Powerstation, will this be enough? - Forums

Topic starter

Mar 16, 2023 · Edited: Mar 16, 2023

Im on a lookout for a portable powerstation to power my rig. Im tired of always doing astrophotography in a lightpolluted area.

I power all of my equipment from my pegasus powerbox and it shows me how much current the whole rig draws.

Asi 1600mm pro
filterwheel
Eq6rpro
2x dewheatrers
Melee quieter 3 pc
guidecam
focuser

Pegasus screen shows: around 12.5v and 3.2-3.5 A

I asked Chatgpt how long the different batteries ive looked at will last so the formula for this is:

Effekt (W) = 12,5 V x 3,4 A = 42,5 W
Time (hours) = 512 Wh (<---battery capacity) / 42,5 W = 12,05 hours

So "EcoFlow River 2 Max power station" for my setup will last around 12 hours.

is this correctly calculated? I know its an AI that calculated this and it might be correct but I have never used a portable powerstation so I have no knowlege of this.

Brian Boyle

Mar 16, 2023

Hi Daniel,

Your calculations look spot on.

I power my observatory rigs every night with 2 x Hyundai 555Wh battery. The power requirement for my larger rig is very similar to yours (same mount, same number of dew heaters, guider, focuser, and filter wheel) expect I have a more power hungry ASI 6200MM camera. I also power my wifi repeater with the battery.

It takes around 50W to power this during the summer (where the power draw for cooling the sensor is high) and 35-40W during winter. The higher power draw during the summer is offset by the reduced number of hours.

Either way, I find that I use around 70-80% of the battery during a night, exactly in line expectations i.e. (50Wx8hours)/555Wh in summer.

The EcoFlow River looks a good option. Like the Hyundai, it is a bit more expensive than some of the "no-name" bands, but I cannot stress how important getting a reputable battery is. I tried a cheaper variety and it failed after a few months. False economy. I have been the using the older of my Hyundai battery pack for over 2 years (200cycles) and it is still performing well.

Clear skies and long battery life

Brian

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Daniel Renner

Topic starter

Mar 16, 2023

Brian Boyle:
Hi Daniel,

Your calculations look spot on.

I power my observatory rigs every night with 2 x Hyundai 555Wh battery. The power requirement for my larger rig is very similar to yours (same mount, same number of dew heaters, guider, focuser, and filter wheel) expect I have a more power hungry ASI 6200MM camera. I also power my wifi repeater with the battery.

It takes around 50W to power this during the summer (where the power draw for cooling the sensor is high) and 35-40W during winter. The higher power draw during the summer is offset by the reduced number of hours.

Either way, I find that I use around 70-80% of the battery during a night, exactly in line expectations i.e. (50Wx8hours)/555Wh in summer.

The EcoFlow River looks a good option. Like the Hyundai, it is a bit more expensive than some of the "no-name" bands, but I cannot stress how important getting a reputable battery is. I tried a cheaper variety and it failed after a few months. False economy. I have been the using the older of my Hyundai battery pack for over 2 years (200cycles) and it is still performing well.

Clear skies and long battery life

Brian

*** thanks for the reply and confirmation! Then I might go for the river 2, it's kinda sad that it's so expensive.. But I guess it will last forever ***

Nick Grundy

Mar 16, 2023

Daniel Renner:
EcoFlow River 2 Max power station

I think you are pretty accurate with your power usage calcs. Keep in mind cold weather will impact battery life, but I think you'll still be ok with 512

I would read up on Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries before you land on the EcoFlow. (I sort of remember going through all this when I wanted to start remote trips) Apparently the LiFePo (Lithium = Li, Iron = Fe, Phosphate = Po) have a much longer lifespan in terms of holding charge and peak capacity. For that reason, I ended up with 2 of the Anker Powerstations. So far, no complaints on them. They also charge really quickly. (which helps when you are trying to scramble out for a 1 night trip and you forgot to charge them after last time)

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Daniel Renner

Topic starter

Mar 17, 2023

Nick Grundy:
Daniel Renner:
EcoFlow River 2 Max power station

I think you are pretty accurate with your power usage calcs. Keep in mind cold weather will impact battery life, but I think you'll still be ok with 512

I would read up on Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries before you land on the EcoFlow. (I sort of remember going through all this when I wanted to start remote trips) Apparently the LiFePo (Lithium = Li, Iron = Fe, Phosphate = Po) have a much longer lifespan in terms of holding charge and peak capacity. For that reason, I ended up with 2 of the Anker Powerstations. So far, no complaints on them. They also charge really quickly. (which helps when you are trying to scramble out for a 1 night trip and you forgot to charge them after last time)

*** the river 2 max have lifefo batteries and it will last 3000+ cycles, 60 min to max charge the battery and also 5 year warranty. This might be the one I'm going for

***

Tamas Motajcsek

Apr 25, 2024 · Edited: Apr 25, 2024

Hi, what if someone is using a laptop instead of a miniPC? Would this external battery capacity still be enough, or should rather think about an Ecoflow River 2 Pro with 768Wh capacity and 800W output? E.g. my laptop is an HP Elitebook 840 G8, which consumes around 65 Watts.

Paolo

Apr 25, 2024

Qhy268m + Fw
Guide camera
Eaf
CEM 70
Beelink minipc
2x dew heaters

A 100Ah lifepo4 battery lasted 19h this winter for me (-5C).

Be reminded that you should count 80% of the real capacity as safety net. Do not consider 100% capacity because this is never the case (too cold, too hot, spike in power draw, etc)