Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Micro (PPB)

• 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 CNC aluminium enclosure

This small-sized device (in short PPB Micro) is suitable for the “grab and go” astrophotographer. It can provide up to 10Amps of power and 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).

Pocket Powerbox Micro is the successor of the Pocket Powerbox

4 x 12V DC Power outlets

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 – single channel).

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 from overvoltage.

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 (3,5,7,8,9,12 Volts). Please note that we provide a wide range of battery couplers for Canon, Nikon, Sony, FUJI DSLR and Mirrorless Cameras.

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 Unity Platform or a dedicated ASCOM driver.

The device supports the eXternal Motor Controller.

Built in Amp-meter

An Amp-meter which is installed right after the DC input, reports the total electric current.

Moreover, there are three additional amp-meters: One for the 12V quad outputs and two for the Dew Heater Channels. This allows you to easily monitor the detailed and overall power consumption of your equipment.

Other Key Features

• Standalone Operation“out of the box”
  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 to 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)
  The 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.
  
  
• More than 10A of total power
  The powerbox has been designed to support up to 10 Amps of total current.
  
  
• Led Indications for power and failure states
  Led can blink in patterns to warn you about important power issues (e.g over or under voltage). Also, light can be turned off by using the software. The LED is very dim but in case you don’t like it on you can switch it off
  
  
• Reverse Polarity Protection
  Pocket Powerbox Micro 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!
  
  
• A hardware 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.

Supported By...

...ASCOM...

Pocket powerbox fully supports ASCOM 6 and higher. In combination with the Pegasus Astro program which acts as a server you can use the latest ASCOM 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

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

Shoe Attachment

The optional PEG-SHOE attachment allows you to secure the PPB Micro onto your telescope rig.

Which power supply?

Most of the faults we encounter are due to incorrect voltage and power supply.

The PegasusAstro PPB Micro can deliver up to 10 amps of current in total, but it can only do so if you use a power supply with at least 10 amps. The power supply unit should also be voltage-stabilized, because if the voltage drops under load (i.e., when consumers are switched on), there will no longer be 12 volts at the outputs and some accessories will not work (if you can measure this yourself, please always measure under load).

Therefore, please refrain from using uncertified cheap power supplies and invest in a reasonable and sufficiently dimensioned power supply (this has the advantage that you will also be perfectly equipped for the future).

Incidentally, the best place to store the power supply unit is on the tripod shelf or in a small, breathable carrying bag to protect the power supply unit and the connectors from moisture/wetness!!!

We recommend using the power supply unit linked below.

Unity Platform Support

Pegasus Astro Unity Platform is the new all around application. Their goal is to provide a robust and modern application that is going to support current and future products under one roof.

A modern frontend allows the full control of all Pegasus Astro devices.

Moreover, a REST JSON api helps developers from 3rd party software to interact with Pegasus Astro products.

As Pegasus Astro continuously develop their applications, based on customer feedback, lots of innovative features are going to be added in upcoming releases.

Download it directly from the Pegasu Astro Website: PegasusAstro Unity Plattform (PegasusAstroUnityPlatform.exe)

Technical Data

Scope of Delivery

• Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Micro (PPB)
• 1 x Temperature / Humidity Sensor
• 4 x Power Cords 5.5/2.1mm to 5.5/2.1mm
  (2x 1m, 2x 0.5m)
• 1 x USB Cable Type B (1.8m)