Celestron – PowerTank 12 Telescope Battery – R
Original price was: $99.95.$79.95Current price is: $79.95.
Price: $99.95 - $79.95
(as of Mar 02, 2025 05:47:33 UTC – Details)
Take your telescope anywhere with this portable, rechargeable power supply. Whether you have a computerized telescope or operate your telescope using motors, Celestron specially designed this product with the amateur astronomer in mind; it’s packed with useful features. First, you’ll find two 12V cigarette lighter ports for your astronomy gear. This battery is compatible with all Celestron computerized telescopes for maximum versatility. You’ll also find two USB ports on board so you can keep your smartphone, tablet, GPS, or speaker charged and ready all night long. When your eyes are dark adapted, turn on the integrated red LED flashlight to stay organized without sacrificing your night vision. When the observing or astroimaging session is over, turn on the bright white LED flashlight to illuminate your site and ensure no lens caps or eyepieces are left behind in the dark. When you’re not observing, keep this battery charged and at the ready for unexpected emergencies. You can use the flashlight and USB ports to stay illuminated and connected during a power failure. PowerTank can even help you top off a weak car battery with the included positive and negative terminals. This sealed lead acid battery offers safer and more stable chemistry compared to low-quality lithium ion batteries, and features a built-in circuit breaker for even more safety.
Model Number: 18774
7-amp hour
Two, 12V output cigarette lighter ports
3V, 6V and 9V outputs for accessories
Built-in flashlight with red filter cap
13 reviews for Celestron – PowerTank 12 Telescope Battery – R
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Original price was: $99.95.$79.95Current price is: $79.95.
J. Tant –
A good and versatile product.
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.
D. House –
Nice power supply for a computer telescope
It works well for my 4 inch telescope. Could have had some better instructions, but maybe if you are interested in astronomy you could figure it out.
Amazon Customer –
Nice power tank for my telescope with the 17 amp hour battery
Like the size, battery capacity of 17 amp hours last a long time and easy to charge with the terminal’s on the side. I use my 2 amp motorcycle charger and it works great. Like the red light, keeps the ground so I can see while using my telescope.
David M. –
Review of Power Tank
I have used these power tanks for my portable CGX for some years now.It has generally been reliable but like any device has it’s pros and cons.I highly recommend this unit provided you make a few changes in how it’s used. In looking at the pros and cons it looks like I think the design sucks. There are some features I don’t like but with the workaround I suggest they mostly disappear. I really do like the unit a lot and given the modifications I made it makes the unit highly reliablePros:1. Easy to use with typical 12v cigarette lighter type plug.2. WIll power the telescope for at least two nights .3. The flashlights come in handy at times.4. With an inverter I have been able to use this to power a hair dryer (anti-dew) or even a mixer at campsite.Cons:1. It’s heavy but for a 17 AH battery that’s just a given for the capacity.2. Do not under any circumstances allow the battery charge to get too low. Once that happens it’s dead- the charger will not work. In order to re-charge then you will have to hook up another battery to the back terminals and let it sit until it has stored enough charge to use the charger again. This is really an inexcusable design fault.3. The power connections are not connected directly to the battery terminals but are connected via a relay. This means that if you make the mistake of letting the charge get too low the main switch will not work at all.3. The charger that comes with the power tank is worthless. Batteries generally have three different rates- high rate for the initial charge up to 90 %, a finishing rate for the last 10 %, and a trickle rate to keep it charged. The charger that came with the unit does not operate that way but is a continuous charger. This will greatly reduce the practical lifetime of the battery. The case is not designed to be opened so consider the unit un-repairable.The proper workaround for this is to buy a proper battery tender. Then you will need to add cable connections to the back terminals. I have added two cables to those terminals. One is the typical 12 v Automotive cigarette type light. The other is a second cable I can connect to my battery tender. Since the back terminals are directly connected to the battery the problems with the battery getting too low disappear. In the field I connect a solar battery charger to the cigarette lighter cable and charge it that way. If you use the power tank this way almost all the negatives disappear. As in all cabling make sure to have an in-line fuse connected.5. Celestron does not build these themselves but have another firm brand them for Celestron. I have seen several that came from the factory with quality issues. The main one is the back terminals were loose. The bolts holding the terminals together are located inside the casing and is inaccessible. I was able to tighten them but there was obviously no electrical rated loktite used to prevent connections from working loose.6. The lights are pretty flimsy and won’t take abuse. Nevertheless they are quite useful.7. Do not use the tank for anything but running the telescope. Laptops or dew heater just pull too much power and you will not get more than a few hours. In this case it’s not a flaw but just the nature of the beast.
DougM –
Does what it’s supposed to do and handy to have for other reasons
Does what it’s supposed to do. And outside of astronomical use, it saved the day on a summer vacation when a nasty storm knocked out power for most of a day. We had light and folks could charge their phones or tablets.
Amazon Customer –
Reliable and Versatile
Used it for powering telescope and other items on April 8 eclipse trip. Worked perfect. I can power a telescope mount and small items for several days on one charge. Nice sounding radio too, plus flashlight is bright and removable. Charger easily stores in compartment. Very handy power source!
Randall –
Thank you so much for making things right. You are a great seller.
I will use this to power my 6se telescope. Very nice compact and useful product.
Theresa Ann Bowers –
Product as described. Well packed and speedy receipt.
Product as described. Well packed and speedy receipt.
Richard –
Great product, great support from company
Juan José De Amirola –
La recomiendo, llego a tiempo, en buen estado, y el precio esta muy bien para lo que ofrece.
Mr S Hampton esq. –
I run a Celestron NextStar 8SE and it powers everything at a breeze. well built, charges swiftly ,good torches and the FM/AM radio is good. very pleased with it.
Valerie –
Produit de qualité et sur la longévité ça le fait, recharge assez rapide. Je recommande.
CFive –
Bought two of these (£43) in Jan 2007 to run my telescopes etc. They were excellent, plenty of power to run LX8 and LX12 and lasted most of the night. Very easy to charge, great to have a fuze as a safety backup as well, yes they took a few hours to charge but with two I never encountered any problems.Unfortunately, the first one stopped accepting a charge back in early 2011 and the second in 2014. The 2014 one, nearly 7 years I though was reasonable but not the 2011, less than four years seemed far to short a lifespan. I still have them both as bricks in my shed, can’t bring myself to dump them. 🙂