Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Advance (PPBADV) Gen2
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Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Advance (PPBADV) Gen2Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Advance (PPBADV) Gen2Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Advance (PPBADV) Gen2Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Advance (PPBADV) Gen2

Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Advance (PPBADV) Gen2

£259.00
  (6 Reviews)
✓ 2 year warranty

:  

9x in stock shipped 1-2 working days

About this product

Model:  peg_ppbadv
Part Number:  PEG-PPBADV

Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Advance (PPBADV) Gen2

This small but powerful device (PPBADV) is a welcome addition to the Powerbox product series.

Proudly stands between Pocket Micro and Ultimate Powerbox v2.

It has been designed to provide more advanced features than Pocket Powerbox Micro, especially a USB Hub that accepts up to 4 USB ports.

FEATURES

  • 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, 7, 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
  • EXT Port (RJ12) for external accessories (e.g. External Focus Controller)
  • 2 Channels PWM Dew Heaters – RCA Outputs (Adjust power 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

Built-in Amp-meter


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 allows you to monitor your equipment's overall power consumption easily.

More than 12A of total electric current

The powerbox has been designed to output up to 12 Amps of electric current. (A typical backyard astrophotographic setup requires 5-7 Amps).

Embedded USB3 Hub – 2 x USB3 & 2 x USB2 Ports


A powered USB3 Hub at the back of the device provides the following:

  • 2 x USB3 SuperSpeed Ports
  • 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 under PPBADV Gen2

  • USB Port1 supports USB2 devices
  • USB Port2 supports USB2 devices
  • USB Port3 supports USB2 & USB3 devices
  • USB Port4 supports USB2 & USB3 devices

* Older product revision (Gen1) had only 3 out of 4 USB Ports compatible with USB2 devices. For detailed information, please check the product manual.

USB High Power Output

USB Port 1 provides up to 3 Amps of current. You can connect any device that requires 5V. E.g. a Raspberry PI 3/4 or Intel Compute Stick M3/M5 can receive power from this specific port.

Expansion Port (EXT)

EXT (expansion) port 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 a dedicated ASCOM driver.

Compact Aluminium Enclosure

A high-quality, robust, blue anodised Aluminium enclosure houses the electronics of the Pocket Powerbox Advance.

Size is 100mm x 71mm x 24mm. Weights 250 grams.

Other Key Features

Standalone Operation “out of the box.”

Pocket Powerbox Micro can work “out of the box” as a standalone device. Just plug the cables, and set up the “autodew” functionality, and every time you boot the device, it will retrieve your settings. So, If you don’t like to connect to a PC every time, you don’t have to. Simple as that!

Two-channel duty cycle PWM outputs

Two Pulse width modulation (PWM) outlets can power 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)

A controller can auto-adjust the heater power levels by consulting the environmental sensor Dew Point reading. Just click “Auto” and leave to Pocket Powerbox Micro to decide if it is time to turn on and precisely tune the level of your dew heaters.

More than 10A of total power

The controller has been designed to support up to 10 Amps of total current.

Led Indications for power and failure states

Led can blink 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 you can switch it off via the software if you don't like it.

Reverse Polarity Protection

Pocket Powerbox Micro has reverse voltage polarity protection. If you accidentally connect the main power supply in reverse polarity, it will save your night!

A hardware watchdog

A hardware watchdog resets the device if, for any reason, there is no response from the controller for two seconds. This a neat feature in the unlikely event of a controller freeze when you have a remote observatory and need to be sure everything works as expected.

Upgradable Firmware

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

Supported By

ASCOM 6

Pocket Powerbox Advance fully supports ASCOM6. In combination with our main program, which acts as a server, you can use our latest ASCOM 6.5 supplied drivers to:

  • Report environmental settings to supported software (e.g. Sequence Generator Pro / MaximDL )  (ASCOM ObservingConditions)
  • Switch ON / OFF 12V outputs, Adjustable Output, and Tune Dew Heaters. (ASCOM Switches)

INDI

Pocket powerbox fully supports INDI; bundle it with Stellarmate or any other device that can use INDILib.

Unity Platform Support

Pegasus Astro Unity Platform is their new all-around application. We aim to provide a robust and modern application supporting current and future products under one roof.

A modern front end allows complete control of all Pegasus Astro devices.

