EQ-6 Power Cable

[inline_online (Dan)]

Hi All,

i've recently purchased the 17aH power pack from Dick Smith that was mentioned elsewhere in this forum. I've done a lot of reading on the subject of these power packs and am well aware of the positives and negatives of such a purchase. It should suit my requirements just fine for now.

I am, however, having trouble finding a suitable cable to connect the power pack to the EQ-6. I don't know much about electronics but have managed to find the following two items:

1) http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=PP1996
2) http://dicksmith.com.au/product/M988...1-5-12vdc-1-5a

I am aware that the connector jacks that go into the mount can be either centre-positive or centre-negative in their polarity.

The item from Jaycar can do both but i'm not sure about the one from Dick Smiths. Does anyone here know what the polarity is on the connector jack for the EQ-6? Google has been unable to help me at all.

Also, the item from Dick Smith has a max rating of 1800mA. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the draw on the EQ-6 when loaded is about 2 amps. Will a 1.8 amp adapter be good enough or should I look elsewhere? No idea what the rating of the Jaycar item is.

Thank you for any help.

Cheers,
Dan

[Astro_Bot]

Centre positive. IIRC, it's a 2.1mm jack.

As for rating, normally, I'd aim to exceed spec by a margin, but having said that, I've never checked the after-market one I own, and it's probably not much yet works fine. I've usually found JayCar products to be (on average) slightly better than Dick Smith.

EQ6 Pro draw while sidereal tracking is ~1A, and peaks at ~2A when slewing at max rate. I would expect a 1.8A continuous rated cable would be OK.

[asimov (John)]

RG beat me to it.

[inline_online (Dan)]

Great, thank you very much RG and John

Do I need to be concerned about current ratings of 1800mA?

[Astro_Bot]

I added to my post above.

The other thing to consider is that a right-angle jack stays in a bit better than a straight one.

Edit: Actually, I just checked your links and that Dick Smith spec is 1.8A max, 1.5A continuous. That might be cutting it a bit close.

The Dick Smith item regulates lower voltages - that's a bit of a waste and is probably what is limiting max current. A simple cable is all you need.

[inline_online (Dan)]

Thank you again for your reply.
My EQ-6 doesn't have slewing, only tracking so I won't need a higher current rating.
I think i'll go the Jaycar option based on your comment 'a simple cable is all I need.' It is also less than half the price.

Cheers,
Dan