Powering an old Skywatcher EQ6 Mount

[inline_online (Dan)]

Hi All

My very old battery pack for my Skywatcher EQ-6 finally died so I've been looking at alternatives. The tech certainly has come a long way since I was last in the market with way better capacity and much smaller size.

Would something like this be a good alternative to the Celestron Powertank Lithium Pro?

https://www.bcf.com.au/p/companion-r...027030#start=5

They both specify a DC output of 12V, 5000 mA.
The Celestron states 'tip positive' whereas the Rover Go doesn't mention anything about that.

Looks like the battery technology isn't the same with Celestron LiFePO4 vs Rover Li only. Does this matter?

The mount is an old Skywatcher EQ-6. No goto or any other bells and whistles.

Thanks for any advice.

Cheers,
Dan

[Leo.G (Leo)]

I don't know if this link will give you any useful information:


https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/8...power-sources/

[inline_online (Dan)]

Hi Leo, thanks for the reply.

I did read that one, and another from Cloudy Nights. The one I'm looking at is similar to one linked in the article (https://ridgemonkey.co.uk/product/vault-c-smart-42150) so maybe it will be ok.

I like the smaller form factor as that'll be useful in also powering some of my synth equipment when I'm on the road.

Cheers, Dan

[Leo.G (Leo)]

Personally I'd go with purchasing a battery box and getting an appropriately sized battery and some Anderson plugs (which most battery boxes come with) in preference to paying much higher dollars for any branded commercial unit. I've actually gone down that path myself but haven't had the money to spend on the LiFePO4 battery as of yet. I'm in no hurry because I primarily use my gear in my back yard and can run a short extension cord from my shed with an outdoor power board which has a spike at the base which pushes into the ground.
I nearly bought an AGM battery for the box till I picked the thing up, it was around 35Kg from memory and while I can lift that weight it's not something I'd want to be carrying on a regular basis. That's where the LiFePO4 come into their own.
Then again with a more expensive branded product you are somewhat guaranteed (I'd hope) with the quality.
I looked into purchasing the individual LiFePO4 cells from AliExpress but they wouldn't ship to Australia and it seems like many of the sellers were selling used, worn out cells for high money, another thing buying branded protects against (again, I'd hope so).

Capacity: 42150mAh @ 3.7V / 13Ah @ 11.1V

I'm aware many Lithium batteries and rechargeable stuff in general have lower than standard output, most AA rechargeable batteries only have 1.2V output. Does this state it's actually 12 VDC output?


Then again I believe many of the mounts work well from around 11 volts to 13.x volts without problems but I don't own the 6 of any kind (mount envy, lol) and can't verify this but have seen it mentioned here.As for the output, it would be marked on the case I should expect or an accessory lead that could come with the device.

EDIT:

That's unusual, I watched the video and while it shows the cover with "12V 13Ah" output stamped on it there's no indication of what the actual plug type is, or polarity. I'd be checking that with the seller before committing but it DOES seem rather small for that level of output and may not last a long time in actual use.
That may just be because I've played with electronics for over 50 years and bigger is always better (I'm being facetious), I can't even see the grains of sand they solder on circuit boards now, lol.
Come to think of it I can hardly see the boards now, I grew up in the valve era and have plenty of units that use valves (old radios). No printed circuits, wires connecting every individual component like a rats nest on the underside.

[DarkArts]

You could try EcoFlow products, but there's also Bluetti - both are reliable products with a good reputation, and they both make a wide range of capacities/sizes with varying degrees of portabiity. I would pick either of those over Celestron or 'no-name' brands.

This recent discussion may be relevant: https://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/...d.php?t=213661

I have completely moved away from lead-acid batteries. There's no longer any point when the range of Li-Ion or LiFePO4 is so broad and the regulated outputs and charging options on these power banks are very good. When you add together the cost of the extra equipment on top of the lead-acid battery and box, to make an equivalent product, I don't think Li-Ion/LiFePO4 battery banks are much more expensive (if at all), and all the work is done for you.

