Noob power supply question.

[SmokeyJoe]

I saw a multi voltage, universal power supply in well known supermarket for about £8.

Will this power the tracking motors on my eq5?

Be really useful. I've got power sockets outside and at £12 for a set of batteries it seems like a no-brainer.

Is there anything I need to check?

Thanks.

[Cornelius Varley]

Leave that PSU in the supermarket, the chances are that it will not have a regulated output and will probably cause your mount to behave erraticaly.

Peter

[rfdesigner]

Power supplies are the route cause of many if not most electonic problems, be they ones in your computer, your phone (the battery) advanced miliary systems a basic torch your Hi-Fi or even your Car (mine throws all sorts of fault codes when the battery is tired).. I also have personal experience of all these.

A good power supply is expensive. You will be paying for a supply that can deliver lots of current without its output voltage dipping. It should be nicely regulated and will be able to run continuously at it's rated current without getting excessively hot.

Heat is the one thing that will really kill electronics. (look up HTOL testing) As a good power supply is usually expensive economics demands that these units are run near to thier maximum capacity for most of their life, so that means they run hot, which means they have poor lifetime, if a supply dies it can break the circuits it's powering.

If you want to buy a power supply you need to make sure you buy excess current capacity, ideally at least 40% more than you need, and that it should have good regulation of its output voltage.

Derek

BEng

Principal Enginner (electronics R&D)

[SmokeyJoe]

Thanks guys looks like I'll be shelling out a little more than 8 quid.