Hi Chad. Nice Battery Box. But I wanted to get away from lead acid as they have to be replaced every couple of years and you can only discharge to 50%. So I built a 2x2 ft wooden box out of 1/2" Plywood. Then layered the interior with 2" R15 insulation. I put a 100 Amp hour LIFEPO4 battery in the box. The BMS for this battery does not have any low temp charging protection, but that wasn't a major concern as I determine when I charge the battery and I do not leave my solar panels hooked up 24/7. I wasn't planning on putting my micro PC inside the box, but I wanted to keep it in a spot that did stay a little warmer. And by surprise the micro PC adds just enough heat to keep the box in the mid 40's / 4-5 C even when it's down around 10F outside. Which allows me to use my solar panels even in the cold temps without risking my $400.00 LIFEPO4 battery. And this battery can be used for multiple nights. I've got two dew straps and my Powerbox to keep powered along with both cameras and the mount. Even on cold nights when the dew straps are working overtime, I use about 10-20% of the Battery. I usually charge it back up the next day. But could go multiple days if needed. It's a great little box. But a tad larger than yours, but probably lighter due to no lead acid. ;o)
I have been looking at the LIFEPO4 batteries but I think that project will need to wait until this first box runs its life cycle. My AGM can actually be discharged to over 90% and still has 200+ cycles at that rate. But, it is definitely heavy. :) I have had a few people send me images and messages about their own completed designs with solar charging, etc as well. I'm a bit jealous. :)
Hello Chad, great content again. I built a power distribution box along similar lines to your build. The only difference really was that I chose to add a 120W solar panel with charge controller to use in the field (camping trips etc) to charge the 100AH lead acid battery. Cant guarantee that you can always get 220V hookup at a camp site in the UK and there's something really cool about running the rig on solar.
That is a great idea.I have gotten emails form 1 or 2 people that have also added solar charging. Running on solar while imaging the sun is a sort of perpetual motion machine I think. LOL!
Another great video, Chad. I'm in the middle of a similar battery box project, definitely inspired by yours, including the Milwaukee toolbox. In my case I opted for a 100Ah Renogy LiFePO4 battery of the same group size as your AGM, but at less than half the weight. I plan to charge the battery from household AC, and when in the field from a solar panel and charge controller. I modded an AC battery charger by cutting the cable clamps off and installing 30 amp Anderson PowerPole connectors so I could connect securely the battery box via the "charging port". The PowerPoles automatically prevent reverse polarity connections, something you may still be vulnerable to if you are clamping onto exposed leads to power the charging circuit. I put a set of those connectors on the severed cable clamps so I could use them on other batteries as needed. I modded my my multi-meter the same way so it can now connect directly into any circuit supplied with PowerPoles, or I can put one or both probes on and poke around the connections with my gear to test for voltage leaks, polarity, continuity, resistance, etc.
I do the same for charging as well, cut the leads and replace with powerpole connectors. I hadn't considered making a set of powerpole cables for my multimeter, but I may do that as well. Keep me in the loop on your battery. I have considered swapping out battery for one of those (similar) as well. I have found so many reports of counterfeit/knock-off Li batteries though, so I held off in the short term - Plus 1. I don't use my battery much, and 2. I already have the AGM. :)
@@PatriotAstro Hi Chad, the battery box build is nearly complete (just waiting for a few optional parts to arrive) and is already working really well. The LiPo battery gives me ample run time (about 20 hours), and at 32.5 pounds is easy to haul around. The Milwaukee Pack-out box is a perfect fit and leaves room for the wiring. The cost comes in at roughly half that of a commercial all-in-one solar power station of similar capacity. As for design, I opted to put the meter and switches on a panel under the lid. The fuses, a small solar charge controller, terminal blocks, etc. are fastened to the underside of the same panel. Waterproof panel mounts for the DC outputs and charging inputs on the side of the box are protected by the box's shape. This means the switches and meter are fully protected during travel, or if it gets wet during use. I'll send you pics if you want to see how it looks. This battery box will let us get to a lot of excellent dark sites that were not available to us previously. The possibilities for "astro-boondocking" are fun to think about. Thanks for the inspiration!
