Advice on power banks

[johnst]

Hi All,

Had a bit of a disaster last night when imaging Orion Nebulae with my Canon camera, Star Adventurer and a dew heater on the lens. Was using an Anker power bank that suited my set up from Amazon last October and have used it half a dozen times but it was flat! I went back into my observatory (yes I was set up away from the observatory!) and checked it out and it was not able to charge, so I used a spare charger just to power the Star Adventurer. I am in the process of returning the Anker to Amazon and am looking out for a suitable power bank that has at least 2 usb's, any advice is welcome, the freezing conditions didn't help my frustrations!!!!

[cjdawson]

I attempted something similar to what you described and found that the 20K power bank didn't last nearly as long as I thought it would.   The cold drains the batteries fast.  I thought about insulating the power bank, and using one power bank for the mount and another for the heater, but then I got to thinking about it and realised that it was always going to be a problem.   I also found that a dew heater that runs on 5V pulls huge amounts of power, and again will drain a battery fast.

My solution was to forget the idea of running using 5v power banks that are not meant for the abuse that we give them and instead I purchased a 24Ah Tracer LiFePo4 power pack.   Sure it was not cheap, but it's powerful like a lead acid, survives the abuse of running on a cold night and provides enough juice to be able to run my mount, ASIAir, cameras (imaging and guide) for a whole night.   Charging it up next day with relative ease. with 1400 cycles, I'm sure that the battery will die from old age before the charge capacity becomes an issue.

[johnst]

Thanks for that, not sure though as it only has 1 usb fitting on it - or is there a way round it? Don't really want to go much above £100 either if I can help it! I did wonder about the Skywatcher Power Tank though, Any thoughts? 

[cjdawson]

I use the 12v output to a cigar socket that comes with the Tracer battery.

From there, I run power to Lynx Astro 4 channel dew controller, and 2 dew heaters (one for the guide scope and one for the main scope)

The lynx astro output has 2*2.1mm 12v outputs.  One I use for my ASIAir, the other is good for my EAF (in the post) and I have a splitter, so that I can run my ASI1600MM pro as well.

If I upgrade to the AsiAir Pro, I can do away with the splitter.

That's my setup.

 

An alternative if you only USB Sockets is to get USB charger for a car, I've got one in my car that has 4 USB sockets, so that should do what you want.

 

[Chefgage]

I have gone the route of having s separate battery for each device. I use a Celestron power tank that has 5v usb and 12v for the asiair and star adventurer. I then use two 26000mah Anker power banks to run my two dew heaters. I then have another battery bank that has a dedicated output to a dummy battery for for canon DSLR.

[Alien 13]

I use power banks to power my EQ3-2, dew heaters plus other DSLR gadgets and like Chefgage use seperate supplies.

I would advise you get one of these to check actual power consumption for each unit.

Alan

[johnst]

Thanks for the replies. I noticed that Bresser do a portable power bank with 3 usb's on as well as several other connections and leads plus a red light on for night vision, the only obstacle is the price at £145 at Telescopoe House but I suppose if it solves my issues then I'll have to go with it!! Any thoughts anyone?

[Coriorda]

I recently purchased a Beaudens power bank it’s LiFePo4 technology, which I don’t think the bresser is, so can handle numerous cycles and the cold. Mine has been a dream so for, well constructed and with nice leather handle for portability. Has the usb you are looking for and dual 12v outputs, a little over the your target budget but well worth consideration.  
 

https://www.onbuy.com/gb/beaudens-240wh-portable-solar-power-generator-and-energy-storage~c3342~p30180577/?exta=gshp&stat=eyJpcCI6IjE0OS45OSIsImRwIjowLCJsaWQiOiI0MTM2MzE2NCIsInMiOiIxMCIsInQiOjE2MTEzOTQzODcsImJtYyI6IjEuMCJ9&lid=41363164&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3aOIhrnn7gIVs4FQBh0t1wBREAYYASABEgKXTPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Edited February 13, 2021 by Coriorda

[johnst]

Well, I'm getting some useful advice here but I'm not sure about a couple of things - the Tracer power pack appears to be a battery with no usb's on it or am I looking at the wrong thing.

I'm also looking at the Beaudens  portable power bank but that has just one usb - not sure what the other 2 outlets are and other connections, otherwise I like the look of it, like I say I don't mind going over budget if it deals with my Star Adventurer and a couple of dew heaters, can I fit a Lynx Astro 4 channel dew controller to it. 

Thanks all for helping out 🙂

John 

 

 

[AlexK]

The single keyword you should look for when purchasing for you conditions (in fact for most any typical field conditions) is the LiFePo4. The rest is up to you and you will find hundreds of options. Good or bad reviews in the replies here wouldn't be very helpful, as it's always a gambling, because China is sitting tight on the power banks horse lately. Which means the quality control is the thing of the past, brand name or not, unless you are willing to pay quadruple the standard price of $1 for 1Watt/hour (well, at least that what was always a rule of thumb just before the recent prices hike). Otherwise, just stick with Amazon, or any other reputable merchant offering instant free returns and an instant extended warranty (a must with battery products).

