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Lynx Astro 12v DC power supply - short cable solution?


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Hi all,

I have had a Lynx Astro 12v DC power supply for some time now - this to power my HEQ5 mount.  However it has been bugging me how short the cable is (the DC jack end of the cable, e.g. the brick to the mount).  This leaves me with having to secure the brick onto the mount each time I set-up. as opposed to having it out of the way.

I wanted to know if anyone could recommend an extension cable to avoid the above scenario?  I assume I need a 2.1/5.5 male to female jack but wanted to get a good one :) (a lot of reviews I have read do not fill me with confidence).  Link to the power supply below:

Lynx Astro 12v DC 5A Low Noise Power Supply | First Light Optics

Thanks in advance,

Jonny  

Edited by Jonny_H
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  • Jonny_H changed the title to Lynx Astro 12v DC power supply - short cable solution?

Hi,

I have a similar cable to use with my HEQ5 which is also too short. I don't have the answer to your questions I'm afraid (seems like Billy has generously sorted you out anyway), but does anyone know if the baader extension cable FLO stock would do the trick?

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/power-accessories/baader-2m-extension-cable-for-12v-cable-with-baader-outdoor-telescope-power-supply.html 

 

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3 hours ago, Daf1983 said:

Hi,

I have a similar cable to use with my HEQ5 which is also too short. I don't have the answer to your questions I'm afraid (seems like Billy has generously sorted you out anyway), but does anyone know if the baader extension cable FLO stock would do the trick?

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/power-accessories/baader-2m-extension-cable-for-12v-cable-with-baader-outdoor-telescope-power-supply.html 

 

Yes it will work. Thats the short answer 🙂 

Like any cable if all soldered joints are good and cables are in good condition with wire designed for the current being taken then the weak link of any cable is the plug and socket.
Even in good condition there will be slightly more resistance at that point and over time the plugs will become coated with some form of oxidation, maybe even start to corrode as they are outside a lot of the time. Also then sockets can work a bit looser so the contact is not as positive as when new.
All these things can work to increase the resistance.
Often we need a good 12V supply not 10.5, 11 and even below 11.5V can cause some issues very occasionally and so reducing the amount of plugs and sockets, using cable of a decent cross section to reduce resistance and also reducing cable lengths to say under 5M just makes good sense.

By far the most reliable set-up with cables is to have no connectors at all and use good soldered joints everywhere.
But obviously that is just not practical at all but not using lots of extensions introducing more plugs and sockets just makes good sense and certainly not using poor quality cables.

All that said, the Baader cable looks a good quality cable and will be fine so long as you do not try to put too much current through it, but if just used to say run the mount then it will be fine.
But many of us imagers have a lot of gear requiring 12V and sometimes with a fairly high current, mounts up to 2A, camera cooling 3A, dew bands 1A and so on, using power supplies capable of 10A or more. So if we fed all these through one of these cables that may make the total length 5M or more then that plug an socket may get hot if the connections are not perfect.
Generally these plugs are only capable of 3 to 5A reliably at best.

Also many cheap cables like this on Amazon and the rest use very thin wire and so be wary of these again if using any amount of current.

Also watch out for the two types of plugs and sockets, 2.1 / 5.5 mm type and 2.5 / 5.5 mm type.
This is a total pita as even the coloured tips is not consistent across manufacturers so difficult to tell which is which. Obviously if you ever manage to plug a 2.1 plug into a 2.5 socket then that plug is damaged and also plugging a 2.5 plug into a 2.1 socket means the centre pin either doesn't make contact or worse still makes partial contact and has a huge resistance.

One last tip if using extension cables like this put a wrap of tape, like masking tape or similar around them to prevent accidently pulling them apart in the dark. Sometimes if only slightly pulled apart the resistance increases hugely.

Sorry for the long response, as the real answer is yes, but I actually hate the fact that this type of plug has been adapted for almost all astro gear power, they really are not geared up for the currents we now demand for many setups. 

Steve

 

 

 

Edited by teoria_del_big_bang
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15 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Yes it will work. Thats the short answer 🙂 

Like any cable if all soldered joints are good and cables are in good condition with wire designed for the current being taken then the weak link of any cable is the plug and socket.
Even in good condition there will be slightly more resistance at that point and over time the plugs will become coated with some form of oxidation, maybe even start to corrode as they are outside a lot of the time. Also then sockets can work a bit looser so the contact is not as positive as when new.
All these thinks can work to increase the resistance.
Often we need a good 12V supply not 10.5, 11 and even below 11.5V can cause some issues very occasionally and so reducing the amount of plugs and sockets and also reducing cable lengths to say under 5M just makes good sense.

By far the most reliable set-up with cables is to have no connectors at all and use good soldered joints everywhere.
But obviously that is just not practical at all but not using lots of extensions introducing more plugs and sockets just makes good sense and certainly not using poor quality cables.

All that said, the Baader cable looks a good quality cable and will be fine so long as you do not try to put too much current through it, but if just used to say run the mount then it will be fine.
But many of us imagers have a lot of gear requiring 12V and sometimes with a fairly high current, mounts up to 2A, camera cooling 3A, dew bands 1A and so on, using power supplies capable of 10A or more. So if we fed all these through one of these cables that may make the total length 5M or more then that plug an socket may get hot if the connections are not perfect.
Generally these plugs are only capable of 3 to 5A reliably at best.

Also many cheap cables like this on Amazon and the rest use very thin wire and so be wary of these again if using any amount of current.

Also watch out for the two types of plugs and sockets, 2.1 / 5.5 mm type and 2.5 / 5.5 mm type.
This is a total pita as even the coloured tips is not consistent across manufacturers so difficult to tell which is which. Obviously if you ever manage to plug a 2.1 plug into a 2.5 socket then that plug is damaged and also plugging a 2.5 plug into a 2.1 socket means the centre pin either doesn't make contact or worse still makes partial contact and has a huge resistance.

One last tip if using extension cables like this put a wrap of tape, like masking tape or similar around them to prevent accidently pulling them apart in the dark. Sometimes if only slightly pulled apart the resistance increases hugely.

Sorry for the long response, as the real answer is yes, but I actually hate the fact that this type of plug has been adapted for almost all astro gear power, they really are not geared up for the currents we now demand for many setups. 

Steve

 

 

 

Wow, thanks for the detailed reply! I had a feeling that it was not quite as simple as I thought!🙂 

I did think of getting one from amazon/ebay initially, but as you mentioned, I was wary of the thickness and quality of these cables.

The cable will only be powering the mount, so I will give this a go to see how it works. 

Dafydd

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13 hours ago, Skipper Billy said:

If you want it extending (and you cant do it yourself) I would be happy to do it for you. Just the postage to pay. Soldered connections and waterproof etc. PM me if you want it doing.

Thank you Billy.

I will certainly be in touch if I decide to go down this route. 

2 hours ago, Daf1983 said:

Hi,

I have a similar cable to use with my HEQ5 which is also too short. I don't have the answer to your questions I'm afraid (seems like Billy has generously sorted you out anyway), but does anyone know if the baader extension cable FLO stock would do the trick?

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/power-accessories/baader-2m-extension-cable-for-12v-cable-with-baader-outdoor-telescope-power-supply.html 

 

I too saw this cable. I actually reached out to flo earlier with my current set-up.  In short it should work so is an option!

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38 minutes ago, Skipper Billy said:

It would be a good idea to put a piece of heat shrink over the connection between your lead and the extension - helps keep moisture out and helps prevent it from accidentally being pulled apart.

Thanks for the tip, sounds like a good solution👍

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