New Pi4b controller + power unit
Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2023 6:28 am
I recently ditched my first DIY rig consisting of a Pi4b, 12/5 DCDC and 7-port powered USB2 hub on a too-large plywood frame to a Pi4b + Pegasus power unit. That new unit looks really cool but the Pegasus is pricy. I needed it because I had to run the ASI2600 off the Pi4b's USB3 and it has a severe power limit that the Pegasus fixed. I built KStars/Ekos from source code.
I always wanted to have a second DIY rig, so I got another Pi4b, 12/5 DCDC and a 4-port powered USB3 hub. It worked out really well. The DCDC provides 15 W, which is plenty for thePi , while I can run the ASI2600 over the powered USB3 hub. This Pi runs StellarMate, the commercial version of KStars/Ekos. I glued the 3 components together with E6000 into a nice compact unit. It looks a bit rough but it's all about functionality.
ThePi is at the bottom with the USB hub and the DCDC glued on top of it. You can see 7 available USB ports, 5xUSB3 and 2xUSB2 (one USB3 on the Pi is to connect with the USB hub).
Here's the rear, a cut-up USB-C cable that powers thePi with 5V to the lower left, the 12V power input cable to the right (red), and a 12V power output cable to the right (dashed), the 5V USB power to the front. The 5V port on the DCDC is to the left, the 12V port is to the right.
Here's the bottom of thePi that has a cut-up foam cork glued to it. This makes it easy to put it on any OTA by clamping it with a piece of rubber bicycle tube. It sits rock solid that way and is easy to move around across OTAs.
This is a whole lot cheaper than the Pegasus that cost me $340 and equally good as far as I can tell. It worked fine when I put it on my ED80/EAF /QHY/ASI2600MC configuration.
I always wanted to have a second DIY rig, so I got another Pi4b, 12/5 DCDC and a 4-port powered USB3 hub. It worked out really well. The DCDC provides 15 W, which is plenty for the
The
Here's the rear, a cut-up USB-C cable that powers the
Here's the bottom of the
This is a whole lot cheaper than the Pegasus that cost me $340 and equally good as far as I can tell. It worked fine when I put it on my ED80/