Newbie jumped in with both feet

[crush]

Hi all and thankyou for letting me join the forum. Have been interested in astronomy for a while and finally took the plunge.

I am interested in both viewing and AP. .  

The journey so far, I bought a telescope from Amazon (please stop laughing) for £50 and as you can imagine it was rubbish. So I started searching the internet and came across this forum at the beginning of January, with info I found on this site and looking through proper retailers and second hand sites I found myself a second hand Skywatcher 250X1200 Dob in very good condition and every night the sky has been clear since then I have been out side. The scope only came with a standard 25mm EP so got a 10mm Nivana-ES UWA and the views of the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn have been really good. 

I have a Canon 650D DSLR camera that will be good to start with and have got a T ring and 2X Barlow from FLO to connect it

I got myself a copy of turn left at Orion and make every photon count and I am really enjoying the huge learning curve.

I have just had delivered a AZ-EQ6 GT also second hand and at a good price I think. And this is now where I am stuck, first of all I need a power supply from the mains to the garden but I am not sure what type I need.

So I was hoping I could get some help from the forum members on which way next?

Also after sorting the power supply would you suggest the next I would need is a guide scope?

I have so many more questions but I think this is enough to start.

Any help will be very appreciated, thanks in advance.

Steven. 

[crush]

hi again

I came across this on Amazon last night

https://www.amazon.co.uk/adjustable-switching-precision-charging-interface/dp/B09C8MT4KM/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=52177434454&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vPuXNCgcp8vLneF5rzyZu9vLapVNTaRjBrye8KjqIPxhJYNeyMjcK7a4eCKgaN3zZcuGjUw4V_BZnjag47Cfq8bOwgb1y4jHb1ZWs4nhH0AAPm2SC9BbJ0OaSRWxPDobgmYH0xtonWvgHpissoeWUjBypahz9HOcRiQUTPm9jz-DBvsFY6LjlIFXzm9ZvXeJ3cSzuF_IYo24BJpcXx1nb14EWXp5Bff3ZLqCxlAEOUgrr4wV5RNhG_DRXZuShjf0UNWoun3wzwjio6rEndcy7xgvK60ZxiWsPv9yVLvvKi4.NvXhnd67Y7A6V2ndharw1KW_AFJFXAsESnBl_CBHuQQ&dib_tag=se&hvadid=578425985251&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9046531&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=16954975708571563973&hvtargid=kwd-21503106&hydadcr=5091_2287840&keywords=constant%2Bcurrent%2Bpower%2Bsupply&qid=1708527931&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

do you think this would do the job or is it over kill?

[josefk]

i'm a visual-only-unpowered-mount-guy so can't help with the question but it sounds like you've jumped in pretty effectively. Welcome to SGL.

I'm sure someone who knows what they're talking about vis-a-vis powering the AZ-EQ6 will be along shortly...😀

[Mr_Cat]

I'm not that far ahead of you (and seems a similar progression)

I  have to setup every time I use my telescope and initially I went with a 12v adaptor but I swapped over to a motorbike battery for my powering my mount etc - light and easy to move / keep charged. Most accessories I've seen (focusers / dew shields / fans etc etc) run of 12v 

I had one lying round though...

[PhilB61]

Hi and welcome. First thing you need to do is add up the power requirements of all the things you envisage powering from this and see if it can deliver. I noticed that some versions of that supply max out at 5 amps which I'm sure won't be enough once you add everything up. Mount, camera, guide camera, laptop, dew heaters etc. If you just want to power the mount only it may be better to buy something cheaper from one of the astro shops such as FLO.

Be aware that that telescope will be a hard learn for astro photography even on that mount due to it's size and bulk, a smaller widefield scope might be a better choice for learning and keep the dob for visual, at least for now.

[crush]

Hi all and thanks for the reply's

 Mr-Cat: The battery idea is a good one and i think i have a small battery in the shed I will check when i get home. Will get me up and running.

