Hardware and software advice needed for upgrading to guided imaging

[D4N]

Ok those links work.

You may be asking too much from your tracer battery if you power the laptop from it, the charger you linked does have a lower power rating though so would last longer on your tracer. It may be that the laptop only uses 45W and that the other 45W is to charge the battery whilst you are using it.

For reference my dew heater draws just under 3 amps at 12V DC (36W) when it is on full power.

/Dan

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[Thalestris24]

Ian - you shouldn't need a dew heater with the 130pds, just a decent dew shield should do. I made one from this. Having one on the finder is helpful too. I think if I were you, I'd power the mount from the tracer and maybe get a separate 12v battery and adapter to back up your LX200s. You can exit Stellarium once you've centered on your target and are guiding ok. Stellarium uses quite a bit of processing power so closing it should save the battery a bit. You maybe need to think of keeping the laptop warmish since the cold drains batteries quicker. A suitably sized cardboard box with a lid and maybe with some polystyrene tiles as lining might do the trick (I can't attest to it - it's just my imaginary design!).

Louise

[D4N]

I keep my laptop in a plastic box along with its PSU and the PSU for my camera, they generate enough heat to keep the box from getting too cold.

/Dan

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[ianpwilliams]

I'm kind of leaning towards mains power now, as I'd only worry about that laptop dying mid-session again. So I'd use one of those handheld retractable extensions plugged into the wall in my flat via an RCD, and just unravel it as I walk down the stairs and out to the mount, and then rest it in a plastic box. If I can keep the majority of the equipment in the shed then really it would just be a case of unravelling the extension and bringing the scope down the stairs.

[ianpwilliams]

If I were to buy another Tracer battery for powering just the laptop, would that last a session do you think? Maybe the 22Ah Tracer? I'd be reluctant to shell out another £200 for one, but I'm curious to know whether it would run the laptop for a session, presumably with the laptop battery kicking in aftwards once the Tracer ran out.

It's either that or a very long extension hanging out the 2nd floor window!

[D4N]

How long is our session?

It would be simple enough to test if you have the adaptor to power the laptop from 12V.

Another way to do it would be to work out how much power it actually uses when it is running.

I have a device that goes into the socket and records power consumption.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/13a-plug-in-energy-saving-monitor-n67fu

You can just measure the current on the cable but this could easily be a long way out depending on when the charger kicks in.

/Dan

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[ianpwilliams]

It's hard to say how long a session would be, maybe four hours, although the best part of the first hour would be setting up.

[ianpwilliams]

What's the difference between an IP extension and non IP (apart from price), and what is IP? And is IP required if using an RCD? I was considering something like this although 20m might not be long enough if hanging down from the window:

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/331649510351

[D4N]

The IP rating refers to weather protection and is an international standard, IP 54 is fine for using outside even if it rains, IP65 is really serious protection and would be suitable if you expect a flood.

Using an IP rated extension doesn't remove the need for an RCD.

Non IP rated products are not designed to be used in damp conditions, extra precautions need to be taken to keep them dry, this will apply to things like your laptop and its PSU.

/Dan

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[ianpwilliams]

OK so looks like IP54 is the way to go. So I'm looking at:

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Masterplug-20m-Outdoor-IP54-Cable-Reel-Weatherproof-Twin-Sockets-13A-/331649510351?nav=WATCHING_ACTIVE

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Masterplug-IP54-Weatherproof-Enclosure-Box-For-Outdoor-Electrical-Power-Conne-/231722604398?nav=WATCHING_ACTIVE

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Masterplug-PRCDKB-MP-Safety-Non-Latching-13A-RCD-Plug-top-protection-/252063415257?nav=WATCHING_ACTIVE

It looks like 20m is the longest you can get, so I'll have to hope it's enough when hanging down from a 2nd floor window.

I'm still waiting for the shed to be emptied. Speaking of which, when storing the mount in the shed, will a waterproof plastic sheet over the mount be enough to protect it? I'm pretty sure the shed is waterproof.

[D4N]

I don't put anything over mine as I want it to be able to dry out if it has any moisture on it.

Some desiccant packs might be a good idea since you don't have any power in the shed you can provide neither heat or a dehumidifier to dry things out.

The scope is more of a problem as you want to allow it to dry out but don't want creepy crawlys making their home on it.

/Dan

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[ianpwilliams]

What are dessicant packs?

