Celestron PowerTank 12V Rechargeable Telescope Battery Pack – 84 Wh

Well, it looks like a tank anyway. I camp out a lot. As such I've grown to appreciate having a power box available for the times I'm plop-camping (or "glamping"). I used to take a jump box with me, but I always felt a little funny (and inefficient) about something with attached jumper cables. Enter the Celestron Power Tank. Yes, it's intended to support the use of a telescope. But it can do oh so much more. For instance, there are two cigarette lighter plugs (I'm old enough where I can call them that). Plug in a suitable power inverter and you have a power outlet you can use to, say, inflate an air mattress. Two USB ports lets you charge your stuff. And there is a mack daddy spotlight on it. So it works. And as there are a two terminals on the back, with jumper cables I could theoretically use jumper cables with this. I also appreciate the off/on/charge switch...it makes it very clear what I'm doing, and it enables me to keep the unit plugged in without charging it. This is important as the instructions tell you to charge it regularly when in storage. Much easier to flip a switch while it's already plugged in, instead of unraveling a charging cable (after you spend twenty minutes looking for it) and plugging it in. The light is quite bright and can angle down. I really kind of wish it angled in all directions though, as I was using this as a tent light (and thus pointed straight up) but it kept tipping. Charging this at first use is unclear - on one hand (the printed directions) you're told to charge it for 14-16 hours out of the box, but on the unit itself you're told to charge it for 24 hours. You are then cautioned against overcharging it lest explosive gasses are generated and it explodes or something. Your takeaway - this is a easy to use and solid performer for times when you need a versatile power box. It's not overly heavy as jump boxes tend to be, it has a clever on/off/charge switch, and the light is plenty powerful for normal use. This is a winner.

This is my second Celestron Power Tank. I had my original for about 15 years until recently it fell off a high shelf in the garage and, well, stopped working. Purchased this new one like my original and it appears to be like the original. A suggestion to extend longevity with this is to use a good charger instead of the power supply and internal charger that comes with it - it can easily over-charge the battery and render the Power Tank dead, and you'd have to replace the big battery. I highly recommend the "Battery Tender 12 Volt Junior Automatic Battery Charger" for this. It will keep the battery properly charged and never over-charge it. I think the reason most people may have issues with this tank is over-charging, or letting the battery go dead, which then ruins the battery also. I learned about the Battery Tender 12 Volt Junior Automatic Battery Charger long ago with my original and it lasted a very long time with zero issues. If you do use a Tender Junior charger be sure to leave the tank power switch in the off position (not chg and connect to the rear red and black battery terminals only. The Power Tank itself is well built and I use it to run a Celestron 8se, and a small 12V fan to reduce possible condensation that I point at a camera and lens on a SkyTracker mount I usually setup near my telescope. I use a dew shield for the telescope and 12V fan for the SkyTracker camera. I usually can get two full nights running both with the tank. And using the Tender Junior charger, the tank charges in much less time. I covered the main spotlight on the tank with tail-light red tape so it only shines red light. Works great.I highly recommend this product.

Works perfectly, and I haven't yet run down the battery in a single night, even with both a Celestron alt-az (NexStar) mount and a telescope heater plugged into it. Definitely better and more reliable than the 8 AA batteries for the mount (although you should leave a set in there in case of a power interruption, like tripping over the cable). I've been using it for about 3 months, still works great. The white light is very bright, and is especially useful for scaring off animals and checking to make sure I didn't leave anything behind. The cable compartment on the side would be awesome if I could actually get the cable to fit back into it - you'd have to re-coil it perfectly back to the way it came in order to get it to fit! The cable is very long, so you can either have the battery sitting some distance from the telescope or allow it slack to wrap around the tripod quite a few times. Having two cigarette lighter ports and two USB ports offers a lot of options for hooking up various electronics.