PhilB61: I had not thought that I will probably need more than 5 amps later on so thanks for the info. I am thinking of another scope later on, and thought this mount would not restrict choices to much.

I have spent quite a lot so far and budget is dwindling so I need to make sure the items I add are going to be beneficial for me. 

It is obviously a very expensive hobby and I find if I spend ten minuets on FLO I spent thousands in my head so have to stop myself. 

[Cosmic Geoff]

1 hour ago, PhilB61 said:

Be aware that that telescope will be a hard learn for astro photography even on that mount due to it's size and bulk, a smaller widefield scope might be a better choice for learning and keep the dob for visual, at least for now.

Very true.

[Owmuchonomy]

You need a regulated 14V bench power supply capable of 5 Amps continuous.  I run my AZ-EQ6 from this when both my ED150 and C9.25 are mounted.  It has performed well for years.  I attach other accessories such as dew heaters too.  The unit I have is now discontinued but was made by Rapid.  They don't seem to have an equivalent when looking at their website.

[crush]

Thanks for the power specs gives me something to work with.

[bosun21]

If you are viewing from your back garden I would opt for the Nevada power supply. I use mine and run a silicone Lynx astro cable to the mount. This ensures that I am always getting 12v + at the mount. Skywatcher mounts can be quite temperamental if supplied with less than 12v which will happen when most standard batteries are running down. 

[Ratlet]

For power I'd go for an extension lead (with RCD!) And a suitable power block.

An alternative to a guide scope would be to pick up a cheap prime focus lens like a smcnsuper takumar 200mm or 135mm and an M42 to canon adapter. There's a vintage lenses thread on here which shows examples.

There are loads of great things to image at a short focal length and it's much more forgiving than trying to image with a 1000mm focal length.  You'll also build up your basic skills like setting up, judging focus, image processing which will provide a rock solid foundation when you go to longer focal lengths.

Heck, some people image exclusively in the 135mm-200mm focal length.

 

[crush]

Thanks for all the info.

Had read somewhere that the mounts could be fussy if power was low but until i can get a mains power supply at least a battery would get me up and running.

 AP will be second to viewing at least to start with but i will look up the vintage lens thread, does sound interesting.

[JOC]

On 21/02/2024 at 21:01, crush said:

I need a power supply from the mains to the garden but I am not sure what type I need.

I don't know what those mounts connect with, but you might find the easiest investment is in a long external quality extension lead - that way you won't have to worry about voltage fluctuations as any battery drains..  Failing that I've got on well with a decent quality car jump start box with my electrical Dob mount.

[crush]

Thanks for the reply JOC

the battery I had is not fit for use, has been left uncharged for to long.

I do have a good jump pack at work i could borrow on a nightly basis so will give that a go while I find a good mains supply. 

[GTom]

Concerning power supply, unless your kit is permanently set up under a shed or any kind of shelter, I'd just use a small ~10Ah 12V LiFePO pack. Not necessarily an overpriced "astro" version, e.g. I have one of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B8HFXNDN/ref=pe_27063361_487055811_TE_dp_1 . If you are planning to power a cooled astrocam, something around the 30Ah mark will provide you plenty of power. You get a non-astro labelled 36Ah unit for less than the 13Ah Celestron...

Edited February 28 by GTom

[crush]

Hi GTom

Thanks for the info as I have still not sorted this yet. I had the tube rings and dove tail delivered from FLO today so I am borrowing a jump pack from work tonight to have a go with it to get used to how it all works.

So i do need to sort it more permanently and if it is working for your set up there is no reason it would not work for mine. 

[900SL]

If you are shooting from the back garden, ignore all the recommendations for batteries, unless you plan on travelling to remote sites. You need a decent sized AGM deep cycle or a decent capacity LiFePo to provide enough juice for a typical set up with dew heaters, mini PC, camera etc, the voltage delivery may vary v discharge, and they don't like the cold.

