Celestron Power Tank


How to power my new Go To scope, both in the back yard and in the field?Image: Celestron Power Tank

This is one sweet accessory. And for $69 ($59 mail order) it seems like quite a bargain. It comes with an AC adapter for charging, and a cigarette adapter for powering the the scope. It has two receptacles for 12V cigarette adapters, so you can power other accessories at the same time as the scope. It has a 7 amp-hour rechargeable battery built in, which I've yet to run down after 10-15 hours of use in the cold. It has three additional outputs at 3V, 6V and 9V, and it even has heavy-duty terminals on the back which can be used to recharge your car battery in a pinch.

On top, it has a flashlight with removable red cap, and the light can either blink or not. On the bottom is an 800,000 candlepower spotlight, and it is impressive. I showed my new toy to my Dad one night, and fully lit a house about 1/3 mile away. He immediately had to have one of his own, and he doesn't even have a scope.

The only bad thing I can say about this unit is the AC power supply. They work with both 110 and 220 Volt AC power, and for some reason, they come from the factory set to 220. I didn't read the manual in great detail, and so I thought I had a lemon. The nice salesperson knew immediately what I'd done, and he said that most everyone calls up with that question. A minor point, but something to remember if you get one of your own.

Orion sells the same unit in white, and they call it the Dynamo. I bought a spare to keep in my car.

Posted: Tue - February 17, 2004 at 12:31 AM             |

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