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Bought the wrong item?

emadmoussa

By emadmoussa
in The Astro Lounge

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emadmoussa

emadmoussa

Posted
Posted

I spoke with the seller and they said: "yeah, you take it  outside and plug the telescope, and it should last for a few hours." I thought that was a rechargeable power pack, but it obviously isn't. I honestly don't see what else I can do with it? Well...DUH!! 20181212_135112.thumb.jpg.755f6d374793db3d68e552580a05cd70.jpg

 

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vlaiv

vlaiv

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It's just regulated 12V power supply / transformer. You plug it into mains and it provides you with up to 8 amps of 12V power (it says 6-8A on front, so probably 6A sustained, and 8A in bursts).

Any appliance that needs 12V and draws less than 6A can be powered with it as long as you have the means to connect it to mains (long extension cable).

I'm planning of building one myself and will go for total of 8.5A, but will probably accommodate for 5x 12V output, four of them being limited to 2A (mount, camera with active cooling, motor focuser, USB3.0 powered hub) and one low power output - for flat panel (LEDs so it really will not consume much amperage).

Currently I provide power with mains extension with 4 sockets and bunch of 2A transformers for each device. Too many transformers and cables, hope to replace all with one box.

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steppenwolf

steppenwolf

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18 minutes ago, emadmoussa said:

I honestly don't see what else I can do with it?

This is simply a standard 13.8v bench supply originally destined for use by the CB and Amateur Radio fraternity. I use a similar Power Supply Unit (PSU) to power all the '12v' items in my observatory. The discrepancy in the voltage (12v versus 13.8v) is because much of the original radio equipment that this was designed for was used 'mobile' in a vehicle and the norminal voltage supplied by a vehicle alternator is 13.8v

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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9 minutes ago, steppenwolf said:

This is simply a standard 13.8v bench supply originally destined for use by the CB and Amateur Radio fraternity. I use a similar Power Supply Unit (PSU) to power all the '12v' items in my observatory. The discrepancy in the voltage (12v versus 13.8v) is because much of the original radio equipment that this was designed for was used 'mobile' in a vehicle and the norminal voltage supplied by a vehicle alternator is 13.8v

...and many astro items which claim to be 12V work better on a little more, I think?

Olly

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Paul M

Paul M

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As already stated, 13.8 is the nominal output voltage of car alternators. It needs more than 12v to charge a 12v battery to drive a charging current.

It follows then, I think, that any item designed for or intended for mobile/ in-vehicle use or charging will be optimised for 13.8 v input.

The OP's item looks like a nice unit, complete with cigarette lighter style connection. Very useful. 

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steppenwolf

steppenwolf

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1 hour ago, steppenwolf said:

The discrepancy in the voltage (12v versus 13.8v) is because much of the original radio equipment that this was designed for was used 'mobile' in a vehicle and the norminal voltage supplied by a vehicle alternator is 13.8v

Is there such a word as 'norminal' ? :blush:

1 hour ago, ollypenrice said:

...and many astro items which claim to be 12V work better on a little more, I think?

Yes, you are absolutely right, Olly and low voltage is a common theme in mount failures.

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Gina

Gina

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That looks a good quality power supply and linear so no RFI.  Very suitable for powering astro equipment provided you don't want more than 6A.  With FLO recommending it you have no worries.

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LightBucket

LightBucket

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4 hours ago, emadmoussa said:

I spoke with the seller and they said: "yeah, you take it  outside and plug the telescope, and it should last for a few hours." I thought that was a rechargeable power pack, but it obviously isn't. I honestly don't see what else I can do with it? Well...DUH!! 20181212_135112.thumb.jpg.755f6d374793db3d68e552580a05cd70.jpg

 

Really....!!

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vlaiv

vlaiv

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5 minutes ago, emadmoussa said:

Well, most ridiculous thing in a while. They said it was chargeable, and I simply took their word for it. They're online, how can they possibly be wrong?! ;) 

They were not wrong however. They did charge you for it, so it's definitively chargeable item :D

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emadmoussa

emadmoussa

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3 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

They were not wrong however. They did charge you for it, so it's definitively chargeable item :D

I'm guessing they didn't understand my question, to begin with. It came from China (based on the shipping label).  REchargeable ..:D

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Stub Mandrel

Stub Mandrel

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I've made one around a nominal 12V 150W SMPSU unit that cost about £14.

I set it to 14V with two outputs, one via a temperature controller, to run things like my DSLR cooler or dewstraps.

It then has four outputs regulated to 12V and two USB sockets giving 5V. The12V happily ruins the HEQ5.

 

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oobydooby

oobydooby

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Just bear in mind the warning as displayed at FLO Note this power supply is designed for use in dry well ventilated areas.  

If you're using it at night outside I think you might need a damp proof box well ventilated and with possibly a cooling fan to prevent overheating as you don't want it to burn out while imaging or guiding etc.  I used a metal flight case and drilled a hole in the side and attached a computer cooling fan.  That seemed to work for a nights powering my alt az/eq 5 mount.

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