Here is a partial posting from an image posting I posted recently regarding a grab and go imaging rig. The hope is to reach a wider number of potentially interested people. I did search the site and even CN to see if there was anything like this and did not find much. However, there are a lot of DIY projects using these batteries for various purposes. But this one was designed to be bare bones, low profile and mobile. No charger, no low voltage cutoff, no solar charging, etc.
The impetus for this was to utilize batteries that I already have on hand. But if the duration of these batteries is what I appear to be getting from this piece of kit, then these batteries are widely available from the originator and also knock-off battery from another source that has worked well for me that are not that expensive if it is to be used solely for this purpose.
At this time, this is not fused. I will install that soon.
Please let me know of any important (or even not important) flaws!
The post:
I did receive the EGO adaptor and electical components that I needed to assemble this unit and I am currently testing. I probably paid too much for the adaptor, at $39. Others can be had for much less on EBay, etc. But I wanted to be sure I got this before I left for a few weeks. The voltage converter is rated at 10 Amp, certainly more than my rig ever gets close to drawing. And it handles a very wide range of battery voltages that completely covers the ~58V fully charged and 40V safe discharge states. These units are always suspect in what I have seen, but so far seems to deliver. The voltmeter is nicer than I expected at $17 dollars. It is nicely lit, seems accurate enough. But the best thing is that it is programmable for the battery types and states of charge and discharge. So I can enter the stable highest voltage when fully charged, and the lowest voltage when safely discharged. It also can be programmed to alarm when safe low charge is met. It does not, however allow for a safety cutoff of power. But the alarm is loud enough to wake me if I was in a tent. It is also programmable to shut itself off after a certain period of time, though its power draw is very low. And it is all waterproof!
I assembled this little unit while watching TV last night and tested that nothing exploded or otherwise fried when plugged into a battery. Great first step. Then evaluated that the output voltage was at or better than 12V. It is just in excess of 12V. 12.15, to be exact with short cables. I am glad I made my power cables from 12 gauge flexible wires. No voltage drop over the 5 ft. of my long cable. I am testing my rig (just the computer and main camera, with dew heater on, with subs being cycled continuously) as I write this and it seems to be fine so far. The meter is mounted to display the battery voltage (of course). And while after a couple of hours of operation, it reads still over 90% available. The on board battery level that EGO batteries have still reads 100%. Not surprising since they are probably calibrated to the 56 Volts as the full state that is on the label. The battery that I show in the photo below is my small battery that came with my weed wacker. It is about half the capacity of my other two batteries that drive my leaf blower. I am confident that the small battery would last most of the night if not all of a normal night (not this solctice craziness!).
I may update this to include performance after the battery drains significantly. I will probably drain this batttery a bit today using the blower to drain it and then reattach to the telescope. However, given the considerably higher voltage of this battery, even in its lower charge state, probably means that it should easily be able to maintain the 12V output under load.
***Edit: Update at 40% remaining power based on an ending voltage of 45V. The Pegasus Power box shows a 6hr. profile (see below in this edit). This is actually after 8 hrs of nearly continuous use. 2hr into the test I unplugged things to take the photos that I used at the end of this post. So 8hrs and this small (2.5 Amp hour) battery is still at 40%. As I said, I will probably travel with my 2 other 5 Amp hour batteries. No doubt, the mount being active and more software being active will shorten the run time. However, I am convinced that either of my 5 Amp hour batteries would give me a full night worth of imaging uninterrupted. Possibly 2 nights per battery. I am going to cut this off, because I need to start packing things away for the travels.
End Edit***
I should state that the Pegasus Power supply on the telescope is reporting mostly 12V. Often 12.1V and only briefly 11.9V. All the testing is being done on my long cable. However, this power supply, if I should need to use it on this trip, will nicely nestle into the sling of my tripod, with its weight stabilizing the rig under use. I can leave my other weight in the cabin. Average current is 0.7, Watt/hrs 7.0 or below. This is with 90 second exposure cycling. That all will go up a bit with the mount and guide scope connected. It went up a significant amount when I switch the camera to cycle 2 second exposures, but still the amp draw was not that much.
I make no claims about the stability of this system under this use. I can just say that the power draw these components are seeing are well below their stated capabilities. I likely will include a breaker/fuse in this setup, but I am not sure where that makes sense. Likely, the most important thing is to protect the battery from a short, and if such a short should occur, it could well be more than the battery that become toast, if it is sitting directly under the telescope in the sling!
This may not likely be the best unit if you are traveling remotely for more than a couple of days. But if you are close to line power, the charging of these batteries with the provided charger is quite fast. But for me, since I have tools that use these batteries and I now own three of them, the most expensive part of a battery-driven power supply is free to me!
Below:
Side view of the components. Still lots of wire stuff to consolidate and tuck away. I will eventually attach the meter to the adaptor. So it will be plug and use.
Plugged into the small battery:
During Testing:
I wanted this attached to this post because I had first mentioned it and it relates to the traveling rig, which is the point of the post. But I will post this on a forum, since it should see a broader part of the community.
If anyone sees any major flaws in this system, please let me know. I hopefully can make corrections before a fry something!
