battery power to mains power switch

[aramitsharma]

I have recently got a house with a garden (finally!) which means i do not have to stand outside in freezing temperatures all night. I am very tempted to make the switch from battery power to mains without spending a ton. Also, imaging from inside will be good considering the motion sensing floodlights of neighbours. The hubs are very expensive in my small opinion and to be frank all my power leads are cigarette lighter ended to go with batteries. I was thinking of one of these for power, with a cigarette plug splitter which i currently use anyway: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/RoyPow-Adapter-Cigarette-Transformer-Converter/dp/B019H2EQWY/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=ac+to+cigarette+lighter+adapter&qid=1641857093&sprefix=ac+to+cigarette%2Caps%2C56&sr=8-6

For USB hub, i have a cigarette lighter plug powered USB 3.0 hub.

This way I can have a single USB cable and a single power cable coming inside the house where my laptop will be located.

Is this doable or just wishful thinking?

 

 

 

[Jamgood]

I use a supply that is very similar via extension from inside to outdoor. My power supply is in a dribox with an RDC on the extension. You have to be careful with electrics outside, especially in the damp.

My power supply powers the PPBA (Pegasus Pocket Powerbox Advance) but it should work with your splitter also.

Edited January 10, 2022 by Jamgood

[AstroKeith]

8 hours ago, aramitsharma said:

I have recently got a house with a garden (finally!) which means i do not have to stand outside in freezing temperatures all night. I am very tempted to make the switch from battery power to mains without spending a ton. Also, imaging from inside will be good considering the motion sensing floodlights of neighbours. The hubs are very expensive in my small opinion and to be frank all my power leads are cigarette lighter ended to go with batteries. I was thinking of one of these for power, with a cigarette plug splitter which i currently use anyway: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/RoyPow-Adapter-Cigarette-Transformer-Converter/dp/B019H2EQWY/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=ac+to+cigarette+lighter+adapter&qid=1641857093&sprefix=ac+to+cigarette%2Caps%2C56&sr=8-6

For USB hub, i have a cigarette lighter plug powered USB 3.0 hub.

This way I can have a single USB cable and a single power cable coming inside the house where my laptop will be located.

Is this doable or just wishful thinking?

 

 

 

Hi,

A few points.

That supply you linked to is a high power unit clearly meant for motors etc. I suspect its output may not be very 'clean' and may not even be regulated.

It has a fan and so is open to the atmosphere. Not good in dew conditions.

Those cigarette lighter plugs and  sockets are trouble waiting to happen.

Make sure you use an RCCD protected mains supply!

[scotty38]

I used a power supply similar to that in the first post and I was sure all was fine but I did have odd guiding issues and eventually convinced myself it was power related.

I took the plunge and bought the below supply. Yes it's more expensive and I bought flexible silicon cables too but everything seems to work great now and, touch wood, my guiding issues have gone away.

All I can say is it worked for me and in the grand scheme of astro costs not a massive outlay....

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/power-accessories/nevada-psw-30-25-30a-switch-mode-power-supply.html

[teoria_del_big_bang]

Personaly I would not buy a power supply off Amazon for my Astro Gear. That's not to say there is anything wrong with Amazon, or that they do not have some good power supplies but I think you just really do not know what your getting unless its a known make. The supply you are looking at may be great bit it also may be crap. Okay if it is faulty then Amazon I have no doubt will replace the supply or refund your £25 but if it damages any of your equipment then it will be you who has to pay.
I would stick to something off FLO or RVO or other Astro site (what I would do anyway).

The fact it is not fully enclosed (it has vents in the casing) means at the very least it needs housing inside a waterproof housing that is considerably bigger than the supply to allow good air circulation around it and cables glanding out to keep moisture out. Personally I would stay clear.

Just be careful with any mains equipment outdoors, generally 240V power supplies are not really intended for outdoor use.
Most of us do use mains when in backyard but need to be careful and confident of what we are using.

Steve

Edited January 11, 2022 by teoria_del_big_bang

[aramitsharma]

Thanks all... point taken, I will order the deepskydad's DC unit

https://shop.deepskydad.com/product/dc-hub-2/

Now only if i manage to find the cable for skywatcher's mount ending in DC cable

[teoria_del_big_bang]

56 minutes ago, AstroKeith said:

I suspect its output may not be very 'clean' and may not even be regulated.

It has a fan and so is open to the atmosphere. Not good in dew conditions.

Those cigarette lighter plugs and  sockets are trouble waiting to happen.

Make sure you use an RCCD protected mains supply!

All very good points with 240V outdoors in cold damp conditions (usually the case in UK unfortunately 😞 ).

Whilst most 12V stuff for Astro use these cigarette sockets for the life of me I am not sure why, not from a danger point of view really (although I have heard of cheap switch mode supplies have been known to put high voltages on low voltage side if they go wrong) but just reliability wise, I find often some makes just do not make good connections and can get intermittent loss of power during a session, obviously not great in an unattended imaging session. If its worked for you so far even on battery power then carry on but I did have issues with some of them early days, maybe worked okay some nights but not others.

And very important is to use an RCCD, if you can I would get a qualified electrician to install a proper outdoor 240V socket that will go to a RCCD in your CB or Fuse box that way also you do not have long extension cables you have to get through a window or crack in the door that are just waiting to get trapped when somebody forgets the cable is there and shuts the window or door, or trips over the cable.

Steve

[aramitsharma]

regarding the cigarette power connectors, I've used them inside a plastic box with small vent holes for ventilation. never saw condensation cause a problem.

Although I used tracer and skywatcher batteries, I don't know if this caused erratic guiding or it was just me...

[teoria_del_big_bang]

6 minutes ago, aramitsharma said:

regarding the cigarette power connectors, I've used them inside a plastic box with small vent holes for ventilation. never saw condensation cause a problem.

Although I used tracer and skywatcher batteries, I don't know if this caused erratic guiding or it was just me...

I am sure many use them as so much Astro gear comes with them, maybe I just had some dodgy ones in the early days that just put me off them as I had a few sessions where my gear kept getting power losses.
But like anything if it isn't broke then don't fix it, so if it works for you that's what counts 🙂 

I hope you get it all sorted soon and most important you get some clear skies soon 🙂 

Steve