My setup uses 90 amp hour AGM marine battery. I take one usually but bought 2. These are expensive but last 7 years. They are sealed with pressure plugs. I used to use car batteries but the evaporation killed the battery every 2-3 years. For power, I put an Anderson power pole hub on the tube assembly and only run one wire to the battery
Great video. Very helpful! Really looking forward to completing the project. One quick note - your Amazon link to the power toggle switches point to a 2 position ON-ON switch and not the ON-OFF-ON as depicted in the video.
Curious if anyone has experience in sub freezing temps using a lithium battery. I mean those nights where we astronomers live for… do they still operate well? How much insulation is needed, and do the battery kits produce enough heat in the exchange to warm up the box?AGM’s and traditional lead acid have one advantage on the back end. Recycling of their materials is very cost effective,as opposed to lithium -which no one has invented a process yet that is cost effective and doesn’t ruin the ecosystem . If you’re looking at pure environmental considerations; lead is still king-although I must admit lithium batteries are amazing.
I could absolutely do that, especially with mounts like the HEQ5 that are actually seen to track better if you keep the motor in the 13.4-13.7 range. Thus far, no issues with voltage drop based on the battery I am using, but others may want to consider this for sure. Thanks!
@@PatriotAstro Yeah lead acid and AGM only have a 50% usable before battery damage and voltage drops off too. Not so bad with Lithium but that just drops off a cliff and dies :). Ebay usually has the cheap 13.4 regulatiors for around £14.
fantastic video and what an awesome build! I had a naive 101 question just out curiosity: you went with a DPDT switch....can we use a SPDT switch instead to flip the circuit from charging mode to use mode? The issue here is there is constant load (no true off), but does it matter when the charger is not connected (in which case it will be truly off)?
Thanks for this video; it has me thinking toward doing something similar--though the more I think about it, most of the details would be different. In place of the 65-lb lead-acid battery, I'm looking at LiFePO4 cells of about 11 lb. That gives nominal 12V at 50 Ah, or half the nominal capacity of your build--but LiFePO4 tolerates deep discharge much better than lead-acid, meaning usable capacity (while maintaining a decent cycle life) would be about the same. No H2 to vent on charging, either. Downside is that you do need a BMS.
Well, waited too long to order the 50-Ah cells, so I ordered a set of 100-Ah packs from Battery Hookup. Four of those (for a nominal 12V, 100 Ah), and a BMS, were $299. They fit nicely into a MTM plastic ammo can, and I'm putting a fused PowerPole distribution block on the cover. Heavier than I'd figured, but should still be around 25 lb. Total cost should be around $400.
Great video! I’ve got essentially the same setup with a cooled zwo camera, filter wheel, dew heater, amd Asiair + controller. Would this setup be able to power for 10 hrs?
Awesome video! This video has give a detailed example of how to set up a Battery box. I do have one question, if I am looking to use a different kind of battery other than Duracell. What battery would you recommend?
Hi. Thanks for the great video! I have a question (hopefully it wasn't covered somewhere else and maybe I just missed it): At 56:15 "but this is going to run for quite a while". How long is "quite a while" (ballpark)? It seems like a 100AH battery is pretty expensive, and if that affords running the telescope for 16 hours continuously - then it's overkill, if you really only need 8 hours or less. I usually drive to some remote location and use an AC cigarette lighter converter on my car, which is rated at 140W continuous, 175w peak - and I'm just butting up against probably overloading it - so it got me looking at power the telescope with a battery. But with all components plugged in I expect a 180w peak load (I don't use dew heaters for now) - but I don't have a feel for whether at nominal load I would only really need a 30aH battery to cover an 8 hr astrophoto session. Celestron sells battery packs and they are only 17aH - so I'm very curious to optimize the battery capacity. Thanks again for the great video - I really appreciate the guidance.
