Asi air pro portable battery supply

[AstroNebulee]

I have just bought a asi air pro to simplify my astrophotography rig, I want yo power it via a portable battery pack. I use the talent cell to power my AzGti mount so if I bought another would this sufficiently power my asiair pro pack. I need ultra portable hence not buying a bigger skywatcher or celestron battery pack. 

TalentCell Rechargeable 36W 12V/3000mAh Lithium Ion Battery Pack, 12V/5V Dual Output External Battery Power Bank with Charger for LED Strip, Tape Light, CCTV Camera and More, Bla ck

[Sabalias]

Not sure about ZWO ASI but I run my Astroberry off a 26800 mAh power pack which has up to 3A output per USB port. There’s enough power going into the Astroberry for it to drive the power requirement of my ZWO120MM guide camera. 

regards,

Stu

[AstroNebulee]

31 minutes ago, Sabalias said:

Not sure about ZWO ASI but I run my Astroberry off a 26800 mAh power pack which has up to 3A output per USB port. There’s enough power going into the Astroberry for it to drive the power requirement of my ZWO120MM guide camera. 

regards,

Stu

Thank you Stu. On my other talent cell for my az gti mount, I've successfully ran that and 2 dew heater bands via the USB port and splitter cable and has so much life left in it I rarely need to charge it up. . So I'm hoping that with the talent cell battery pack for the asi air pro, I can run the zwo asi120mc-s guide camera and Canon 600D dslr with no issues. 

[AstroNebulee]

Would you think this would be a better option yo powering my asiair, guide camera and dslr

Sky-Watcher / Celestron PowerTank 7Ah

[Robculm]

I have the Sky-Watcher / Celestron PowerTank 7Ah & have found that adding the Asiair Pro drains the battery very fast. I was previously able to run maybe 6h just powering the HEQ5pro mount, but now only 2 - 3 hours. So wouldn't recommend it! I've just ordered a mains power supply as I'm not using remotely for the time being... 

[david_taurus83]

The TalentCell has only 3 hours of power while drawing 12v /1 amp. I have a couple of USB dew bands and they draw just under an amp each on the low setting. The AIRPro needs 12v as well so I don't think it would last very long.

I use a couple of 20amp Anker power banks for my mobile setup but they are only 5 volt outputs. Fine for my dew bands and RPI4. I'm using a DSLR still but if I can also find a reliable, portable 12v powerbank I'd seriously consider selling the DSLR and getting one of the latest OSC astro cameras. Very interested to see what others are using.

[Chefgage]

20 hours ago, AstroNebulee said:

Would you think this would be a better option yo powering my asiair, guide camera and dslr

Sky-Watcher / Celestron PowerTank 7Ah

Not sure about that one but this is the one I use. It has a 12v output which I then split using a splitter cable to power both my asiair pro and heq5 pro mount. Lasts a good while.

https://www.picstop.co.uk/telescope-power-accessories/celestron-powertank-lithium-lt.html

Edited July 21, 2021 by Chefgage

[AstroNebulee]

8 minutes ago, Chefgage said:

Not sure about that one but this is the one I use. It has a 12v output which I then split using a splitter cable to power both my asiair pro and heq5 pro mount. Lasts a good while.

https://www.picstop.co.uk/telescope-power-accessories/celestron-powertank-lithium-lt.html

Thank you, I did look at that one also. What do you have connected to your asiair can I ask and do you get any issues with loss of power during your session. Lithium is the way to go I think now. 

[ONIKKINEN]

Small and unregulated power supplies are a recipe for frustration and disaster, especially once it gets colder outside. Voltage can drop below 12V well before the charge should be empty which is something you should definitely avoid when trying to run a computer/cameras with something. This is especially true once you start adding things to the setup like dew heaters, maybe cooled cameras etc.

 

I would recommend buying something like a Jackery or an ecoflow river, i bought this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ECOFLOW-Portable-Flashlight-Generator-Emergencies/dp/B091YMZKRY/ref=pd_di_sccai_1/258-3720988-0828560?pd_rd_w=vLeyA&pf_rd_p=2529c273-c9d4-4495-807e-68ed4dfade5e&pf_rd_r=6DN7500CZGHV1AC9G8HJ&pd_rd_r=83988aa6-6fd4-4f76-aa7d-4160a538ac07&pd_rd_wg=4vkOc&pd_rd_i=B091YMZKRY&psc=1

It is heavier and bulkier than what you would prefer, but its not unwieldy as it has a nice handle. I carry mine in the same hand as i carry my tripod and can still remain fully mobile carrying a mount, 8inch newt, camera and guiding equipment.

