Power supply

[Ouija (Tony)]

Hello all. i have a question for you. i have a heq5 pro & i purchased this http://www.bintel.com.au/Accessories...oductview.aspx .
it lasted 2 outings & it **** itself. i really dont want to get another 1 of these, i think i would be wasting money.
question is, can i use 1 of these http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/onl...d=283446#Cross or is it just over kill ?. i am open to
advice on the best / cheapest way to power it. thank you.

[Amaranthus (Barry)]

Funny, I've used the exact same PS from Bintel for my AZ-EQ6 and it's been super reliable. You might have got a dud, and could get it replaced.

[Astro_Bot]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

At the risk of coming across as unhelpful (which is not intended) ...

This question has been answered dozens of times. There is a stack of information on power suppplies, adapters, batteries, battery packs and much, much more on the forum.

Searching the forum, and reading the corresponding threads, will tell you everything you need to know, including a range of opinions on the very product you're inquiring about.

At the top of the page you'll find a series of links. Search is the one you want.

Originally Posted by A Well Known Proverb

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

[Bullfrog (Jeremy)]

I know plenty of people that use those jump starter packs and they work fine.

You shouldn't have any trouble

[glend (Glen)]

Tony you can use any 12V source that can supply the needed amperage to the mount. My NEQ6 draws 2amps so I would expect the HEQ5 to be the same. I use small 12V home alarm system batteries (12V, 7amp hr) three of these wired in parallel, in a single toolbox type case, for 21amps in total ,which cost about $20 each on ebay. IF you go with at battery you will need a way to charge it, and any auto battery charger will do.

With the Jump Start packs just be aware that they are built for a short high amp use (starting a car) and have a reputation for not lasting very long if they are not kept constantly charged up. They will work, but keep them charged all the time if possible.

Yes the Bintel power supply is usually a good product and will do the job, but you need AC input all the time, something not usually available if you go out to a dark site. That's where a battery system will be advantagous.

Call Bintel and get that power supply replaced under warranty.

[Bullfrog (Jeremy)]

By the way, overkill is not a problem when it comes to dark sky areas. When your away from a power grid you'll want as much as possible. Especially if you start running dew heaters or get into some imaging.

[Ouija (Tony)]

Thank you very much ppl. great help & sorry about posting something that has been posted a million times. appreciated

[5ash (Philip)]

Originally Posted by Amaranthus

Funny, I've used the exact same PS from Bintel for my AZ-EQ6 and it's been super reliable. You might have got a dud, and could get it replaced.

You can also go to Jaycar and get exactly the same supply for $39 , and they work fine powering my neq6.
Philip

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Every cheap jumpstarter I've bought has died quickly - anywhere from 6 months to two years.

But my Projecta one from Bunnings cost a lot more and lasted for about 15 years. I replaced it with another Projecta one, and that has been working fine for the last two years.
Regards,
Renato

[wasyoungonce (Brendan)]

Tony what is the issue with the Bintel PSU?

12V cigarette lighter sockets and plugs can be notoriously unreliable in good contact. Maybe this is the issue.

[Bullfrog (Jeremy)]

I agree with Brendan about the cigarette socket problem. If you or you know someone whose hand with a soldering iron then changing things to a RCA or similar plug eliminates needless power issues. It's especially annoying when you've spent all that time aligning your scope and then half way through viewing a really great DSO you power drop out and you've gotta realign all over. It seems that the alignment never matches up again.