Power Supply in Observatory

[mwayne]

Hi all,

It appears that few if any of you have mains in your observatories and I'm curious as to why that is. Is it cost or regulations or a combination of both?

[Corpze]

I have 230VAC in my obsy, a lot easier than 12V

[damnut]

@Mwayne,

My gear is for a colleagues dob, this is non obsy so when off site it has to be self contained.

[Gina]

Hi all,

It appears that few if any of you have mains in your observatories and I'm curious as to why that is. Is it cost or regulations or a combination of both?

That isn't the impression I get.  I have mains in mine - runs lighting, heating in winter and dehumidifier plus laptops and charging/topup for battery backed 13.8v supply for all the gear.

[pete_l]

If you keep the battery in your warm room it should be in a sealed battery container with a vent to the outside.

Hydrogen is MUCH lighter than air so will rise rapidly to the highest point and be dispersed to a harmless concentration in the air as it does so. The rate of discharge will be very small, so unless your obsy is hermetically sealed and you overcharge at a massive rate for long periods without entering the the room, there is no practical hazard to keeping the battery in your warm room.

[gnomus]

This is what I made really easy b and q for ip rated case £8. I was in a hurry and nearly brought the smaller one glad I didn't there is room for at least 2 more sockets in the future if neededImageUploadedByTapatalk1432570450.858398.jpg

I like the look of this.  Could you be a bit more specific about which box you bought (I couldn't find it doing a Google search)?  Also, where did you get the female sockets from?

I can solder to a rudimentary level - it would be nice to have a quick peek inside too.  

[gnomus]

I like the look of this.  Could you be a bit more specific about which box you bought (I couldn't find it doing a Google search)?  Also, where did you get the female sockets from?

I can solder to a rudimentary level - it would be nice to have a quick peek inside too.  

Oh ... is this the box?   http://www.diy.com/departments/diall-grey-junction-box/257328_BQ.prd

[Physopto]

Hydrogen is MUCH lighter than air so will rise rapidly to the highest point and be dispersed to a harmless concentration in the air as it does so. The rate of discharge will be very small, so unless your obsy is hermetically sealed and you overcharge at a massive rate for long periods without entering the the room, there is no practical hazard to keeping the battery in your warm room.

That is one of the most dangerous and irresponsible  things I have ever heard anyone say! Hydrogen in very small quantities mixed with air is extremely dangerous and explosive. Any spark can cause a catastrophic explosion. It will be over in less than a second and you may die or be badly hurt. Any lead acid battery on charge up to 14.4 volts at fully charged will expel hydrogen and should always be in a sealed container with a vent to the outside, if in a room or shed. Even in a well ventilated area no source of ignition should ever be present. That includes light switches or  using tools that can cause a spark, especially some one smoking.

Derek

[Bubbles82]

I like the look of this. Could you be a bit more specific about which box you bought (I couldn't find it doing a Google search)? Also, where did you get the female sockets from?

I can solder to a rudimentary level - it would be nice to have a quick peek inside too.

Hi got the box from b and q. It's the bigger of the two they stock but check screwfix as although they are the same company they often sell the same things for a much lower price

The sockets came from and marine and auto supplier on eBay called towzatronics

The inside of the box is simply wired with standard auto crimp type connectors that just push onto the two terminals on the back of each socket so no soldering required[emoji3]

The other end that connects to my bench psu are are connected with some standard banana plugs that I got from maplin hope this helps http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=300848800232