celestron nexstar 6se power supply - ac dc adapter

[milkeway]

Hey  friends,

I just bought a celestron 6 se and heard that their performance when powered with 8 AA batteries is quite poor. Since I will mostly be using the scope in my backyard, I do not need a portable power supply. I am planning to buy a dc adapter from mains, but I am not sure what to buy. Would you recommend something like this?  https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B071WB3754/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A850CZQOZ8GYC&psc=1

what is the optimal current draw for the operation of these scopes?

Cheers

[Demonperformer]

That should do the job nicely.

Be aware that there is a well-known issue with the connector on these scopes - they can be a bit loose and wobble when you slew, resulting in power cutting off. You may need to "open" the connectors in the socket on the scope. If attacking your new scope with a screwdriver is not your idea of fun, an alternative (which is the one I used) is to secure the power cable to the mount (I used electricians tape) so that there is no movement in the cable at the plug when the scope moves.

[The Admiral]

Welcome to the forum. I use this

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/power-accessories/baader-outdoor-telescope-power-supply-128v-15a.html

Works fine.

Ian

[Cosmic Geoff]

It doesn't particularly matter which mains-DC power adapter you use, so long as it is regulated, can deliver up to 2 amps or so, delivers the power with the right polarity and via the right 5.5/2.1 mm plug. (The manual for my C8 says it needs 750ma.) If you scan the forum, you will see that members have used 57 different varieties of battery or power pack to power their GoTos.

Note that you may need extra power if you add dew heaters and suchlike.

5 hours ago, Demonperformer said:

Be aware that there is a well-known issue with the connector on these scopes - they can be a bit loose and wobble when you slew, resulting in power cutting off. You may need to "open" the connectors in the socket on the scope. If attacking your new scope with a screwdriver is not your idea of fun, an alternative (which is the one I used) is to secure the power cable to the mount (I used electricians tape) so that there is no movement in the cable at the plug when the scope moves.

That's entirely true.  I had to ease open the centre prong on mine with  craft knife, and I use a stick-on aluminium tie to restrain the cable.  One would think that the aluminium prongs would fatigue and fracture from the repeated opening and closing around the cable but it's still good after nearly two years!  I use another stick-on tie as a hook to park the handset in a more convenient position while observing.

[Geoff Lister]

I use a short section of A4 spine binder strip glued to each of my mounts. It holds the cable very well.

My various power supplies

Most of the time, I tend to use the plug-top supply, at the end of a mains extension lead, with the socket and supply in an old shoe box to keep off dew.

I also did some current measurements for my various mounts

Geoff

[LukeSkywatcher]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the Sé range come with an AC mains plug?. You are right not to use AA batteries as they don't last long. 

[Geoff Lister]

1 hour ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the Sé range come with an AC mains plug?.

The 6SE manual indicates that even the batteries are not supplied, and everything else is "optional".

[LukeSkywatcher]

Just now, Geoff Lister said:

The 6SE manual indicates that even the batteries are not supplied, and everything else is "optional".

Batteries are not supplied, but a mains plug should be. Pretty sure I got one with my 8SE.

[The Admiral]

49 minutes ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

. Pretty sure I got one with my 8SE.

Pretty sure I didn't . In fact, the current offerings from FLO don't include either batteries or mains power supply.

Ian

Edited December 9, 2018 by The Admiral

[Demonperformer]

Neither of me SE purchases came with any sort of power supply.

[milkeway]

13 hours ago, The Admiral said:

Welcome to the forum. I use this

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/power-accessories/baader-outdoor-telescope-power-supply-128v-15a.html

Works fine.

Ian

Thanks for the advice. Is 1.5 amps enough for the motor at max speed? 

 

[milkeway]

10 hours ago, Geoff Lister said:

I use a short section of A4 spine binder strip glued to each of my mounts. It holds the cable very well.

My various power supplies

Most of the time, I tend to use the plug-top supply, at the end of a mains extension lead, with the socket and supply in an old shoe box to keep off dew.

I also did some current measurements for my various mounts



Geoff

Thanks for the suggestions. I will be implementing some of those.

[milkeway]

Do I have to spend a lot of money on a specialist outdoor 12 dc supply?  Or just putting the tpower ac dc adapter that I originally quoted in a shoe box will do the job? 

 

[Demonperformer]

I just plug my power leads into a long extension lead with no shoe box. I do have an old plastic sweets tin (the sort that are prevalent at this time of year) which I place the end of the extension on to keep it off the grass when it dews up so a shoe box would probably be adequate. The whole lot even survived Friday evening's downpour without frying all the house electrics.

I have never had any problems with running the system like this, but your gear must be in good condition (no cracked plugs!) and be aware of how dangerous mains power can be. If conditions turn dodgy, your first port of call should always be the plug inside the house, to disconnect the power before unplugging anything outside.

[Cosmic Geoff]

In answer to your questions, my manual quotes 750ma for what is actually the same mount as used on the C6.  So  1.5 amp ought to be enough. However it does no harm to over-specify a bit so you can use the same PSU on any GoTo you acquire.

Some people may try to persuade you that you need a special outdoors supply that will work in low temperatures.  A good quality supply ought in theory to have a spec that includes the temperature range.  The limiting factor is the electrolytic capacitors which have a limited working temperature range and lose capacity at low temperatures.  However I looked up some capacitor specs and it looked as though the observer would freeze up before the PSU did.  So don't worry about this if you live in a temperate climate like the UK. Also bear in mind that electronic devices are self-heating to some extent.

As others have said, 240v is lethal so don't allow the outside equipment to get wet and then touch it.

AFAIK Celestron and Skywatcher never supply a mains PSU with their outfits.  Celestron may supply a car connector lead. 

[LukeSkywatcher]

My mistake. It was my Celestron power tank that came with mains. 

[Al G Rhythm]

My 6SE power supply plug into the mount was loose and power kept cutting out when slewing. Solved it by placing about 2 inches of heavy duty  Velcro on the top of the mount and securing the cable with the top strip of Velcro. Simple enough but stopped plug from moving. Hope this is helpful. 

Edited January 2, 2021 by Al G Rhythm