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Heq5 PRO - Temporary power solutions?

Sky-Watcher HEQ5 PRO Power Supply Equatorial Mount
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FilippoTib avatar
FilippoTib avatar
Hello everyone. Forgive me for the dumb question!

I own a heq5 pro and I currently power it with its classic power supply when I am from home and with a car power supply (the one from the cigarette socket to be clear) when I go out on trips.

I am looking for a lightweight and inexpensive solution to power it during short trips where I am not exactly near my car.
The classic example is these days with comet C/2023 A3: I need 20 to 30 minutes maximum of tracking and without any kind of fast slew.

As a temporary solution (before getting a real power station) could be to use a 12v 1.67A powerbank and connect it via a usb-c/DC5.5_2.1 cable?
I know the mount needs about 2A for slew phases, but technically less current is sufficient for tracking only.

In your opinion, is this a viable solution or do I risk doing damage to the electronics with this type of “under power”?

I hope this is not a question already asked or too stupid!

Thank you very much!
F.T.
Clear skies!
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Rob Calfee avatar
Rob Calfee avatar
I use this with my HEQ5 and AzEq5. https://a.co/d/20x8Se3

They have been good performers, these batteries. 

CS, 
Rob
AstroCapture325 avatar
AstroCapture325 avatar
I've used this power station without any problems with my HEQ5-Pro
https://a.co/d/blF7ZVf

Jim
jim carter avatar
jim carter avatar
Celestron makes one for powering
Mounts  at $99.95. Amazon

Celestron - PowerTank Lithium LT Telescope Battery – Rechargeable Portable 12V Power Supply for Computerized Telescopes - 8 hour capacity/73.3 Wh - 1 USB Ports https://a.co/d/fjBjGXw
Luis Novo avatar
Luis Novo avatar
You can't go wrong with Jackery, they're the reference when it comes to portable power stations. Also, they usually have good sales through their website. The other two are Ecoflow and Bluetti - it's worth comparing specs and prices between these 3 brands. 

I don't own one myself, I use a Baseus power station for my HEQ5 Pro, which I bought for an absolute bargain (120 eur)  -  Baseus IOTA Portable Power Station 420W 288Wh. Currently it's selling for twice the price, but it's also a good power station.
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SkyHoinar avatar
SkyHoinar avatar
Hello F.T.
You can find lightweight portable power packs on Amazon or on astronomy specialized stores.
Me, I always power my mount via a power pack because I find it more convenient.

As I targeted portability when I built my rig, I also chose the power pack to be lightweight and at the maximum limit of what is allowed on airplanes (max capacity of 100Wh).

So, I have this one:
https://amzn.eu/d/alTbMMr
It is about 600g, capacity 99,16Wh, and it can deliver 100W via PD (power delivery over USB-C) in different combinations (me, for my iOptron HEM27 mount I need 12V/3A).
With my setup, powering the mount + the cooled imaging camera + guiding camera, it lasts about 4,5 hours.
But you can find others too. There are plenty of them available. You just need one to match your mount's power requirements. There are also converter cables from USB-C to DC plug available on the market.

I also have the Celestron Power tank:
https://www.celestron.com/products/powertank-lithium?srsltid=AfmBOor9m2RHylf5srZzAMJA3Yrz5uuLQq7aO5ZxbRaEMa9sfUJin8AE
But this one is almost double the weight, so I use it when I am at home. For air travel, the other one is more suitable as it is lighter (I can take 2 of them for the same weight)

This is how it looks like:


I hope this helps.
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FilippoTib avatar
FilippoTib avatar
Hello F.T.
You can find lightweight portable power packs on Amazon or on astronomy specialized stores.
Me, I always power my mount via a power pack because I find it more convenient.

As I targeted portability when I built my rig, I also chose the power pack to be lightweight and at the maximum limit of what is allowed on airplanes (max capacity of 100Wh).

So, I have this one:
https://amzn.eu/d/alTbMMr
It is about 600g, capacity 99,16Wh, and it can deliver 100W via PD (power delivery over USB-C) in different combinations (me, for my iOptron HEM27 mount I need 12V/3A).
With my setup, powering the mount + the cooled imaging camera + guiding camera, it lasts about 4,5 hours.
But you can find others too. There are plenty of them available. You just need one to match your mount's power requirements. There are also converter cables from USB-C to DC plug available on the market.