And good advice from Alan (Alien 13) - get the USB charging tester. They have a nice logger and some even BT/WiFi connection to your smartphone. So you can monitor the drain and peak consumption required (perhaps you have fried your old PB internals due to the unexpected overcurrent which the controller failed to prevent due to the cold). Then just seek for the required watt*hours number + some extra slack.

Edited February 14, 2021 by AlexK

[Clarkey]

FWIW I have largely built my own kit. It's simple, cheaper and can be custom made. For the battery I have a small power pack for mount only use and a large 100 amp hour leisure battery for the full kit. This will run everything - heaters, mount, usb hub and laptop for a weekend. If it is really cold I use one of the outputs for a small reptile heat mat which stops the battery dying due to the cold.

For the 'on scope' power I have made my own power 'boxes' from junction boxes which have 12v plugs, usb power points and PWM's for the standard dew heaters.

With a powered usb hub it means I only have two leads from the scope, one for power and one for data. If I am at home I can just plug it into the 12v mains supply.

[johnst]

I've today purchased a Lynx Astro dew heater and a 2 port Mini Dew Controller from FLO and it doesn't require usb but rather a cigarette lighter fitting which I am pleased with so I think I'll be going for the Beaudens that Coriorda has mentioned but the only place to get it is Onbuy.com! Don't know why that is!

John 

 

 

[AlexK]

That's because you are not following my advice
Beaudens is just a "fake" brand name of China electronics' reseller. They are re-branding China stuff to build some public trust locally. I bet you will find the exact same formfactor, specs and even the faceplate on Amazon under some "Ugebogat" "brand" name.

"Swarey", actually. Just found it: https://www.amazon.com/Portable-75000mAh-Phosphate-Generator-Emergency/dp/B08FD4R8ZM/

Again. Don't do that. Use the keyword and research what thousands of users are buying on Amazon today and not complaining too much about (if they are - see what was that). As these "brands" often vanish after their complaints metter drops below 3 and starting a new "brandname" with the same faulty junk listed.

Edited February 17, 2021 by AlexK

[Coriorda]

Hi AlexK, your advice is exactly what I took. I sought out LiFePO4 technology and purchased through a reputable merchant with good returns policy - Amazon. 
This took me to the Beaudens model, which “fake” brand or not has performed perfectly so far, and I am more than pleased with it. Looking today the 240WH model is still listed on Amazon. 

Cheers

 

[Skinnypuppy71]

I'm looking at the Beaudens power tank myself...it's listed on Amazon UK @ £169 atm and I have a £40 off voucher..it's looking like a good bargain to me, considering celestron are looking for £250 for there liFePO4 power tank.

[AlexK]

9 hours ago, Coriorda said:

Hi AlexK, your advice is exactly what I took. I sought out LiFePO4 technology and purchased through a reputable merchant with good returns policy - Amazon. 
This took me to the Beaudens model, which “fake” brand or not has performed perfectly so far, and I am more than pleased with it. Looking today the 240WH model is still listed on Amazon. 

You were smart indeed! And fake "brands" are indeed not bad at all in many departments. But you've missed my point in the reply to John, that this research must be current. You haven't stated how long ago you have purchased yours and also confused stuff quite a bit for him providing the link to the obscure merchant's website (which is often vanishing overnight) instead of the trusted Amazon product page with all the real reviews and warranties. I do believe to your praising micro-review. However I personally had 3 powerbanks over the years which were working like a charm for months but then developing a hidden defect well after the Amazon return window (in 2 cases it was a faulty cell in the pack, in one the faulty charging controller which I have fixed later). Thus, you want at least 50 people confirming it's good (which is pointing at the fact they are using it for a while) and no discrete complaints on failures pointing at bad quality control. If there is a comparable product with more reviews that's usually even better.

Edited February 17, 2021 by AlexK

[Coriorda]

5 minutes ago, AlexK said:

You were smart indeed! And fake "brands" are indeed not bad at all in many departments. But you've missed my point in the reply to John, that this research must be current. You haven't stated how long ago you have purchased yours and also confused stuff quite a bit for him providing the link to the obscure merchant's website (which is often vanishing overnight) instead of the trusted Amazon product page with all the real reviews and warranties. I do believe to your praising micro-review. However I personally had 3 powerbanks over the years which were working like a charm for months but then developing a hidden defect well after the Amazon return window (in 2 cases it was a faulty cell in the pack, in one the faulty charging controller which I have fixed later). Thus, you want at least 50 people confirming it's good (which is pointing at the fact they are using it for a while) and no discrete complaints on failures pointing at bad quality control. If there is a comparable product with more reviews that's usually even better.

