URGENT: ZWO cameras power adapter alternatives?

[oymd]

Good evening everyone...

Was setup tonight for a monster session of imaging....my second night ever ....and wouldn't you know it...the cigarette plug adapter was dead when I plugged it in, and the little red light on it would not come on (the cigarette plug has a small red light on it, possibly fused)....so NO COOLING on my 294MC Pro

Now we have a few days ahead of clear skies, and I want to use a generic adapter urgently, as the ZWO adapter I ordered tonight will take a few days to come in.

Has anyone used a 12V adapter I can buy off amazon that can arrive in 24 hours, or used a general purpose 12V adapter on their ZWO?

I have a few lying around the house, one for my Nexstar 8SE, which I believe ia 12V 2amps, also I have a WAHL beard trimmer with the exact same plug, also 12v?

I wouldn't dare plug any in, unless someone can confirm it would be OK, and they tried it? Would not want to fry the PCB on the camera!!??

Is the ZWO charger also a 12V 2 amp?

Many thanks

Edited March 24, 2020 by oymd

[oymd]

Just checked ZWO website

The ZWO charger is 12V 5amp

The camera specs is 12V 3amp

Would this work: THis is the one I bought for the Nexstar 8SE, but it says 12V 1amp? Surely a charger that powers a Nesxstar 8SE can poer the camera? It scant be just 1 amp?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B071WB3754/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Forunke]

Don't go for less than the gear says it needs, it should theoretically work but only at 1/3 of it's power. You can safely use more Amps.

Voltage is supplied, Amps are drawn... Think about it this way: The wall plug has a set Voltage but you can use a phone charger drawing 500mA without frying it or a heater drawing multiple Amps.

I use a 12V 5A Power supply on the passthrough of my CEM60 to both feed the 294MC and my focuser.

And the mount dosen't really need that much power. It's just 2 motors at a really high gear reduction which gives them the power they need.

[oymd]

14 minutes ago, Forunke said:

Don't go for less than the gear says it needs, it should theoretically work but only at 1/3 of it's power. You can safely use more Amps.

Voltage is supplied, Amps are drawn... Think about it this way: The wall plug has a set Voltage but you can use a phone charger drawing 500mA without frying it or a heater drawing multiple Amps.

I use a 12V 5A Power supply on the passthrough of my CEM60 to both feed the 294MC and my focuser.

And the mount dosen't really need that much power. It's just 2 motors at a really high gear reduction which gives them the power they need.

thanks for that

any amazon suggestions? or should i just use ant laying around the house safely?

[Forunke]

1 minute ago, oymd said:

thanks for that

any amazon suggestions? or should i just use ant laying around the house safely?

Basically anything that says 12V and 3A+ output should work just fine. You could check a few hardware stores if Amazon won't be fast enough.

But be sure to check the polarity of the plug!

The ZWO needs positive on the inside, negative on the outside as indicated below the power plug.

There are power supplies that allow you to switch the plug.

[oymd]

12 hours ago, Forunke said:

Basically anything that says 12V and 3A+ output should work just fine. You could check a few hardware stores if Amazon won't be fast enough.

But be sure to check the polarity of the plug!

The ZWO needs positive on the inside, negative on the outside as indicated below the power plug.

There are power supplies that allow you to switch the plug.

It turns out my cigarette plug has a FUSE in it.

I just opened it, and the fuse inside says 2AMPS?

Should I just by a fuse and replace it first?

Should I buy a 5AMP fuse safer?

Like this:

 

[Forunke]

I imagine you're using something like this? Wall plug to cigarette lighter plug? Or do you use one of those power packs?

I wouldn't go to high with the amps on the fuse, the cables might not be suitable for to much amps.

Those fuses are usually sold at gas stations or hardware stores (at least here in germany) maybe try that and buy a few 2 amps and 3 amps, to have a spare one until the proper power supply arrives.

 

[oymd]

4 hours ago, Forunke said:

I imagine you're using something like this? Wall plug to cigarette lighter plug? Or do you use one of those power packs?

I wouldn't go to high with the amps on the fuse, the cables might not be suitable for to much amps.

Those fuses are usually sold at gas stations or hardware stores (at least here in germany) maybe try that and buy a few 2 amps and 3 amps, to have a spare one until the proper power supply arrives.

 

The one I am using is very similar to the one on Amazon. It has a cigarette plug on one end and the a pin thingy in the other: 5.5mm diameter and 2.1mm hole. I unscrewed the cigarette end and found a GLASS 2A Fuse in it. 

[wimvb]

20 hours ago, oymd said:

Was setup tonight for a monster session of imaging....my second night ever ....and wouldn't you know it...the cigarette plug adapter was dead when I plugged it in, and the little red light on it would not come on (the cigarette plug has a small red light on it, possibly fused)....so NO COOLING on my 294MC Pro

Some of these adapters have an internal fuse. Have you checked that?

[wimvb]

7 hours ago, oymd said:

turns out my cigarette plug has a FUSE in it.

I just opened it, and the fuse inside says 2AMPS?

Should I just by a fuse and replace it first?

Should I buy a 5AMP fuse safer?

Ok, you've seen it. Replace it with a 5 A fast version. The 2 A is probably blown.

[oymd]

45 minutes ago, wimvb said:

Ok, you've seen it. Replace it with a 5 A fast version. The 2 A is probably blown.

I have ordered this from Amazon today, arriving tomorrow:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077Q7KKL5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I was planning to put in a 3 A one. DO you think going up to a 5 A would be safe?

Many thanks

[wimvb]

I think that a fast acting 5 A fuse is better. On the camera it says that it needs up to 3A. The fuse is there to protect against power surges and obvious malfunctions, but the camera can handle currents slightly above 3A with no problem. Under normal operation, with the cooler running at full power and usb devices connected, the camera may very well draw more than 3A occasionaly. A 3A fuse will very likely blow before there is any real danger for damage. I would use a 5A fuse.

[gorann]

If you have a car battery you can allways hook it up to that until something more practical arrives. Just check that you get the polarity right. ZWO recommends a devise that can deliver 5 A since the camera may draw more than 3 A. A 2 A fuse will brun up very soon, as yours did. You can burn the camera with too high voltage but you cannot burn the camera with amperes - it will draw the amperes it needs.

PS. I would stay out of cheap chargers ment for things like razors since they may deliver a rather dirty (i.e. fluctuating) voltage that is not good for electronics.

Edited March 25, 2020 by gorann