Yes, this rig cannot be charged through this adaptor/powerpack. And it cannot work with a solar charger either. But that is not the point of it. That can be done with extra components and and $$.
The impetus for this was to utilize batteries that I already have on hand. But if the duration of these batteries is what I appear to be getting from this piece of kit, then these batteries are widely available from the originator and also knock-off battery from another source that has worked well for me that are not that expensive if it is to be used solely for this purpose.
At this time, this is not fused. I will install that soon.
Please let me know of any important (or even not important) flaws!
The post:
I did receive the EGO adaptor and electical components that I needed to assemble this unit and I am currently testing. I probably paid too much for the adaptor, at $39. Others can be had for much less on EBay, etc. But I wanted to be sure I got this before I left for a few weeks. The voltage converter is rated at 10 Amp, certainly more than my rig ever gets close to drawing. And it handles a very wide range of battery voltages that completely covers the ~58V fully charged and 40V safe discharge states. These units are always suspect in what I have seen, but so far seems to deliver. The voltmeter is nicer than I expected at $17 dollars. It is nicely lit, seems accurate enough. But the best thing is that it is programmable for the battery types and states of charge and discharge. So I can enter the stable highest voltage when fully charged, and the lowest voltage when safely discharged. It also can be programmed to alarm when safe low charge is met. It does not, however allow for a safety cutoff of power. But the alarm is loud enough to wake me if I was in a tent. It is also programmable to shut itself off after a certain period of time, though its power draw is very low. And it is all waterproof!
I assembled this little unit while watching TV last night and tested that nothing exploded or otherwise fried when plugged into a battery. Great first step. Then evaluated that the output voltage was at or better than 12V. It is just in excess of 12V. 12.15, to be exact with short cables. I am glad I made my power cables from 12 gauge flexible wires. No voltage drop over the 5 ft. of my long cable. I am testing my rig (just the computer and main camera, with dew heater on, with subs being cycled continuously) as I write this and it seems to be fine so far. The meter is mounted to display the battery voltage (of course). And while after a couple of hours of operation, it reads still over 90% available. The on board battery level that EGO batteries have still reads 100%. Not surprising since they are probably calibrated to the 56 Volts as the full state that is on the label. The battery that I show in the photo below is my small battery that came with my weed wacker. It is about half the capacity of my other two batteries that drive my leaf blower. I am confident that the small battery would last most of the night if not all of a normal night (not this solctice craziness!).
I may update this to include performance after the battery drains significantly. I will probably drain this batttery a bit today using the blower to drain it and then reattach to the telescope. However, given the considerably higher voltage of this battery, even in its lower charge state, probably means that it should easily be able to maintain the 12V output under load.
***Edit: Update at 40% remaining power based on an ending voltage of 45V. The Pegasus Power box shows a 6hr. profile (see below in this edit). This is actually after 8 hrs of nearly continuous use. 2hr into the test I unplugged things to take the photos that I used at the end of this post. So 8hrs and this small (2.5 Amp hour) battery is still at 40%. As I said, I will probably travel with my 2 other 5 Amp hour batteries. No doubt, the mount being active and more software being active will shorten the run time. However, I am convinced that either of my 5 Amp hour batteries would give me a full night worth of imaging uninterrupted. Possibly 2 nights per battery. I am going to cut this off, because I need to start packing things away for the travels.
End Edit***
I should state that the Pegasus Power supply on the telescope is reporting mostly 12V. Often 12.1V and only briefly 11.9V. All the testing is being done on my long cable. However, this power supply, if I should need to use it on this trip, will nicely nestle into the sling of my tripod, with its weight stabilizing the rig under use. I can leave my other weight in the cabin. Average current is 0.7, Watt/hrs 7.0 or below. This is with 90 second exposure cycling. That all will go up a bit with the mount and guide scope connected. It went up a significant amount when I switch the camera to cycle 2 second exposures, but still the amp draw was not that much.
I make no claims about the stability of this system under this use. I can just say that the power draw these components are seeing are well below their stated capabilities. I likely will include a breaker/fuse in this setup, but I am not sure where that makes sense. Likely, the most important thing is to protect the battery from a short, and if such a short should occur, it could well be more than the battery that become toast, if it is sitting directly under the telescope in the sling!
This may not likely be the best unit if you are traveling remotely for more than a couple of days. But if you are close to line power, the charging of these batteries with the provided charger is quite fast. But for me, since I have tools that use these batteries and I now own three of them, the most expensive part of a battery-driven power supply is free to me!
Below:
Side view of the components. Still lots of wire stuff to consolidate and tuck away. I will eventually attach the meter to the adaptor. So it will be plug and use.
Plugged into the small battery:
During Testing:
I wanted this attached to this post because I had first mentioned it and it relates to the traveling rig, which is the point of the post. But I will post this on a forum, since it should see a broader part of the community.
If anyone sees any major flaws in this system, please let me know. I hopefully can make corrections before a fry something!
Yes, this rig cannot be charged through this adaptor/powerpack. And it cannot work with a solar charger either. But that is not the point of it. That can be done with extra components and and $$.