Hi, I purchased mine about 6 weeks ago, but you are quite right to point out that gremlins may yet appear - time will tell on the one and my fingers are crossed. I take you point about the obscure seller in my link, I would never purchase from them myself , having never heard of them, was just trying to provide an example of what I was talking about in the link,- That's a lesson learned for the future  for me I think.  Cheers

[johnst]

Hi all, and thanks for the info so far...

Have checked out Amazon AND - they have the Beaudens Power Pack but there are two available, the 'standard' one at £169.99 and now there is a 2021 NEW GENERATION at £199.99 - £30 more, which does 3500 cycles compared to 2000 cycles and 200W compared to 150W. Now, I am not an electrician, although I do try to take things on board, but can anyone explain or justify the £30 difference between the two, again, any help will be most welcome.

John

[Coriorda]

17 hours ago, johnst said:

Hi all, and thanks for the info so far...

Have checked out Amazon AND - they have the Beaudens Power Pack but there are two available, the 'standard' one at £169.99 and now there is a 2021 NEW GENERATION at £199.99 - £30 more, which does 3500 cycles compared to 2000 cycles and 200W compared to 150W. Now, I am not an electrician, although I do try to take things on board, but can anyone explain or justify the £30 difference between the two, again, any help will be most welcome.

John

Hi John, Both models are 240Wh (Watt hours), the expensive one just seems to have a higher peak output, which I doubt you will need for Astrowork.  Watts hours by themselves are irrelevant without knowing the voltage supplied. Lets say this is 12v DC  as per the outputs on the power bank required to power the mount. So this gives 240Wh/12v   = 20Amp hours .  So if your rig drew 2amps, you would get 10hrs usage.  (2amps x 10 hours = 20amp hours) All theoretical of course and cold weather and other factors inevitably mean you will get less, but that's the theory. Hope that helps.  

[StevieDvd]

3 minutes ago, Coriorda said:

Hi John, Both models are 240Wh (Watt hours), the expensive one just seems to have a higher peak output, which I doubt you will need for Astrowork.  Watts hours by themselves are irrelevant without knowing the voltage supplied. Lets say this is 12v DC  as per the outputs on the power bank required to power the mount. So this gives 240Wh/12v   = 20Amp hours .  So if your rig drew 2amps, you would get 10hrs usage.  (2amps x 10 hours = 20amp hours) All theoretical of course and cold weather and other factors inevitably mean you will get less, but that's the theory. Hope that helps.  

On my Amazon they are coming up as £129.99 (there is a £40 off voucher) and £179.99 (£20 off voucher) for the newer model.

I have the new model (I got £30 off when I bought it) and as far as I can see they are both the same apart from the handles.  All the data on the rear panel including model numbers appear to be the same. Not sure if there are internal changes to justify the price, but I prefer the new handle.

Not used outside yet but have it as a convenient indoor portable supply station and it exudes quality.

[Skinnypuppy71]

I ordered the cheaper model yesterday with the £40 off voucher....won't be with me until 1st of March though.

[johnst]

Hi all,

I've gone for the 2021 model made by Swarey, had £20 discount applied and also a £10 gift voucher so not bad, looking for a mobile power source for in the garden as well, will get it next Friday. Did some shots of M42 last night but battery drained on my Canon 700d so may be looking at a dummy battery now!!!!

Cheers,

John 

[Stu Wilson]

I got the big celestron/skywatcher a year ago and same issues.

All plugged in working great... Happy nights and then...... I'd barely got further than pa and 1st plate solve and bump...... that bass guitar note.... everything quit and it was flat as a steam rolled piece of tarmac.

It's useless. If I ever manage to go to a dark sky party etc I'll just rig up to my campers leisure battery.

This power tank is now used to listen to the radio when I'm in garage and that's about it 😞

it even shows needs charged light there.

[powerlord]

I just built my own.

I had a few old 6000ah 6s lipos lying around. I rigged them up in parallel in a tupperware box. giving me about 300Wh.

I then used 2 LM2596 modules - one set to 12v for my az gti, one set to 8.2v for my 2 cameras.

I also bought a 24v truck dual usb (2.4a each) plug.

i fitted that all onto the tupperware box with an on/off switch. Basically means I can power my mount(s)*, canon 1200d, sony rx10, dew heater and have a usb spare.

*can easily add another LM2596 for 6v output once i get my EQmount up and running.

I realise not everyone has big lipos hanging around, but buying them will still work out cheaper. But the main thing is get to customise it they way you want it.

Really only a suggestion for those already working with lipos though as it needs charging/balancing with specialist lipo charger, etc - but since I've already got that its cost me about 6 quid to make a one stop astro power pack.

[powerlord]

Pics for those who want to dance with death....