Just discovered this power pack has a £15 bonus with it and it's only £59.99

[jon1000]

So, earlier on today you may have seen a post in which I said I bought a 5 in 1 power supply. Well the first good news is that I only paid £59.99 for it, on eBay they are going for £99 (they probably hardly ever sell them because it's not worth £99) I will put a link to the website below.

Well, not only does it jump start a car, inflate tyres balls and air beds, have a 3 pin 200w plug socket, a work light and 2 12v accessory outlets (car cigarette lighter) but you can also charge the unit up by using your car lighter socket.

Well, where is the £15 saving? Well I will start by saying that I have only just got in to astronomy seriously and bought a 130p on a synscan Goto mount, I was already 24 Duracell batteries down as it takes 8 AA size so I began to look into buying a power pack, after looking at a few options I decided to leave it for a bit and think about it as I would also need the cable to go from the battery pack to the Goto mount. You may have also seen my earlier post on the bargain flight cases I had picked up from maplin (link also below) as they are half price, well I went to pick them up and seen the above power pack and bought it there and then and also asked about the other cable I would need to go from the power pack to the Goto mount but the man in the shop told me to find out what amp the mount would need so I said I would go back later. Well the manufacturer was so kind as to supply both the 3 pin plug charger and the car lighter charger too, well after some careful consideration I decided that I would try the car charger cable in the mount and guess what, it works. Saved £15 and also didn't have to wait for stock to come in and delivery (all online shops I looked at was either out of stock to didn't sell it).

I will also post a pic of the power pack powering my telescope. Links below:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/flight-case-triple-pack-with-dividers-513879

http://www.maplin.co.uk/heavy-duty-5-in-1-jump-starter-224871

[Collidog]

Good work - will look up one of these myself. It looks far sturdier than the branded Skywatcher/Pentaflex/Celestron power tanks.

How long is the car charger cable? Long enough to sit the power pack on the floor and reach to the Synscan mount? Also, I am assuming the connector is 2.5mm, tip positive?

Cheers - Neil

[jon1000]

Yeah the cable is easily long enough to put the power supply under the tripod, I'm not sure if it's 2.5mm, I believe that it's 2.1 for the mount but that doesn't really matter, minor details etc, I'm just happy that it works. I took the risk plugging it in but I thought that 8 1.5v batteries is 12v in total so I tried it and it worked.

[kirkster501]

I have one of those and its great. I don't use the cheap charger that comes with it though - I use one of these...

OptiMate 4 Battery charger and conditioner: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Leisure

Can leave the battery connected to it for ages with no risks of overcharging. Expensive? Maybe, but will last a lifetime and will charge the rest of your SLA's as well.

Steve

[Collidog]

I too have the Optimate charger Kirkster. Does it easily connect to the power pack for charging?

[Grunthos]

Thanks for that OP Jon, very interesting.

Can anyone confirm this is entirely suitable for a Skywatcher dobo (socket sizes, 12v vs. 13v voltage requirements etc) ?

I had been looking for a Rother Valley Optics 17ah 12v 3 Outlet Power Tank which was "out of stock" a month or so ago but RVO never got back to me.

This looks like a viable potential alternative.

[cowasaki]

How much power does a EQ mount & SynScan use though the night? - A power pack is the only remaining thing I need to get!

The above power pack is 17Ah so more than twice the power of the normal ones which are 7-8Ah. A small leisure battery would be cheaper and give more power but you would need to add the cost of the two sockets and this power pack is a lot more convenient.

I had also considered a couple of 10Ah alarm system batteries which I can pick up for £20.....

What do you think of the aluminium cases? I seem to be keeping peli's balance sheet going as I buy cases 5 & 6 !!

EDIT: With the 200w inverter, 17Ah, dual 12V sockets etc it's not at all bad really!

[cowasaki]

Can anyone confirm this is entirely suitable for a Skywatcher dobo (socket sizes, 12v vs. 13v voltage requirements etc) ?