It is hard to ballpark the timing. I do find that the actual power draw of our equipment collectively is lower than we may expect with an occasional spike here and there during a big slew, or chip cool, or dew heater run, etc... Best bet is to get an inline power meter and see exactly what you are drawing then do some math. The other concern is how the battery one uses introduces voltage drop. So, some batteries may be fine at 50% capacity but others may only output 11.9 volts at 50% and it may cause issues with your mount, etc. You can add a boost converter to the power path (I have one that outputs 13.1 consistently i think) but even those have a low end input voltage limit and will cut power if the voltage from the battery gets too low. DC battery math is painful, and unless you have some experience with a specific battery it can be less predictable than desired. :( So, you could have a battery where the math says it will run for 16 hours, but reality shows you can use it for 6 hours at an acceptable output voltage. Make sense?
Great video Chad. Just what I was looking for. At about 54:15 mark you mention a 12v powered USB hub. Where did you get it, I've been looking for one. Thanks, Brian
Nice box. I'm looking to build one for my AP rig. Father's Day brought me a NOCO Genius10 charger. Now I've got to buy the battery and all the other bits. Any concerns with the plastic tool case handle holding up with the 45+ lbs. of switches and battery all at once? Lot of great tips like making the ON position of the small switches face the port.
No problem at all so far. I have about the heaviest battery you can fit in the box. You’re not really going to be throwing it around. It’s a struggle to pick it up and just move it from point A to point B. :-)
Hi Chad. Thanks for all the great videos! I would like to add a battery monitor to my setup so I have a question I am hoping you might be able to answer for me. My battery is a 100ah lithium iron phosphate battery. I have heard they are best not stored at 100% charge and since my astro rig does not use much power I would like to keep it at approximately 50-70% charge. From what I understand they stay pretty close to their voltage through the whole discharge while a lead acid battery voltage drops slowly as it discharges. So, would the battery meter you use be able to monitor a lithium iron phosphate battery? Thanks, Tom
Assuming you are talking about reporting the voltage, it should be fine. You are right, those batteries tend to output a consistently higher voltage until they eventually fall off a cliff and they don’t ‘taper off’ like typical lead acid one.
@@PatriotAstro It looks like the meter you are using shows the capacity of the battery but my guess is that it is using the lowering of the voltage to determine how fully charged it is. If that is the case i don't think it will work for my situation. Thanks, Tom
Thanks for this video, I recently made a box from wood myself. I haven't yet installed a battery in it. I connected the fuse block with a 12v PSU that plugins in a 230v extension cable going to my garage. I'll add a battery in the future. At the end of the video you show the complete setup. I noticed that you made a small platform with wheels on it. How do you know that the mount is actually level? Do you disassemble the mount and place a level on the tripod or do you use the small bubble level that's on the mount? I found that the bubble level in my HEQ5-pro isn't quite perfect so I have to remove the mount from the tripod in order to balance the tripod.
Thanks for watching! As for my mount being level, it isn't ... ever. I don't bother leveling it anymore either. :) With the EQ mount, as long as you have a good polar alignment (I use a PoleMaster on each of my mounts), and use platesolving to locate targets (which also syncs the correct current coordinates to the telescope), and of course guiding from there on out while imaging, and after the first solve completes, it is oriented and has no problem. From what I understand, the same is true for an ALT-AZ mount after 3-star alignment occurs as well. This may make for a fun (OCD inducing) video where I start with a fairly dramatic (but stable) unleveled mount and go from there. Hmmm...
What Astro computer do you use? I’ve been using ASIair Plus. Super convenient for remote or at home. It can also power the Astro camera/filter wheel/focuser etc. So I just have 2 wires going to the battery. One for the ASIair and one for the mount. I just noticed those Windows PCs-in-a-thumb drive. Amazing. Curious to see how they might work.
