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Good power tank choice?

twelly27

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Timbo32

Timbo32

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hi twelly27 did you read the review's of this product in the link you gave?

they seem to suggest it is low quality i'm sorry to say.

i cannot give you any other suggestions as i dnt use power like that ATM!!

i'm sure more experience members will chip in.

all the best and clear skies Tim

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JonF

JonF

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Ring ones with higher spec batteries have, in my experience, been better quality than those cheapy ones. Ring RPP series with 20AH or above batteries. You can get them from Amazon.

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Herbig

Herbig

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It's probably going to be OK for your little Alt Az mount if that's all you are powering. I use the Maplin one with mine. Beware though the charger that comes with it is not up to the job, it's only 12v and to charge the battery up fully it needs 13 .8v I use a car battery charger with mine and it's been OK. We tried it with our HEQ5 and an Atik 314L+ it lasted about half an hour before the Atik started playing up and then the mount started flashing indicating low voltage.

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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Don't get these things. A deep cycle leisure battery as used by caravan users will hold a good charge and is cheaper,

Nick.

Totally agree. They are also called Deep DIscharge batteries. They are designed for a long slow draw, not to give a short sharp shock and they are not hyped up with gizmos .

Olly

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cotterless45

cotterless45

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Although others are available, I would recommend the leisure battery which has never let me down ,

Alphaline deep cycle series 12v / 88 Ah.

It comes in a useful Correx box. This was handy when Mr.DHL asked me to sign for it, dropping the whole thing from knee height. As we all know heavy things aren't delicate .

I give it a charge about every 10 days out of season,as Suggested above those power pack things are overpriced gadgets for starting your car.

Nick.

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M4lcs67

M4lcs67

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I used the Maplin 3 in 1 powertank with my 127 SLT and it worked fine. However it was undone when I tried to push it with my CG5. It wasn't up to the job, so I decided to get the Maplin XM31 mains transformer. Having enquired about the safety issues relating to using mains electricity in damp conditions, I have got it set up, so it is extremely safe. I now have a reliable source of power which drives my CG5 and there is no chance of the power going off as it is straight from the mains. I do have an outdoor socket where I can plug it in as well which is just a few yards from where I set up.

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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Nick's 88 Ah says it all! A friend in the tyre/battery trade stopped selling powertanks because he never found a reliable make and, being a good guy who looks after his customers, he just stopped selling them. He sells Leisure batteries instead. This does not, of course, prove that no reliable make exists but it does provide a useful bit of background.

Olly

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Carl Reade

Carl Reade

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To give you an idea of the difference between a power tank and a leisure battery. My mount is rated at 2 Amps and say add an extra Amp for a camera so the total drain is 3 Amps.

Power tank rated at 17Ah. 17Ah / 3 = 5.6 so that would give me 5.6 hours of power.

Leisure battery rated at 88Ah. 88Ah / 3 = 29.3 so that would give me 29.3 hours of power.

Bearing in mind its not a good idea to totally drain a battery so you wouldnt want to fully run to these times as its not good for batteries.

Just an example of course different kit requires different amounts of current.

Cheers Carl

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Spookylight

Spookylight

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Have a look at the Lucas range of golf caddy cart batteries and also the Yuasa 27 hole deep cycle caddy battery, both on ebay.

These are deep cycle gel batteries ideal and hold a good amount of Ah and don't leak either. Most come with handles, aren't too heavy to carry about, the Yuasa has a nice carry bag available. I will be ordering one of these batteries shortly.

Neil.

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twelly27

twelly27

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Hmmm how much works goes into setting up a battery like those mentioned? I haven't a clue when it comes to electrics my dad says he isn't really up to many electrical jobs aswell if it isn't a big job then I can look into them, I'm guessing they won't have cigaret light ports which is why I was going for a power tank it's simple to use tbh

Thanks

Chris

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Carl Reade

Carl Reade

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Leisure batteries look the same as a car battery with the + terminal and - terminal on top. The only difference between them is the way they are built inside. All I did was cut off the cig port and crimped two croc clips on the cable (a red one for + and black one for -) then you just place the battery under the mount and clip the crocs on.

Just have to be sure you identify the positive or + lead is connected to the + on the battery and same with negative -.

Cheers Carl

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Carl Reade

Carl Reade

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Hi Chris, a car battery is designed to produce 100s of amps for seconds to start a car then it gets immediatley recharged by the car alternator to run the electrics, lights etc. A good example is what happens when you leave your car lights on after a period and try to start the car (flat battery). So designed for a high burst of Amps for very short periods.

A leisure battery is designed to put Amps out over a long period without draining it. So totally different beasts although they look the same and why they are more expensive.

A normal cheap 4 Amp battery charger will recharge either but its a leisure battery you would use.

Hope that explains a bit. Carl.

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L8-Nite

L8-Nite

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If extra weight is not an issue, consider two 6-volt golf car batteries hooked up in series, which will give you the required 12-volts. They will give you over 400 amp hours of power, are rated at more than a thousand recharge cycles, and have a warranty period considerably longer than a Leisure battery, usually four years compared to one year.

With minimal drain from the batteries (around 20% or 80 amps) before recharging, this set up should give you many years of service, powering all of your astronomical and star party needs, including use of inverters.

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Nordberg

Nordberg

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It seems that I'm "doing it wrong" by using a jumpstarter, but for what it's worth I'm using this (12Ah) unit from Maplin:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/jumpstarter-with-digital-compressor-and-500a-cranking-power-672080

I'm just using it to power the HEQ5, which runs quite happily for 3-4 hours (I haven't tried it for a longer session). I guess once you start charging laptops, powering cameras and heating dew-strips it might become a bit much.

I can totally see the advantage of a leisure battery given their characteristics, but for now this thing is doing the job. I've also used the jump leads and other gimmicks with some success, which helped to justify the purchase :)

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twelly27

twelly27

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i do need something thats going to let me charge my laptop off it aswell as ill be taking it astro camp for any planet stuff i do, and just play football manager during the boring day time hours ;) so ideal product is a power tank, but like i said id need somthing that could power both for maybe 5-6 hours at the most

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planet15

planet15

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I got a 12V rechargeable Engine Starter from Argos for £29.95 a couple of weeks ago. It has DC outlet for 3, 6, 9, 12V, and florescent light like torch on the side. I have been powering up the GP-DX tracking, and also used it as work light in the dark.

I charged it once the very first I got it, and it is still going strong after 2 weeks use. 2 thumbs up.

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planet15

planet15

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Addendum to my previous post (will help increasing my post counts too ;D)

.....

I charged it once the very first day I got it, and it is still going strong without charge after 2 weeks use. 2 thumbs up.

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