SingAstro

btw, the china brands are really cheap in sim lim tower...half the price of Yuasa. But not sure if quality is there so I rather pay a little more and get a Yuasa instead...heh

It pays to go for quality batteries even if they cost more. Cheap alternatives always over claim and under deliver.

I'm using a yuasa 12Ah battery. 1 full charge and it powers my CG5 for many many obs sessions. I usually recharge it after like 5 or 6 session in fear of running dry on power in the middle of a session.

Any one use ~26AH battery for mount, laptop and imaging?? If yes which brand of battery is better?

I think a 50 or 60 Ah sealed car battery is easier to find than a 26AH battery.

I think you mean the maintanence free, or commonly referred "dry cell" car batteries. They do leak acid if toppled. Not suitable for a portable solution.

I brought a 7AH sealed lead acid battery ($16.80) and a 2A charger ($30) with auto cut at Sim Lim Tower (Kaichin, 3rd floor). Chinese brand. They also carry higher capacity batt but capacity/price, 7AH is still a better deal. Can get one for GOTO, another for laptop and another for ..... You can also find the wire and connectors to connect the batt to the GOTO, etc in the same shop.

Any one use ~26AH battery for mount, laptop and imaging?? If yes which brand of battery is better?

I use a Yuasa 38AH for my imaging session. Its good for 4-5 hour straight powering the heaters(2x), laptop and mount (GM8 with Gemini). But then again, the battery is too heavy for my liking. A good alternative is to use two 12AH batteries, one for the laptop and the other for the rest of your devices.

Hi Cataclysm,

You should get a bigger one so that it can last you thru the night. Keep it in the car boot (no need to carry) and charge by the car alternator (fully charge all the time). When not in use, can use to power higher end car audio/video system.

a 2nd battery in the car system is not easy (and cheap) to implement. If not implemented properly with consideration to your electrical system, you may strain your alternator and charging circuit.

To power laptops, it's more efficient to use a DC/DC convertor and plug direct into to the laptop than to use an invertor followed by the normal AC mains charger.

it looks something like this: *an error keep popping up if I insert an link or img here*

try searching e-bay for "Car Universal Laptop Notebook Adapter "