The Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Advance Gen2 is a small but powerful device that allows up to 4 USB devices to be plugged in – 2 x USB2 and 2 x USB3 Ports. It was created to be a step up from the Pocket Powerbox Micro offering more advanced features including the aforementioned USB Hub that accepts up to 4 USB ports. It also provides 12 amps of total distributed current compared to the Pocket Powerbox’s 10A amps. It is designed to work with a PC or as a standalone device.
Highlights of the Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Advance Gen2 include:
– 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)
– 2 Channels PWM Dew Heaters RCA Outputs (Tune levels via software)
– Humidity and Temperature Sensor (included)
– Auto Tune Dew Heater Channels
– Reverse Polarity Protection
– 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
The Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Advance offers a MOSFET transistor that provides electricity to the 4 outputs. This single channel can provide up to 10Amps of current to all ports. Current is shared among the 4 x 12V ports An adjustable output is suitable to provide power to a DSLR/Mirrorless camera or a RPI3/4. You can tune the voltage to different levels (3,5,8,9,12 Volts) and there is a wide range of battery couplers for Canon, Nikon, Sony, and FUJI Cameras.
A built-in precise voltmeter measures and displays in real time the input voltage. If the input is more than 14.5V, the power is instantly cuts off to protect equipment. The controller has been designed to support up to 12 Amps of total electric current.
An amp-meter placed after the DC input reports the total electric current. There are also three additional amp-meters – one for the 12V outputs and two for the Dew Heater Channels. This provides the ability to monitor the details and overall power consumption of your equipment.
Two Pulse width modulation (PWM) outlets can provide power to dew heaters. These outlets can be remote controlled from a laptop using the supplied software. The controller can auto adjust the heater power levels by utilizing the environmental sensor dew point reading. Just click auto and the Pocket Powerbox will determine when to turn on and precise tune the level of dew heaters.
The Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Advance has a powered USB3 Hub at the back of the device that 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:
– USB Port1 supports USB2 devices
– USB Port2 supports USB2 devices
– USB Port3 supports USB2 & USB3 devices
– USB Port4 supports USB2 & USB3 devices
USB Port 1 provides 5.2V/3Amps. You can connect any device that requires 5V such as a Raspberry PI 3/4 or Intel Compute Stick M3/M5. An Expansion Port (EXT) 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.
The Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Advance has LEDs that will blink in patterns to warn of important power issues such as over or under voltage. The LED is very dim and if not desired to be viewed can be switched off via the software. The design incorporates a reverse voltage polarity protection in case you accidentally connect the main power supply in reverse polarity.
A hardware watchdog resets the device if for any reason there is no response from the controller for two seconds. This feature is valuable in the unlikely event of a controller freeze.
A robust, blue anodized aluminum enclosure houses the electronics of the Pocket Powerbox Advance. The unit’s size is 100mm x 71mm x 24mm and it weighs 250 grams. Four power cable of DC 2.1mm to 2.1mm male (1m) are included in the package as well as an external temperature & relative humidity sensor.
The Pocket Powerbox Advance fully supports ASCOM6. In combination with Pegasus Astro’s main program (which acts as a server) the company’s latest ASCOM 6.5 supplied drivers provide the ability to switch ON/OFF 12V outputs, adjust output and tune dew heaters. There is also the ability to report environmental settings to supported software such as Sequence Generator Pro and MaximDL .
The Pocket Powerbox also fully supports INDI and it can be bundled with Stellarmate or any other device that can use INDILib.
You can learn more about the Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Advance Gen2 here.
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