Can I charge Ni-Zn batteries in anything but specialized chargers?

I bought this set a bunch of years ago but I can't find the charger.

Can I use another charger? I've got a buttload of chargers.

Thanks

George

You do need a charger that supports NiZn chemistry. There are a few universal chargers that support NiZn like the skyrc mc3000. Or of course there are standalone ones like this.


https://www.ansmann.de/en/products/chargers-power-supplies/battery-chargers/nizn


If you use a NiMh charger, depending on the charger it will probably terminate on voltage way below the 1.9V that a NiZn battery needs for a full charge.

Do you have a hobby charger that will do CC/CV? Depending on it's voltage ranges you could use that.


Frank

That's the problem. I can't find the charger that came with it and now the batteries are sitting there with no way to charge them at all which I believe is NOT good.
Hell, some of them haven't even been unpacked

So, if I charge them with a charger that does Li-Ion's for instance, will it at least charge them up some or is it better to leave them uncharged till I eventually find the charger?

I am broke and I definitely don't need more chargers.

By the way, that link didn't work.

Thanks

George

You can use some dumb, low current NiMH charger, but it won't charge them completely.

Yeah, I wouldn't use a lithium-ion charger. It would probably just report it as a dead cell (below ~2v), and might try to revive it by giving it some charge, but that probably wouldn't work. A NiMH charger might work, but probably cap out at 1.6v. You'd have to monitor the voltage yourself, and remove it when you think it's (partly) done. Make sure not to charge too fast.

guiri said:

I am broke and I definitely don't need more chargers.

Click to expand...

You can buy small CC/CV buck (step-down) modules on eBay for a few bucks or less. As I mentioned here, for a few bucks more you can even get one that has a a Smart Battery interface so it can charge laptop batteries too, allowing you to use laptop batteries as general purpose power supplies.

Gauss163 said:

You can buy small CC/CV buck (step-down) modules on eBay for a few bucks or less. As I mentioned here, for a few bucks more you can even get one that has a a Smart Battery interface so it can charge laptop batteries too, allowing you to use laptop batteries as general purpose power supplies.

Click to expand...

Interesting. Do you have any links you recommend? Maybe they're buried in those other threads, but I couldn't find them with a quick look.

^^^ Let me know what info you seek and I'll be happy to help.

Gauss163 said:

^^^ Let me know what info you seek and I'll be happy to help.

Click to expand...

I was just wondering if you have a link to that device you posted where I can buy it.

^^^ Search eBay for "5A Adjustable CC/CV Display Step Down charge Module LED Panel Voltmeter Ammeter", e.g. here's one for $5.82 with free ePacket shipping to USA (typically arrives in 10-15 days). Below are the specs.

Note that they don't explicitly mention the SBS (Smart Battery System) capability. I found it only by chance when I noticed the final photo (posted above). From that it was easy to figure out how to use it. For under $6 it's a steal with all that functionality. It will work with most all modern laptop batteries (as well as many other devices) since they employ the ubiquitous SBS standard.

Applications
Constant current and constant voltage battery charger for various type of battery (NiCad, NiMH, LiPO, Lead-Acid, etc)
Work as a power supply with current limit, can test a circuits in safety condition
LED Driver

Features
Adjustable voltage & current output
Voltmeter & Ammeter Display
Charging and fully charge led indicator light
Serial connection for voltage & ampere reading
Screw terminal for wires connection

Specifications
Module Properties: non-isolated step-down (BUCK) switching regulator
Input voltage: DC 5.0 - 32V
Output Voltage: Adjustable 0.8 - 30V DC (Input must 1.5V greater than output)
Output Current: Adjustable continues 4A, max. 5A (Heat sink required)
Measurement Accuracy: ±0.1V (To ensure the accuracy, keep the input above 4.5V)
Conversion efficiency: Up to 95% (Output voltage higher, the higher the efficiency)
Output ripple: 50mV (Max) 20M bandwidth
Minimum dropdown voltage: 1.5V
Switching Frequency: 300KHz
Display: Dual 4 digit – 0.28" Digital tube
Operating temperature: Industrial grade (-40 to +85°C)
Size: 51mm x 26.3 mm x 14mm

TTL Communication
Baud Rate: 9600 Bps
BB CC ADDR 00 XX XX CRC (current return command)
BB CC ADDR 01 XX XX CRC (voltage returns to the command)
BB CC for the header (2 bytes)
ADDR for the module address (1 byte)
00 to read the current command (1 byte)
01 is a read voltage command (1 byte)
XX XX arbitrary value (2 bytes)
CRC CRC checksum (1 byte)

from http://qqtrading.com.my/dc-dc-step-down-5a-xl4005-ampmeter-voltmeter-display-buck-converter

Thanks!

I added some further details, including the serial interface. There is a short YouTube review by Julian Ilett, but he doesn't cover the serial or SBS interface. His YouTube channel has many reviews of cheap eBay buck/boost converters.

So, if I do that (nimh charger) and I only get say 1.5v. Will it ruin the batteries and if they are more than say 5 years old and never really been used. Are they semi toast already? Ie do I care?

I don't need more than 1.5v. I just need them to mimic an alkaline 1.5v anyway since the regular rechargeable's only give you 1.2 anyway and some things need more.

THanks

George