 

Proper power supplies like these are very expensive but you will permanently leave any problem related to power behind. One of the best purchases i have ever made, never looked back!

[AstroNebulee]

2 hours ago, ONIKKINEN said:

Small and unregulated power supplies are a recipe for frustration and disaster, especially once it gets colder outside. Voltage can drop below 12V well before the charge should be empty which is something you should definitely avoid when trying to run a computer/cameras with something. This is especially true once you start adding things to the setup like dew heaters, maybe cooled cameras etc.

 

I would recommend buying something like a Jackery or an ecoflow river, i bought this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ECOFLOW-Portable-Flashlight-Generator-Emergencies/dp/B091YMZKRY/ref=pd_di_sccai_1/258-3720988-0828560?pd_rd_w=vLeyA&pf_rd_p=2529c273-c9d4-4495-807e-68ed4dfade5e&pf_rd_r=6DN7500CZGHV1AC9G8HJ&pd_rd_r=83988aa6-6fd4-4f76-aa7d-4160a538ac07&pd_rd_wg=4vkOc&pd_rd_i=B091YMZKRY&psc=1

It is heavier and bulkier than what you would prefer, but its not unwieldy as it has a nice handle. I carry mine in the same hand as i carry my tripod and can still remain fully mobile carrying a mount, 8inch newt, camera and guiding equipment.

 

Proper power supplies like these are very expensive but you will permanently leave any problem related to power behind. One of the best purchases i have ever made, never looked back!

Thank you, it sure is the bees knees that one but sadly out of my budget at the moment. I shall continue to dangle a 13a mains external socket and extension lead out of my first floor flat window and connect with the mains cable suggested by @FLOand zwo. 

Edited July 21, 2021 by AstroNebulee

[Ouroboros]

On 21/07/2021 at 12:09, ONIKKINEN said:

Small and unregulated power supplies are a recipe for frustration and disaster, especially once it gets colder outside. Voltage can drop below 12V well before the charge should be empty which is something you should definitely avoid when trying to run a computer/cameras with something. This is especially true once you start adding things to the setup like dew heaters, maybe cooled cameras etc.

 

I would recommend buying something like a Jackery or an ecoflow river, i bought this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ECOFLOW-Portable-Flashlight-Generator-Emergencies/dp/B091YMZKRY/ref=pd_di_sccai_1/258-3720988-0828560?pd_rd_w=vLeyA&pf_rd_p=2529c273-c9d4-4495-807e-68ed4dfade5e&pf_rd_r=6DN7500CZGHV1AC9G8HJ&pd_rd_r=83988aa6-6fd4-4f76-aa7d-4160a538ac07&pd_rd_wg=4vkOc&pd_rd_i=B091YMZKRY&psc=1

It is heavier and bulkier than what you would prefer, but its not unwieldy as it has a nice handle. I carry mine in the same hand as i carry my tripod and can still remain fully mobile carrying a mount, 8inch newt, camera and guiding equipment.

 

Proper power supplies like these are very expensive but you will permanently leave any problem related to power behind. One of the best purchases i have ever made, never looked back!

That is quite a power supply that isn’t it?  I’ve just been reading the manual.  I see it can be WiFi connected via an app, presumably to control it. Is that absolutely necessary in order to use it?  

Just thinking about the total amount of “power hours” this will provide. If it’s gotta power a mount, ASIair, cooled CMOS camera, guide cam, and dew heaters for a a night’s imaging is ~500Wh enough for that? 

[ONIKKINEN]

56 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

That is quite a power supply that isn’t it?  I’ve just been reading the manual.  I see it can be WiFi connected via an app, presumably to control it. Is that absolutely necessary in order to use it?  

Just thinking about the total amount of “power hours” this will provide. If it’s gotta power a mount, ASIair, cooled CMOS camera, guide cam, and dew heaters for a a night’s imaging is ~500Wh enough for that? 

The app is only necessary for toggling "x-boost" on or off, and it stays in whatever its set. X-boost is the 1200w AC output mode and it does work, i ran my fridge with it as a bit of a test during a blackout but not much more than a gimmick in my opinion.  The powerbanks display shows your remaining time estimation if the output remains the same, it also shows you power usage in watts.  The smaller model is 288wh and its enough for a night with my kit. My kit which is a Mini-pc, Cooled IMX571 camera, guidecam and of course a GO-TO mount will run for at least 6 hours at camera temp 30 below ambient and a lot longer if the cooled camera is set to a warmer temperature.

 

I dont need massive dew heaters since i have a newtonian, so i cant comment on how much big strips for refractors or SCT corrector plates would draw power.