Celestron PowerTank 6.1 Battery Replacement

[Fir Chlis]

Hi folks

Just found this week that my Celestron 6.1 PowerTank battery is failing (the small flat slab shaped powertank). I've tried to get it apart to see if I can change the internal battery - I've taken off the four obvious screws holding it together, but can't see obviously how to get the cover off. Does anyone know?

Thanks

 

Geoff

[Cosmic Geoff]

To save you the trouble, the internal cells are 

Battery pack (Lithium nickel cobalt manganese, Li(NiCoMn)O2)

It is probably not user repairable, but these devices are supposed to have a relatively long life.

 

[Fir Chlis]

8 hours ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

To save you the trouble, the internal cells are 

Battery pack (Lithium nickel cobalt manganese, Li(NiCoMn)O2)

It is probably not user repairable, but these devices are supposed to have a relatively long life.

 

Thanks - FLO just told me that they aren't repairable. It's only two years old, but I suspect it's lack of use /charging. Put away for the summer, and last winter was awful up here - very few clear nights, so the scope hardly came out. 

[Celerondon]

Make certain that your next power source is equipped with LiFePO4 cells, and it should last more than 8 or 9 years.  The best things about LiFePO4 batteries are that they have flat voltage supply curves down to below 20% of capacity and that they are not damaged if they are stored without being fully charged.  In fact, they love it!

Don

[bosun21]

I have owned the same Celestron power pack for 3 years and it still functions like new. I use it to drive the go to and tracking on an EQ5 pro. Every time I use it I recharge it until full. It hasn't lost any performance yet🤞.

[Carbon Brush]

Lithium packs tend to have a life measured in charge/discharge cycles, rather than the calendar.
If you over discharge, or over charge, that is a different situation.
A properly designed pack will include circuits to prevent over charge or over discharge.

If a cell has been fully discharged then left for many many months powering the internal control circuit, it will over discharge.
When you connect a charger it may fail to charge, or it may charge very very slowly, but eventually recover.

How do you know whether it is the battery failing, or over discharged, or the internal control circuit?
Unless you have the skill and test equipment, it has to be regarded as not being user repairable.

Lithium cells in the wrong hands are excellent fire starters.
Unless you know what to look for, walk away. Dispose of the pack via an approved method.

HTH, David.
 

[wookie1965]

I use one on my EQ5 best thing I have ever done really easy to set up now.