2 роки тому+1
Absolutely great video, thank you for this information. Some things are much clearer now. One thing that confuses me are the Johnson power poles, I'm keep getting the name Anderson power poles, are these the same just different brand or I missed something? Thank you for the awesome videos.
Same thing, I’ve bought multiple brands in the past. Anderson Power Poles are what you want. There are other connection options of course, I just find these easy to use.
So, I didn't choose to link the screws because i found that these cheap small fans were somewhat inconsistent in their design tolerances. Your best bet is to run to a local hardware store with the fan and try a couple until you get the fit and length you need. I should've been a little clearer on that. sorry! :)
Hi Chad, I was ready to do this project but ran into a problem . My computer power supply draws 135 watts 20 volts, how is a 12 volt battery going to run my computer? is your computer run on 12 volts
Yes. What you can look for is a some sort of voltage converter. There are various ones out there that you can wire in line that will do voltage changes so that you can go in at 12 V but have a single output that your computer can use 20 V. Just make sure you label it appropriately or use a different connector so you don’t plug anything 12 V into that port once rewired. You can even create that particular device as a dongle so it’s outside the box and you can plug it into any port needed.
I know... I'm waiting for some feedback from a couple people on the NINA team that are building battery boxes with some lighter battery cells. I'm not swapping out until I get some more validation on their battery life over time...
You can! But with the EQ5 I suggest coming out of the battery into a Buck Boost Convertor that steps up the voltage to 13.8v. I have found a couple of them available on Amazon and elsewhere with the most reliable ones being designed for golf carts of all things... :)
Just Say No! Why? For a low cost 12v + Usb + C + Flashlight + replaceable battery do: 18V ONE+ 120-WATT POWER SOURCE WITH 12V OUTPUT (RYI12VBG) Now It is expensive $60 and you need to buy 18v battery but, for home use I have 18v radios 18v Fans 18v drills 18v saws 18v sanders 18v routers 18v hammer drills. Truth Ryobi do have 18v mowers and 18v string trimmers and they are junk but, the 18v hand tools are great. So I have tons and tons of 18v batteries and some of you may need to buy a 18v battery but that is the neat part about it. 18v Roybi range from 2A to 16A and are replicable. Last For my 4 Celestron Telescopes I use 12v Roybi power It’s the Boss!
Now you can go crazy and buy 12Ah 18v battery or a 18v bank that will hold 6 18v batteries but Why When you can easily pop out a 6Ah battery and pop in a new fully charged battery in seconds.
I totally get it. :) Jackery has become pretty popular in the Astro Community. They can get pricey, but start here and you can jump around through the models. amzn.to/3dbbRHu
Whew yes those are pricey. I split the difference and got a Trolling Motor smart battery box that has a few prebuilt connectors (cig lighter and a USB port) Also grabbed a 100ah lithium battery all on Amazon for about 1/4 the jackery price. Now I just need to decide between Anderson and Johnson connectors? Johnson seems to have more devices to choose from (power distribution blocks with fuses, etc).
Yeah, don’t get me wrong, this was one of my earliest videos, and I’ve certainly changed a lot of things since then. Unfortunately, the audience is very new in many cases to the basics of electronics, wiring, and working with any base tools so I had to go a little bit deeper than I wanted to. But if I had to do this video again, I would change a few things for sure.
