#1  
Old 09-03-2021, 03:00 PM
bluesilver (Peter)
Registered User

bluesilver is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Australia, Tasmania
Posts: 426
240Z to 12V power supply options

Hi, been doing a bi of a search on here plus elsewhere and haven't really found a good answer,
So i was hoping someone might be able to help me out with a bit of advise or information please.

Basically i am thinking about running my equipment directly from the house 240V and using a converter to bring it back to 12V DC

What i am running is:
SkWatcher AZ-EQ6 mount
Two ZWO ASI cameras
Two dew heaters
A Laptop

I am thinking about plugging the 12V end or the converter into a 12VDC Car Cigarette Lighter Socket 4-Way Splitter
One of these:
https://www.jaycar.com.au/12vdc-car-...sort=relevance

Then that way from the 4 way splitter, i can plug the mount into one of them, the Laptop into another one and the dew heaters into the other 2.
It sounds like a good idea to me, but really looking for some advise as i am sure others have gone down this track many times before and have a system that works well.

But the main question after all that is what is a good 240V AC to 12V Dc converter?

I was looking at these two options from Jaycar

This one is rated at 7.5A

https://www.jaycar.com.au/12vdc-7-5a...ocket/p/MP3575

This one is rated at 12.5A

https://www.jaycar.com.au/12vdc-12-5...ocket/p/MP3573

Would these be a good solution, or is not really recommended to run the system through a converter and best to use battery packs?

Any information or advise is appreciated.
Thanks.
Peter.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 09-03-2021, 04:26 PM
NorthernLight's Avatar
NorthernLight (Max)
Settled

NorthernLight is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Auckland, NZ
Posts: 343
I bought a regulated AC DC converter at Bintel many moons ago. They don’t have it in their line up anymore but it works a Charme and has never failed me. It has a cooling fan and a easy access fuse. Two screw connections at the front and a cable with with both wires lugged off for the screw terminal on one side and a cigarette lighter port on the other. From there I plugged in a splitter to get two cigarette lighter outlets - one for the mount, one for the dew heater. The laptop runs of mains power via its own power cable with converter. It’s best to keep things separate. The dew heater is fine as it’s a static load. The mount doesn’t like to be connected with other electronic items on the same power source. The Bintel converter provides slightly more than 12V so that the voltage stays above 12V when the motors kick in for a slew and suddenly start drawing over 2Amp, which cheap converters can’t handle. If the voltage to the mount drops below 12V, the mount will beep and start behaving erratic or **** down. I can only recommend over sizing the power supply for this reason. Try to get the best cigarette outlets money can buy you as they are notorious for loosing spring strength internally, which cause loose connections. Loose connections that fail completely are fine but if it’s on off, the mount will hurt and you may see burn marks in the outlet. Cable diameters should be minimum 2sqare mm to handle the amps in any temperature. I keep my power supply in a box under the mount with a tarp over it to protect from dew. Also in the box is the multi board that supplies laptop and converter. Prepare a $150 budget. Cheap stuff is not good for your mount, it doesn’t like unstable voltage. Better give it 14V, which caves in to 13 under load then 12V that caves to 9V under sudden load. Your mount will stop slewing immediately and beep until reset. Not cool during target acquisition. I was a bit shocked about when the guys at Bintel recommended me the converter but never had any issues, even when mixed up polarity once. Buy something big and heavy with a cooling fan and never replace it rather than going on budget with this. I tried batteries before and found them to be a waste of time. Even heavy duty UPS batteries. For the field I built a contraption consisting of a former 2.5sqare mm extension lead fitted with crocodile clamps to hook on the car battery and a 4x cigarette outlet. It runs the mount and dew heater plus the laptop via a dedicated 12V DC to 230V Ac converter. This works fine but the car needs to run the whole time. The internal governer will regulate the voltage. Petrol loss is negligible. Hope this gives you some ideas.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 09-03-2021, 05:43 PM
Merlin66's Avatar
Merlin66 (Ken)
Registered User

Merlin66 is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Junortoun Vic
Posts: 8,904
I use a 10A 240 to 12v DC transformer to power all my gear in the observatory.
To ensure good voltage to the NEQ6PRO I add a car converter 12v to 15v, 120W.
Touch wood, this has worked well for me for the past ten years.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 09-03-2021, 07:41 PM
Startrek (Martin)
Registered User

