A daytime use for an EQ3 mount

[Vega]

Ok, I hold my hands up, slightly off topic but I discovered a great daytime use for my EQ3 mount and just had to share. Very suited to the job...If your in to solar power

I made this vid this week. Explains it better than me typing (about quarter way through). Excuse my waffling about all things 12v

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U92h-2HAyw

Thanks for watching

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

That is very neat (as long as the power gain outstrips the power drain from the mount (I trust it will easily))

[Vega]

Hi Michael

Yes, I'm actually running the EQ3 on 4x D cell batteries (6v) separately from my main battery anyway. Would be interesting to see how it would work directly off the solar panel but its hard to test as the panel is 12v and the EQ3 motors only require 6v.

Cheers

[JamesF]

That is very neat (as long as the power gain outstrips the power drain from the mount (I trust it will easily))

Hmmm. Let's be generous and say that over a day the 10W panel can average 7W. I'm not in a position to measure it at the moment, but I suspect the RA motor drive for the EQ3 draws somewhere between 1W and 1.5W. I'd not like to call it either way on those numbers.

James

[Vega]

Hi James, I'm guessing the numbers are pretty tight if you calculate in local insolation figures. For Somerset this is around 2 hours of sunshine per day within the hours suitable for good solar panel performance. Then theirs things like the losses from battery storage etc. However, I'm unsure of the wattage draw from the motors. They are after all only 6v and are just stepper motors. Might get my multimeter out this evening to measure the amps on the motors :-)

For me its a small addition to my 3x 60w panels (shown in the vid), and pushing all the power through to the grid tie inverter.

Hmmm. Let's be generous and say that over a day the 10W panel can average 7W. I'm not in a position to measure it at the moment, but I suspect the RA motor drive for the EQ3 draws somewhere between 1W and 1.5W. I'd not like to call it either way on those numbers.

James