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Question about Celestron Powertank
Hi all,
I have an ETX-105 and am looking for an external powersupply for it. I need to power the scope and if possible a laptop. I've seen the Celestron Powertank and it looks like it will fit my needs. Does the powertank have enough juice for both the laptop and the scope? Are there any other portable power solutions that would work but not cost an arm and a leg? If I get a car battery, how do I hook up the scope and laptop to it? Thanks Craig |
#2
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"EXT_Astro_Boy" wrote in message . net... Hi all, I have an ETX-105 and am looking for an external powersupply for it. I need to power the scope and if possible a laptop. I've seen the Celestron Powertank and it looks like it will fit my needs. Does the powertank have enough juice for both the laptop and the scope? Are there any other portable power solutions that would work but not cost an arm and a leg? If I get a car battery, how do I hook up the scope and laptop to it? Thanks Craig I use a 400w inverter that I bought from a drugstore chain. Plugs into the 12 v utility socket in the truck. Run a power cable out to the scope and have plenty of 120v available. They're really cheap--like $30-$35. The laptop draws such a small amount of current, the smaller inverters are all you need. Etok __________________________________________________ ____________________ Posted Via Uncensored-News.Com - FAST UNLIMITED DOWNLOAD - http://www.uncensored-news.com The Worlds Uncensored News Source |
#3
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"EXT_Astro_Boy" wrote in message . net... Hi all, I have an ETX-105 and am looking for an external powersupply for it. I need to power the scope and if possible a laptop. I've seen the Celestron Powertank and it looks like it will fit my needs. Does the powertank have enough juice for both the laptop and the scope? Are there any other portable power solutions that would work but not cost an arm and a leg? If I get a car battery, how do I hook up the scope and laptop to it? Thanks Craig I use a 400w inverter that I bought from a drugstore chain. Plugs into the 12 v utility socket in the truck. Run a power cable out to the scope and have plenty of 120v available. They're really cheap--like $30-$35. The laptop draws such a small amount of current, the smaller inverters are all you need. Etok __________________________________________________ ____________________ Posted Via Uncensored-News.Com - FAST UNLIMITED DOWNLOAD - http://www.uncensored-news.com The Worlds Uncensored News Source |
#4
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If you go to a Sam's Club or a Costco, look for a deep cycle marine battery
in the auto department. The battery will last years if you take care of it and the cost is only $49. I mounted mine on an old airport tote with wheels and it serves me very well. Al "EXT_Astro_Boy" wrote in message . net... Hi all, I have an ETX-105 and am looking for an external powersupply for it. I need to power the scope and if possible a laptop. I've seen the Celestron Powertank and it looks like it will fit my needs. Does the powertank have enough juice for both the laptop and the scope? Are there any other portable power solutions that would work but not cost an arm and a leg? If I get a car battery, how do I hook up the scope and laptop to it? Thanks Craig |
#5
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If you go to a Sam's Club or a Costco, look for a deep cycle marine battery
in the auto department. The battery will last years if you take care of it and the cost is only $49. I mounted mine on an old airport tote with wheels and it serves me very well. Al "EXT_Astro_Boy" wrote in message . net... Hi all, I have an ETX-105 and am looking for an external powersupply for it. I need to power the scope and if possible a laptop. I've seen the Celestron Powertank and it looks like it will fit my needs. Does the powertank have enough juice for both the laptop and the scope? Are there any other portable power solutions that would work but not cost an arm and a leg? If I get a car battery, how do I hook up the scope and laptop to it? Thanks Craig |
#6
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On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 23:14:12 GMT, EXT_Astro_Boy
wrote: Hi all, I have an ETX-105 and am looking for an external powersupply for it. I need to power the scope and if possible a laptop. I've seen the Celestron Powertank and it looks like it will fit my needs. Does the powertank have enough juice for both the laptop and the scope? Well, how much power does your laptop need? The Power Tank is basically a 12 volt, 7 amp-hour sealed lead acid battery in a convenient case, with a 120 volt charger, two 12 volt sockets, battery low indicator, battery fully charged indicator, and two built-in lamps, one very high power and the other lower power with a removable red filter. The low power lamp can be set to flash on and off. The ETX-125EC takes 0.5 amps, at 12 volts, so it can theoretically run from the Power Tank for 14 hours. You will need an auto/airplane adapter for your laptop and that should have the current consumption printed on it. From that you can calculate the time that the battery in the Power Tank will last. Are there any other portable power solutions that would work but not