Beginner question - powering mount with jumpstarter unit

[Chuggs]

Hello. After several months of lurking on these forums and learning what I could (thanks for your unwitting help!), and a few weeks using some astro binocs, I've finally taken the plunge and bought my first scope since a diddy one back when I was a nipper.

I went for the SW150pds and HEQ5, which was a fair bit over the negotiated budget, but I'm hoping to get into AP at some point so thought I'd go for the best mount I could hope to have, and cope with living by porridge alone for the new months.

Yesterday evening was a mix of box-opening excitement, and a lot of head scratching trying to work out exactly what the manual was getting at. Anyway, a few hours later I was set up in the garden and rewarded with a clear (if rather windy) night. Much coo-ing to myself about views of the moon, splitting a few double stars, *lots* of watching Saturn and Titan drift across the view field, and then an hour or so of trying to find M3. I can do it in a few seconds from Arcturus with the binos, but just couldn't with the scope; I think the inverted movement and restriction to RA and DEC was too much for my brain, but I'll get there soon, I'm sure.

Am away next week with friends to rural Derbs, so am hoping for darker skies than I get in Reading (and also crossing-fingers that it all fits in the car, along with the required bikes, games, and possibly even a few clothes). In a perfect world I'd spend a bit more time getting used to the set up before powering the mount, but it'd be great to be able have some tracking when I'm showing people what it can do.

Based on some previous posts in the forums I went and grabbed one of these from Halfords today.

http://www.halfords....tegoryId_255204

However, reading the manual it only refers to using the "cigarette lighter" port as a (slow) charging option, nothing mentioned about drawing power *from* it. Before I connect it up to my shiny new mount I just wanted to check that I'm not making a huge mistake, am I?

Chuggs.

[Steve Ward]

Just had a squint through the Q+A relating to it on the Halfords site , on page 10 it says that it comes with a 12v ciggy socket so that you can run 12v appliances from it.

http://www.halfords....yId_255204#tab4

[Bizibilder]

Your HEQ5 will only draw an amp when tracking (or less) and less then 2A on fast slew - the power pack will be fine for this. By "drawing power" they will mean starting your car (using the ciggy socket!!) or similar and that could be 100Amps or more. Kaboom!!

[Chuggs]

Thanks Steve & Bizb. I know am being very cautious, but would hate to have fried the mount's mobo or something so soon after getting it!

Chuggs.

[Bizibilder]

Better safe than sorry!

[Steve Ward]

Might be an idea to get a ciggy lead with an inbuilt fuse just in case ?

I guess there's one inside the mount somewhere but just how accessible it would be I don't know.

[Ben_Jim]

Got the same Jump Starter myself the other month, charged it fully like it said and it still shows 13.2volts on the test button been using it today under the bonnet of the car with a 12volt halogen bulb connected, it’s a nice bit of kit and the battery in mine is 12V 18Ah so yours should be the same

Jim

[Ben_Jim]

The "cigarette lighter" port is not directly connected to the battery in the booster it goes through a circuit so putting a large charge through this might pop it this is why it only want a small amperage going into it, if you wanted to fast charge it connect to the croc clips these go direct to the battery.

The fuse for my Skywatcher EQ5 PRO is inside the cigarette lighter plug that connects to the SynScan and is a 5A

Jim

[Ben_Jim]

Just been thinking about this, I might have got crossed wires lol to put it simply use the cigarette lighter output from the unit for powering external 12v thing’s like your Skywatcher EQ5 to charge the unit use the power supply supplied with it or use your car cigarette lighter output to charge it with the supplied cable.

Wow, am I getting old!! Looking back a day or two I think I might be lmao.

Jim

[Chuggs]

All good - thanks for the guidance above. My mount is happily tracking around the dining room under jumpstarter power, it being a bit cloudy and damp outside tonight. Fingers crossed the weather settles down a bit in the next few days!

Chuggs

[Ben_Jim]

Fingers crossed the weather settles down a bit in the next few days!

Chuggs

I hope so too, my mount has done more tracking in the living room then its done outside lol

Got my fist mount last month and have been waiting for some clear nights but no luck so far, the only clear night we have had I was to busy or had to get to bed for work but now I have more then enough free time seeing I retired last week

Jim