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Old 28-05-2010, 09:48 PM
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mill (Martin)
sword collector

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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Mount Evelyn
Posts: 2,925
Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisc View Post
Hi everyone,

I've just taken delivery of a shiny new Celestron C8 SCT, and a HEQ-5 Pro mount. I need to buy a portable power supply for it, and while the off-the-shelf Celestron Powertank options seem inviting, I am concerned as to the nature of the battery involved in these products.

The larger (17Ah) version has the words "Car Starter" stenciled on it, and I'm worried that this (and presumably the smaller 7Ah model) are essentially car batteries. That is, designed for shallow discharge and constant topping up from an alternator. Such batteries are ill suited to deep discharge cycling, and a deep-cycle battery such as those found in golf carts and standalone power systems are a much better option.

Does anyone know which of the two type of battery are actually used in the Powertank products??

I e-mailed Celestron, and their best answer was "They're sealed lead-acid batteries", which was impressively unhelpful.

I'm going to wander in to Battery World tomorrow to check out options and pricing for some deep cycle batteries, but would still like to know if the Celestron Powertank is a viable option.

Cheers,
Chris
Hi Chris those 17Ah batteries are sealed lead acid batteries and the same as the celestron.
Buying gel cell batteries is a good choice but they need a gel cell charger.
Martin.
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