replacing my powertank with a deep cycle battery

[Edward Dewolf]

Hi,

So I got a telescope and a mount and I have had a load of fun so far.

I finally replaced my Celestron 7Ah Powertank with a proper deep cycle battery 12V 72Ah

My question: is there anything i need to put in between the battery and the mount to protect it?  Like to protect it from too much Amps due to some shortcircuit?  What do you guyz do?

Thx

Edward

[IanL]

Depends on how you are connecting the mount to the battery. If you add a 12V cigarette lighter socket wired to the battery you will probably be OK. The cigarette plug that may have come with the mount should have a fuse inside to protect against a short. (To change the fuse you usually unscrew the silvery ring on the tip of the plug).

If you are running cables direct from the battery to the plug that goes in to the mount then I would add a fuse to the positive wire. You can get round fuse carriers and blade fuse carriers (that take standard car fuses) online.

Check the mount's rating (in amps) and use the same value for the fuse or the next value up if not available.

The thing to understand about batteries is that whilst the voltage is safe, they can supply a lot of amps, so if you get a short things can melt or even catch fire.

[lux eterna]

Having learned the hard way, I would say the most important thing is to make sure the power connections are mechanically solid and secure. The motors in a mount are very inductive, and if the power is improperly broken or connected (as in a poor connection), high voltages are generated and the mount electronics are easily damaged. I consider cigarette plugs unsafe. And also the 12V connector in my HEQ5 Pro, so I modified it to a better standard : https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/277896-another-heq5-power-connector-modification/

Ragnar

[Carbon Brush]

Hi Edward. Sound advice from the above on fusing and connectors.

You must ensure there is a fuse quite soon after the battery terminal. A short circuit in unfused wiring is a fire risk. Look at a car to get the idea.

HTH David.