Pegasus Powerbox Micro

Pocket Powerbox Micro is the successor of the Pocket Powerbox

Pocket Powerbox Micro (in short PPB Micro) is suitable for the “grab and go” astrophotographer. Device can provide up to 10Amps of power, has a sufficient number (4) of 12V Outputs, Two Dew Heater Channels, an adjustable voltage power output and an environmental sensor to monitor humidity / temperature (dew point).

The Pocket Powerbox Micro provides:

4 x 12V DC Power outlets for your equipment (ON/OFF via software)
10 Amps of total power
A Voltage Adjustable Output (Can be switched ON/OFF – 3V, 5V, 8V, 9V, 12V)
2 Channels PWM Dew Heaters – RCA Outputs (Adjust levels via software)
Humidity and Temperature Sensor (included)
Auto Tune Dew Heaters (Auto-Dew)
Reverse Polarity Protection / Overvoltage Protection
USB / PC Controlled or Standalone Operation out of the box
Lightweight and extremely compact enclosure
4 x 12V DC Power outlets for your equipment
A powerful mosfet transistor provides “electric juice” to your precious equipment. It supply of electricity 4 outputs. Can switch ON/OFF all four ports (* together).

Built in Voltmeter
A precise voltmeter measures and displays in real time your input voltage. If the input is more than 14.5V, the power is instantly cut off to protect your equipment.

Built in Amp-meter
An Amp-meter placed after the DC input reports the total electric current.
Moreover there are three additional amp-meters: One for the 12V outputs and two for the Dew Heater Channels. This allows you to easily monitor detailed and overall power consumption of your equipment.

Adjustable Regulated Output
An adjustable output is suitable to provide power to your DSLR / Mirrorless camera / or your RPI3/4. You can tune the voltage to different levels (3,5,8,9,12 Volts). Please note that we provide a wide range of battery couplers for Canon, Nikon, Sony, FUJI Cameras

More than 10A of total power
Controller has been designed to support up to 10 Amps of total current.

Standalone Operation
Pocket Powerbox Micro can work “out of the box” as a standalone device. Just plug the cables, setup the “autodew” functionality and every time you boot the device, it will retrieve your settings. So, If you don’t like to connect a PC every time, you don’t have to. Simple as that!

Two channel duty cycle PWM outputs
Two Pulse width modulation (PWM) outlets are capable to provide power to your “thirsty” Dew Heaters. No more moisture fuzzing your equipment and destroying your clear nights. These outlets can be remote controlled from your laptop using the supplied software.

Auto Adjustment of PWM (Dew Outputs)
Controller can auto adjust the heater power levels by consulting the environmental sensor Dew Point reading. Just click “Auto” and leave to Pocket Powerbox Micro to decide if it is time to turn on and precise tune the level of your dew heaters.

Expansion Port (EXT)
EXT (expansion) port is available for device expansion. This RJ12 socket allows the connectivity of current and future Pegasus Astro products. Plugged devices can be controlled from Pocket Powerbox standalone software or dedicated ASCOM driver.

ASCOM 6 Fully supported
Pocket powerbox fully supports ASCOM6. In combination with our main program which acts as a server you can use our latest ASCOM 6.3 supplied drivers to:

Pass environmental settings to supported software (e.g Sequence Generator Pro / MaximDL ) (ASCOM ObservingConditions)
Switch ON or OFF all 12V outputs. (ASCOM Switches)

INDI Fully supported
Pocket powerbox fully supports INDI, Bundle it with Stellarmate or any other device that can use INDILib.

Led Indications for power and failure states
Led can blink in patterns to warn you regarding important power issues (e.g over or under voltage). Moreover light can be turned off using the software. Our led is very dim but in case you don’t like it on you can switch it off via the software.

Power Cables are included in the package
Four power cable of DC 2.1mm to 2.1mm male (1m) are included in the package.

External Environmental Sensor
External one (1) meter temperature & relative humidity sensor is included in the package. Know exactly the environment conditions of your location. Temperature, humidity and dew point measurements are displayed in the software.

USB2 Connectivity
Connect the device to your laptop/PC and control Pocket Powerbox from the supplied software or ASCOM drivers

Reverse Polarity Protection
Pocket Powerbox has been design with a reverse voltage polarity protection. It will definitely save your night if you accidentally connect the main power supply in reverse polarity.

Watchdog
A hardware watchdog resets the device if for any reason there is no response from the controller for two seconds. A neat feature in the unlikely event of a controller freeze – when you have a remote observatory and you need to be certain that everything works as expected.

Upgradable Firmware
Device is firmware upgradable to support future features and bug fixes.

Compact Size and Lightweight
A high quality blue anodized aluminium, compact sized box encloses the controller board. Size is 66mm x 66mm x 24mm). Weight is 80 grams.

