Portable Power Supply for Astrophotography

[Jammy]

Thanks @ONIKKINEN

I'm starting to work out the different specs and what they mean.

You are right, something like either of these will work fine.  LifePo4 cells seem to be the best.

Now to find the best deal!!

Thanks for your help

[900SL]

On 05/02/2023 at 15:17, ONIKKINEN said:

I have an Ecoflow river 300 with specs pretty much identical to this one you have linked (identical to the point that they may be the same actual battery in different clothes).

Mine has never been even close to 0 for a single night and usually could supply power for 2 or 3 before running out, not that it matters since it recharges so fast. Have used mine maybe around 100 times now and see no signs of slowing down or loss in capacity (used in -27 to +15). This will be exactly what you want for mobile AP, well worth the money!

Do they run constant voltage all the way down to zero ONikkinen? What is the output voltage?

[ONIKKINEN]

33 minutes ago, 900SL said:

Do they run constant voltage all the way down to zero ONikkinen? What is the output voltage?

Regulated to 13.6v all the way to the end. lowest i have gone is down to 20% charge and no issues with voltage dropping like with normal batteries.

Mine is no longer being sold, the new river 2 advertises 12.6v instead of 13.6v and some other changes so there may be more changes that affect performance.

You can pick these up at Verkkokauppa in Jätkäsaari by the way, amongst a mountain of other brands. Easy to return if it ends up being unsuitable for Finnish weather.

[900SL]

2 minutes ago, ONIKKINEN said:

Regulated to 13.6v all the way to the end. lowest i have gone is down to 20% charge and no issues with voltage dropping like with normal batteries.

Mine is no longer being sold, the new river 2 advertises 12.6v instead of 13.6v and some other changes so there may be more changes that affect performance.

You can pick these up at Verkkokauppa in Jätkäsaari by the way, amongst a mountain of other brands. Easy to return if it ends up being unsuitable for Finnish weather.

Thanks O.  I had a look on Verkkokauppa, they don't have DC 5.5 x 2.1 outlets unless you lay out 600  euro for the max version. Did yours? I don't use lighter plug connections

[900SL]

There was an astro guy just featured on Yle News btw, did you catch it? Up in Kuopio I think, in his observatory

[ONIKKINEN]

1 minute ago, 900SL said:

Thanks O.  I had a look on Verkkokauppa, they don't have DC 5.5 x 2.1 outlets unless you lay out 600  euro for the max version. Did yours? I don't use lighter plug connections

Yes, mine has 2 separate DC5.5 x2.1 outlets with their own 3A fuse + the car jack with a 10A fuse. Looks like they have adjusted the pricing so that the new river max is close to the old river 300 in specs in everything but wattage but 200€ more pricy. Of course also conveniently pulled the river 300 from sale.

You could try to fit an adapter from the car plug to the small DC 5.5 plug(or multiple plugs) and solve the issue. The wattage seems good otherwise with the river 2.

[osbourne one-nil]

I've got an Ecoflow Rover Pro and it's great because it charges SO quickly; from drained to full in around 2 hours the other night and then it powered my rig; (you know what mount I have!) 2600MC Pro and two dew heaters, from 9pm to 5am, with the dew heaters left on until 9am, with 65% remaining. 

I still tend to use mains power when I can because I know all batteries have a limited number of charge cycles, but one of the cheap amazon AC/DC converters I had been using went pop the other night and it really really hurt!

 

By the way, I love how two Finns converse in English far above the level spoken by my immediate neighbours. 

Edited February 7, 2023 by osbourne one-nil

[900SL]

34 minutes ago, osbourne one-nil said:

I've got an Ecoflow Rover Pro and it's great because it charges SO quickly; from drained to full in around 2 hours the other night and then it powered my rig; (you know what mount I have!) 2600MC Pro and two dew heaters, from 9pm to 5am, with the dew heaters left on until 9am, with 65% remaining. 

I still tend to use mains power when I can because I know all batteries have a limited number of charge cycles, but one of the cheap amazon AC/DC converters I had been using went pop the other night and it really really hurt!

 

By the way, I love how two Finns converse in English far above the level spoken by my immediate neighbours. 

Aha! I'm originally from the UK. I am shortly about to start to learn Finnish 😂 all credit to Onnikken though, his English is excellent (hyvää)

[osbourne one-nil]

You deserve even more credit then as you won’t of been taut it proper. 

[MartinB]

I use a Jackery Explorer 240.  It's expensive but a high quality piece of kit.  I use it to run my widefield setup - asiair,  zwo asi 2600mc camera, a couple of small dew straps and a SW eq 35M pro mount.  It will power everything all night with plenty to spare

[Jammy]

On 05/02/2023 at 11:14, Jammy said:

Still not decided!

I think I'm going for this one:

BLUETTI EB3A Portable Power Station | 600W 268Wh

https://bluettipower.co.uk/products/bluetti-eb3a-portable-power-station

268Wh should give 22.3 Ah at 12v.

Running at roughly 3 amp that is 7 hours. 

Thanks for all your help in this thread guys.

I went for the Bluetti EB3A portable power station.  £100 off on the website at the minute.

This gives between 6 to 7 hours running time which is more than enough for me.  Powers everything I need it to and works well so far.