I plan on keeping the scope (with cameras attached) in the flat. The shed would just contain the tripod, mount, accessories in a toolbox, and chair.

[Tinker1947]

There used to soak up moisture, CCD's normally have one in a chamber with a screw in lid.....

Its the round thing with the slot in it, put them in a hot oven from time to time to dry them out.....

[D4N]

I was thinking more along the lines of a large pack to dry the shed out.

You can get ones that change colour when they are full, you pop the, in the oven to dry them out again.

Alternately you can make your own, either using the little packs that come with most electronic things you buy or by buying some silica gel.

/Dan

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[Xiga]

Another option could be to buy a 2nd hand Netbook known to have really good battery life. A while back i bought a Samsung N220 for £70 on eBay. It's old, slow as heck, has a small screen, but it has 3 usb slots and does the job of running APT & PHD just fine. I bought a replacement high capacity battery and tested it out indoors running both programs with wifi off and screen on lowest setting and the battery lasted in the region of 10 hrs. I've had a couple of sessions out in the cold and it never died on me, the longest session was ~4 hrs. Note, i keep my screen on and even with that i reckon i should be able to get 6 hrs out of it. With the screen set to turn off this should be even higher.

Just some more food for thought!

[ianpwilliams]

Yeah maybe, but I just know I would be constantly worrying that it would suddenly pack up on me. At least with mains power I could have the laptop on any settings I wanted, I could power up and connect everything up straight away etc. I just really wish there was a wall socket in the downstairs hallway!

[Tinker1947]

Yeah maybe, but I just know I would be constantly worrying that it would suddenly pack up on me. At least with mains power I could have the laptop on any settings I wanted, I could power up and connect everything up straight away etc. I just really wish there was a wall socket in the downstairs hallway!

Get a quote to have one fitted, with a master switch in your flat as you will be paying the electric bill......

[ianpwilliams]

Wouldn't that cost a small fortune? I consider how much it might cost to have power installed in the shed, but I guess that would be a large fortune.

[Tinker1947]

find a tradesman that doesn't charge a callout fee and get a price, this part would cost you nothing....

[Mick J]

I was thinking it was a rented flat, may be difficult for you to get permission etc,  is there a master fuse box thingmy in a cupboard in the hallway ?  it's all getting a bit complicated, but cheaper for a sparks to jump a socket out of ?  This type of thing needs to be safe.

[ianpwilliams]

Yeah it is rented. Can't picture anything like that in the hallway. Maybe the only mains option would once again be an extension out the window.

[Xiga]

If guiding is your aim, and power is an issue, then what about the Lacerta Mgen II? Add in an intervalometer and Bahtinov mask (both cheap) and you could get away without a laptop at all. Version II will even dither as well.

You could use the laptop to PA and get yourself on target, then pack it away.

When the time comes you can always sell it on ABS for a 1/3 loss.

[ianpwilliams]

I did consider an autoguider at one point (a much cheaper one though), but for that price it may even be cheaper to get mains power in the shed, or certainly in the hallway. And I already bought the Altair GP camera so I should give that a go really.

[salas]

I wouldn't pay for any permanent electrical work to be carried out by an electrician in a rented property, that's if your landlord would even entertain the idea anyway.

This is what I would do - for what its worth:

Option A

 - 20m ext cable out of a window, all problems solved, but being careful not to bash neighbours windows with plugs etc on the way up and down - maybe / probably a friendly notification to the neighbours of what you are doing could be required.

Option B

Run the mount off of your battery and get a gorilla power bank to run the lap top for extended periods, we use these at work in industrial settings to prolong laptop life where limited power is available on some oil rigs. As some people have recommended there are steps you can take to prolong the laptop battery life, a lot of power is drained by the display, it does not need to be on all the time and make sure when it is the brightness is down as low as it will go. For the camera I use the original battery + a fully charged back up. I get at least 3 hours out of my Canon battery and simply swap the spare in when it goes flat to continue.

[ianpwilliams]

Yeah I think the 20m extension is the way to go. The only issue is how far the extension will reach after the two-storey drop. It certainly wouldn't reach to the far end of the garden, although I'd only need to go that far down if my target was to the east and fairly low, which I guess would be rare based on past experience. The shed has apparently been emptied anyway (or at least partly emptied), so I'll check that out in daylight.