Powering your telescope - DJI Portable Power Station solutions

With the arrival of DJI Power units at BINTEL, we thought it would be a great time to go back over the power requirements for telescope, mounts and accessories as well as going over the way we measure power supplies.

DJI are usually associated with drones, but many are finding their power and wide range of outputs make them a handy choice for astronomers as well.

Some basics.* 

There are basically two main voltages used in astro gear. Many mounts, dew controllers and other accessories run off 12 volts (or 12v) DC. 

Why 12 volts? 

Volts measure the electrical potential or difference. You can think of it as being the "pressure" of the electricity. 12 volts is common in many types of astro and many other appliances as it's the same voltage as used by car batteries*. From a practical point of view, it's commonly used and this has made it a standard for many pieces of astro equipment. 

USB outputs are used to power and recharge everything from phones, tablets and of course, astronomy cameras and smart telescopes from ZWO, DWARF and Vaonis.  Various types of USB ports put out about 5 volts. 

What's an amp?***

Amperes or Amps is the unit of measurement that describes how much electricity is being used. You might have heard the term about "how much current a device draws".

As an example, a 12v torch light bulb and a large, 12v Sky-Watcher EQ8-R  telescope both require 12v. However, the telescope mount will require "more" electricity of the same voltage. It will also require different amounts of power depending on when it's simply tracking or quickly slewing from one part of the sky to another.  This is why you sometimes see a device described drawing from 1.5 amps to 3 amps for example. 

Larger and more complex devices will require more current. Aside from telescope mounts, other common high current astro gear include dew heaters.  (If you want a high electricity bill over winter, keep your fan heaters and electric blankets going all the time!)

A Watt** is a measurement of the total amount of electricity and the voltage multiplied by the current. 

Watts describe how much work it is being done by a device. For example, an electric motor that draws 1500 watts will be more powerful than a 1000 watt motor. 

Watt-hour (Wh)

Finally, one more measurement astronomers need to take into consideration are watt hours or wh. This a useful way to measure the capacity of batteries.  

This describes the total amount used over a period of time or on offer by a battery. 

If you have a say a 1000 watt device, a battery such as that in the DJI 1000 Power with a 1024Wh capacity, it would be able to power for bit over an hour. The DJI 2000 Power with a 2028Wh capacity would be able to power it for 2 hours. 

DJI Power 2000

This is why you'll see your home power bill given in units of kWh. (Or one thousand Wh). It's the total amount of electricity you've consumed in that period. 

Watts are total amount of power a battery can provide at once. Watt hours are how long it can provide it for.  

Why get a larger battery?

There are two reasons.

First of all, larger capacity batteries will supply more watts. This means that you will be able to power either more devices, or devices that draw more power with a larger battery than a small one. The DJI Power 1000 V2 can provide 2600 Watts of power and the DJI 2000 some 3000 Watts.

The second reason, and possibly the more important, is that larger capacity batteries will power your telescope mount, cameras and accessories for longer and/or power other, non-astro devices as well. 

Again, comparing the two battery supplies, the DJI Power 2000 will let you observe or image for twice as long as the DJI Power 1000. There's a good chance the small unit will allow you to work under stars for an entire night or more. A larger power supply could mean at least couple of nights without worrying about recharging. 

Larger capacity power units are heavier and you'll need to take this into account when planning dark sky travels. 

DJI Power units also have the ability to combine two or batteries together for extended output as your equipment needs grow. 

DJI Power - ideal combo for astronomers

There are a few advantages to the DJI Power series for astronomers.

Even the basic DJI Power 1000 for $999 will likely power a small to medium astro imaging rig for extended sessions, even throughout the night. 

• All DJI Power units have multiple outputs that can handle both 12v via their SDC ports and USB devices. Astrophotographers especially tend to have a wide range of gizmos that need powering.
• Another factor is the stability on offer. A steady voltage means stable computers, tracking and camera operation.
• Safety. DJI have invested heavily in advanced battery chemistry and features that made their power supplies safe to store and use in the field. 
• Flexibility. Multiple recharging and output options, plus the ability to combine batteries offers great potential for astronomers. 

We'll adding more info, along with examples, on powering astro gear via DJI in coming articles.

Cheers,

Earl White 

BINTEL

25th October 2025

* 12 volts is what car batteries put out when healthy, however car electrical systems usually run a smidge higher, about 13.8 v to 14.4 v, when the car's engine is running. This is to charge the battery. 

**  I am leaving out a full SI definition of watts as the rate of energy transfer per second.

***Apologies for the bad pun....