My 7 Amp-hour powertank has unfortunately been out of action after I left the 12V power circuit switched on for a prolonged period. The battery never recharged to capacity and I replaced it with the Celestron Lithium powertank which has a very similar capacity (7.2 Ah) plus is lighter to carry. Its only drawback is not supporting a 12V cigarette lighter socket for CCD cameras or dew heaters.
The engineer in me hankered for a repair and so one evening last November I took the powertank apart with a Philips screwdriver for the 8 screws around the case, and a T-bar socket for the bolt holding the front lamp. The battery, a sealed lead-acid unit located in the base of the powertank, was easily removed. Rapid Electronics swiftly sent out a replacement and testing with a 30 Ohm dew strap (0.4A load at 12V) was a complete success.
Job done, and thanks to my brother for inspiring me to make the repair!
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