12V Power supply for a Supatrak mount.

[Steve Reed]

I want to get a 12V power supply for my Supatrak mount. The manual is a bit vague, simply saying you need a 12v supply. Would a standard laptop charger offering 12v and 5A fit the bill? Don't want to plug in the wrong supply and blow the motor!

TIA

Steve

[Rallemikken]

The safest option is a regular stabilized power supply. My HEQ5 did run ok on a 12V computer power supply, but most advices out there seems to settle on a 13.8V stabilized supply. The argument is more precise guiding, especially in cold weather. They state that the electronics and motors works in a more presice manner when voltage isn't a limiting factor. I run my mount on a 7A  switched 13.8V supply, and it has plenty of grunt to provide amp's for my dew heaters as well.

 

[Cosmic Geoff]

4 hours ago, Steve Reed said:

Would a standard laptop charger offering 12v and 5A

My laptop chargers deliver 19 volts. 

There are many sensible options - either a rechargeable battery or a mains powered regulated PSU.  Whatever you use, it must deliver at least +12v to 13.8v and be capable of delivering several amps.  I mostly use a multifunction car engine starter, or a Celestron LiFePo battery pack.

The car starter can inflate my car tyres as well as running my GoTo scopes.  The Celestron power pack also acts as a useful work light and has USB power sockets.

[Geoff Lister]

This is a selection of my power sources

 

I tend to use the mains PSU most of the time in my back garden, and the twin 6V packs for portable. As mentioned above, the minimum of +12V is important, particularly for the Synscan handset. I use an RCD-protected mains extension lead, with the power brick inside a shoe box to protect it from dew.

I also measured the current consumption of my various mounts

The readings are the continuous values for static and slew, there may have been higher values during power-up and acceleration.

Geoff