EQ3 pro power adapter

[Brosnan]

Hi everyone,

I have just bought an eq3 pro. I initially plugged it in and nothing happened so I brought the cigarette lighter adapter out to the car and it began to work. 

Just wondering is this how you charge it or do you have to leave it plugged in while you are using it? (Newbie here)

Thanks a million 

[Cornelius Varley]

The mount is powered externally and requires a 12 volt power supply for it to work. Either a regulated 12 volt adapted producing at least 5 amps or a 12 volt deep cycle leisure battery are suitable.

[Brosnan]

20 minutes ago, Cornelius Varley said:

The mount is powered externally and requires a 12 volt power supply for it to work. Either a regulated 12 volt adapted producing at least 5 amps or a 12 volt deep cycle leisure battery are suitable.

Thanks very much! 

Does this mean I have to keep it connected to the car while using it? Or can I plug it in throughout the day and then use the controller later? (Using the car adapter it came with)

Sorry if these questions are ridiculous! ?

[symmetal]

No, you aren't charging it when you plugged it into your car as there is no actual battery in the mount or control boxes. It has to be connected to an external 12V source all the time. Until you obtain another source of power you will have to plug it in to your car while you're using it. The other end of the cigarette lighter cable you have, has a 2.1mm DC connector which plugs into your Synscan EQ3 box. Mains adaptors (if you are using it near a source of mains) will often have the 2.1mm connector on their output lead which can plug directly into the Synscan EQ3 box. You need to confirm that the 2.1mm connector is wired with the centre pin as positive. Most of the mains adaptors are wired this way but you need to confirm it. Also beware of using mains equipment outdoors where it may get damp without using safety precautions.

A leisure battery as Peter mentions above, which is like a car battery but is happy being discharged to a lower voltage than a car battery would be fine though can be heavy. Some people use car jump start power packs available from Halfords and the like. A search through the forum will show the ones other users prefer.

It will be OK to use your car battery in the meantime but not as a long term solution as car batteries don't like delivering low currents for long periods. They are designed for delivering very high currents for a few seconds.

Alan

 

[tehmac]

I know a lot of people use one of these to power their scopes. Inexpensive and does the job. I use this to power my HEQ5 mount and SynScan handset http://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/garage-equipment/battery-chargers-jump-starters/phaze-4-in-1-jump-starter Just plug in your cigarette adapter end into this thing and you're off to the races. Just make sure you charge the thing every couple of months as stated in the instructions or it will lose its charge.

[Brosnan]

10 hours ago, symmetal said:

No, you aren't charging it when you plugged it into your car as there is no actual battery in the mount or control boxes. It has to be connected to an external 12V source all the time. Until you obtain another source of power you will have to plug it in to your car while you're using it. The other end of the cigarette lighter cable you have, has a 2.1mm DC connector which plugs into your Synscan EQ3 box. Mains adaptors (if you are using it near a source of mains) will often have the 2.1mm connector on their output lead which can plug directly into the Synscan EQ3 box. You need to confirm that the 2.1mm connector is wired with the centre pin as positive. Most of the mains adaptors are wired this way but you need to confirm it. Also beware of using mains equipment outdoors where it may get damp without using safety precautions.

A leisure battery as Peter mentions above, which is like a car battery but is happy being discharged to a lower voltage than a car battery would be fine though can be heavy. Some people use car jump start power packs available from Halfords and the like. A search through the forum will show the ones other users prefer.

It will be OK to use your car battery in the meantime but not as a long term solution as car batteries don't like delivering low currents for long periods. They are designed for delivering very high currents for a few seconds.

Alan

 

Thanks so much Alan for taking the time out to give such a detailed answer. Really appreciate it! 

I'd say the cheapest option for me (I'm a student haha) would be the mains adapter! 

I'll head into halfords tonight and take a look around.

Thanks again,

sadhbh 

[Brosnan]

15 minutes ago, tehmac said:

I know a lot of people use one of these to power their scopes. Inexpensive and does the job. I use this to power my HEQ5 mount and SynScan handset http://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/garage-equipment/battery-chargers-jump-starters/phaze-4-in-1-jump-starter Just plug in your cigarette adapter end into this thing and you're off to the races. Just make sure you charge the thing every couple of months as stated in the instructions or it will lose its charge.

Thanks! 

This looks to be a great option for me! Not too expensive either. 

Thanks a million! 

[Geoff Lister]

I use a 12V 2A plug-top supply for my Celestron and Skywatcher mounts, and have not had any problems. I did extend the output lead with about 150cm of heavy-duty, white, bell flex. This avoided any problems with the mount rotating through 360 degrees, and the white flex shows up better in the dark.

Some other sources.

I managed to salvage my supply from an office waste bin, (thrown out with a faulty/redundant desktop hub/switch box), but a quick trawl on UK eBay shows similar 12V, 2A, supplies, with UK or EU plugs, are available, from UK sources, for under £/€ 4.00 (even cheaper from China - but slower delivery).

Geoff

[symmetal]

Hi Brosnan,

If you want a mains powered solution this is the type of power supply you need

12V 5A mains PSU

In the description it states that it has a 2.1/5.5mm centre positive plug which is what you need. The 2.1mm refers to the diameter of the centre pin on the connector while the 5.5mm refers to the diameter of the outer 'barrel' part of the connector which plugs into your scope. You can buy similar power supplies with changeable connectors on the end to suit any type DC socket around but it's easy to get the polarity wrong or use a connector that will work but is the wrong size and will be unreliable. Having one with a fixed connector which you know is right is better. There are various current versions selectable on the Amazon page. The 3A version would be OK for you scope but it's always best to have extra power capability available rather than not enough and the cost difference is small.

You have to be careful using these at night not to get the power supply damp with dew etc. by not exposing it to the open air when dew is around. Keep it in a plastic box or something similar but don't just wrap it up as it can then overheat.

Alan

[Geoff Lister]

On ‎24‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 18:06, symmetal said:

You have to be careful using these at night not to get the power supply damp with dew etc. by not exposing it to the open air when dew is around. Keep it in a plastic box or something similar but don't just wrap it up as it can then overheat.

I use a mains extension lead with my plug-top supply, and use an old shoe-box to enclose the end of the extension lead and PSU. It also gives me enough space to hold my laptop's PSU, if I am using my modified webcam for a bit of AP. Dew and mains voltages are not good bedfellows.  Before opening the box, I always turn off the mains, at the plug end of the extension lead, in my garage.

Geoff