Simple 12v mains adaptor for Skywatcher???

[roymattblack]

Can anyone suggest a 'simple' mains unit for a Skywatcher 130 GOTO???

I'm guessing that as the 'scope works with a simple battery setup, a basic 12v adaptor should be fine - unless anyone knows different.

Astronomy supply shops want the best part of £30 for a 'proper' mains unit which I'm sure is a complete con.

Maplins sell all kinds of units for under £10.

Am I OK getting a simple 12v unit???

Roy.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Far as i know.................

Any 12V unit will do. You want to get the biggest "Ah" pack that you can afford.

"Ah" means Amp hours......................basically how long the battery pack will last on a full charge...............so 7Ah will apparently last you 7 hours outside.

This is the 12V 7ah pack that came with my Celestron 8SE

http://www.cameraconcepts.com/store2/product.php?productid=17529

[Rols]

as long as its a good quality regulated PSU you will be fine.

I'm not sure if delta do a 12v but if they do it would be worth considering.

a qick search revealed a 12v 5amp regulated delta PSU for 15.00.. They are good product.

[Bizibilder]

Make sure it is a regulated supply. Some are marked 13.8v and these are perfectly OK for your (12v) scope. (A fully charged 12v battery will deliver 13.8v). Most mounts draw about 1amp when tracking and a little over 2 amps when fast slewing. So you need at least 2amps (often labelled as 2000 milliamps) output.

[Cornelius Varley]

Can anyone suggest a 'simple' mains unit for a Skywatcher 130 GOTO???

I'm guessing that as the 'scope works with a simple battery setup, a basic 12v adaptor should be fine - unless anyone knows different.

Astronomy supply shops want the best part of £30 for a 'proper' mains unit which I'm sure is a complete con.

Maplins sell all kinds of units for under £10.

Am I OK getting a simple 12v unit???

Roy.

A simple non regulated psu will be unsuitable. The only type of mains psu you should use is the regulated type. A non regulated psu will not deliver a steady voltage when put under load, ie when slewing. The voltage will rise as the load increases and could damage the electronics in your mount and handset.

Peter

[faulksy]

A simple non regulated psu will be unsuitable. The only type of mains psu you should use is the regulated type. A non regulated psu will not deliver a steady voltage when put under load, ie when slewing. The voltage will rise as the load increases and could damage the electronics in your mount and handset.

Peter

as said when volts drop amps rise will be no consistant power supply. you need regulated, good idea get a car battery then you can transport your scope around

[Carbon Brush]

Eching the comments by others on cheap unregulated supplies.

I have seen cheapie supplies that give 19V on light load, dropping to 11V on heavy load.

19V into the electronics of a handset or motor drive chip may be enough to do expensive damage. I'm not targetting Skywatcher specifically, but mount/control electronics in general.

A good investment in astro kit is a few pounds for a simple multimeter. This helps establish if your intended power supply is any good. Whether your battery is fully charged. Checks leads for continuity. Checks fuses. Etc,etc etc.

[Nexus 6]

yup, a regulated psu like this will be ok...13.8V Regulated Mains Power Units : Bench Power Supplies : Maplin Electronics I use the 5 amp one for power to the 925.

[5thelement]

Look on cb radio websites..you should get a 3amp supply for about 20 quid

[Rols]

a qick search revealed a 12v 5amp regulated delta PSU for 15.00.. They are good product.

Sorry to quote myself but the reason i suggested these is because they are a fantastic quality well built PSU and the money you pay for a Delta branded PSU is rediculous if weighed against the idea that they are the oem manufacturer for massive branded PSU's in the market, just have a look at your laptop PSU, most likely a Liteon / Delta both units are well made and of good quality, just make sure to get the 12V model and you will be fine, my other advice while back here is the higher the amp rating the less strain and heat from the unit (as a general rule) so well worth the extra 5-7£ when making a decission.

i'm sure i will get flamed for this IMHO i have never see a 'good quality' PSU in Maplins and certainly not at a good price.

[Balder]

A quick and dirty regulated 12V PSU is available from any computer shop - E-buyer, Dabs, Nova tech etc

They're called computer PSUs

You want the yellow wires (12V) Gnd (Black) then short the green with the black to give you PWR on

Edit: £9.99 plus postage http://www.dabs.com/products/best-value-ezcool-500w-psu-24-pin-sata-793M.html?q=psu&src=16 add in a paper-clip to short the green/black & a "kettle lead"

[todd8137]

argos do one for about a fiver

[Neil McRae]

Just to point out a detail. If you have a 7 A/H supply and are drawing 1 Amp from it you cannot get 7 hours use from the unit. As a general rule you should aim to take 60% from your power supply which will give just over 4 hours discharge.

Neil

[pete_l]

A quick and dirty regulated 12V PSU is available from any computer shop - E-buyer, Dabs, Nova tech etc

They're called computer PSUs

I tried this when I needed a power supply for an old TV - it didn't work

It turns out that computer PSUs need to have some load on the 5V line for the voltage regulation to work properly. Without that, I was getting 8 or 9 Volts from the 12V supply and the TV failed to switch on. I had to put a dummy load (10 Ohm high-Watt resistor) across the 5V and 0V lines to get a regulated +!2 Volts.

[Balder]

Hi Pete,

Some do require a dummy load - I'd forgotten to mention that. Was a while ago that I did it.

Anyway, here's a nice little "How to" for the OP if he wants to go this route

How to Convert a Computer ATX Power Supply to a Lab Power Supply: 13 steps (with pictures) - wikiHow

[Pigz]

does anyone know of a power supply that will power a skywatcher 130p synscan goto? i have a shead with power in my garden and want to use that BUT an important BUT!!!! wouldnt it need to be weatherproof as its going to be used in the damp or outdoors and i dont want it to blow and blow my goto up!!! ive been looking around but i cant find any thats weatherproof :s thanks in advance

[Nexus 6]

you could use a plastic box with lid, just drill around the sides to help ventilate it and you should be fine, make sure you use an rcd too for safety, plug that into your mains first and then plug in the power supply.

[Pigz]

ok thanks i was thinking i would need a RCD but wasnt sure thanks