Hi Chad. Nice Battery Box. But I wanted to get away from lead acid as they have to be replaced every couple of years and you can only discharge to 50%. So I built a 2x2 ft wooden box out of 1/2" Plywood. Then layered the interior with 2" R15 insulation. I put a 100 Amp hour LIFEPO4 battery in the box. The BMS for this battery does not have any low temp charging protection, but that wasn't a major concern as I determine when I charge the battery and I do not leave my solar panels hooked up 24/7. I wasn't planning on putting my micro PC inside the box, but I wanted to keep it in a spot that did stay a little warmer. And by surprise the micro PC adds just enough heat to keep the box in the mid 40's / 4-5 C even when it's down around 10F outside. Which allows me to use my solar panels even in the cold temps without risking my $400.00 LIFEPO4 battery. And this battery can be used for multiple nights. I've got two dew straps and my Powerbox to keep powered along with both cameras and the mount. Even on cold nights when the dew straps are working overtime, I use about 10-20% of the Battery. I usually charge it back up the next day. But could go multiple days if needed. It's a great little box. But a tad larger than yours, but probably lighter due to no lead acid. ;o)
I have been looking at the LIFEPO4 batteries but I think that project will need to wait until this first box runs its life cycle. My AGM can actually be discharged to over 90% and still has 200+ cycles at that rate. But, it is definitely heavy. :) I have had a few people send me images and messages about their own completed designs with solar charging, etc as well. I'm a bit jealous. :)
Hello Chad, great content again. I built a power distribution box along similar lines to your build. The only difference really was that I chose to add a 120W solar panel with charge controller to use in the field (camping trips etc) to charge the 100AH lead acid battery. Cant guarantee that you can always get 220V hookup at a camp site in the UK and there's something really cool about running the rig on solar.
That is a great idea.I have gotten emails form 1 or 2 people that have also added solar charging. Running on solar while imaging the sun is a sort of perpetual motion machine I think. LOL!
Very nicely build, interesting to follow this along
Thanks!
Another great video, Chad. I'm in the middle of a similar battery box project, definitely inspired by yours, including the Milwaukee toolbox. In my case I opted for a 100Ah Renogy LiFePO4 battery of the same group size as your AGM, but at less than half the weight. I plan to charge the battery from household AC, and when in the field from a solar panel and charge controller. I modded an AC battery charger by cutting the cable clamps off and installing 30 amp Anderson PowerPole connectors so I could connect securely the battery box via the "charging port". The PowerPoles automatically prevent reverse polarity connections, something you may still be vulnerable to if you are clamping onto exposed leads to power the charging circuit. I put a set of those connectors on the severed cable clamps so I could use them on other batteries as needed. I modded my my multi-meter the same way so it can now connect directly into any circuit supplied with PowerPoles, or I can put one or both probes on and poke around the connections with my gear to test for voltage leaks, polarity, continuity, resistance, etc.
I do the same for charging as well, cut the leads and replace with powerpole connectors. I hadn't considered making a set of powerpole cables for my multimeter, but I may do that as well. Keep me in the loop on your battery. I have considered swapping out battery for one of those (similar) as well. I have found so many reports of counterfeit/knock-off Li batteries though, so I held off in the short term - Plus 1. I don't use my battery much, and 2. I already have the AGM. :)
@@PatriotAstro Hi Chad, the battery box build is nearly complete (just waiting for a few optional parts to arrive) and is already working really well. The LiPo battery gives me ample run time (about 20 hours), and at 32.5 pounds is easy to haul around. The Milwaukee Pack-out box is a perfect fit and leaves room for the wiring. The cost comes in at roughly half that of a commercial all-in-one solar power station of similar capacity. As for design, I opted to put the meter and switches on a panel under the lid. The fuses, a small solar charge controller, terminal blocks, etc. are fastened to the underside of the same panel. Waterproof panel mounts for the DC outputs and charging inputs on the side of the box are protected by the box's shape. This means the switches and meter are fully protected during travel, or if it gets wet during use. I'll send you pics if you want to see how it looks. This battery box will let us get to a lot of excellent dark sites that were not available to us previously. The possibilities for "astro-boondocking" are fun to think about. Thanks for the inspiration!
@@daveincanada4794 Sounds like a great build! So glad it worked out for you. Definitely send pictures when you get a chance!
My setup uses 90 amp hour AGM marine battery. I take one usually but bought 2. These are expensive but last 7 years. They are sealed with pressure plugs. I used to use car batteries but the evaporation killed the battery every 2-3 years. For power, I put an Anderson power pole hub on the tube assembly and only run one wire to the battery
Fantastic!
