controller and my lap top with there never being a problem be it at this time of year or when its cold in winter. All my toys are used from the moment I set up, including all the slewing around that I do. Yes a little dearer (£40) a little heavier too but very reliable and never had an issue with power or recharging and they do come with a handle.

James

[glowjet]

Mike I presume you are after a 7Ah SLA ( sealed lead acid ) battery either 6v or 12v, these are the basis of most power pack units, but you can buy the plain battery at a fraction of the cost, Powersonic are one of the biggest manufacturers of SLA and Amazon for instance do the 7Ah Powersonic for as little as £12.50 even the big 17Ah 12v that I use can be had for around £33, mount in a carry box with terminals and you are done, the only other item to obtain is the charger, which should charge at roughly 25% of the batteries power rating, this will set you back in the order of £15 - £30 obtainable from many outlets that sell these type pf SLA batteries and the cost will reflect whether it is a super duper electronic or just a plain unit HTH

John.

[Merlin66]

As I've mentioned before I use 20Ah gel cells and a triple stage electronic charger.

They've been good for the last five years - no issues.

re the 6V supply....you can get a 6V regulator IC from Maplin and solder it inside the 12V cigar plug...that way you end up with a dedicated 6V power lead from a 12V source. Worked for me when I had an EQ5.