Skywatcher 17AH Power Tank Not Charging Properly

[HowardHopkinson]

I went out last night and setup my gear only to find out my Skywatcher 17AH powertank was dead as a dodo. Apparently I'd accidentally left it switched on and the battery was completely drained.

Once I'd stopped cursing and packed up my gear, I tried charging it but the red charging light only came on for a second and went out with an audible click.

After many attempts I got it to start charging, however, the green light says it's fully charged and the red charging light only stays on for a few minutes.

I hooked it up to my mount after several hours and it powered my Synscan handset, but would not allow me to slew the mount.

I have checked the output voltage using my meter and it's showing just over 13 volts output.

Is the Power tank beyond repair or should I keep on trying to charge it for a couple of days?

[Ruud]

I believe this battery has total discharge protection. Since that hasn't worked, I'd contact the dealer to find out if you can get a replacement battery. This shouldn't have happened.

[DaveL59]

if you get no luck there, then do you have a car battery smart charger? If so remove the battery and see if that can recover the situation. Lead batteries don't like being drained fully unless they're deep-cycle types which this almost certainly won't be. How old is the unit?

[dweller25]

I also discharged a Skywatcher powertank and I’m afraid there was no return.

I learned to never fully discharge it and always keep it fully charged after use and during the summer when it gets used less.

[knobby]

Good news is a 17ah battery is only about £30 so no need to pay out £105 again. Just check what type it has inside and make sure charger is compatible.

[dobblob]

I am sorry but for me this news is no news re 17 Ah power tank. It tanked irretrievably.

The battery is pretty weak and in spite of conforming to the charge/discharge instructions it failed me after some months.

The charge/discharge/ charged  LED's meant nothing. In contradiction with each other.

Yes I could have fitted a better battery and if I had I nevertheless discovered that the USB ports were not beefy enough to supply my camera  I still would not have  been happy.

And who wants the flashing red light option ?

My tank sits in my cupboard as a standby for power cuts for it's LED flood light and nothing more if it holds charge which I doubt.

Just get a discrete battery, ANY battery  and a charger and connect it to your  scope.

This is a well known problem with power tanks. Don't bother with them any more. Do yourself a favor.

[Cosmic Geoff]

I have an 84.48 WH LiFePo4 power tank, which I bought because they are lighter and supposedly more durable than lead-acid.  I am happy with it so far, and (wrapped in a clear plastic bag) it was great for working under my car. Also looks like a great emergency light for power cuts.

I also have a car starter, acquired with a telescope, which powers the scope and also can inflate my car tyres.🙂

I also have a 7AH sealed lead-acid battery which I bought several years ago which now seems to have lost capacity. 

[Owmuchonomy]

All Powertanks I have come across including one again this week are useless.  They fail with incredible regularity.  I try and recommend other alternatives such as a deep cycle leisure battery or similar to Geoff 's choices above.

[HowardHopkinson]

Well, trying to charge the battery with the supplied charger was a no go. So, I'm currently pulse charging the battery via a smart charger and hopefully that'll work.

How long do you think it will take to repair the battery via the pulse charge?