Ultimate Powerbox

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 7A of current.

Built in Power Sensors

A precise voltmeter and an ampmeter (can measure up to 30A) measure and display in real time (200 measurements per second) your power input. If the input is more than 14.5V (new firmware allows up to 14.5V) the power is instantly cut off to protect your equipment.

Individual Current Meter per 12V port

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

More than 20A of total power

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

* Please notice that Ultimate Powerbox is not a powerbank. It requires an external power source (battery or PSU).

Stand Alone Software

Our modern 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 USB2 High speed Hub

An industrial USB2 port chip ensures that this USB hub will work flawlessly from temperatures of -40°C to +80°C. A nice feature is that USB Hub can be turned ON/OFF by 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 remote controlled from your laptop using the supplied software.

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 Ultimate Powerbox decide if it is time to switch on your dew heaters.

ASCOM 6 Fully supported

Ultimate powerbox fully supports ASCOM6. In combination with our main program which acts as a server you can use our latest ASCOM 6.3 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)

Above screenshot shows ASCOM Observing Conditions and Focus Driver in combination with Sequencer Generator Pro

INDI Fully supported

Ultimate Powerbox fully supports INDI. There are two different implementations that support Linux/OSX

• Indigo: http://www.indigo-astronomy.org
• Indilib: https://indilib.org/devices/auxiliary/pegasus-ultimate-power-box.html

External brackets support Losmandy / Vixen Plate attachment

We provide an optional pair of brackets to grab the Ultimate Powerbox 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 for power and failure states

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

Power Cables are included in the package

Four power cable of DC 2.1mm to 2.1mm male (1m) are included in the package.

External Environmental Sensor

External one (1) meter temperature & relative humidity sensor is included in 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 for Power and Environment values

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.

Timer to shutdown outputs

Choose the time and start timer to shutdown output ports when you schedule it.

Memory persistence outputs on startup

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

USB2 Connectivity

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 ready to go.

Reverse Polarity Protection

Ultimate Powerbox 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!

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.

Compact Size and Lightweight

A blue anodised aluminium compact sized box enclose 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).

* Watch the unboxing of UPB, its features  and a software review by Simplified Astro Channel at Youtube

Bundle your favourite computer with our Ultimate Powerbox

We don’t follow the idea to embed a computer in the UPB device. Our concept is to keep separately the power / environmental / stepper control and the PC hardware. After a year the PC specifications will be obsolete. Spend the extra money on a separate computer which you can upgrade after some time. Choose a “compute pc stick” or a “computer cube” that fits your needs and bundle it with our Ultimate Powerbox. Check the following image of what we have done in our roll off observatory.

• Power Supply Unit (12V / 10A) – 2.5mm Plug
  Click here for details 

• Stepper Motor Cable RJ45 to DB9 (Compatible with Pegasus, Robofocus, Moonlite, Generic Unipolar Stepper Motors)

  

• Pegasus Motor Focus Kit (Universal or SCT)

  • Geared Stepper, Step Angle 7.5, Deg 120, Gear Ration 1:120
  • Universal L Shaped Adapter or SCT Celestron Bracket
  • Coupler 5mm to 10mm with 3 grub screws

• • Pair of Black Aluminium Dovetail Brackets to attach the Ultimate Powerbox on your mount

• USB cable converter to 8V DC with DSLR battery coupler

6th USB port provides 3Amps of current – Use this adapter with the battery coupler to power up your DSLR Camera) *  We currently support the following Couplers Sony Mirrorless Coupler Compatible With A7 A7R A7S A7II A7RII A7SII FUJI Mirrorless Coupler NP-W126 Compatible With HS30EXR HS33EXR HS50EXR X-A1 X-E1 X-E2 X-M1 X-Pro1 X-T1 X-T2 Nikon DSLR EP-5A for ENEL14 Battery Coupler: Nikon D5100 D5200 D5300 D5500 DF P7000 P7100 P7200 P7700 P7800 D3500  EP-5B for ENEL15 Battery Coupler: Nikon D800 D800E D610 D700 D7200 D7000 DR-E17 Compatible with: For Canon EOS M3 Mirrorless DR-E18 Compatible with: For Canon EOS Rebel T6s  / EOS Rebel T6i | 760D/750D DR–E5 Compatible with: Canon 450D Rebel XSi Canon Digital Rebel XS (digital) Canon Digital Rebel XSi Canon EOS 1000D Canon EOS 450D Canon EOS 500D Canon EOS Kiss F Canon EOS Kiss X2 Canon EOS Kiss X3 Canon EOS Rebel T1i DR-E6 (Canon leadership cameras) Compatible with Canon 5D Mk II, 5D Mk III, 6D, 60D, 60Da, 7D, 70D, 80D DR-E8 (Canon medium range cameras) Compatible with Canon EOS 700D, Canon EOS 650D, Canon EOS 600D, Canon EOS 550D. DR-E10 (Entry camera models) Compatible with Canon EOS 1100D and 1200D. DR-400 (Older camera models) Compatible with Canon 5D, 50D, 40D, 30D, 20D, 10D, D60, D30