Great video. Very helpful! Really looking forward to completing the project. One quick note - your Amazon link to the power toggle switches point to a 2 position ON-ON switch and not the ON-OFF-ON as depicted in the video.
Curious if anyone has experience in sub freezing temps using a lithium battery. I mean those nights where we astronomers live for… do they still operate well? How much insulation is needed, and do the battery kits produce enough heat in the exchange to warm up the box?AGM’s and traditional lead acid have one advantage on the back end. Recycling of their materials is very cost effective,as opposed to lithium -which no one has invented a process yet that is cost effective and doesn’t ruin the ecosystem . If you’re looking at pure environmental considerations; lead is still king-although I must admit lithium batteries are amazing.
Nice video and build. It needs a 12vdc to 13.4 regulator for mount power
I could absolutely do that, especially with mounts like the HEQ5 that are actually seen to track better if you keep the motor in the 13.4-13.7 range. Thus far, no issues with voltage drop based on the battery I am using, but others may want to consider this for sure. Thanks!
@@PatriotAstro Yeah lead acid and AGM only have a 50% usable before battery damage and voltage drops off too. Not so bad with Lithium but that just drops off a cliff and dies :). Ebay usually has the cheap 13.4 regulatiors for around £14.
I've decided to go with a lithium power station. I purchase a Bluette EB3. My power needs are less. It got an inverter also and is lightweight.
Very nice video, well explained and detailed! Thanks for that, it helped me in the making of my new power box :-)
Glad it helped
fantastic video and what an awesome build! I had a naive 101 question just out curiosity: you went with a DPDT switch....can we use a SPDT switch instead to flip the circuit from charging mode to use mode? The issue here is there is constant load (no true off), but does it matter when the charger is not connected (in which case it will be truly off)?
Thanks for this video; it has me thinking toward doing something similar--though the more I think about it, most of the details would be different. In place of the 65-lb lead-acid battery, I'm looking at LiFePO4 cells of about 11 lb. That gives nominal 12V at 50 Ah, or half the nominal capacity of your build--but LiFePO4 tolerates deep discharge much better than lead-acid, meaning usable capacity (while maintaining a decent cycle life) would be about the same. No H2 to vent on charging, either. Downside is that you do need a BMS.
Well, waited too long to order the 50-Ah cells, so I ordered a set of 100-Ah packs from Battery Hookup. Four of those (for a nominal 12V, 100 Ah), and a BMS, were $299. They fit nicely into a MTM plastic ammo can, and I'm putting a fused PowerPole distribution block on the cover. Heavier than I'd figured, but should still be around 25 lb. Total cost should be around $400.
Have you thought about using WAGO connectors in certain places? Makes connecting things or changing something really simple.
Ya, that certainly could make some of the connections easy. Hmm. Maybe on my next build.
Great video! I’ve got essentially the same setup with a cooled zwo camera, filter wheel, dew heater, amd Asiair + controller. Would this setup be able to power for 10 hrs?
Awesome video! This video has give a detailed example of how to set up a Battery box.
I do have one question, if I am looking to use a different kind of battery other than Duracell. What battery would you recommend?
Hi. Thanks for the great video! I have a question (hopefully it wasn't covered somewhere else and maybe I just missed it):
At 56:15 "but this is going to run for quite a while". How long is "quite a while" (ballpark)? It seems like a 100AH battery is pretty expensive, and if that affords running the telescope for 16 hours continuously - then it's overkill, if you really only need 8 hours or less.
I usually drive to some remote location and use an AC cigarette lighter converter on my car, which is rated at 140W continuous, 175w peak - and I'm just butting up against probably overloading it - so it got me looking at power the telescope with a battery. But with all components plugged in I expect a 180w peak load (I don't use dew heaters for now) - but I don't have a feel for whether at nominal load I would only really need a 30aH battery to cover an 8 hr astrophoto session. Celestron sells battery packs and they are only 17aH - so I'm very curious to optimize the battery capacity.
