Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox v2

* Please notice that Ultimate Powerbox is not a power bank. It requires an external power source (battery or Power Supply Unit)

If you are tired of carrying multiple power packs and dealing with a mess of power and data cables, the Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox v2, a sophisticated power control unit, is the “Ultimate” solution. The idea is an enclosure that makes a sufficient number of amperes available. No cables disturb the movements of the mount and the instrument, only the main power cord, and one USB data cord is attached to the Ultimate Powerbox v2 and then branch off the other cables powering all devices.

The Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox v2 features all-around improved electronics compared to the original predecessor.

A USB3.1 Hub has been added so you can switch on/off each USB port, more power outputs, more dew heaters, a new stepper controller that can drive any stepper motor in the astronomy market as well as expansion ports for future devices that will communicate with the UPBv2 Controller!

The Ultimate Powerbox v2 Main Features:

• 4 x 12V Smart Outputs,
• 3 x PWM duty cycle channels for your Dew Heaters or Flat panel / Fans
• a USB3.1 SuperSpeed, 5 Gbit/s Industrial Grade Powered Hub that includes4 x USB3.1and2 x USB2available ports (6 USB ports in total)
• a Unipolar/Bipolar Stepper Motor Controller
• a Variable / Regulated Output of 3Amps
• a 12V / always ON Output
• Environmental & Power readings

4 x 12V DC Power outlets for your equipment

Four powerful Smart Mosfet transistors provide “electric juice” to your precious equipment. Sophisticated short circuit and overload

per port

protections cut the power and report the incident into our software. Every Mosfet is capable to provide up to 7Amps of current.

Built-in Power Sensors

A precisevoltmeterand anamp meter (can measure up to 30A) measure and display in real time (200 measurements per second) your power input. If the input is more than 13.8V the power is instantly cut off to protect your equipment.

Individual Current Meter Per 12V Port

Every 12V output and each Dew Heater current channel has an internal and independent current meter. You can view every port power consumption in the software.

More than 20A of total power

The controller has been designed to support up to 20 Amps of total current.

Stand Alone Software

The standalone software has a neat dark skin! Control all Ultimate Powerbox features from this software. Receive metrics, View, and zoom into graphs, name your outputs, tune every setting of your Ultimate Powerbox quickly and easily.

Industrial 6-Port Powered USB3.1 High-Speed Hub

An industrial USB3.1 port chip ensures that this USB hub will work flawlessly from temperatures of -40°C to +80°C. A nice feature is that USB Hubcan be turned ON/OFFby the software. Moreover, USB port No 6 never turns off and supports up to 3A of current.A very handy feature if you have a Compute Stick * and you want to get a 5V input power. All USB ports include a unique short circuit and overload electronic protection.

If you own an Intel M3/5 PC Stick which has a USB-C socket you will need a USB A -> USB-C "fast charging" cable that can provide 3Amps. Normal USB-C cables have an internal resistor which limits current to 2.2Amps and leads to PC Stick shutdown.

Embedded Stepper Motor Controller

A stepper motor controller will precisely move your focuser. Connect a Pegasus Unipolar Motor or another motor in the market e.g. Rigel, Robofocus, Moonlight Motor. Backlash compensation is already implemented in the firmware and can be enabled, tuned or disabled from the software. A fully ASCOM6 focuser driver is already available.

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 remotely controlled from your laptop using the supplied software.

Expansion Port (EXT)

An RJ12 expansion port is available for future devices. Expansion Port allows the connectivity of current and future Pegasus Astro Products. Plugged devices can be controlled from UPB software (ASCOM /INDI / Standalone).

Auto Adjustment of PWM (Dew Outputs)

Firmware can auto adjust the PWM Outputs by consulting the environmental sensor Dew Point reading. Just click “Auto” and leave to Intelli Powerbox decide if it is time to switch on your dew heaters.

ASCOM 6.4 Fully supported

The Ultimate Powerbox fully supports ASCOM6. In combination with our main program which acts as a server that can use our latest ASCOM 6.4 supplied drivers to:

• Control Stepper Motor(ASCOM Focuser)
• 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

Ultimate Powerbox v2 fully supports INDI.

External brackets support Losmandy / Vixen Plate attachment

Available is the optional pair of bracketsto mount the Ultimate Powerbox v2 device onto a Losmandy 3" or Vixen plate. Both brackets can be screwed on the side of the controller and grab on your telescope.

LED Indications

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. The LED is very dim but in case you don’t like it on you can switch it off via the software.

Power Cables Included

Four power cables of DC 2.1mm to 2.1mm male (1m) areincludedin the package.

External Environmental Sensor

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

Zoomable and Exportable Graphs

Software logs all voltage, current, temperature, and relative humidity readings. All these plots are zoomable and easily exportable in PNG image & CSV text format. Keep a full record of your night conditions.

Shutdown Timer

Choose the time and start a timer to shut down output ports when you schedule it.

Memory Persistent Outputs on Startup

You can easily define which output should turn ON during startup. The setting is stored in the system’s EEPROM memory. A neat feature in case of a power failure.

USB3.1 Connectivity

The controller is always connected to the USB Hub (7th internal USB port). No extra cable needed. Just connect the USB Hub to your laptop and you are done.

Reverse Polarity Protection

Ultimate Powerbox has been designed 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

The device is firmware upgradable to support future features and bug fixes.

Compact and Lightweight

A blue anodized aluminum compact sized box encloses the controller board. Size is 12cm x 10cm x 3cm (4.72 inch x 4.06 inch x 1.2 inch). Weight is 400 grams (14.1 ounces).