cost an arm and a leg? You can buy 12 volt 7 amp-hour sealed lead acid batteries on the Web for about $10 to $15. A small charger will cost about another $10 and then you need to add the cost of the sockets and some sort of packaging. I was going to go that way, but decided it was worth the few extra $ to get the Power Tank as a pre-packaged solution. If I get a car battery, how do I hook up the scope and laptop to it? Well, if you don't know this perhaps you shouldn't try to do it :-) A car battery is much heavier than the Power Tank and is normal lead acid, not sealed lead acid. All you need to do is get a cable with the proper connector for the scope (at radio Shack for example) and then wire it to the battery WITH THE PROPER POLARITY. The center cylinder of the connector for the scope goes to the positive side of the battery and the outer cylinder goes to the negative terminal. If you get the polarity wrong you will probably burn out the electronics in the scope. (I have not tried reversed polarity so I can't promise that they will burn out.) It would be useful to add a fuse in the line, perhaps 1 amp. And you will need a charger for the battery. -- Vic Roberts |
#7
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On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 23:14:12 GMT, EXT_Astro_Boy
wrote: Hi all, I have an ETX-105 and am looking for an external powersupply for it. I need to power the scope and if possible a laptop. I've seen the Celestron Powertank and it looks like it will fit my needs. Does the powertank have enough juice for both the laptop and the scope? Well, how much power does your laptop need? The Power Tank is basically a 12 volt, 7 amp-hour sealed lead acid battery in a convenient case, with a 120 volt charger, two 12 volt sockets, battery low indicator, battery fully charged indicator, and two built-in lamps, one very high power and the other lower power with a removable red filter. The low power lamp can be set to flash on and off. The ETX-125EC takes 0.5 amps, at 12 volts, so it can theoretically run from the Power Tank for 14 hours. You will need an auto/airplane adapter for your laptop and that should have the current consumption printed on it. From that you can calculate the time that the battery in the Power Tank will last. Are there any other portable power solutions that would work but not cost an arm and a leg? You can buy 12 volt 7 amp-hour sealed lead acid batteries on the Web for about $10 to $15. A small charger will cost about another $10 and then you need to add the cost of the sockets and some sort of packaging. I was going to go that way, but decided it was worth the few extra $ to get the Power Tank as a pre-packaged solution. If I get a car battery, how do I hook up the scope and laptop to it? Well, if you don't know this perhaps you shouldn't try to do it :-) A car battery is much heavier than the Power Tank and is normal lead acid, not sealed lead acid. All you need to do is get a cable with the proper connector for the scope (at radio Shack for example) and then wire it to the battery WITH THE PROPER POLARITY. The center cylinder of the connector for the scope goes to the positive side of the battery and the outer cylinder goes to the negative terminal. If you get the polarity wrong you will probably burn out the electronics in the scope. (I have not tried reversed polarity so I can't promise that they will burn out.) It would be useful to add a fuse in the line, perhaps 1 amp. And you will need a charger for the battery. -- Vic Roberts |
#9
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Won't that run down the battery in the car? What about a laptop?
Craig In article , says... "EXT_Astro_Boy" wrote in message . net... Hi all, I have an ETX-105 and am looking for an external powersupply for it. I need to power the scope and if possible a laptop. I've seen the Celestron Powertank and it looks like it will fit my needs. Does the powertank have enough juice for both the laptop and the scope? Are there any other portable power solutions that would work but not cost an arm and a leg? If I get a car battery, how do I hook up the scope and laptop to it? Thanks Craig I use a 400w inverter that I bought from a drugstore chain. Plugs into the 12 v utility socket in the truck. Run a power cable out to the scope and have plenty of 120v available. They're really cheap--like $30-$35. The laptop draws such a small amount of current, the smaller inverters are all you need. Etok __________________________________________________ ____________________ Posted Via Uncensored-News.Com - FAST UNLIMITED DOWNLOAD - http://www.uncensored-news.com The Worlds Uncensored News Source |
#10
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"EXT_Astro_Boy" wrote in message . net... Won't that run down the battery in the car? What about a laptop? Craig With a total draw of laptop and scope at 5 amps @ 12 V, my car battery will run an 8 hour observing session with no worries. More like 12 hours, and the nights just aren't that long in the mid latitudes. This link explains battery capacity better than I can. http://www.pacificpowerbatteries.com...Q/carfaq7.html Regards, Etok __________________________________________________ ____________________ Posted Via Uncensored-News.Com - FAST UNLIMITED DOWNLOAD - http://www.uncensored-news.com The Worlds Uncensored News Source |
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