Thanks again for the great video - I really appreciate the guidance.
It is hard to ballpark the timing. I do find that the actual power draw of our equipment collectively is lower than we may expect with an occasional spike here and there during a big slew, or chip cool, or dew heater run, etc... Best bet is to get an inline power meter and see exactly what you are drawing then do some math. The other concern is how the battery one uses introduces voltage drop. So, some batteries may be fine at 50% capacity but others may only output 11.9 volts at 50% and it may cause issues with your mount, etc. You can add a boost converter to the power path (I have one that outputs 13.1 consistently i think) but even those have a low end input voltage limit and will cut power if the voltage from the battery gets too low. DC battery math is painful, and unless you have some experience with a specific battery it can be less predictable than desired. :( So, you could have a battery where the math says it will run for 16 hours, but reality shows you can use it for 6 hours at an acceptable output voltage. Make sense?
Great video Chad. Just what I was looking for. At about 54:15 mark you mention a 12v powered USB hub. Where did you get it, I've been looking for one. Thanks, Brian
Nice box. I'm looking to build one for my AP rig. Father's Day brought me a NOCO Genius10 charger. Now I've got to buy the battery and all the other bits. Any concerns with the plastic tool case handle holding up with the 45+ lbs. of switches and battery all at once? Lot of great tips like making the ON position of the small switches face the port.
No problem at all so far. I have about the heaviest battery you can fit in the box. You’re not really going to be throwing it around. It’s a struggle to pick it up and just move it from point A to point B. :-)
Hi Chad. Thanks for all the great videos! I would like to add a battery monitor to my setup so I have a question I am hoping you might be able to answer for me. My battery is a 100ah lithium iron phosphate battery. I have heard they are best not stored at 100% charge and since my astro rig does not use much power I would like to keep it at approximately 50-70% charge. From what I understand they stay pretty close to their voltage through the whole discharge while a lead acid battery voltage drops slowly as it discharges. So, would the battery meter you use be able to monitor a lithium iron phosphate battery? Thanks, Tom
Assuming you are talking about reporting the voltage, it should be fine. You are right, those batteries tend to output a consistently higher voltage until they eventually fall off a cliff and they don’t ‘taper off’ like typical lead acid one.
@@PatriotAstro It looks like the meter you are using shows the capacity of the battery but my guess is that it is using the lowering of the voltage to determine how fully charged it is. If that is the case i don't think it will work for my situation. Thanks, Tom
Thanks for this video, I recently made a box from wood myself. I haven't yet installed a battery in it. I connected the fuse block with a 12v PSU that plugins in a 230v extension cable going to my garage. I'll add a battery in the future.
At the end of the video you show the complete setup. I noticed that you made a small platform with wheels on it. How do you know that the mount is actually level? Do you disassemble the mount and place a level on the tripod or do you use the small bubble level that's on the mount? I found that the bubble level in my HEQ5-pro isn't quite perfect so I have to remove the mount from the tripod in order to balance the tripod.
Thanks for watching! As for my mount being level, it isn't ... ever. I don't bother leveling it anymore either. :) With the EQ mount, as long as you have a good polar alignment (I use a PoleMaster on each of my mounts), and use platesolving to locate targets (which also syncs the correct current coordinates to the telescope), and of course guiding from there on out while imaging, and after the first solve completes, it is oriented and has no problem. From what I understand, the same is true for an ALT-AZ mount after 3-star alignment occurs as well. This may make for a fun (OCD inducing) video where I start with a fairly dramatic (but stable) unleveled mount and go from there. Hmmm...
What Astro computer do you use? I’ve been using ASIair Plus. Super convenient for remote or at home. It can also power the Astro camera/filter wheel/focuser etc. So I just have 2 wires going to the battery. One for the ASIair and one for the mount. I just noticed those Windows PCs-in-a-thumb drive. Amazing. Curious to see how they might work.
