EQ6 Power Source

[Heath]

Hi all, :help:

I know this topic has been covered before and I have gone through all of the threads. There appears to be a number of different options to power the EQ6 mount with pros and cons for all alternatives.

I have identified two options and would be interested in any advice to whether these two options are:
a) suitable for basic functionality
b) Provide enough power for a nights workload
c) also strong enough to eventually accommodate other accessories such as a ccd camera/autoguider/laptop & dew heater?

Option 1: http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-store/products/Calibre-Marine-Jump-Start-100-Amp.aspx?pid=168229#details

Option 2: http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-store/products/SCA-Jumpstarter-With-Air-Compressor-17AH.aspx?pid=215740#details

Any help would be greatly appreciated :thanx:.

Cheers H

[tlgerdes]

Neither of those are really suitable. They are designed for quick high energy bursts (jumpstating a car) , not sustained low energy consumption.

You are better off with a deep cycle battery like these.

http://www.apolloenergy.com.au/Renewable-Energy-Components/Batteries/N70-GEL

http://www.batteriesdirect.com.au/shop/product/4460/us27-dcxc.html

http://www.12volt.com.au/General%20Htmls/webcat2003/batterys.html#trojan

12v 100A/Hrs should be good for a heavy night

Expect to pay between $250-$400

[batema]

You can always get a 240 volt from Steve Masey at myastro shop that allows you to plug mount straight into 240v. I use this all the time istead of a battery.

[RobF]

Yeah, I spent hundreds getting set up with a deep cycle battery, leads, charger etc. All I ever use now is a 3amp $70 DSE power supply. Depends where you'll be setting up though of course for 240V access.

[Heath]

Thanks for the advice,
I did the same as you Rob! but I will use the battery for camping as well. Ended up picking up a 12V deep cycle 100AH sealed lead for $188 on ebay which I thought was pretty good value?.

Got the adaptors and charger from Jaycar. They were terrific.

Cheers H

[RobF]

Its certainly nice to be mobile if you have to be for a night or two. I try to always pack the battery in as a backup if my power supply dies or the 240V at your viewing site gets iffy. Or when you forget to pack in the 25m extension lead.....:P :whistle:

Glad to hear you've got it sorted Heath :thumbsup:

[robz]

Ummmmmmmmm?............the EQ6 comes with a cigarette lighter power supply adaptor/plug and cable.........yes?

With the correct extension cord(if necessary) and your vehicle's car battery, no matter where you are, you can use this as your power source, so why bother with very expensive deep cycle batteries out in the field???

[OzRob]

I have read more than once of people doing just that only to find that there is not enough juice left in the battery to start the engine. Of course you can run the engine from time to time but that might end up being more expensive in the long run.

My setup runs on 240V. It does limit what I can do but I either use the setup at home or at my dark site where I have access to 240V. Although the Thai power source is a bit dodgy so I have a UPS to condition the supply and provide electricity when it goes off for a while. Fortunately most of the outages occur due to heavy rain or human error (ie some clown pulling the plug).

[robz]

I suppose if you have a massive imaging set up and do an all nighter out in the sticks, this might indeed happen.
A cheap $80 car battery as a spare should do the trick if stuck?

[RobF]

Actually the jumpstart pack I originally bought to power my mount (for first 6 months or so) has been quite handy for car battery rescues (and helping someone at a star party once who had a dead scope battery). I've used it to rescue my wife twice (dead battery) and a fellow astronomer who had left his car radio going most of the night (car wouldn't start next morning).

I know many others here know more about it than I, but believe car batteries are designed for high current for short period rather than slow or moderate current for extended period. You'd probably get away with it for just your mount on the odd occasion, but I get nervous sucking power from the car if I'm out in the sticks.

[OzRob]

Actually I just remembered wher I read one of the stories about someone getting stuck with a flat battery. It was on Jerry Lodriguss' site. On the same page there is some useful information about powering equipment in the field.

Power in the Field (http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/POWER.HTM)

[mswhin63]

I am sorta stuck on the reason why people are going for deep cycle batteries. In my days of solar remote access deep cycles were only used for setups that were in most cases not monitored or difficult to access. These are expensive batteries!

Realistically normal gel batteries are all that are needed and calulation based on typical use is the cheapest most effective method of a power configuration. You can buy lower cost larger capacity regular batteries compared to deep cycle battery.

Car batteries even low maintenence are simply no go, out gassing is too impractical and risky.

Alway calculate headroom to cover extra used in most cases 10%, cost factor you can sometime go for 20%

[Heath]

My intention is to use the DCB for more than just powering the mount. At 100ah I can run a fair bit more off it. I go camping often and it will come in handy for running other equipment. I intend to get a small solar panel and connectors for day time charging. I also want to get away from city lights as much as possible and would not be comfortable running everything from the car battery.

[mswhin63]

For more away conditions serious 4WD's use a second battery with an isolation switch. The cars can be wired up and an inverter placed in the car in a permanant arrangement. The battery is then charged using the alternator while normal driving around but the main battery is not in use when parked and using the inverter. Saves flattening the driving battery. Not suitable for all vehicles though, will depend on the alternator.

As I expect to run like this I intend to do this method. One day:rofl:

[Heath]

Now that would be a very practical setup Malcolm. Problem is I have a pretend 4WD - Territory. :driving:

[mswhin63]

When i was a youngish teenager my second car was a Ford XB Falcon. I wired up a dual battery system to that. I only did it because I was also a hunter and traveled a lot in Meekatharra and other out of the way zones.

Disclaimer: I ate what I hunted. I also carried a bow-hunters certificate of proficiency so was also insured for 2 million dollars.