Correct Voltage Eq-6

[Gerry Casa Christiana]

Hello all

Bought myself a stabilised power pack. It has the option for 13.8v is that ok for a Eq6? Or do I need to run it at 12v which I can choose also. 

Thanks

Gerry

 

[teoria_del_big_bang]

As far as I am aware either should be okay. Should be okay on voltages between 11V and 16V

From the manual:-

Output Voltage: DC 11V (minimum) to DC 16V (maximum). Voltage not in this range might cause permanent damage to the motor controller or the hand controller.

Output Current: 4A for power supply with 11V output voltage, 2.5A for power supply with 16V output voltage.

Do not use an un-regulated AC-to-DC adapter. 

If the power voltage is too low, the motor controller will stop the motors automatically.

Steve

 

[Ouroboros]

I power my AZ-EQ6 with 13.8V from a power supply and it's fine. This seems to be a standard voltage provided by many power supplies and I know that many people use them to power mounts.

If you can choose 12V why not use it and see if the mount works OK?  I know that when I used a battery supply that the mount started playing up if the voltage fell too far below 12V.  

 

Maybe some more experienced members can explain why 13.8V is a standard voltage. Is there a historic reason? 

[m.tweedy]

NEq6 is best at 13.8V. Thats what my mains transformer is set to. Under 12.6v and it struggles and lights start flashing. losing tracking accuracy.  I do not know what the never AZ EQ6 requirement are.

[m.tweedy]

1 minute ago, Ouroboros said:

Maybe some more experienced members can explain why 13.8V is a standard voltage. Is there a historic reason? 

Maybe to compensate for power loss in the cable. 

[Ouroboros]

@Gerry Casa Christiana Might be worth checking your manual. My manual for the SW AZ-EQ6 says:

• Output Voltage: DC 11V (minimum) to DC 16V (maximum). Voltage not in this range might cause permanent damage to the motor controller or the hand controller.

• Output Current: 4A for power supply with 11V output voltage, 2.5A for power supply with 16V output voltage.

• Do not use an un-regulated AC-to-DC adapter. When choosing an AC adapter, it is recom- mended to use a switching power supply with 15V output voltage and at least 3A output current.

• If the power voltage is too low, the motor controller will stop the motors automatically. 

[Juicy6]

5 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

Maybe some more experienced members can explain why 13.8V is a standard voltage. Is there a historic reason? 

More of a chemical or electro-chemical reason. To charge a lead-acid battery, the alternator output must exceed a certain minimum voltage, which is 13.8 volts. But at this voltage full charge will take forever. For reasonable charging times a voltage of 14.2-14.7 volts must be applied to the battery. Higher voltages than that will only increase production of hydrogen gas and not shorten charging times significantly. So for electronics to work in a car, they must accept a voltage of 11 to 15 volts. Most electronics specs state this as something like 12 V +- 20 %. Lower voltage will need more amps...

Christer, Sweden

 

 

[Ouroboros]

13 minutes ago, m.tweedy said:

Maybe to compensate for power loss in the cable. 

I suppose it might help.  I've just googled and found mention that it is for historic reasons in the automotive industry concerning the battery charging voltage. 

[Ouroboros]

3 minutes ago, Juicy6 said:

More of a chemical or electro-chemical reason. To charge a lead-acid battery, the alternator output must exceed a certain minimum voltage, which is 13.8 volts. But at this voltage full charge will take forever. For reasonable charging times a voltage of 14.2-14.7 volts must be applied to the battery. Higher voltages than that will only increase production of hydrogen gas and not shorten charging times significantly. So for electronics to work in a car, they must accept a voltage of 11 to 15 volts. Most electronics specs state this as something like 12 V +- 20 %. Lower voltage will need more amps...

Christer, Sweden

Thanks. That sounds like a proper physics reason. Good. 

[Gerry Casa Christiana]

Thanks to everyone that's good to hear and now I know what I can do. 

Kind regards 

Gerry