Don't use the wall charger that comes with it! (only 4 stars because of the trouble with the wall charger, otherwise it deserves 5) I have had this unit for a year now and have LOVED having it. The red light is very useful for being able to see without ruining your night vision or disturbing other stargazers. The spotlight is awesomely bright and has come in handy when out in very dark places. I can run my Celestron Nexstar telescope on the unit (while using the red light) for several hours. The only problem with this unit? The wall charger sucks more than a Dyson vacuum (and Dyson's have a ton of sucking power ;-). Following the instructions I plugged the unit in to charge it before initial use, after 72 hours of being plugged in the charge was still not full. I did a quick troubleshooting search and everyone said the same thing, the wall charger is useless. We were heading out of town to a dark sky park so I didn't have time to get a different charger (many people recommend using a Battery Tender or an NOCO Genius G750 charger) so I plugged in the car power cord (it goes in your car's power terminal) and charged the battery that way on our trip, the unit was fully charged before we got to our destination. Thinking that maybe it needed the extra boost from the car to get it's initial charge up and going (and disbelieving the online reviews) from then on I only used the wall charger. The unit never said that it was at full charge but I figured if I followed the guidelines of topping off the charge every month, charging before use, and charging after use that everything would be ok. Enter 4 days ago when I went to charge the unit for use and it wouldn't charge, again 72 hours of being plugged in and the "needs charging" light was still on. Again I had to take it in my car with me and charge the unit up, worrying that after a year of never being charged up I had completely killed the battery, thankfully it charged just fine in the car. I have now purchased the NOCO charger (as it had the most recommendations on forums) and will never again use the wall charger that came with the unit.

Yes!! I hated being tethered to an extension cord. My SLT mount eats the hell out of batteries. That is why it will be replaced with an AVX. But until then, I am mobile!!. I charged it for the recommended time of 17 hours. And only used it for 2. But that is ok. My target was Orion. As it appears outside my front door of my condo at 0430. Perhaps, not as mobile as I'd planned but I had to be at work in a few hours. So the power tank has very basic features. It comes with a standard cigarette charger cable. Two ports for this charger. It also has two built in USB plugs. The one thing I do not not like is the storage spot for the cigarette charger plug. The cable is long, which is great. The storage spot is small and makes it rather difficult to store without possibly crimping it. The built in lights, both standard and red are awesome. I look forward to putting it through its paces.

No longer tied to an outlet for my Nexstar-- with this power tank I can easily take my telescopes anywhere and use the controllers-- which a novice like me really needs. It seems to last a long time- several hours so far-- depending on how much you use the lights. The main LED light is really bright but takes a lot out of the battery. The smaller red light works great and is really handy in dark areas. It powers my Nexstar controller well and tracking is right on. When the battery runs down the Nexstar starts to lose functions-- time to call it a night and recharge.

Purchased this device to provide long lasting 12V power for several of my astronomical telescopes and motorized mounts. Upon opening the box, the unit appeared to be brand new (not a repackaged return item). Unfortunately, the lead acid battery in the device was completely discharged and would not recharge at all with the transformer and power cord provided (and yes I verified that the transformer was working properly and putting out 15V DC from my wall socket). None of the LED indicator lights would even turn on to let me know the battery charging status. I immediately boxed up the product and requested a return from Amazon. I did not choose to have a replacement unit sent because this was the fourth Celestron product which I’ve had to return as defective in the last 5 months and I no longer have any confidence in the integrity of their product line. Too bad as this battery pack would have fit my needs perfectly with multiple ports for USB outlets, 12 DC outlets, and convenient LED lights for setting up under night time conditions. To say that I’m disappointed with Celestron is a huge understatement. What gives with this company?

Reliable. Has lasted 10 years so far. Works great out in the field.

Es ist ein toller Akku von Celestron. Ich habe ihn jetzt schon mehrere Nächte in Folge genutzt um mein Teleskop mit Strom zu versorgen sowie div. Anbauteile wie mein WLAN Adapter und das StarSense. Die erste Ladezeit war heftig mit. 16Std aber dann die nächste waren nur 10Std. Der Akku hält 2 Nächte auch bei hohen Minustemperaturen. Preisleistung ist mehr als gut.

