15 replies to this topic

[DOBguyinGA]

Good morning to everyone,

 

I am tired of replacing the eight batteries on my scope. Would someone please recommend a power supply for house current off an extension cord, plus a field power supply.

 

Thanks a lot!
 

All my best,

 

DOBguyin GA

[joseluis.17g]

This is what I use for my virtuoso, it last a lot

I've glued velcro to the battery ¨door¨ and to the external baterry so the scope can spin freely and not have any cable entaglement 

 

https://www.amazon.c...e?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

honestly with that I wouldn't see the need for a house power supply 

[sevenofnine]

+1 on the Talent cell. I use Velcro pads to attach them to my scope's mount. Like this:...

 

.

 

 

[RiderRoy]

If you do use the talentcell, make sure it's one with a true 12v output. Some of the cheaper models don't make a full 12v. Learned this the hard way. 

I went with the EBL portable power station 300. Powers the virtuoso mount for all nighters and you can run a laptop, charge your phone and keep a seestar topped off till sunrise. 

The EBLs are on amazon for 20% off, at the moment. 

[maniack]

If you do use the talentcell, make sure it's one with a true 12v output. Some of the cheaper models don't make a full 12v. Learned this the hard way. 

I went with the EBL portable power station 300. Powers the virtuoso mount for all nighters and you can run a laptop, charge your phone and keep a seestar topped off till sunrise. 

The EBLs are on amazon for 20% off, at the moment. 

The cheaper 3s Talentcell options are fine for the Sky-watcher and Celestron mounts. They actually have an output of about 10.8v, which is perfectly fine for something that takes 8 1.5v batteries. The mounts would continue to work even when the disposable batteries drop below 9v in supplied voltage.

 

Now if you're going to use the same battery to power something like an ASIAIR that needs an actual 12v you'll have problems.

[zizzapnia]

For my Sky Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P I use this Talentcell LiFePo4 battery (replacement for a Talentcell lithium ion that died after a couple of years, which also worked fine with this scope) and this cable.

 

I velcro the battery on its side in front of the scope base. The battery isn't in the picture, but you get the idea. I added an azimuth circle for when I don't want to fiddle with the go-to.

 

 

 

[DOBguyinGA]

Good evening to everyone,

 

I want to thank everyone for their support. I went with the solution from joseluis17g. I used three strips of hook and loop fabric rated for 10 pounds each. The power supply is still in place from two days ago. I gave it a try, and 15 commanded repositions did not drain the battery even one LED on the power indicators. I should be good all night!
 

Again, thanks to everyone.

 

Bestvregards,

 

DOBguyinGA

[Dobsrule]

For a field power supply, I use an Ecoflow River 3 portable power station.  You can buy it with a 45w solar panel or without.  It can also be recharged in < 1hr and with your cars 12V power outlet on your drive to a dark sky site. It has a 12v cigarette lighter type output receptacle which is what I connect my LXD55 mount using the appropriate cable.  It also has other power outputs (USB A, USB C, 110VAC, but for driving a telescope, the 12v receptacle is the most efficient. It stows between the tripod lags and no power cords to trip on or disconnect in the dark.

The unit is small, light and that makes it highly portable for field use.

Edited by Dobsrule, 15 December 2024 - 05:20 PM.

[northernmike]

I was searching for a power bank on the web and ended up here in this post. So instead of starting a new one , I'm going to ask my question here.

When I do observing , I bring out both my Virtuoso and my 8'' classic Sky Watcher . I ordered a AC Infinity fan as suggested by a member in another

post and it's scheduled to be delivered at the end of the week. This one will go on my 8'' classic , so it's a 5v usb port on the fan and I need 12 v for 

my Virtuoso for long tracking astrophotography .

The TalentCell in this post is tempting but I don't know if I'm going enough power for both scopes. So I came across this one and was wandering if

I'll have enough power for both applications?

It's Amazon Canada , so the price is in Can$$

 

https://www.amazon.c...,aps,130&sr=8-8

Edited by northernmike, 17 February 2025 - 01:58 PM.

[DOBguyinGA]

Good afternoon,

 

Good afternoon northernmike,

The thing is, what sort of power cables will you use? You might need to think about maybe tipping over one of your scopes in the dark. There is some red reflective tape on Amazon that is said to be waterproof. You might run a little tape around your power cords every four of five inches or so.

[northernmike]

First, I will put velcro behind the battery pack and stick it on the Virtuoso , then use the short 12v cable that comes with the battery to plug it in (and I also have a spare one)
For the fan , I have a usb male to usb female cable that is about 10 ft long. I also have glow in the dark tape .
If the cable with glow in the dark tape can easily be seen and with 10 ft of it to rotate the 8" ,do you think I'll be ok?

[DOBguyinGA]

Good evening,

 

I would think you could create a simple personal rule, never walk between the scopes. Maybe you could place something there as a reminder like a plastic crate. With the visual clue plus the glowing tape you should be fine.

 

Clear skies!

[northernmike]

So bottom line , will have enough power for the fan and to run the goto on the virtuoso  the entire night with the power supply that I mentionned earlier?

[aeajr]

Just in case you have one, I have run my GoTo scopes off of a car jumper pack.  Works just fine.

[DOBguyinGA]

Good evening everyone,

Speaking of car jumper packs, we received two for Christmas. I have not used one yet so I had overlooked it in the context of this discussion.

And they are so useful if I ever need to start something with a rated peak current of 3,000 DCA (direct current amps)!

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Edited by DOBguyinGA, 18 February 2025 - 08:11 PM.

[Meterman]

I use an Aimtom SPS-155 with my XX12G. It's 42000 mah, 155 Wh. Has 3x 12V, 3x USB,  and 1x 110V at 100W outlets. Can be charged by AC charger, 12V car outlet, or from an optional solar panel. 

 

https://marketplace....-enervee-score/

 

I've powered my scope over multiple viewing sessions before recharge. I think the most was 7-8 4-6 hour sessions and it never went below 50%. I've also gone many hours powering the LED lights and cordless tool chargers in my workshop, haven't run AC power to it yet.