iksose7 Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Payday is on the way and i decided a couple months ago that i will be buying an EQ6! At the moment i use an Astrotrac which i will be keeping, but as awesome as this little bit of kit is, i am eager for longer exposures and so i am starting to build up a more capable imaging rig.My question is about power. I have been reading around and stop me if i'm wrong but the general consensus is that power tanks are no good. Everybody seems to lean more towards leisure batteries. I have no experience with neither so i was wondering if someone could enlighten me. How do you hook everything up to these batteries, a far as i can tell from pictures you have the + and - on top where you would usually clamp to croc clips but no input for anything else like you would have on a power tank? I want something that i will be able to power both an EQ6 and an Astrotrac off, not necessarily at the same time. I am only asking now as i am trying to plan if i will have to buy anything else to be able to hook these mounts up to said battery as my budget is spread thin already.Thanks in advance to anyone able to help me out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Reade Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 The easy way on a budget would be to use a leisure battery with a three way cig lighter socket strapped to the side connected with croc clips to the battery terminals. Plain and easy. Gives you all the power you need and connections. The connections are limited to what you want, you could use banana plugs etc.The attraction to power tanks appears to be lightness, but that comes at a price ie light battery light power time.Cheers Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinker1947 Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 A Maplin 13.8v 7 Amp PSU, you can a 20-30m lead on it to feed a steady voltage into the Mount,,,,just depends if your in you garden or not..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iksose7 Posted August 30, 2013 Author Share Posted August 30, 2013 Thanks for the info guys! Tinker, i just had a look at the battery you mentioned, is it 7 amp hours? That seems very low. I was under the impression that i would need something in the 80-100 amp hour range to run everything needed with an imaging rig.I am thinking a power tank would be ok with the astrotrac because it doesn't need much power. A leisure battery would be handy for the EQ6 though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinker1947 Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Thanks for the info guys!Tinker, i just had a look at the battery you mentioned, is it 7 amp hours? That seems very low. I was under the impression that i would need something in the 80-100 amp hour range to run everything needed with an imaging rig.I am thinking a power tank would be ok with the astrotrac because it doesn't need much power. A leisure battery would be handy for the EQ6 though...Sorry should have linked it, its a PSU runs on the mains, kept inside you property then a twin core cable as long as you need out to your mount.....makes for a very stable mount all night long....http://www.maplin.co...power-units-231 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valleyman Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Go for a leisure battery at least 80ah that should give you about 25 hours of viewing before needing to charge. I use this with a cig socket and croc clips and a 3way cig socket extension all inside a battery box, which i leave on the patio under a table. You will also need a battery charger. Power packs dont seem to last too long so i think they are false economy. A good leisure battery should last you many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iksose7 Posted September 1, 2013 Author Share Posted September 1, 2013 Yes, 80ah sounds about right! A battery box will have to come later i think, all that electronic stuff is very confusing to me! Will have to find a how-to guide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.