USB heating band

[Astrofriend]

Making of a USB heating band.

I needed something that was much lighter to my portable mount than what I had when I use my EQ6 mount. The powersourche are a car battery. Now I try to use a USB battery or a powerbank as a powersourche to my heating band when I use the portable mount. Just 0.3 kilogram compare to 25 kilogram!

When I use my portable mount I don't have a telescope but camera lenses. There is normally very limted space where to mount a heating band on a camera lens. I needed a heating band that was much more narrower then the ones you can buy. Or have anyone found any?

Anyway, I have fun when I building things!

http://astrofriend.eu/astronomy/projects/project-heating-band/project-heating-band.html#part05

Or from beginning:

http://astrofriend.eu/astronomy/projects/project-heating-band/project-heating-band.html

Be carefull if you try to do something like this, powerbanks that I used here has much energy stored and a shortcut can easily overload it and then maybe get on fire!

You must know what you are doing, I don't take any responsibilty!

/Lars

[cjdawson]

I love the idea.  hmmm, that gives me an idea for a 15000mha power bank that I have laying around

 

In the meantime, here's an idea that you might want to add to your circuit.

Rather than lower the wattage of your band.  Use a pulse width modulator to allow you to turn the band power up and down.  Here's an example on ebay.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2V-40V-10A-Pulse-Width-Modulator-PWM-DC-Motor-Speed-Control-Switch-Governor-/191786654581?hash=item2ca7601b75:g:CGYAAOSwa-dWnfBL

 

[freiform]

Hi Lars,

thank you for your link. I really like the idea with the electrical fence band! Well, let's see where to get that stuff here..

Sven

[cjdawson]

@freiform the stuff that you are looking for is Nichrome wire.  It's much better than using resister ladders much thinner and easier to make.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/nichrome-wire

You can get it from ebay.  I bought some from maplins a long time ago and stuff have most of the reel.

[freiform]

@cjdawson I do have Nichrome wire, but I like the idea of having something more robust  out of the box, instead of having to create bands by padding and insulating and all that jazz.

[cjdawson]

Gotcha.  Ready made solution

[StuartJPP]

I use a couple of USB home-made nichrome bands...they reduce clutter and wires.

The multiple port powered USB hub I use to power my main camera and guide camera can supply over 2A, so I have made sure all together the bands do not exceed the total current allowed. I started with just my guide scope at first as it is just a tiny band but have moved on to the main imaging lens as well...only need a couple of watts on my 125mm diameter lens I have found and on the guide scope 1W is more than enough.

[Astrofriend]

Hi,

Sorry for very late answere and thank you for tips. If needed I will add a electronic power regulator. But my experience I have got is that it work very fine already now.

After that I started to use this heating band I never had any problem on my camera lens. The power are about 0.8 Watt and battery last many nigths. I could have much smaller battery, but I could also power my mount from it if I want. Normally I don't but if mount batteries goes down I have this as an extra power sourch.

Here is one photo I tooked with my portable mount and a 150mm Sigma APO lens:

http://www.astrofriend.eu/astronomy/my-astronomy-photo/open-clusters/m45-open-cluster.html

 

Lars