Absolutely great video, thank you for this information. Some things are much clearer now. One thing that confuses me are the Johnson power poles, I'm keep getting the name Anderson power poles, are these the same just different brand or I missed something? Thank you for the awesome videos.
Same thing, I’ve bought multiple brands in the past. Anderson Power Poles are what you want. There are other connection options of course, I just find these easy to use.
@@PatriotAstro Great, thanks for the fast reply.
Great video!! where's the link to the fan screws? I have almost everything! Thanks.
So, I didn't choose to link the screws because i found that these cheap small fans were somewhat inconsistent in their design tolerances. Your best bet is to run to a local hardware store with the fan and try a couple until you get the fit and length you need. I should've been a little clearer on that. sorry! :)
Hi Chad, I was ready to do this project but ran into a problem . My computer power supply draws 135 watts 20 volts, how is a 12 volt battery going to run my computer? is your computer run on 12 volts
Yes. What you can look for is a some sort of voltage converter. There are various ones out there that you can wire in line that will do voltage changes so that you can go in at 12 V but have a single output that your computer can use 20 V. Just make sure you label it appropriately or use a different connector so you don’t plug anything 12 V into that port once rewired. You can even create that particular device as a dongle so it’s outside the box and you can plug it into any port needed.
@@PatriotAstro I installed a 600 watt inverter and works great, thanks for you responce
Why does everything got to be so heavy
I know... I'm waiting for some feedback from a couple people on the NINA team that are building battery boxes with some lighter battery cells. I'm not swapping out until I get some more validation on their battery life over time...
Can i use a 12v for 10a my mount is equatorial eq5 hás a problem?
You can! But with the EQ5 I suggest coming out of the battery into a Buck Boost Convertor that steps up the voltage to 13.8v. I have found a couple of them available on Amazon and elsewhere with the most reliable ones being designed for golf carts of all things... :)
Just Say No!
Why?
For a low cost 12v + Usb + C + Flashlight + replaceable battery do:
18V ONE+ 120-WATT POWER SOURCE WITH 12V OUTPUT (RYI12VBG)
Now
It is expensive $60 and you need to buy 18v battery but, for home use I have 18v radios 18v Fans 18v drills 18v saws 18v sanders 18v routers 18v hammer drills.
Truth
Ryobi do have 18v mowers and 18v string trimmers and they are junk but, the 18v hand tools are great.
So
I have tons and tons of 18v batteries and some of you may need to buy a 18v battery but that is the neat part about it. 18v Roybi range from 2A to 16A and are replicable.
Last
For my 4 Celestron Telescopes I use 12v Roybi power It’s the Boss!
Now you can go crazy and buy 12Ah 18v battery or a 18v bank that will hold 6 18v batteries but Why
When you can easily pop out a 6Ah battery and pop in a new fully charged battery in seconds.
“It’s really that easy” lol. Does anyone make these for sale? I’d rather not DIY one if I don’t have to.
I totally get it. :) Jackery has become pretty popular in the Astro Community. They can get pricey, but start here and you can jump around through the models. amzn.to/3dbbRHu
Whew yes those are pricey. I split the difference and got a Trolling Motor smart battery box that has a few prebuilt connectors (cig lighter and a USB port) Also grabbed a 100ah lithium battery all on Amazon for about 1/4 the jackery price. Now I just need to decide between Anderson and Johnson connectors? Johnson seems to have more devices to choose from (power distribution blocks with fuses, etc).
Not a bad video, I have seen better examples concerning instructional videos. too much communications over complicate things.
Yeah, don’t get me wrong, this was one of my earliest videos, and I’ve certainly changed a lot of things since then. Unfortunately, the audience is very new in many cases to the basics of electronics, wiring, and working with any base tools so I had to go a little bit deeper than I wanted to. But if I had to do this video again, I would change a few things for sure.