Follow Bosuns advice, decent silicone mains extension cable with IP rated socket, circuit breaker, Nevada PSU from Flo. Put the PSU in a ventilated covered box to protect from dew or drizzle. 

These PSUs normally deliver 13.6v which helps with an EQ6R

[WolfieGlos]

Welcome to SGL.

When I got my first mount, I thought I would be a bit more mobile or setting up at the bottom of the garden so FLO recommended this battery pack (when they used to stock it), with this power lead and adapter to the power pack.

That was a year ago, it still works fine but I’ve never gone mobile or further than about 4m from the house. The power pack will last all night powering my mount (HEQ5) but I won’t power anything else from it - one night I attached a single dew strap and it was drained after 4, maybe 5 hours if I recall. So powering another strap (on the guidescope), camera and other accessories just won’t happen.

I recently purchased an ASIAIR and FLO recommended the Nevada PSU that @900SL states above. They originally recommended it when I bought the battery pack, but as I thought I would be further away or mobile, it didn’t really suit my perceived needs. In reality, I should have bought it first time around, as it will power everything, like he says, and will be reliable given that it’s powered from a mains socket. I’ve kept mine inside, and run a 5m cable out to the Air. I haven’t tried it for the HEQ5 yet, only for the Air on a Star adventurer and 585mc camera. But it worked flawlessly, and hope to set up on the main mount soon once my current target set is completed.

[GTom]

2 hours ago, 900SL said:

If you are shooting from the back garden, ignore all the recommendations for batteries, unless you plan on travelling to remote sites. You need a decent sized AGM deep cycle or a decent capacity LiFePo to provide enough juice for a typical set up with dew heaters, mini PC, camera etc, the voltage delivery may vary v discharge, and they don't like the cold.

Follow Bosuns advice, decent silicone mains extension cable with IP rated socket, circuit breaker, Nevada PSU from Flo. Put the PSU in a ventilated covered box to protect from dew or drizzle. 

These PSUs normally deliver 13.6v which helps with an EQ6R

You only need large capacities for serious power hogs, like deep cooled CCD's (speaking of more than -20 delta), heavy mounts, dew heaters AND all that in 5+hour's runs. I don't recall when we had 5+hours without clouds up here in one go... Just moving my eq3-2 goto mount, a £40 Miady 7.2Ah "pocket" LiFePO4 covers several days on a single charge.

Sure, using a 10+kg lead unit turns the concept upside down, I'd never invest in any kind of lead batteries in 2024.

Edited March 1 by GTom

[900SL]

46 minutes ago, GTom said:

You only need large capacities for serious power hogs, like deep cooled CCD's (speaking of more than -20 delta), heavy mounts, dew heaters AND all that in 5+hour's runs. I don't recall when we had 5+hours without clouds up here in one go... Just moving my eq3-2 goto mount, a £40 Miady 7.2Ah "pocket" LiFePO4 covers several days on a single charge.

Sure, using a 10+kg lead unit turns the concept upside down, I'd never invest in any kind of lead batteries in 2024.

If you read the opening post, he has an EQ6 and a 250mm newt, and is looking to move to a guided set up. He will need a decent power source, not a small battery. Just saying...

[crush]

Hi all and thanks for the help.

From reading what has been said I think I will be sticking with mains because it will only be in the back yard and from the research I have been able to from the info given I will order the Nevada PSU from FLO and wait while the get  stock, will be using a jump pack for the time being.

If the clouds ever clear that is.

[GTom]

2 hours ago, 900SL said:

If you read the opening post, he has an EQ6 and a 250mm newt, and is looking to move to a guided set up. He will need a decent power source, not a small battery. Just saying...

Certainly he needs more than me, but also consider that you can deplete a LiFePO4 to ~10% without penalty while that sort of DoD's will kill any kind of lead battery in a short time. 30Ah LiFePO4 is equivalent to a good 80-90Ah lead AGM.

Edited March 1 by GTom