nickel-zinc rechargeable AA and AAA cells

[dnix71]

Does anyone here use these of recent manufacture? The design is old, but I am told PowerGenix has made construction/design changes that make them less fragile. I have 8 wireless thermostats that eat alkaline AA's and I don't think NiMH will work well, as the units report low bat near 1.2v

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/rechargeable-batteries-cell,review-1525-3.html reported the higher voltage burned out flashlights and the cells are slightly bigger than a regular AA, so they may not fit. I have also read there is no H2 O2 recombiner, so they cannot be safely left on a maintenance charge. But the capacity is high and the voltage is much better for certain things like cameras.

[MagnetJuice]

That article in tomsguide.com is over 10 years old. The company that made these batteries was http://www.powergenix.com

That website no longer exists, it redirects to https://www.zincfive.com

Most likely, it is the same company. The smallest battery they have are Sub-C. I didn't find anyone that sells the individual cells, only in UPS and possible very large quantities. Nevertheless, it is an interesting formulation.

Ed

[MagnetJuice]

Another option for you is to use Rechargeable Alkaline; they have a higher voltage than NiMH. It all depends on what is cheaper and more convenient.

I have been recharging regular alkaline batteries for many years without a problem. To charge the regular alkaline, I modified a charger that was used to charge Rechargeable alkaline. The trick is to feed them the right voltage and charge them before they get below 1.45 volts.

I try hard to find ways to save a little money because I have three kids with all kinds of electronic toys.

Ed

[Mary B]

That article in tomsguide.com is over 10 years old. The company that made these batteries was http://www.powergenix.com

That website no longer exists, it redirects to https://www.zincfive.com

Most likely, it is the same company. The smallest battery they have are Sub-C. I didn't find anyone that sells the individual cells, only in UPS and possible very large quantities. Nevertheless, it is an interesting formulation.

Ed

Interesting but no price anywhere and nobody selling them online...

[MagnetJuice]

I found these 2 places that sell Nickel-Zinc AA Cells.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-rechargeable-battery-aa-1500mah-nizn-1-6v.html?___store=en_us

https://www.amazon.com/Pack-2500mWh-Rechargeable-Battery-Cameras/dp/B00W1DASO2

[Mary B]

I was more interested in that 80A/H battery they have..

[dnix71]

I got 8 AA cells and a dedicated charger from China today. They are high voltage for a AA. Over 1.8v charged. From China they came in 1.72v

I have some AA NiMH high capacity cells that are 1.35v charged, so I took one of each and the combined voltage is just under 3.2v Two AA alkalines fresh have that voltage. The single 3.2v LiFePO4 with dummy cell in a wireless wall thermostat was down to about 1/4 charge after almost 3 weeks, so I swapped them out for a NiMH and NiZn set and will report back when that set gets low. They should last a while. The NiMH is rated 2.5 ah, just like the NiZn, but I don't believe the NiMH rating. That's too close to the theoretical physical limit for that sixze cell and chemistry.