Power tank for Celestron AVX Mount

[Greg6498]

Now that I have my new AVX Mount all set up, I realized that I have no way to power it up! Apparently, I need a power tank of some sort. The Mount came with a cigarette lighter cable but I’m no where near my car! Any suggestions??

[Lady Fraktor]

Harbor Freight 12v DC jump pack : https://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-1-po ... 62306.html

In case you did not notice, your new mount fell over!

[Greg6498]

Harbor Freight 12v DC jump pack : https://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-1-po ... 62306.html

In case you did not notice, your new mount fell over!

WHAT???

[Lady Fraktor]

The picture you posted is on its side.

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Lowes has a battery jumper box Schumacher it is expensive but I have two, I power 2 mounts a laptop, camera for hours

[Greg6498]

The picture you posted is on its side.

Looks pretty straight to me! How about this one?

[Lady Fraktor]

A nice looking set up

[bladekeeper]

Greg, I will happily second Gabrielle's recommendation of the Harbor Freight 3-in-1. I can power my AVX for 3 or 4 sessions before a re-charge. I even had to jump-start my car with it once.

Also, since the power cord that comes with the AVX is especially long, I picked up one of these from Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/p/150-ft-16-3 ... /205475818

I have my power cord wrapped on that thing, and the hooks on the ends allow me to hang it from the accessory tray on the mount. Works wonderfully and keeps the cord neat and tidy and my feet from tangling up in it.

[Greg6498]

Thanks so much Bryan and Gabrielle! I actually like that quite a lot!

[chicagorandy]

Motorcycle or lawn tractor batteries are also an option with the addition of a female power port pigtail wire assembly. Many have much higher amp hour ratings than the usual jump start packs if you anticipate longer sessions of use.

[UlteriorModem]

The HF jump pack that Ms Frakktor linked will last years give proper care (aka charge it once in a while)

[Richard]

Dont you get the Lithium power pack for a quite reasonable price in the US much smaller and far more portable but just too expensive in RSA at the moment, I am looking for one for my C5 but having 2 starter packs with new batteries its a bit of waste for me

[Tillibobs]

Harbor Freight 12v DC jump pack : https://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-1-po ... 62306.html

In case you did not notice, your new mount fell over!

Hahahahah

[UlteriorModem]

Dont you get the Lithium power pack for a quite reasonable price in the US much smaller and far more portable but just too expensive in RSA at the moment, I am looking for one for my C5 but having 2 starter packs with new batteries its a bit of waste for me

Here is the thing with lithium batteries. Yes they will work and many use them with good success.

But Li Battery's do one thing well. They can provide large amounts of current for a short period of time. This is when there at their best. At a low constant current draw you don't really get all of the (usually inflated) Mah. Add to that the batteries are constructed of several cells. Sometimes one of the cells will discharge faster than the others causing the other cells to pick up the slack but your voltage will drop. Lastly you need a specialized charger. Oh almost forgot they can be a fire hazard if punctured or damaged.

Lead Acid battery's (like in the Jump Pack) do quite well with a low constant drain and will in practice deliver a good constant voltage.

In a nutshell the jump pack will last longer both while in use and life span.

[OzEclipse]

Randy

The AVX has very modest power consumption
~300mA tracking
~1A slewing

Provinded you don't spend the whole night slewing from object to object, a 7AH SLA battery will give you ample power and can easily be carried in one hand. You can buy a female cigarette lighter plug wth flying leads on ebay-
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DC-Female-C ... SwL7VWn1kB

Or you can get one with alligator clips at most car accessory stores. Replace the clips or terminate the leads with 6mm spade lugs that will connect directly & securely to the battery. If you don't have the crimp tools, an auto electrician can do this for you.

These batteries are not very expensive compared to a motorbike battry. You could even carry two of them have one on standby as a spare.

Joe

[BigKahuna]

Greg, congrats on the new AVX mount. I wish you many years of good clear skies with it. I love mine.

If you only do visual, I would recommend a Talentcell 6000 from Amazon for $33.00 It. It is a 12V 6AH power pack and will last over 12 HOURS before needing a recharge. For a loaded AP setup, I'll second the Harbor Freight 3 in one. I've had one in the Garage for years. I upgraded it a few months ago with a new 17AH battery for about $30.00. I've owned it for over 10 years so I'm into it for about $80 total. If you want LIFePO4 options there are cheaper options than the Celestron Lithium Power Tanks

[BigKahuna]

I just noticed how old this post is. I wonder what power source he purchased