I also have the Celestron Power tank:
https://www.celestron.com/products/powertank-lithium?srsltid=AfmBOor9m2RHylf5srZzAMJA3Yrz5uuLQq7aO5ZxbRaEMa9sfUJin8AE
But this one is almost double the weight, so I use it when I am at home. For air travel, the other one is more suitable as it is lighter (I can take 2 of them for the same weight)

This is how it looks like:


I hope this helps.

Hello. Thank you very much for the advice.

With such a light weight it would be perfect and with the 100w I don't even have to worry about the fact that I am underpowering the mount. As durability for me it would even be too much!

I already have the usb/DC cable so I should just get the battery. Thank you very much again!

FT
CS
FilippoTib avatar
FilippoTib avatar
Luis Novo:
You can't go wrong with Jackery, they're the reference when it comes to portable power stations. Also, they usually have good sales through their website. The other two are Ecoflow and Bluetti - it's worth comparing specs and prices between these 3 brands. 

I don't own one myself, I use a Baseus power station for my HEQ5 Pro, which I bought for an absolute bargain (120 eur)  -  Baseus IOTA Portable Power Station 420W 288Wh. Currently it's selling for twice the price, but it's also a good power station.

Hello. Thank you for your reply. I was just looking at a Bluetti model.

I would have liked to take advantage of my current solutions before proceeding with the powertank purchase.

Thank you very much!
normmalin avatar
normmalin avatar
Another bump for Jackery - I  use the 500.
SkyHoinar avatar
SkyHoinar avatar

Hello. Thank you very much for the advice.

With such a light weight it would be perfect and with the 100w I don't even have to worry about the fact that I am underpowering the mount. As durability for me it would even be too much!

I already have the usb/DC cable so I should just get the battery. Thank you very much again!

FT
CS

Just make sure the USB/DC cable that you have matches the voltage of your mount (12V I suppose ?), because these cables come in different voltages. (I suppose you already know that :-)
Me I am using this one:
https://amzn.eu/d/f5kGbEz
(notice the 12V in "Material Type" field on the page)

CS
Concise Supportive
FilippoTib avatar
FilippoTib avatar
Just make sure the USB/DC cable that you have matches the voltage of your mount (12V I suppose ?), because these cables come in different voltages. (I suppose you already know that :-)

Hello. Thank you!

Yes yes, I already have the 12v usb/dc cable. Only now that you make me think about it, it is 65w max. It would be a case of upgrading to a 100w if I change powerbank.

Thank you very much again!
FT
CS
SkyHoinar avatar
SkyHoinar avatar
Just make sure the USB/DC cable that you have matches the voltage of your mount (12V I suppose ?), because these cables come in different voltages. (I suppose you already know that :-)

Hello. Thank you!

Yes yes, I already have the 12v usb/dc cable. Only now that you make me think about it, it is 65w max. It would be a case of upgrading to a 100w if I change powerbank.

Thank you very much again!
FT
CS

I don't think you need a 100W cable. I doubt the mount will absorb so much. 12V x 3A is 36W (or 12V x 5A is 60W in case your mount needs 5A)
Topographic avatar
Topographic avatar
I power everything, including my Dome with Celestron LiFePo4 Powerbanks. The mount draws very little, mine is run through a Pegasus Power Box. No issues…ever.
Noah Gyles avatar
Noah Gyles avatar
I have the same mount and use an EcoFlow River. I think it was $200 when i bought it. It's great though, the usb-c powers my laptop fine and the DC jacks power my mount, camera cooler, and dew heater for a few hours. (With at least 1 splitter, it's got 2 dc outputs along with 1 cig lighter style) I can also start my car and allow it to recharge a bit without any power interruptions. App contents to my phone as well to see the power level if I can't see the display on the power station itself. There may be cheaper solutions, but I'm sure you'd give up many of those pros . I imagine the Jackery model does similarly as well, but i haven't used any from them.
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Clayton Ostler avatar
Clayton Ostler avatar
This will run the mount tracking for a solid 6 hours plus, and is basically 65$  

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08G1KB88B?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
Stefan Emsel avatar
Stefan Emsel avatar
I use a Bluetti Tank with my SetUp on the ASIAir and the HEQ5. 700Wh lasts easy for two nights. But if you are looking for an rather lightweight solution I would recomend use a jump starter / Power Station. I have the JS3000 from Topdon and use it in combination with a USB-C to 12 V (5.5x2.1mm plug) adapter cable from amazon to power the whole setup sometimes. It easily gives the required 24 W or more for several hours and it is something I carry arround close to the car anyway. So no extra weight.
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