In the box
Pocket Powerbox Micro Controller ✔
External Temperature / Humidity Sensor ✔
4 x Power DC 2.1 to 2.1 male cable (1m) ✔
USB Cable Type B (1.8m) ✔

Technical Specifications
Supply Voltage 12V – 13.8V DC
Power Input Connector DC 2.1mm
Connectivity USB2 – Type B USB Connector
4 x 12 Outputs Maximum Current 10 Amps in total.
2.1mm Center Positive
Software: ON/OFF all ports
2 Channel x 12 PWM Outputs Maximum Current 5A Each, Black Colored RCA Connector, Pulse Width Modulated (Suitable for Dew Heaters or Flatbox)
Software: Duty Cycle % / OFF

1x Sensor Input RJ12 Socket, Connectivity with Environmental Sensor
0-100% humidity readings with 2-5% accuracy
-40 to 80°C temperature readings ±0.5°C accuracy

Camera / DSLR Output Max 3Amps, 3,5,8,9,12 Volt (Adjustable via software)
2.1mm Center Positive
Voltmeter Measures 5 – 15V
Dimensions 66mm x 66mm x 24mm , Weight 90 grams

Some items that are showing as in stock are in stock at our holding warehouses, not at the shop. To double check the stock levels at the shop, please contact us on 01909774369 or sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

The delivery times for most items is 1 - 2 days but again, please double check stock levels on important orders before placing an order via the website.

The delivery costs for courier next day are for mainland UK only. If you live in the Scottish Highlands/Islands, Channel Islands or Northern Ireland, then a shipping surchage will apply. please contact us for prices. Smaller items can still go 1st class via Royal Mail.

Please note that if you are wanting to take advantage of our Saturday and Sunday timed services or next day pre 12 or pre 10:30 services, you MUST check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. Also, orders using the Saturday and Sunday services must be placed before 1pm the previous working day. Also, please remember to check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. If the stock is not at the shop, we won't be able to ship on any of the timed services. 

Please note International customers will need to contact us for a shipping price prior to ordering via the website. We don't ship all items internationally. It is at our discretion what we ship outside of the UK. This all depends on the size and weight of the items. Please get in touch with us for any postage costs. Please note we do NOT ship telescopes or heavy items outside of the UK. This is due to massive postage costs and problems regarding returns.

If you have any questions regarding stock levels or delivery, please get in touch.

Zygo Interferometer Testing For ED Refractor Telescopes!

We are extremely pleased to announce our Zygo Interferometer is now installed and ready for use! Our experienced staff can test refractor lenses up to 120mm aperture and provide a comprehensive 2 page report showing the optical quality and Strehl ratio, plus much more information. We are using the very latest Zygo MX software to provide a more detailed report compared to other standard reports.

The interferometer is essentially a measuring instrument. Within the interferometer is a calibrated laser that is pointed through the optical test surface, then onto a high quality reference sphere, then back through the test subject then to an internal camera which gives us the measurement on the screen. From this, we can adjust the position of the test optic and the reference sphere to obtain a perfectly calibrated system. The more central the laser to the test optic and then on return, the better and more accurate reading and measurement we can take. This takes a lot of adjustment to get the best results from the optical surface. Once the measurement has been taken, we are provided with a series of results that show the optical quality of the surface plus other information. Continue reading for an explanation of the individual values and you can also see a test report that was done on one of our RVO Horizon 60 OTAs. 

We are offering certain telescopes with a Zygo test at an extra cost. Mainly ED doublets and triplets. All available telescopes with a Zygo test report are listed here. Just select Zygo Test Report from the drop down box at the top of the listing and we will test the optics in house and provide a full 2 page report with your scope. This will show you the optical quality of your telescope optics. We can also offer this service on your refractor telescope. Please get in touch for more details about this. 

At Rother Valley Optics, one thing we pride ourselves on is customer service and quality of our equipment. When we test your telescope, we will ensure that it is of the highest quality otherwise, we will reject the scope under our strict quality control and test another model for your peace of mind. One of the main values to look at when testing a refractor is the Strehl ratio. The higher this number, the higher quality lens you have. At Rother Valley Optics, we will guarantee the highest possible Strehl ratio for your telescope.  We will aim to provide 0.95 Strehl or higher on Takahashi, RVO Horizon, William Optics and many more! Generally, the higher the Strehl ratio, the lower the Astigmatism and Coma meaning a better image quality from your instrument. 

Other measurements such as the PV and RMS are important too. With these measurements, the lower the number the better as it shows less curvature on the lens. The flatter an optical lens, the better it will perform. The PV rating (Peak To Valley) is a measurement from the highest point (Peak) to the lowest point (Valley). From this we get the RMS (Root, Mean, Square). This is a similar figure to the PV and measured exactly the same way. The RMS is basically an average height difference from the PV so again, the lower the better. As you can see form the example below, we measured an RMS of just 0.027 wave which is a very good value.

We also measure the Power with our systems which is essentially the error from the reference sphere to the test optic. The reference sphere we use on our system is a very high quality sphere so the closer to zero the Power, the less error between the 2 elements thus ensuring a higher quality optical surface. 

You will also see some more values such as Astigmatism and Coma. Again, these are measured by the interferometer when we take measurements of the optical surface after adjustment. These are values which ideally would be at 0 but as our test optics are all curved lenses, there will always be astigmatism and coma present. The lower the number, the less of these aberations you will effectively see but with most refractors, you can buy field flatteners which will compensate for the coma anyway. The astigmatisms value is explaining the error between the symmetrical curvature of the lens. Basically, no lens will be perfectly symmetrical, the lower the astigmatism, the more symmetrical the lens surface is. 

Once the Zygo test report has been completed, the optical alignment is thoroughly tested and tuned to ensure they are spot on before they leave us. 

All available telescopes are on the website at the link below and ones we've tested already that are available straight away are also listed.

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/zygo-tested-refractors.html

Here is an example of the test what we provide. This was a test on one of our Horizon 60 ED OTA's.

For any questions about this amazing new service, please either call 01909774369 or email sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

Are you interested in this product but would like to speak to someone with some more information? Simply fill in the form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

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