Portable Power Solutions for Astrophotography

Power quickly becomes an important issue as you delve further into astrophotography. In this video I discuss some great products to get you started in portable astrophotography rigs.

[@fazergazer]

We are lucky to have so many options now. Thanks for covering this timely topic!

[@keystothecosmos7527]

We definitely are. Thanks for your support!

[@avt_astro206]

Great Video, Im thinking whether I should Get One Power Tank or Not! Now, I just Use The Cigarette lighter Plug on the Wall, Which is Very Convenient! But ill look into getting this!👍🏻

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Thanks! There's some great options out there 👍

[@sharonjohnson1789]

Thank you for your information. I'm going to check out your scope mine is so heavy. I need help every time, scope tripod and wedge 80 lbs. I just bought the 400 w bluette power station.. for 229. Regular price 299. I was about to get the Jackery but there has been numerous comparisons and the bluette was rated a lot more plus has the lithium battery tripels the longevity. Plus 100 w C port. I did not use it for about 2 weeks and it was still at 100 percent charged plus it has bright lite panel that shows you how much power your device is using and at the same time how much power you still have. It is amazing.

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing!

[@paulcizdziel3769]

Great informative video, thank you! But may I contribute a learning experience here...... I recently purchased a power supply with a cigarette lighter style port that looked to meet the requirements for my ASIAIR Pro (AAP) and other needs. The specs said 12-16.5V output. Thinking ASI required 12V, it would pull 12V and all would be fine. No, not fine. Those specs mean the voltage of a full battery starts at 16.5V and eventually decays to 12V as the battery drains down. The fully-charged battery would not TURN ON the AAP. Apparently the AAP requires a constant regulated 12V input. Thank goodness it did not burn out! Interestingly, at half charge, the AAP would turn on since the voltage had presumably decayed to its minimum 12V by then. I fixed this problem by splicing in a 12V voltage regulator unit ($15) in the power line between the battery and AAP. Then I could use the fully charged battery; what a hassle! So the moral of the story is to be sure you buy a 12V REGULATED power supply if you use the ASIAIR PRO. Nothing else! I am not sure about the voltage requirements of other equipment, but beware! Buy something that is voltage regulated / constant!

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Excellent point. Thanks for sharing! 👍

[@gsevere2073]

I'm using an Ecoflow River and it works great for all my devices. Still costly but way short of $1000 US. Honestly you show the setup with the Star Adventurer there. How much weight did you have for your setup before it was too unstable. I've had as much the max and found ways to make it work, but in the end found it very hard if not impossible to use so I eventually bought the basic CEM40, non-EC and I love it. Thanks to you for the previous videos showing the quirks and work-arounds.

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Thanks for the comment. I'll look into that Ecoflow River. For the Star Adventurer, my SharpStar 76mm was the heaviest telescope I put on it. Probably too heavy but overall it still worked ok with 60 second, unguided exposures.

[@mlethbridge76]

I've actually been thinking about getting the Jackery but haven't pulled the trigger yet because of the price. Ive never seen the other one you have (was it Krodonia?) and that has piqued my interest. Great video Dave!

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Thanks Mike! It's Krisdonia. Not as tough as the Powertanks but still a great power hub 👍

[@franksittinger4639]

Great video, thanks for showing all the options. I do have the bigger power tank, and I am really o.k. with it. One question - what would you use to power a laptop with 19.5V? Greetings from Germany, Frank

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Hi Frank, thanks for your question and support. I believe the Krisdonia shown in the video will power your laptop but it's definitely something I would make sure of before purchasing

[@petef.4361]

Frank I power my Dell laptop by hooking up a 300W pure sine wave inverter to a 35aH sealed lead acid AGM battery, and plug the laptops power cord into the inverter. It powers my laptop for as many hours I need for an imaging session, even if I stay out late. I tried to find a route to use without the inverter, but didn't find anything useful. The 35aH battery is a little heavy, but much lighter than a full size car battery. I charge it when I get home in my garage with a cheap charger meant for sealed lead acid batteries.

[@dicarlon1]

💪🏼👌🏻

[@woody5109]

Did I miss something, what are the makes of these units….?

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Hello, I probably should have put the brands up on the screen but as mentioned in the video the large and small power tanks are made by Celestron. Krisdonia makes the AC style power unit and for the little power hub I mention in the beginning, there are dozens of them on Amazon made by a variety of manufacturers. They're likely all from the same factory in China so I don't think it matters which brand you buy. I generally just look for the biggest one at the cheapest price.

[@richardmarquardt6246]

Check out a Bluetti.

[@keystothecosmos7527]

Interesting. I'm definitely gonna look into it. Thanks!

[@dallas69]

18V ONE+ 120-WATT POWER SOURCE WITH 12V OUTPUT (RYI12VBG)