TheSkySearchers

has anyone used this battery before?

BLUETTI EB3A Portable Power Station | 600W 268Wh

https://www.bluettipower.ca/products/bl ... 600w-268wh

I would like to use it with my eq6r pro.
thx.

Non mon ami, I have not, thought I would like to! That looks like a great product

I have seen mostly positive reviews of BLUETTI, but no first hand experience myself. I have an ANKER in the same power range/energy range. The LiFePO₄ batteries are great. My rule of thumb on batteries like this is take the manufacturer's rating and reduce it to 85%, then base my decision to buy off of that. It's like the stated mpg on a new car. You'll never quite get that level of performance. If it turns out 85% is too conservative, then so much the better.

I see it is only 12Ah.
realistically that would give you approximately 9 hours drawing 1A when warm outside.
For a lead acid battery (50% draw) total your amp needs, add how many hours for a average session than multiply by 2.
That is the size of battery you should look for.
For lithium batteries (75% draw) do the same but remember that they will discharge faster below 0°

Amongst the posted FAQs, The Cold Temp Protection might impact you the most in the Great White North:
Temperature ranges for EB3A are:
Charge: 0-40℃ (32-104℉);
Discharge: -20-40℃ (-4-104℉);
Storage: -10-45℃ (14-113°F).
Technically, it can power electrical devices in sub-zero temperatures, but please avoid charging it.

No direct mention whether it has a Thermal Cut-out at -20*C...

A good reminder, I forgot about use in cold.
Even on a lithium motocycle battery when around 0°C you have to turn the lights on for at least a minute before starting it to get the ions excited.
Suddenly charging lithium at 0° or below can cause the battery to catch fire which can cause a explosion.

One extra thing is to check ad see if the 12Ah is the actual or equivalent capacity.
Since lithium provides steady power longer they sometimes play with the maths to up the capacity so a 3Ah battery may be considered a equivalent of a 9Ah just because it has 30%-40% more draw capability.

Very good batteries as long as you mind the proper care of them.

Jean-Yves,

I think you should go to your local Canadian Tire store. I know they will have many more options for batteries that you could use to run your gear. Just look for batteries that are rated at 17 Ah or higher. A 30 Ah battery will last all weekend.

For that matter, so would Walmart.

For multi-purpose use the Bluetti seem a reasonable purchase.
If only for powering astro gear or the occasional jump start of your vehicle, likely better choices available.

I will have to second Jay Tee's suggestion of Canadian Tire . If you don't need AC you are paying more for that option . I powered my HEQ6 for years off of a less expensive 12V booster battery from CTC .

Thefatkitty wrote: ↑Fri Nov 03, 2023 12:13 am Non mon ami, I have not, thought I would like to! That looks like a great product

JSBach1801 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 03, 2023 1:25 am I have seen mostly positive reviews of BLUETTI, but no first hand experience myself. I have an ANKER in the same power range/energy range. The LiFePO₄ batteries are great. My rule of thumb on batteries like this is take the manufacturer's rating and reduce it to 85%, then base my decision to buy off of that. It's like the stated mpg on a new car. You'll never quite get that level of performance. If it turns out 85% is too conservative, then so much the better.

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Fri Nov 03, 2023 2:11 pm I see it is only 12Ah.
realistically that would give you approximately 9 hours drawing 1A when warm outside.
For a lead acid battery (50% draw) total your amp needs, add how many hours for a average session than multiply by 2.
That is the size of battery you should look for.
For lithium batteries (75% draw) do the same but remember that they will discharge faster below 0°

seigell wrote: ↑Fri Nov 03, 2023 2:58 pm Amongst the posted FAQs, The Cold Temp Protection might impact you the most in the Great White North:
Temperature ranges for EB3A are:
Charge: 0-40℃ (32-104℉);
Discharge: -20-40℃ (-4-104℉);
Storage: -10-45℃ (14-113°F).
Technically, it can power electrical devices in sub-zero temperatures, but please avoid charging it.

No direct mention whether it has a Thermal Cut-out at -20*C...

JayTee wrote: ↑Fri Nov 03, 2023 7:53 pm Jean-Yves,

I think you should go to your local Canadian Tire store. I know they will have many more options for batteries that you could use to run your gear. Just look for batteries that are rated at 17 Ah or higher. A 30 Ah battery will last all weekend.

For that matter, so would Walmart.

Solsearcher wrote: ↑Fri Nov 03, 2023 8:56 pm I will have to second Jay Tee's suggestion of Canadian Tire . If you don't need AC you are paying more for that option . I powered my HEQ6 for years off of a less expensive 12V booster battery from CTC .

thank you all for your support,
after carefully reading all your answers.
I come to the conclusion that I will do astronomy with only my 85 mm in the winter, with my CG4 manually.

I'm still going to buy the battery because I have credit that I have to use anyway. It can be used in the event of an electrical outage at home or a breakdown with the car.

I'm going to keep my 125mm and my new mount warm in the winter as soon as the temperature drops below freezing.

once again thank you for your help which is very much appreciated.
I will report on the battery later.

This the battery I use. (Link here) Like I said before, it is a different brand, but similar Watt-hour rating and concept. Just in terms of what it is able to run for me and how long for, this single battery powers my:

-Sky Watcher EQM-35i
-ASIAIR Plus (the computer brain of the system)
-ZWO ASI120MM-MINI guide camera
-2 heating straps on high (for the guide scope and main scope)

My camera is run from its own battery supply (being a mirrorless commercial grade camera). I also will use the battery to charge my tablet (how I interface with the ASIAIR) at least once per evening in the field.

My longest evening imaging was about 7 hours total. I still had just under 40% battery life left. In addition, that particular evening was in in the middle of a Northern Utah winter and it dipped down to at least 15 F (-10 C) that night. the battery sat out in the cold the whole time. I hadn't noticed any degradation of its performance.

The power ratings on most gear shows you max power draw needed, not the average. For example, on the Sky-Watcher site, your EQ6 mount says 12 Volts at 4 amps. That is 48 Watts of power draw. (Same as the specs on my EQM-35) If it drew 48 Watts continuously, my battery would be completely discharged in six hours. However, that 48 Watts is going to be max power draw, so maybe slewing at top speed under load, but most of the time it is just slowly tracking which requires much less power, giving you longer life.

Once you get your BLUETTI in, do some testing with your gear. I bet it will surprise you.