Charging slowed due to low temperature

HB9HCI

Charging slowed due to low temperature

This is probably to save the Li-accu.
But it is a bad idea: If the temperature goes low, the sky becomes clear. I lost some beautiful nights!
Suggestion: Please skip the loading of the accu in deep temps. Drive the Raspi directly with the usb-input connector.
Then we could stargaze the whole cold night!

Lilo

HB9HCI
Exactly as it's implemented currently. If the temperature is low it doesn't charge internal battery and it doesn't use internal buttery. It runs on external USB power supply as long as it's available. 20Ah powerbank is usually enough for the whole night. And only when external supply is depleted it switches to the internal battery.

curtismacc

Lilo Exactly. Just have an external power source capable of supply enough power to run the heater (if you have it turned on) and everything else and enough capacity to last the night. Power consumed by the Seestar is less than 10W total, 120Wh for a 10hr night. Then the issue of charging below 0 deg C never comes up.

HB9HCI

No, if the temp is low, there is no charging and S50 stops working!
I am googing to replace the battery with an USB cable. S50 accepts 5V. (Li-Ion-Accu: 4.4V)

Lilo

HB9HCI
Something is wrong with your seestar then.

HB9HCI

I replaced the battery with a USB-cable: It works!
But surprinigly the App shows 100% loaded, after a few hours 0%. But the S50 runs anyway...

curtismacc

HB9HCI Interesting. How exactly did you wire that, it is hard to be certain from the picture? The battery connection has 3 wires, +, - and one for the battery's thermistor which is used to monitor the temperature to prevent charging when the temp is too low or charging/discharging when the temperature is too high. Looks like you left that wire open. What do you see for the temperature on the App now?

HB9HCI

I have tested it a few days (nights): It works fine: Here is a picture of M74 (Phantom Galaxy) The picture is stacked with 4 S50 fits in Siril (totally 23h exposure time) Temp < 0°C
The connection is very easy:

Use an (old) USB-cable,
cut the connector you don't need
use the cables with 5V(usually red + and black -)
find an appropriate plugin connector for the battery connector of S50 (I used one not very appropriate - quick and dirty)
connect red (+) with the red cable of the battery,
connect black (-) with the black cable of the battery. (The yellow cable is for sensing the degree of loading of the battery.You don't need it.)
plug in and close the housing of S50

It works even if you use the 5V of the USB cable. (The battery delivers only 4.3V.)
As I noted above: The degree of loading seams to be calculated (under these conditions), not measured: It steps from 100% to 0% in a few hours and remains at 0%. But everything (even remote connection via network) works as expected.

For all of you, who tries to replace the battery this way: If you blow your S50: don't blame me!
You do it on your own risk: NO GUARANTY!

curtismacc What do you see for the temperature on the App now?

I don't see any temp on the App.

curtismacc

HB9HCI If you no longer see a temperature it is because the 3rd wire goes to the thermistor on the battery which tells the Seestar the temperature.

HB9HCI

Just an addon to my post above: If you need to do an update: It is necessary, that the battery looks loaded (100%).
Plug out the USB-cable from the supply and reconnect! Then internal counter will start again by 100% and decreases to 0%. So you have some hours to update. (Just tested: works fine.)

bakosmi

HB9HCI you can automate that by putting power supply to a smart plug :-)

Seestar_S50

There shouldn't be any internal counter!!!! It should be measuring the actual voltage of the battery and current being drawn by the Seestar and giving you a real-time reading! Another shortcut by ZWO.

HB9HCI

Seestar_S50 There shouldn't be any internal counter!!!!

I expected the same, but it isn't. If you do not connect the sense-line with the battery this strange behavior happens (at least with my S50).

Lilo

HB9HCI
As I already wrote before something is obviously wrong with your unit.

Own two seestars and there are no "counter" of any kind. Both work from external USB power source for unlimited time keeping battery percentage at 100%