Using 12volt battery to power equipment at remote sites.

[echavez123]

My backyard is not ideal for viewing the night sky, so for field work, I am leaning towards a 12 volt marine deep cycle battery to power: mount, laptop, camera.

Mount - 12 volts

Laptop - 19.5 volts

Camera - 8 volts

Questions:

1) What cabling to use from battery. Radio shack has a 3-way cigarette style female out from battery connector. Then I would have to make cables - male cigarette style connector to connect required for each device. Is there a ready-made cable solution available?

2) Voltage matching. Mount matches. However, the Laptop and Camera need some kind of converter DC-to-DC to step up/down the voltage. Any suggestions here?

3) Do I need to protect the devices from voltage spikes or shorts? Suggestions?

Suggestions are welcomed and needed. Thx in advance.

Ernesto

[lex]

If you haven't decided yet then i would recommend the RAC multi-function power station from argos,

http://www.argos.co....rchtext>RAC.htm

Has 2 12v cigarette lighter outputs plus 240v mains outputs plus usb outputs (aswell as pump your tyres and jump start your car)

so should cover your mount and lappy and camera.

Only £60 down from £100.

I got 1 and so far i'm really happy with it.

Edit: Sorry, just seen your location so the above is useless.....

[Bizibilder]

For the Lappy you can use an "in car" adapter - there will be one made specifically for you make/model. I bought one from Amazon for £20 (not sure what that is in $). For the camera - I'm not so sure as you don't state the make or model. In the UK there is a company that makes adapters for DSLR's but I'm not so sure about bespoke Astro-cameras.

[x6gas]

If you haven't decided yet then i would recommend the RAC multi-function power station from argos,

http://www.argos.co....rchtext>RAC.htm

Has 2 12v cigarette lighter outputs plus 240v mains outputs plus usb outputs (aswell as pump your tyres and jump start your car)

so should cover your mount and lappy and camera.

Only £60 down from £100.

I got 1 and so far i'm really happy with it.

Edit: Sorry, just seen your location so the above is useless.....

...and anyway all the outputs on this are 12v aren't they?

[goolosh]

Have you looked into getting a Power Invertor for the battery? Then you can plug everything in as normal and the power packs for the laptop and camera should be able to plug right in. The invertor will convert the 12v DC into 120v AC and the power packs for telescopes/laptops and what not convert the 120v AC into what they need to operate.

My Nexstar 6se runs on 12v, but the power cord for use on your standard american 120v AC converts it to 12v, the car adapter runs directly on the 12v (from the car battery) and has no converter in the cord. Since you'll be running multiple things the invertor will give you multiple plugs and keep the energy clean (depending on the invertor you get). If you're not hindered by money you can get a True Sine Wave invertor which would keep your equipment running on clean power. Won't need too much amperage for those items but if you ever wanted to run more you could say a cell phone charger, radio, lamps with red tape on them ect.

The Deep cycle is good since they'll last longer and recharge better.

Just search True Sine Invertor on Amazon and you'll see a bunch, then check reviews online and you can find a good deal and a reliable brand for the price that fits your buget

If you are really interested in clean power though make sure to aim for the True Sine and not "Modified Sine" since the modified Sine Wave creates flat tops in the waves. It's not clean power.

Also go with a 2 Gauge cable from the Battery to the Invertor. Thats your best bet.

Going with a Power Invertor:

Pros:

Allows for more devices via more plugs. Allows you to plug in a power strip as well

Depending on the type (True Sine) can be really clean power

Will warn you if you are drawing too much amps or overheating ect

Handles the power conversion for you letting the power packs for your devices to run off 120v AC

Cons:

Might add some costs to your buget

more equipment to carry around, more cables ect

everyone around you will want to charge their stuff off it

Hope this helps!!!

[squeaky]

I'd be inclined to go that route too.

Well actually I have already and it works a treat. Not only that, but if we have a power cut I can set it up and so have light, the lappy, and even do coffee in the microwave

[goolosh]

I'd be inclined to go that route too.

Well actually I have already and it works a treat. Not only that, but if we have a power cut I can set it up and so have light, the lappy, and even do coffee in the microwave

This is true, if you get a high watt Power Invertor you can run almost anything on it, including yes, a microwave LOL

My friend uses his to bring his leaf blower camping to clear the camp site out hahaha!!!

He used to run an electric blanket off it that run into his truck bed with camper shell. I told him he was cheating and it wasn't camping anymore to have such luxury!!!

[squeaky]

Mine will push a steady 4A and can peak to a little over 5A.

That's plenty.

[echavez123]

Yeah, I was inclined to go the inverter route at first, cause it was the simplest solution, then discovered this setup is terribly inefficient. For those of you who are using an inverter, powered from a 12 volt battery, how long will your battery last? How many hours have you run directly from your battery via the inverter?

[goolosh]

I have no

Yeah, I was inclined to go the inverter route at first, cause it was the simplest solution, then discovered this setup is terribly inefficient. For those of you who are using an inverter, powered from a 12 volt battery, how long will your battery last? How many hours have you run directly from your battery via the inverter?

I have not run a telescope setup off an invertor yet.

However, i did go on a camping trip, where we ran 2, 300 watt home theater speakers, a projector and a laptop to watch movies two nights in a row, and during the day played music pretty loudly through the speakers nearly non stop for 8-10 hours a day. Two two days to kill the 2 batteries in the truck, i assume you could have done half of that with just one battery.

A deep cycle should run a long time with just the items you've listed.

[squeaky]

I've not had a problem with mine. It's a 75AH Leisure Battery (deep cycle) and I run the scope, camera and laptop from it. I got three nights viewing from it before the inverter decided that the voltage had dropped - and even then, once I disconnected the laptop so it ran on its own battery the scope and camera kept on going until the end of the session. I normally run the camera from its AC adaptor via the inverter, and keep the camera's own battery as a reserve. So far I've never needed it.

That's fine by me.

Having pushed it to its limits, to see where they are, I now ensure that I recharge after every two sessions at the latest.

Note to self: Take the kettle with you next time

[echavez123]

Thank you for the info. Today, I have spent every free moment researching inverters, guide cameras, power converters. Cant wait for a clear sky.

[squeaky]

BTW - the battery and inverter between them cost less than a dedicated power tank thing, and it's a far more flexible option in my view.