The 12V is a nominal figure like 1.5V per cell for normal batteries. A car cigarette lighter socket will chuck out 14-15V when the car is actually running.

[jon1000]

Thanks for that OP Jon, very interesting.

Can anyone confirm this is entirely suitable for a Skywatcher dobo (socket sizes, 12v vs. 13v voltage requirements etc) ?

I had been looking for a Rother Valley Optics 17ah 12v 3 Outlet Power Tank which was "out of stock" a month or so ago but RVO never got back to me.

This looks like a viable potential alternative.

This only has 2 outlets but it also has a 3 pin 200w plug socket.

[jon1000]

How much power does a EQ mount & SynScan use though the night? - A power pack is the only remaining thing I need to get!

The above power pack is 17Ah so more than twice the power of the normal ones which are 7-8Ah. A small leisure battery would be cheaper and give more power but you would need to add the cost of the two sockets and this power pack is a lot more convenient.

I had also considered a couple of 10Ah alarm system batteries which I can pick up for £20.....

What do you think of the aluminium cases? I seem to be keeping peli's balance sheet going as I buy cases 5 & 6 !!

I have not been out with my telescope tonight, because of the snow, but I did try the power pack with my synscan Goto in the house and it seems to slew faster than it did when using 8 Duracell batteries, another user said that he gets a 7-8 hour session out of it and then recharges it.

For £60 I think it's a bargain, especially as the car charger cable will work to power my telescope, that cable alone would have cost me almost £15

[cowasaki]

I have not been out with my telescope tonight, because of the snow, but I did try the power pack with my synscan Goto in the house and it seems to slew faster than it did when using 8 Duracell batteries, another user said that he gets a 7-8 hour session out of it and then recharges it.

For £60 I think it's a bargain, especially as the car charger cable will work to power my telescope, that cable alone would have cost me almost £15

As an electronic designer/nerd I like building my own stuff when I can but this power tank is actually pretty good. It's a handy shape to carry and with a handle it is easier, you get the free lead and it has 17Ah, 2 sockets, the invertor, a light etc etc. You could probably use the tyre inflator with a football inflator as a simple compressor to clean off dust from stuff too.

[frogdr1ver]

If you use the Code FREEGIFT at checkout you get this or use the code DISCOUNT3 to get £3 off .

[Bigeye]

I use a 500mah 3 cell 11.1v Li-polymer battery used for Radio Control planes and cars etc. Its 140mm x 45mm x 24mm and is about 350g. I velcro strap it to my goto tripod leg so there's nothing to trip up on. Its lasted 4 nights without a charge so far. Charging takes 20 mins and being lipo it stays charged for months without use.

[jon1000]

As an electronic designer/nerd I like building my own stuff when I can but this power tank is actually pretty good. It's a handy shape to carry and with a handle it is easier, you get the free lead and it has 17Ah, 2 sockets, the invertor, a light etc etc. You could probably use the tyre inflator with a football inflator as a simple compressor to clean off dust from stuff too.

You get the football and inflatable bed adapter with it too

[kirkster501]

I too have the Optimate charger Kirkster. Does it easily connect to the power pack for charging?

Collidog, it works perfectly. Just connect the Optimate to the Jump start leads, turn the rotary switch to ON at the back of the Battery pack and, switch the Optimate on at the wall socket and bobs your uncle.

Great thing about the Optimate is that it is an intelligent charger and will not overcharge the SLA and will give it a "tickle" if left on permanently to keep it in top nick.

Highly recommended combination.

Steve

Steve

[Collidog]

Collidog, it works perfectly. Just connect the Optimate to the Jump start leads, turn the rotary switch to ON at the back of the Battery pack and, switch the Optimate on at the wall socket and bobs your uncle.

Great thing about the Optimate is that it is an intelligent charger and will not overcharge the SLA and will give it a "tickle" if left on permanently to keep it in top nick.

Highly recommended combination.