Purchased to power a Nexstar 8 SE, this item is highly versatile. Not only does it power the telescope, it also offers a variety of other uses. As advertised, it has two flashlights. One big LED spotlight and a smaller light with a red cap aimed at preserving night vision. There are 2 twelve volt cigarette lighter receptacles and two 5v USB ports to recharge smart phones. Be advised however that there are no 3, 6 and 9 volt receptacles. These have been replaced by the USB ports. The tank can also be used to boost a weak car battery, a definite plus if the need arises. All in all, a very useful item for astronomy and a wide range of other uses. Highly recommanded

I buy it to use it with my telescope setup and it just consumed all the power in less than 1 hour at full charge Really useless and not worth it

se c'e scritto celestron o altra marca sono tutti uguali cambia il prezzo ! io hoo il 17 ah da molti mesi marca sconosciuta , e ultimamente ho preso questo, deve arrivare ,come riserva perche' sono rimasto a secco per non aver ricaricato il mio per 2 mesi il power tank , come ho scritto di risposta a un acquirente il power va sempre ricaricato ad ogni uso , ci ho rimesso 45 euro piu ho dovuto smontare tutto , rimontare non e' facile e non tornena piu' come prima , come strumento e' buono e costa uguale al power fai da te , carina la torcia a luce rossa che si toglie e ha un cavo anche buono in lunghezza , basta girala e estrarla , comode le uscite da 5 V , ultimamente sono rimasto senza carica al cellulare e sono servite ! credo che questo 7ah sia anche meno pesante del 17 ah , la durata del mio power tank 17ah acceso a casa e' stata di tre giorni ! con la luce grande accesa e qualche volta anche la radio , questo che non mi piace di questo power , che ci fai con la radio e la sirena , fa tutto l'apparato meno serio , anche i poli per caricare la batteria della macchina , sul mio c'e' scritto che , non essendo un strarter , devi aspettare 20 minuti ! MA!!!, comunque e' consigliato per non fare casini con la corrente ,una montaura seria costa ...allora , e' arrivar con molto anticipo e ho notato che il contenitore e' molto piccolo , una volta aperto il cavo per il collegamento al telescopio non entra più , anzi consiglio di non metterlo dentro perché si perde , lo sportello chiude male e non c'entra neanche il caricatore , avrei voglia di togliere una stella ! Confronto al 17ah è molto Più piccolo e leggero . Peccato che ad oggi è aumentato circa il doppio !!! Ne avrei preso un altro .

I have bought both the Power Tank 17 , and it's little brother (though this may be harder to find). Before my review points, please remember to charge the Power Tank after use. Don't let it get go flat, after multiple uses. It may have many Watts of power left, after each use but is a sealed Lead/Acid battery at its core. This needs a little care and time to charge after each use to keep it in prime condition. Even a top-up charge of a few hours, is recommended if not used for a few months. Note that there is a "back door" flap containing the "Cigarette lighter" cable. This is not always well mentioned. Don't go out and buy that. Unless you need another 12V outlet. It is great that there are 2 "Cigarette Lighter" sockets, but it is important to know that they are Not The Same. One is centre Negative (-ve), the other is centre Positive (+ve). For my Celestron C8, it is the right-hand; centre Positive. So if you think the Power Tank isn't working, for your appliance, try the other one ! Plus the great fuse protection provided, may need a quick check. If you are using this Power Tank for astronomy, the red light gives you the "night sight adaption", protection. You can change eyepieces and see what you are doing without any white light "dazzle". Excellent. The main beam is on a ratchet, so you can point it downwards, while walking around in the dark, great to avoid dips in the ground, tree roots etc, if out in the countryside. Which brings me to another point, that the Power Tank can be a great aid if camping/caravaning etc. I wouldn't get it wet, but when away from any mains supply, there are 2 x USB 1.5 Amp (5V) charging ports. Very usefull, for charging phones/tablets etc. I have even found the Power Tank a blessing in a power cut. Keeps a light on and phones etc running. There is the added joy of a radio on the Power Tank 17..... AM & FM ! Surprised by the tonal quality on both bands. Obviously keep volume appropriate to where you are. And then... The Siren Setting ! Who thought of that ? Initially surprised by this lovely fun function, but could be Really handy if someone is lost or needs to get attention when out camping, in a dark observing site etc. I think that the price, is fair, for such well thought-out and good capacity device. You get what you pay for. I recommend it for astronomers, with portable motorised telescopes as myself, and to all others with a need for portable power. Nice One Celestron !