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Pawel Lancucki | profile | all galleries >> Pawel Lancucki - Amateur Astronomy >> ATM corner >> ATM projects related to Takahashi equipment >> P2Z - small improvements and other projects >> P2Z - powering the mount from rechargable AA batteries tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

P2Z - powering the mount from rechargable AA batteries

This is another very simple project - a small 4 x AA box was equipped with short power lead cable and now I can power the mount for almost 2 full nights on a set of fresh 2800mA batteries.

Another project was a result of simple calculation - 8 x 1,2V of AA rechargeables gives 9,6V - which makes any dew heater strap designed for 12V to work at 50% power. As my self-made dew straps have generally resistance of around 50 Ohm (for FS60), the soak a mere 200mA and dissipate around 2W. Therefore, again a set of 8 x 2800mA batteries easily lasts a night.

This two small mods allow me to be completely powered on AA rechargeables and independent of any external power supplies when I use my DSLR for imaging. Tested in Portugal and on Tenerife.

One word of caution - a fuse is needed especially for the dew heater box, as short-circuited AA batteries can burn or explode. Also, when I plan to image night after night, I need more than one quick charger.
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