Moreover, a REST JSON API helps developers from 3rd party software to interact with our products.

What's in the box

  • Pocket Powerbox Advance Controller
  • Temperature / Humidity Sensor
  • 4x 1m 2.1mm Male to 2.1mm Male Power Cables
  • 1.8m USB3 Cable

Downloads / Manuals

The following manuals and downloads are available for this product:

Manuals

Quick Installation Guide

Product Manual

 

Top Plate bracket installation guide

Dovetail brackets installation guide

 

Software

Unity Platform

 

TheSkyX Plugin

AstroImager from CloudMakers – 3rd party software for OSX

 

Misc

Serial Command Table for PPB Advance (Jan/21)

Customer reviews

Average Rating (6 Reviews):  
Write a Review and share your opinions!

Rating (max 5):  
Pocket Powerbox Advance Gen2
03 January 2024  | 

I own the original Pocket Powerbox along with a 7 port startech industrial usb hub and I upgraded to the PPBADV to to make things a bit neater since it combines power management with a 4 port USB hub (inc 2x usb 3).
It's very small and light and helps tidy up cable management no end. I coupled it with a Buckeye mounting kit to fix it to my Losmandy dovetail.
I have had several sessions now using the AM5 mount (battery or mains ), cooled camera and dew heaters and it has performed flawlessly using the Unity platform and NINA.
I have always found Pegasus products to be of a high standard and can fully recommend the PPBADV.


Rating (max 5):  
PPBADV GEN 2
16 October 2023  | 

Excellent bit of kit, used this week at kelling heath Star party (when it stopped raining) worked perfectly, all cables nice and tidy.
Delivery was rapid it arrived just as I had finished putting in the last number on the card payment, 😄😄 Well done FLO


Rating (max 5):  
Great Piece of Kit
18 September 2023  | 

I was looking for something to help me make a neater job of sorting out all my cables on my astrophotography setup and a PPBADV was recommended. It is quite pricey, but it is very well made and will do everything you need. All of the outlets work as described in the FLO description and the app is very easy to set up on a PC. In my case that is a NUC that is used to control everything. I especially like the auto adjusted dew heater control
I am delighted with my purchase and FLO we their usual excellent selves with advice and speedy despatch.


Rating (max 5):  
A nice nice-to-have
19 February 2023  | 

PPBADV2 is a nice little (tiny!) box that will help reduce the number of cables going up to the scope. Dew management is useful and appears to work fine, USB hub is good too and I have not had any problems with port 1 (so far) that so many people have had. Power outputs work fine too but I was a little surprised that the on/off controls are for all of them and not individual (I guess I didn't read the manual correctly). Ascom control is fine and it connects well to Nina.
So why not 5*? If you read their docs it appears as if the set comes with a 12V car connector - it doesn't. Also if you look at Pegasus forums you will quickly realise that Pegasus people there are not very nice or supportive. So while the product works, these ancillary things are annoying and could be an issue for some people.
Of course 5* for FLO. Ordering and delivery and comms have been amazing, as usual.


Rating (max 5):  
A well-engineered solution for your power and communication needs
16 October 2022  | 

I've been putting off getting a power hub for a while , but with having to set up from scratch for each session I found that I got to a point where I had so many things to connect and power that I just needed to simplify things. The box is easy to setup and use.

I am using it to power 2 x dew heaters, 1 x camera heater, 2 x cooled cameras, a mini PC and the mount itself, and to connect all my USB devices so that I now have only one cable running to the mini PC attached to the mount. The environment monitor is an added bonus, showing humidity and temperature and driving the automatic control of the dew heater voltages. The box doesn't come with a power supply so I would recommend the 10A Pegasus power supply as a way to perhaps remove the last remaining cigarette connector from your setup.

In retrospect I definitely waited too long to get one of these.


Rating (max 5):  
Simplify rig setup
17 August 2022  | 

Bought this to use on a rig with a mEle Quieten3 mini-PC. Useful as a powerhub and usb hub. It also has 2 channels of dew heater controller, which can be controlled automatically by the unit using its temp/humidity sensor. It offers basic control and monitoring via NINA. Further control and monitoring with Pegasus Unity software. Very impressed with Pegasus customer support when I had a communication issue - next morning response to email and a remote session to resolve the issue.

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