I wouldn't buy a Li-Ion/LiFePO4 battery by itself - get a complete power bank (which will have regulated outputs, over-current protection and charging management built in).

However, each to their own.

[Leo.G (Leo)]

Originally Posted by DarkArts

I wouldn't buy a Li-Ion/LiFePO4 battery by itself - get a complete power bank (which will have regulated outputs, over-current protection and charging management built in).

I was looking at individual banks having a background in electronics but when I found many of the items I could get for good prices from China appear to be near dead used items (or no shipping offered) it turned me right against the idea. Personally, I'd still go with my own battery box for my own use but I'd be purchasing a LiFePO4 battery from a reputable source in Australia with warranty to do it and connect banks as I thought useful and to get the capacity I want. I wouldn't recommend anyone without a good working knowledge of battery systems undertaking it though, I'd recommend a commercially available unit.


While I have no experience with the Celestron branded items they seem rather expensive for what's in the box. Some items you pay for the branding on the item and I think the Celestron powerbox (or whatever it's called) is one such item.

I've read some good treports on the Bluetti systems, nothing but good actually. I'm not however familiar with the EcoFlow.
Now I'll have to research them for my own needs.
While I said I use my gear mostly in my back yard where I have access to 220 volt AC I also want to take my gear to 2 local farms where the skies are very dark and minimal traffic to affect my imaging. My own back yard lights up like a Friday night football game with the LED street light out the front lighting up 2/3 of my back yard. Out on both farms, both within a 10-20 minute drive the skies are remarkable and I have access any time I want, one phone call if that.

[Davido (David)]

I have an old EQG goto mount and are trying a jump start power bank to drive it.
Seems to be great with full functionality.
This mount looks identical to EQ6 and has the same pcb as that as well.
My pcb had some "sand" components out of place and missing (one inductor I found completely embedded within a solder lump).
There is still one capacitor missing but it seems to run just fine with it missing and the stepper jumps and leaps with it fitted.
Anyway my experience is that the jump starter works nicely as a battery pack.

[inline_online (Dan)]

Thanks for the advice everyone.
I understand that a larger battery bank will be better, but I was keen on the smaller size to use as a dual function for powering portable music equipment also. Something that can be chucked in a backpack.

I'm still a bit confused about the 'tip-positive' part though. How do I find out what the EQ-6 needs? Wasn't able to find any specs that mentioned this online.

Thanks again, I appreciate all your replies:-)

[DarkArts]

Originally Posted by inline_online

I'm still a bit confused about the 'tip-positive' part though. How do I find out what the EQ-6 needs? Wasn't able to find any specs that mentioned this online.

https://www.skywatcher.com/product/eq6-synscan/

It's tip positive according to the spec above. I've owned a couple of (N)EQ-6s over the years and that seems to agree with my memory. It's rare to find that style of plug that's not tip positive (though I did have one once, so it pays to check).

The Skywatcher EQ-6 was also sold as the Orion Atlas EQ-G (painted black in the latter case), so you can look up specs and dicussions for the EQ-G as well.

You may also wish to buy yourself a multimeter so you can check such things 'in the flesh'.

[Leo.G (Leo)]

I've used my old jump starter plenty of times for this purpose before it's battery died and a new battery was dearer than a smaller jump pack suitable for my car.

[inline_online (Dan)]

Update:

I purchased the Companian Rover Go powerbank from BCF this past weekend. See first post for link.

This worked perfectly as powersupply for my EQ6. I used the cigarette adapter cable that came with the mount so didn't need to worry about cable being tip-positive etc.

This power supply was only $200 and it has almost the same specs as the Celestrol Powertank lithium Pro at over three times the cost. Sure, it doesn't have a light but we all have other lights that we take with us anyway.

Thank you all for your advice above. It is appreciated.