Steve

Steve

Thanks Steve. I have the optimate III fixed to the wall in my garage from when I used to ride motorcycles - was great for keeping the batteries in top condition during the winter. Nice to know I can use it for my new, more sensible hobby!

Cheers - Neil

[kirkster501]

Thanks Steve. I have the optimate III fixed to the wall in my garage from when I used to ride motorcycles - was great for keeping the batteries in top condition during the winter. Nice to know I can use it for my new, more sensible hobby!

Cheers - Neil

Lol Indeed.

The Maplin Jumpstarter's Red and Black jump leads connect directly to the terminals of the SLA battery inside (well actually to b e100% accurate the red goes via the rotary switch). So I just clip onto the alligator clips and I'm away.

Even if you upgrade to a beefier battery in the future (and if you get SERIOUSLY into this hobby you probably will with the dozens of gizmos that require power) the Optimate is a great smart charger and will see you well for a lifetime.

Will post a picture later.

EDIT: Picture

Steve

[Collidog]

Lol Indeed.

The Maplin Jumpstarter's Red and Black jump leads connect directly to the terminals of the SLA battery inside (well actually to b e100% accurate the red goes via the rotary switch). So I just clip onto the alligator clips and I'm away.

Even if you upgrade to a beefier battery in the future (and if you get SERIOUSLY into this hobby you probably will with the dozens of gizmos that require power) the Optimate is a great smart charger and will see you well for a lifetime.

Will post a picture later.

EDIT: Picture

Steve

Awesome! Will be dropping into my local Maplins tomorrow to get hold of this unit. Will let you know how I get on!

[cowasaki]

You do realise that you COULD use a small leisure battery plugged into the charge socket on this device to extend the power or more likely you could buy a 17Ah alarm battery and plug that in. This would make this device 35Ah in total and the invertor and other sockets would work with all the power. If you do buy an alarm battery to extend this device then DON'T get it from Maplin they are 3x as expensive as other places. Our local trade electrical supplier sells 17Ah 12V alarm gel batteries for about £12.

[jon1000]

You do realise that you COULD use a small leisure battery plugged into the charge socket on this device to extend the power or more likely you could buy a 17Ah alarm battery and plug that in. This would make this device 35Ah in total and the invertor and other sockets would work with all the power. If you do buy an alarm battery to extend this device then DON'T get it from Maplin they are 3x as expensive as other places. Our local trade electrical supplier sells 17Ah 12V alarm gel batteries for about £12.

Could you put a link to something that you recommend or just something to give me an idea of what you mean, thanks.

[cowasaki]

Could you put a link to something that you recommend or just something to give me an idea of what you mean, thanks.

OK.... just looking

[cowasaki]

Right this is just the first one I found on ebay. The price is about right for a 7Ah but notice the postage! Like I said locally 17Ah under £15 which would double your power but you can get 35Ah for about £28 which would TREBLE your power:

LUCAS 12V 7AH Rechargable FIRE & BURGLAR ALARM BATTERY | eBay

Just connect the two terminals of the battery to a power plug and plug it into the charge socket.

[cowasaki]

I'd like to see inside of the box. I would add a couple of USB sockets with a regulated 5V supply and if possible remove the air compressor and stuff a second battery inside.

[jon1000]

Right this is just the first one I found on ebay. The price is about right for a 7Ah but notice the postage! Like I said locally 17Ah under £15 which would double your power but you can get 35Ah for about £28 which would TREBLE your power:

LUCAS 12V 7AH Rechargable FIRE & BURGLAR ALARM BATTERY | eBay

Just connect the two terminals of the battery to a power plug and plug it into the charge socket.

Thanks, will look now.

[jon1000]

I'd like to see inside of the box. I would add a couple of USB sockets with a regulated 5V supply and if possible remove the air compressor and stuff a second battery inside.

That sounds good but it is a pretty rugged box, I might buy the battery and just take it with me with a charge lead and I may not need to use it but it's there if I do.