Celestron 17amp power tank

[Nexus 6]

Any advice as to how I can replace my Celestron 17amp power tank battery? It has drained and looks like I have left it to long between charges. After seeing the thread by James I put It on charge for 24 hours and tested it on my Celestron Nexstar 6se.I ran out of power after 5 minutes! Think I might need to replace the battery or acquire an alternative form of portable power.

Any advice or tips?

Thanks Alan

Celestron cpc 925

Celestron Nexstar 6se

vixen/Televue EPs

Canon 1000D

[Demonperformer]

Depending on the cost of a new battery, there may be cheaper alternatives. Just bought a 12v 17Ah power supply from Maplins for under £25: http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=49038

[Jim M]

Any advice as to how I can replace my Celestron 17amp power tank battery? It has drained and looks like I have left it to long between charges. After seeing the thread by James I put It on charge for 24 hours and tested it on my Celestron Nexstar 6se.I ran out of power after 5 minutes! Think I might need to replace the battery or acquire an alternative form of portable power.

Any advice or tips?

Thanks Alan

That's a bummer! I was looking at those units only the other day - thinking of getting one for myself when I wondered what type of battery they contained over and above just "sealed lead acid". My understanding that a traction type of battery is more suitable as they are deep duty cycle rather than the low duty cycle discharge types which are more common and cheaper. What that means is that the cheaper ones will not take a long discharge before they become worn out where as the more expensive traction battery can be discharged almost to nothing and it will not be harmed thereby.

Everything you ever wanted to know about batteries:

Welcome to Battery University

[Space Bat]

Any advice as to how I can replace my Celestron 17amp power tank battery? It has drained and looks like I have left it to long between charges. After seeing the thread by James I put It on charge for 24 hours and tested it on my Celestron Nexstar 6se.I ran out of power after 5 minutes! Think I might need to replace the battery or acquire an alternative form of portable power.

Any advice or tips?

Thanks Alan

Celestron cpc 925

Celestron Nexstar 6se

vixen/Televue EPs

Canon 1000D

Dead batteries can be recovered using de-sulphation recoverers and able to be put back into a state as new, as they are designed to counter sulphation which is the primary reason for an unchargeable dead battery, however the cost of the apparatus that does this is quite high and although there are cheaper ones £50-60 mark I am not sure how well these would work in providing the modulated pulses required to repair batteries, so even the cheaper ones are only just under the cost of direct replacement.

Chris

[Jim M]

Dead batteries can be recovered using de-sulphation recoverers and able to be put back into a state as new, as they are designed to counter sulphation which is the primary reason for an unchargeable dead battery, however the cost of the apparatus that does this is quite high and although there are cheaper ones £50-60 mark I am not sure how well these would work in providing the modulated pulses required to repair batteries, so even the cheaper ones are only just under the cost of direct replacement.

Chris

How to restore and prolong lead-acid batteries :

<<SLA batteries with mild sulfation can be restored but the work is time consuming and the results are mixed.>>

Always store lead-acid in a charged condition. Never allow the open cell voltage to drop much below 2.10V. Apply a topping charge every six months or when recommended.

Avoid repeated deep discharges. Charge more often. Use a larger battery to reduce the depth of discharge.

Prevent sulfation and grid corrosion by choosing the correct charge and float voltages. If possible, allow a fully saturated charge of 14h.

To reverse sulfation, raise the charge voltage above 2.40V/cell for a few hours.

Avoid operating lead-acid at elevated ambient temperatures.

[arad85]

I'm just building my own "power tank" to power my EQ6, laptop, dew heaters etc... I'm going for a 110Ah ultra deep cycle battery and a heavy duty power charger in a self build case (marine ply). Not cheap (or light!!) - probably around £250 when finished including a 7amp multi-stage charger, but I too fried my gel cell 17Ah power tank and don't want to fry any of the boards or handset in the EQ6 due to a dodgy power supply - that would be even more expensive....

[Merlin66]

As mentioned on other threads I've used a collection of 20Ah gel cell batteries ( with an electronic charger) for the last few years.

They work very well, never let me down.

IMHO much better than the powerpacks.

Ken

[Nexus 6]

Thanks for the response to my query. I will give it a week or two and make a purchase.The 6se is a great scope especially due being portable so a portable power source is crucial.

I use mains supply for my cpc 925 not an easy scope to transport so its the backgarden if we get any clear nights!

Best wishes for 2010 to you all

Alan

[rs11gps]

I just replaced the battery in mine. Take a look at this thread in Cloudy Nights forum:

Telescope Reviews: Replacing Celestron Power Tank 17 battery

I did a Google search and found out that the generic UB12180 is compatible. It is 12v and 18Ah, so it actually has a bit more amps available. It was a perfect fit and the Powertank charges and works great.

Although a number of online websites sold the UB12180 or equivalent, I bought mine at a local battery shop for $47. If you are willing to wait for shipping, I saw a few as cheap as $31.

These batteries are also used in electric scooters and wheelchairs. Makes sense, since they are good amperage, deep-draw batteries.

Follow the directions in the CN thread, they are correct. Hope this helps. - Roger

[Nexus 6]

Many thanks Roger.

Think I will do a few mods.

Hoping we get some clear nighs.

Alan

[ollypenrice]

Caravan batteries, AKA leisure batteries or deep discharge are much better than tacky power tanks. I have met a few garage owners who have stopped selling the booster batteries because of dismal reliability.

Olly

[Merlin66]

If it's failed once, I think it will fail again in the future... why replace the battery....????

A proper electronic three stage charger will keep batteries going for years.

[Ogri]

I used 'normal' heavy duty car batteries for years to run TV, lights etc., when the generator wasn't running.

I got great reliability and battery life of many years, by watching the voltage. As soon as the battery got down to 12v, I'd stop using it until recharged.

These are apparently good for bringing batteries back to life, as long as the battery is sub 30 ah:

Oximiser Battery Charger

They are genuine Oxford, but unfortunately the one I just received is Made in China - so will let you know how it pans out.

I bought 3, very expensive chargers from Halfords, all made in China, and none lasted more than a week (two blew on first switching them on). I managed then to get a cheaper one in exchange (in fact I got 2 as they were half the price of the Chinese rubbish), amongst the last they had, made in Germany, and that has worked a treat.

Fingers crossed this one works out ok (at least Oxford is a good make and maybe they are on top of quality control), as I have a couple of motorbike batteries I need to trickle charge.

eta: Output is 0.6 amps, and it has a 2 year warranty.