Startrek is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Sydney and South Coast NSW
Posts: 5,990
Peter,
My AP power supply system is made up of 3 x Powertech 12V 7.5A power adapters from Jaycar and have been using it for 4 years without any failures ( model no MP 3575 )
No 1 power adapter runs the mount
No 2 power adapter runs my 2600MC camera cooling
No 3 power adapter runs my 4 Kendrick heater bands

I have this system duplicated at my 2 locations Sydney and South coast NSW
I just use 3 x 5m individual 12V 15A heavy duty cigarette extension cords
Again these have never failed or deteriorated in 4 years of use ( I leave my gear outside for weeks at a time and have weatherproof covers )
All equipment is mounted on a little Laptop table which is all plug in plug out including 230V 5 way power board with surge protection , 4 port Startech USB3 powered hub , 3 x Powertech 12V 7.5 A power adapters
3 x 12V power is plugged in via 12V 15A cigarette sockets under the mount in a little plastic bucket / bowel
See attached photos
Cheers
Martin
Attached Thumbnails
Click for full-size image (91E904B5-F1C4-4FC0-AA69-9DE501BCF2DC.jpg)
202.7 KB68 views
Click for full-size image (FA83DEAB-A58D-4B30-B55A-EDCC3A58FE09.jpg)
203.9 KB59 views
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 10-03-2021, 06:51 AM
bluesilver (Peter)
Registered User

bluesilver is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Australia, Tasmania
Posts: 426
Thanks for the replies, appreciated.
Sounds like i am on the right track then with the converters
From what i think i am reading and please correct me if i am wrong here.
But to me it sounds like the best setup is to have a dedicated converter for the mount only, so nothing else runs of this converter but the mount.
Then run the rest of the equipment of another converter.
Or go one step further and run the Laptop / pc or a separate converter.

Thanks again.
Peter
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 10-03-2021, 08:29 AM
AdamJL
Registered User

AdamJL is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,100
I also use the Powertech 7.5A adapter. I only use it at home when I'm doing tests on the mount or when I take the mount to my parents house where I can shoot in their backyard (can't shoot in mine, view of the sky is too obscured).
I haven't used any splitters on it, but have used splitters on my LifePO4 battery pack to power the mount and dew heater.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 10-03-2021, 08:55 AM
jahnpahwa (JP)
Registered User

jahnpahwa is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: Canberra, AUS
Posts: 593
Quote:
Originally Posted by AdamJL View Post
I also use the Powertech 7.5A adapter. I only use it at home when I'm doing tests on the mount or when I take the mount to my parents house where I can shoot in their backyard (can't shoot in mine, view of the sky is too obscured).
I haven't used any splitters on it, but have used splitters on my LifePO4 battery pack to power the mount and dew heater.
Yep, I use the same, with a splitter, one for cooling a camera (2A) and one for the mount (not much amps). Has not failed, though the plugs often fall apart and I have to shove them back together.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 10-03-2021, 12:57 PM
bluesilver (Peter)
Registered User

bluesilver is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Australia, Tasmania
Posts: 426
Thanks for all the replies, very much appreciated.
I think i will go ahead and get a couple of these converters
Sounds like they work and are popular enough that a few are using them without too many issues.
Simple and easy to setup.
Appreciated.
Peter.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 11-03-2021, 03:14 PM
ChrisV's Avatar
ChrisV (Chris)
Registered User

ChrisV is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Sydney
Posts: 1,737
I got the 240-12v 10A one from Jaycar and the 4 output cigarette plug adaptor you listed. It's been good for a few years now.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 12-03-2021, 02:53 PM
kens (Ken)
Registered User

kens is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 314
I went with an excessively large power supply
https://www.radioparts.com.au/produc...ench-top-black
There's a smaller 25A model also.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 12-03-2021, 08:17 PM
DeWynter's Avatar
DeWynter (ILYA)
Registered User

DeWynter is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Posts: 161
I'm using 240V-12V PSU for my gear and I love it.
https://rs-components.com/ has a wide range of PSU's than JayCar.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 13-03-2021, 07:00 AM
bluesilver (Peter)
Registered User

bluesilver is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Australia, Tasmania
Posts: 426
I went ahead and got one from Jaycar.
So far works well inside, will have to wait until the weather improves to see how it goes give it run outside, but so far looking fine.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +10. The time is now 08:08 AM.

Powered by vBulletin Version 3.8.7 | Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Advertisement
Testar
Advertisement
Bintel
Advertisement