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power pack

sam mayo

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JamesM

JamesM

Posted
Posted

One question will be whether you are observing from home (where there is a convenient energy supply via a suitable regulated transformer) or whether like me, you are regularly going to visit a dark site in which case I would recommend a leisure battery. I have two, one which is small (60 amp (12Kg) paid £60 in camping shop sale), comes with a carrying handle and is good for a very long night's viewing (using NEQ6 mount, dew heater + Dew-Not heating strip and laptop) and a much larger leisure battery (110 Amp £85 (29 Kg) if I am going to participate in a star party or camping over a long weekend. You will need to get the right connectors to transfer the power from the battery to some kind of splitter (Halfords and Maplins sell many types) that will enable you to plug in and connect all your kit. The principle behind the size of battery is that if all your kit is pulling 1 amp out of a 10 amp battery then in principle you will be able to run that equipment for 10 hours. By way of example, my e.g NEQ6 draws around 2 Amps of juice so it would only last for 5 hours using a 10 amp battery. It's approximate as temperature can make a difference especially when using kit when the temperature is below freezing.

James

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Bizibilder

Bizibilder

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For calculating a battery capacity add up all the "Amps" you will be using, double the answer, and then multiply by the number of hours in a session - that is the number of Amp-Hours you will need.

eg EQ6 mount = 2A, Laptop = 3.5A, Dew band = 2A

So: 2 + 3.5 + 2 = 7.5 Double it = 15 Amps. For, say, 5 hours = 15 x 5 = 75 AmpHours. So a 75Ah battery (or bigger) will do. Don't forget you will need a decent battery charger/conditioner that will set you back nearly as much as the battery!

PS - You double the "Amps" answer as you don't want to run the battery below 50% full. It also leaved a bit in reserve should you need it.

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Stu

Stu

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Leisure type, like a car battery is fine. I have a 110ah leisure battery which lasts a long time. You will need to sort out a secure way of connecting to it, I just have a double cigarette lighter style socket wired to some heavy duty cable and crocodile clips, works fine.

Well worth getting a decent charger aswell, it makes big difference to the battery life.

Stu

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Bizibilder

Bizibilder

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Posted

There is a huge difference between a leisure battery and a "car" battery. They are designed and built for quite different purposes. Briefly a "car" battery is designed for one big "oomph!! to start the car and then an immediate recharge, A leisure battery is designed for a slow, continuous discharge - like keeping the lights on in a caravan all evening.

It is the Leisure type that you should be considering for astro work. They are more expensive but will last for years if looked after properly (ie use a proper charger/conditioner whenever they are not in use) and are the correct tool for the job.

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BuzzBomb

BuzzBomb

Posted
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I'm not an automotive expert, but aren't car batteries also designed for slow discharge?

My understanding is that all a cars electrics run from the battery - radio, fan, air-con, lights etc - and the battery is constantly re-charged by the alternator .

If that is correct (and I'm probably horribly wrong!) would't they be alright if kept topped up?

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Tapatalk 2

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Stu

Stu

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Thanks for the clarification bizibuilder. Apologies if I was unclear, I was meaning to imply that leisure batteries were the ones to use and that they look like car batteries rather than power packs. Totally agree that car batteries are not suitable.

Stu

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Stu

Stu

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I think the issue is that they are not designed to be discharged as deeply as leisure batteries. Because they are topped up immediately after starting the car, and maintained constantly by the alternator they are ok. Leisure batteries can cope with deep discharge, followed by proper recharging with a decent charger. Advice I've seen on here still seems to be not to discharge more than 50% though.

Stu

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BuzzBomb

BuzzBomb

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I think the issue is that they are not designed to be discharged as deeply as leisure batteries. Because they are topped up immediately after starting the car, and maintained constantly by the alternator they are ok. Leisure batteries can cope with deep discharge, followed by proper recharging with a decent charger. Advice I've seen on here still seems to be not to discharge more than 50% though.

Stu

Thanks Stu, that makes sense.

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Tapatalk 2

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pixueto

pixueto

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Posted

Sorry about my complete ignorance but after reading the thread I'm still confused about what I need. I want to run an HEQ5 Pro with a laptop for about 5 hours. What would I need? Any economic alternatives out there? I was also wondering about the sockets. Will they come with a normal one like the ones at home as well as the cigarette socket?

Thanks for your help

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sam mayo

sam mayo

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d/w i find it just as confusing so im going for the 110 am from amazon 65quid and that will be more than a enough andif you ever get anything else that needs powering it will do it i also found a recharger conditioner from motot world its a 120ah and thats also 65 quid which looks really cheap compared to everything else iv seen in the same output.i think you would need somthin o connect you devices that uses power like mount to the battery and as above halfords etc do them and that woud give you the abbillity to use plug/car lighter adapter would be worth popping in and see what they say hope this help and hope im right

thnks sam

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Dave79

Dave79

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I have just got meself a 110 a/h leisure batt off eBay for £70. I also got a Ctek CTE-MXS5.0 5a 12v charger for £56. From Amazon I got a Ctek CTE-56382 Indicator and CTE-56573 ciggy socket. Halfords supplied terminal clamps and a triple ciggy socket adaptor.

The charger is an 8 stage jobby and you can leave the battery on charge for months coz the charger only sends out a pulse when the voltage of the batt drops.

Hope this helps Dave

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glowjet

glowjet

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Posted

If it is of any help, I used up till a short while ago, an 85 Ah leisure battery for our electric outboard, a days fishing would just about discharge it. I bought an SIP electronic 12A charger which charges acid batteries in the range 45Ah to 180Ah and this has served us very well over the years. They are available on ebay from various outlets, the cheapest is just under £47 with free delivery :)

John.

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Paulus17

Paulus17

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Posted

I was given a battery with my latest set up,but i am not sure if it is a leisure or car battery.

It is a 12v 50 AH.

If it is a car battery is it safe to use.The seller said he used it.

There is an in line ciggy lighter,and croc clips.

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