Power source sanity check

[codemonkey]

Hey guys,

I think the jump starter I've been using for a year has finally packed it in, so I'm looking for a new power source. I know absolutely nothing about batteries, so I'm after a little help here.

I need to power my NEQ6 and Atik 314L+. If I could also power my macbook that'd be great too, but that's really not necessary.

I'm looking at the following bits and pieces. Am I on the right track? Anything else I should consider instead? Anything else I need?

26Ah deep cycle gel battery: http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=SB1698&form=CAT2&SUBCATID=997#3

3-Stage 6/12V Automatic Battery Charger: http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MB3603&form=CAT2&SUBCATID=998#12

Cigarette Lighter Socket to Battery Clips: http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=PP2007

12VDC Car Cigarette Lighter Socket 4-Way Splitter with USB Port: http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MB3603&form=CAT2&SUBCATID=998#12

[raymo]

Lee, Tomorrow you will be inundated with people telling you you need this type of fancy battery, and that type of even fancier charger, and
an even fancier box to put the fancy battery in etc: etc:. I have been
powering scopes, and more recently, laptops and dew heaters, for almost36 yrs, with small car batteries and basic 4 amp chargers. I have
never had a scope die on me. My ex Corolla battery will run my HEQ5 and
dew heaters and laptop for two long sessions between charges.
raymo

[Steffen]

Just a few comments from me.

The battery you selected seems expensive for what it is. I bought a 40Ah AGM golf cart battery for $135 not long ago.

A 750mA charger is going to take a long time charging your battery from 30% to full (over a day).

Cigarette lighter plugs are notoriously unreliable, and provide poor electrical contact. My HEQ5 Pro saw a voltage drops (the power LED flashing) when slewing. For that reason I've switched to Anderson connectors wherever possible.

Cheers
Steffen.

[Larryp]

I agree with Steffen-that is way to expensive for a battery. Have a look on Ebay and you will find AGM or gel cell batteries much cheaper.
I have attached photos of my home made set-up, with an 18Ah AGM battery,and a lidded compartment for storing small tools.
You could make this to accommodate a larger battery if you wanted to.

[codemonkey]

Thanks everyone :-)

I checked out Jaycar and Supercheap for batteries and Jaycar seemed to be cheaper. I just remembered that there's a battery world nearby so I'll check that out and see if the prices are cheaper.

I've bought a bunch of new toys recently that I've been unable to get any real use out of due to the power source among other things and I'm an incredibly impatient person so I'd rather spend a few extra $ than wait a week or so to get it from eBay.

The Anderson connectors sound good, but I'm not sure exactly what I need to connect them to my NEQ6 / Atik. Can someone please advise there?

I'm planning on leaving to go get this stuff within the hour, so it might be too late by the time anyone reads this lol...

[tlgerdes]

I would hazard a guess that your 26ah battery running those items will probably cark it around 3am and too bad if you want a multi night endeavor away from power.

I would look at something in the 50 -100ah range, especially as you havent added in other accessory like dew etc which will inevitably come.

Thirdly, if you keep draining the battery completely flat, even a deep cycle, you will destroy it quickly.

[LightningNZ]

I got this 12V 35Ah AGM deep-cycle battery from Ebay for $85 shipped. It seems to have gone up in price a little with the falling Aussie dollar: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/PDC12350NB-35AH-BATTERY-AGM-SLA-12-VOLT-12V-DEEP-CYCLE-GOLF-CART-33ah-BUGGY-/321238320616?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Access ories&hash=item4acb4bc5e8&_uhb=1

I haven't even had a chance to use it yet but I have complete faith in it lasting the night.

Edit: I'm not running a CCD though, they suck the juice!

Cheers,
Cam

[Steffen]

Although you can get ready-made adapters (Anderson-to-cigarette lighter) those can get expensive. However this stuff is quite economical as a DIY thing, if you buy the the connectors by the dozen or so on eBay. You will need to be reasonably good at soldering, or get a decent crimp tool. What you do is just make yourself an assortment of leads to support your various devices. For example, I've got:

Lugs (for battery terminals) to Anderson connector
A battery power metre with Anderson plugs on both ends
An Anderson-to-cigarette lighter 3x break-out box that also provides USB power
Anderson plugs on various power cables, like for the mount, dew heater, etc

Anderson connector have a pretty high separation force (they will not come undone accidentally), so you may want the optional grip handles as well (I know I did).

There are cheaper options (clamps, cigarette lighter connectors) that work if you're careful, like not chaining cigarette lighter connections, securing them with rubber bands or cable ties, but having lost power to my mount on more than one occasion due to dodgy connectors I wanted something robust and reliable. Not having to worry about gender (plugs vs sockets) is another plus of Anderson connectors.

Cheers
Steffen.