Pocket Powerbox Advance (PPBADV) is a welcome addition to our “Powerbox” product series. Proudly stands between Pocket and Ultimate Powerbox and it has been designed to provide advanced features than Pocket Powerbox in a good price and in a more compact / quality design.
Feature List of Pocket Powerbox Advance Gen2:
4 x 12V DC Power outlets for your equipment (A single channel to switch all four outputs ON/OFF via software)
12 Amps of total distributed current
Adjustable Output (3, 5, 8, 9, 12Volt) / 3Amps (Can be switched ON/OFF) Power your DSLR / Mirrorless camera
Embedded Powered USB3 Hub – 2 x USB3 Ports & 2 x USB3 Ports Available (USB3 ports are backwards compatible with USB2 devices)
1 x Power USB Port (up to 3Amps) – Suitable for Raspberry PI 3/4 power
Port (RJ12) for external accessories (E.g External Focus Controller)
USB / PC Controlled or Standalone Operation out of the box
Lightweight and extremely compact aluminium 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 12V outputs (not individually).
This single channel can provide up to 10Amps of current to all ports. Current is shared among the 4 x 12V ports
PPBADV Gen2 USB Port Layout (2 x USB2 White / 2 x USB3 Blue
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
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.
More than 12A of total electric current
Controller has been designed to support up to 12 Amps of total electric current. Please note that a usual backyard astrophotographic setup requires 5-7 Amps
Standalone Operation
Pocket Powerbox Advance can work “out of the box” as a standalone device. Just plug the cables and you are ready to go. 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 to decide if it is time to turn on and precise tune the level of your dew heaters.
Embedded USB3 Hub – 2 x USB3 & 2 x USB2 Ports
A powered USB3 Hub at the back of the device provides 2 x USB3 SuperSpeed Ports and 2 x USB2 High Speed Ports. The new SuperSpeed hubs operate in parallel with the USB 2.0 controller, so 5 Gbps SuperSpeed data transfers are not affected by slower USB 2.0 traffic.
USB Port Configuration under PPBADV Gen2
USB Port1 supports USB2 devices
USB Port2 supports USB2 devices
USB Port3 supports USB2 & USB3 devices
USB Port4 supports USB2 & USB3 devices
* Older product revision (Gen1) had only 3 out of 4 USB Ports that were compatible to USB2 devices. For detailed information please check the product manual.
USB High Power Outputs
USB Port 1 (the USB2 white coloured lower port) provides 5.2V/3Amps. You can connect any device that requires 5V. E.g a Raspberry PI 3/4 or Intel Compute Stick M3/M5 can receive power from this specific port
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 Advance standalone software or dedicated ASCOM driver.
Compact Aluminium Enclosure
A high quality robust, blue anodised aluminium enclosure houses the electronics of the Pocket Powerbox Advance. Size is 100mm x 71mm x 24mm. Weights 250 grams.
ASCOM 6 Fully supported
Pocket Powerbox Advance fully supports ASCOM6. In combination with our main program which acts as a server you can use our latest ASCOM 6.5 supplied drivers to:
Report environmental settings to supported software (e.g Sequence Generator Pro / MaximDL ) (ASCOM ObservingConditions)
Switch ON / OFF 12V outputs, Adjustable Output, Tune Dew Heaters. (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 failure status
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 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.
Connect the device to your laptop/PC and control Pocket Powerbox from the supplied software or ASCOM drivers
Reverse Polarity Protection
Device 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.
Yes, You can drive lots of stepper motors in the astro-market by using the eXternal Motor Controller was designed to expand the focus capabilities of the Ultimate Powerbox v2 (supports a 2nd focus controller).
Supported Motors
We have successfully tested and controlled the following stepper motors:
Please note that each motor requires its own cable due to different pin-out selection of each manufacturer. * We optionally provide any of these cables. Check cable type SKU at below table.
Pocket Powerbox 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).
Our flagship powerbox model. A smart industrial grade USB3.1 Hub was added so you can switch on/off each USB port , more power outputs, more dew heaters, α new stepper controller that can drive any stepper motor in the astronomy market
Product Comparison Table
Feature
Micro
Advance
Ultimate v2
12V Outputs
4
4 +1 (Adjustable Output set to 12V)
4 +1 Always ON Output + 1 (Adjustable Out set to 12V) (6 in total)
Switchable Outputs
1 x 12V channel (you can switch allouputs ON/OFF 1 x variable output
1 x 12V channel (you can switch allouputs ON/OFF 1 x variable output
4 Channels x 12V Outputs (Individual switch of outputs)
Adjustable Regulator
(3, 5, 8, 9, 12 Volt)
(3, 5, 8, 9, 12 Volt)
(3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 Volt)
EXT Port (for peripherals)
Dew Heaters
2 x Ports 2 x Channels
2 x Ports 2 x Channels
3 x Ports 3 x Channels
Auto Dew Heater Adjustment
Configurable per channel
Stepper Motor Controller
– * Can accept external motor controller via EXT port)
– * Can accept external motor controller via EXT port)
* Can also accept external motor controller via EXT port for 2nd motor drive)
Current Delivery (max)
10Amps
12Amps
20Amps
Power Sensors
Current (12V + Dew Heaters) + Voltage
Current (12V + Dew Heaters) + Voltage
Individual current meters for each output
Environmental Sensor
(included)
(included)
(included)
USB Hub
–
4 x USB3.0 Hub (unmanaged)
6 x USB3.1 Industrial Grade Hub. Each USB Port can turn ON/OFF via software
Standalone Software
ASCOM Software
Observing Conditions, Switches
Observing Conditions, Switches
Observing Conditions, Switches, Focus
DC Input Socket
2.1mm circular
2.1mm circular
XT60
Protections
Reverse Polarity, 12V Overcurrent, Overvoltage
Reverse Polarity, 12V Overcurrent, Overvoltage
Reverse Polarity, 12V Overcurrent isolation per port, Overvoltage
All electronic components are selected to support temperature ranges from -40 to +80 °C. Moreover, UPBv2 USB3.1 Hub controller is an industrial grade model which fully complies with this temperature range.
All of our Powerbox products have an input reverse polarity protection. Device will not power on and of course will not allow any voltage to leak to outputs.
All Powerbox products have an internal protection for their 12V outputs. In less that 5 milisecs controller will cut off the power of the output and a warning message will be appeared on the software.
Device has a USB short-circuit / overcurrent protection per port. It will instantly isolate/disable the selected USB port. Just remove the USB device and replug it to bring it to life.
We strongly suggest to use our certificed 12V/10A sealed type power supply unit.. Cheap PSU might cause voltage drops on high load and introduce ripple effect. This will cause issues and artefacts to your precious CCD Camera. A battery (deep cycle type is suggested) is also an option but you will have to calculate your average load and the time you can use the battery.
We really don’t support this idea. Why to buy something and pay noticeable amount of money for a mini PC that will be obsolete (for its specification) after 6-12 months? We strongly suggest to just get a mini factor PC (E.g Intel NUC), plug it on a 12V output and use it as your astro-computer.! If you don’t like it after some time, buy another one with higher specs and lower price for sure! Check the user shots for an example of this approach!
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