Feeding a Losmandy G-11

I just bought a G-11 with Goto here on Amart.
I have read that the motors are happier on 18v.
I have a 12v 30amp dc supply that outputs 13.8v unloaded.
Will this be good enough?
I really don't want to spend anymore $$$ right now! I'm in the middle of my Observatory construction.
Thanks Keith

Keith
The 12v 30amp power supply should be fine under normal use. IIRC the issues crop up with weak batteries, very cold temps, or under heavy load with guide scopes, cameras etc. It also helps to set the fast slew speed down a bit and make sure the balance is good. The motors take the most strain while trying to ramp up to slew so all these factors come into play.
Buck

My G11 with Gemini works fine with a 12V - 5 AMP regulated powersupply mounted with a C14 OTA.

The 12v (13.8v) 30A supply will probably work if you don't
connect anything else except the G11 to it. Definitely
do not want the anti-dew heaters on the same supply.

But I would still suggest to get a higher voltage supply
when you can. My G11 just barely works at 12v, and any
fluctuations will cause it to stall and forget where it is
in the sky -- probably corrupt the alignment info, too.
Cold weather, weak connection, some other accessory cycling
on -- are all enough to crash the Gemini computer. My
G11 Gemini experience was pretty negative operating at 12v.
It would be OK for a while, then start crashing several
times be night. I'd clean all the power connectors, and
it would be OK again for a while. Usually there was no
advanced warning of trouble -- voltage monitors on the
12v would look OK, but it would crash during
high-speed slews when the motors draw large currents.

One day I noticed the power brick from my old IBM ThinkPad A31
had the same connector as Gemini and was 16v 4.5A, and went over
to using that. Its been rock solid since then.
If you google "thinkpad a31 power" you will find them
for $20 to $25 shipped. The plug fit my older
G11 Gemini perfectly (but the newer Gemini have a
different power plug). There are also
12v DC / 120v AC input versions of the power brick.
I'm sure there are lots of other similar adapters that
would work. I would strongly suggest something like that
-- get it on its own supply at 16v to 18v. It will be
much more reliable. That was my experience. YMMV.

I use a 12v to 18v converter with a 13.8v 5 amp 110vac converter on my G-11. I have also run it with just the 13.8v 5 amp unit and it ran fine with just this voltage, even on a cold night.
But, when I run on a 12v battery, I always use the 12v to 18v dc converter.
30 amps is a lot! More that enough to run the G-11 that is for sure.

Wow, Lots of bad information here. The motors are 12-18v @ about 3.6 +/_ A DC they will work any where in that range and Just fine with your power supply, with 30Amp power supply in fact you can run a G11, and Atlas EQ, and an LX200 and all the dew stuff you would need for the set up's. I say this because I have.

Here is what in the Losmandy L4 Manual

"2.2.4 Power Requirements
The Gemini System requires 12–18 Volts DC, 3 Amps to operate. You will need to have
a battery or regulated DC power supply. Your choice of power supply is very important!
Many DC power units are not regulated, provide too little current, and too little or too
much voltage. This can cause problems with the Gemini. If you plan to run other
equipment from the power supply, make sure it has enough additional capacity. Choose
your power supply carefully to meet the requirements mentioned above, and avoid
potential problems such as long power cables. The Losmandy DC power supply
(available separately) meets all the above requirements."

Bob