Cables

	Power Cable for Skywatcher EQ6R / AZ-EQ6 Mount
	Power Cable for Skywatcher EQ8 Mount

Q: What kind of power supply do I need?

A:  We suggest to buy a good linear 12V / 10-20A branded power supply. Cheap units cause voltage drops on high load and ripple effect. This will cause issues and artefacts to your precious CCD Camera. You can also use a Lead Acid battery (12V-13.8V).

Q: What type of cable do I need to use for input?

A: If you are going to make a custom input cable notice that you need at least a AWG 17 cable. Make also sure that you do not exceed 2-3 meters to to reduce voltage drops.

Q: I would like to use the Ultimate Powerbox to my remote observatory. What if the device freezes for some reason?

A: We have good news for you. The device has a hardware watchdog and resets itself if the microcontroller is not responsive after 2 seconds.

Q: My observatory is in a very cold place. Is there any issue with the electronics of the device?

A: All electronic components were selected to support temperature ranges from -40 to +80 °C. Moreover USB2 Hub Chip is an industrial model which fully complies with this temperature range.

Q: I have a new feature request. Is it possible to implement it in the software / firmware.

A: Sure, we are here to listen our customers. Please contact us and tell us your idea!

Q: What if I accidentally short-circuit an output?

A: Ultimate Powerbox has an internal protection for all outputs. In less that 5 milisecs it will cut off the power of this output and a warning message will be appeared at the software screen.

Q: What if I accidentally reverse polarity?

A: Ultimate Powerbox has an input reverse polarity protection. Device will not power on and of course will not allow any voltage to leak to outputs.

Q: What if I short-circuit a USB Hub port?

A: Device has a USB short-circuit / overcurrent protection per port. It will instantly isolate/disable the selected USB port. Just remove the USB device and plug another one to bring it to life.

Q: I have a USB device which requires more power than a normal USB port.

A: No problem. The 6th port of the USB hub can support up to 3Amps of current. Plug it there and it will do the job.

Ultimate Powerbox 6th USB port can easily provide up to 3Amps current. If you use an Intel M3/5 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. 

Q: At the middle of the night humidity rises up. What can I do for my optics?

A: Enable auto-dew functionality. Device firmware will adjust the power of both Dew Heater outputs consulting the humidity / dew point levels that environmental sensor reports.

Q: Can I upgrade the firmware?

A: Of course, device was designed to support firmware upgrade for future features or bug fixes.

Q: Why don’t you place a mini PC inside the Ultimate Powerbox?

A: We really don’t support this idea. Why to buy something and pay noticeable amount of money for a mini PC that will be obsolete (in its specification) after 6-12 months? We suggest you to just get a compute stick, plug it in the 6th USB hub port to supply it with enough power juice and you have your tiny PC up and running! If you don’t like it after some time, buy another one with higher specs and lower price for sure! Check the user shots for an example of this approach!

Q: Does it support INDI

A: Yes 100%. There are two implementations. Indigo and native Indilib and support Windows/OSX/Linux.

• http://www.indigo-astronomy.org/downloads.html
• https://indilib.org/devices/auxiliary/pegasus-ultimate-power-box.html

• Please visit Download page for Software
• UPB Product Manual
• Autofocus using SGPro
• Stepper RJ45 to DB9 Cable Pinout
• Stepper RJ12 to DB9 Cable Pinout  – Older
• Quick Installation Guide
• Dovetail installation guide
• UDP Server Command Table

You can order it from our dealers

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