Power for HEQ5 Pro

[AndyM]

Last night I had loads of trouble with the GOTO on my HEQ5 Pro, it seemed to have lost its bearings for every object!

I've traced the problem to my cheapo Argos power tank - it just won't hold charge anymore.

So the question is what do I replace it with that is a) reliable and won't break the bank?

Andy.

[Reggie]

It might be worth opening the unit up if its not holding a charge, you may find that its a standard size battery, a 7ah or 17ah battery which you might be able to source a replacement for from ebay or a local supplier. I bought my 'spare' 7ah battery from a local supplier for £10.40, look for electrical wholesalers near you, they are sold as alarm batteries, although you will need a charger of some sort.

[glennbech]

Have a look at my thread here;http://stargazerslounge.com/index.php/topic,32818.0.html

I bought an "All purpose" Power suply (13.5V / 5amp). I've done some soldering and splicing myself as you can see. I recently purchased a new wire and are about to re-do the whole thing. Cost me about £40-50

[Greg]

If you running you kit from home then a Maplins 240v-12v converter would be the best..

Or if observing in a remote location.

Go to you local battery centre or Halfords and buy a 60ah diesel car battery...About £40...

If you really want to push the boat out then get a 110ah leisure battery..Just remember to buy a beefy charger.

TBH..I have 3 power tanks in my garage all 17ah...I can drain all three on a very cold night..So I tend to use them in an emergency, like starting my motorbikes

You can work out how much power you would need..

Your HEQ5 Pro would pull for argument sake pulls 6 amps, so your 17ah battery would be exhausted in about 2 1/2 hours (Realisticly as soon as that battery drops below 10v the light on the mount will flash and weird things will start to happen!)

For general use a 60ah battery with the same usage would give you 10 hours of use, fairly portable and a reasonable size to pack in the car. It won't have a flashing set of lights, big torch or compressor on it mind.

So a 110ah would power you mount for 20 hours give or take and cost about £100 (But will last for years.)

Adding dew strips and a laptop will reduce this time..My lap top pulls 5 amps and a dew strip about 3amps..

So over an hour my current draw would be about 14-15 amps per hour...So I allow 3-4 hours on the 60ah battery and about 6-7 hours on the 110ah battery.

Just remember to keep them fully charged up as soon as you've finished observing as they take the same time to recharge as discharge! And these lead/acid batteries don't like being discharged.

Remember most of these power tanks are designed to give a large boost of power for a very short length of time (ie. Bump starting a car) That's why the battery is so small and will dischrge quickly.

A car battery (Preferably diesel) Is designed to give a massive initial boost (Start the car) hence the high ampage. Then be constantly recharged.

A 110ah leisure battery is designed to provide a constant ammount of power over a long period. Hence the high ampage and size, normaly twice the size of car battery, but will provide oodles of power.

If your in a remote location you could always use the car battery through a cigarette lighter adapter for you mount and a 60ah battery for odds and sods! Just remember to start and run the car for a bit every hour to recharge the car battery.

I've waffled a bit..

[MikeP]

I've waffled a bit

If you have, it is very helpful waffle.

Mike

[Greg]

Thanks Mike...

It may be worth you going down to your local ambulance station..

I know for a fact that they run two heavy duty batteries in those ambulances and change them on a regular basis (Used to be every 6 months) Even though they are good for two years of discharge/charge cycles, they still have to replace them just in case..

May be worth popping in there and asking them for a couple if they are available??

I'll ask my wife to ask the ambulance crews if they are still available.

[MikeP]

I used to have a season ticket for the local A&E when I was doing more DIY, so it will be a walk down memory lane.

Thanks for the tip.

Mike

[AndyM]

Thanks for the replies.

Greg, thanks for your "waffle", its really helpful.

As I work on a farm it gave me an idea - we have several old tractor batteries lying around so I've liberated one, put it on charge and will try it out later. It should be powerful enough - 165ah - mind you it weighs about 25kg so may have to build a little trolley to save my back.

(afterthought: the prospect of lugging all this weight about each night makes an obsy very tempting.)

Andy.

[Greg]

165ah - mind you it weighs about 25kg

If you can get enough initial ampage into it on primary charge you may onto a winner...165ah battery :shock:

Oodles and oodles of power :mrgreen: