Ni-Zn from UltraLast

[Mr Happy]

I made the mistake of going into Fry's and I saw these on the rack. Couldn't resist:

I'll test them and see how they do.

(Updated 12 May)

Here are some preliminary test results.

The cells are labelled 1.6 V, capacity 1350 mAh minimum.

Size: diameter 14.3 mm, length 50.3 mm. Standard AA size.

Weight: 25 g. About the same as a typical NiMH cell (cf. Eneloop 26 g).

The charger weighs 120 g and has a foldaway plug with no external power cord. It has worldwide voltage input and would be conveniently compact for travelling, dimensions about 115 mm x 68 mm x 38 mm.

It can charge 1-4 AA cells individually (but only 1-2 AAA cells). Charging time is about 1.5 hours according to the manual. That is about right for one or two cells, but may be longer for three or four cells. I have not tested that yet.

I had some trouble getting consistent discharge measurements on the cells, but they seem to agree reasonably well with the quoted 1350 mAh capacity. My problems with consistent discharge measurements might be because the charger is still charging when the green light comes on. To reach full capacity it may be necessary to leave the cells on the charger for a while to finish topping off before removing them.

A family of discharge curves for the same cell tested at different constant resistance loads is shown below.

I estimate the DC internal resistance to be about 25 mΩ, which means you could expect a voltage sag of about 0.025 V per amp of load. On that basis perhaps 5 A would be a reasonable working limit for these cells.

The high working voltage and low voltage sag is going to put a lot of power on tap. Rechargeable alkaline cells these are not.

 

[Conan]

Nice to see NiZn getting to be more popular!

 

[Bapman]

Mr Happy,

Do you think they're rebranded powergenix?

Ben.

 

[Paul_in_Maryland]

That would be my guess. the charger looks awfully similar, and we've seen one rebranding, I think by Frye's or Ritz. Powergenix seems to have a powerful lock on the patents. Years ago, when small companies tried to muscle in on the lithium primary-cell AA market, we saw Eveready's lawyers fight them viciously. I doubt that Powergenix has Eveready's legal muscle, but it seems likely that the emergence of new brands can be explained by the company reaching out for partners.

 

[^Gurthang]

Looking forward to a review / comparo w/ NiMHs.....

 

[45/70]

The NiZn cells do peak my curiosity, as well. It's good to see them becoming more available.

The only drawbacks I see with them are the shorter cycle life, and the limited number of chargers offered. The cycle life is not likely to be an issue for most people, myself included, but I've always been leery of bundled chargers. Some are good, most are not. Hopefully, as the NiZn chemistry catches on, this will change.

Looking forward to your observatins, Mr H. :thumbsup:

Dave

 

[MarioJP]

I wonder whats the capacity on these cells??

 

[core]

This looks like a potential support nightmare for them.

How are they going to explain to the average Joe that he can't charge his new "Ultralast Green" cells in any of the the "Ultralast Green" chargers that he has?

Some folks seem to be already confused by the PowerGenix cells and using NiMH chargers on them. :thinking: But when the brand name is exactly the same I gotta admit having a little more sympathy for them.

 

[Mr Happy]

This looks like a potential support nightmare for them.

How are they going to explain to the average Joe that he can't charge his new "Ultralast Green" cells in any of the the "Ultralast Green" chargers that he has?

Some folks seem to be already confused by the PowerGenix cells and using NiMH chargers on them. :thinking: But when the brand name is exactly the same I gotta admit having a little more sympathy for them.

Yes, I have the same thoughts. The instructions that say you should only charge the NiZn cells in the NiZn charger and only NiMH cells in NiMH chargers are hidden in small print and IMHO are not prominent enough. The average person is very easily going to miss this and not realize the difference.

When I picked the batteries off the rack I only recognized they were NiZn because I already know what NiZn is all about. Most people do not have that knowledge and will just assume they are "rechargeable batteries". The charger itself says nothing on the front at all to indicate it is not for NiMH.

I often observe people buying batteries and chargers in Fry's and generally they have no clue what they are looking at. Throwing something like this into the mix without marking it out as special in big bold letters is not going to lead to good results. It's also a marketing opportunity missed. These batteries are indeed special: why not make a big song and dance about it?

 

[Flying Turtle]

I think these batteries may be just what my digicam needs with that extra bit of voltage. And the flashlights will be happier, too. Very close to pulling the trigger on some of these.

Geoff

 

[jasonck08]

Looking forward to discharge graphs...

 

[core]

It's also a marketing opportunity missed. These batteries are indeed special: why not make a big song and dance about it?

I think that big yellow sticker with the "PUNCHES UP" very nearly qualifies as song and dance. They definitely should have called them something else though. Now they've got Ultralast Green Everyday Rechargeables, Ultralast Green High Power Rechargeables, Ultralast Green PowerPunch, Ultralast Solar Light Rechargeables, all different chemistries and that's not even getting into the Li-Ions they got. They all look nearly identical.

At least with the PowerGenix ones you can't miss the "High Voltage" printed on it. And most importantly a PowerGenix charger will charge your PowerGenix cells. Nice and easy to keep straight.

Not sure if the boxing-related slogan goes so well with the save the earth "green" they're trying to push.

Slightly catchy though. I got one for them:
"Punch up the performance. TKO your bulbs!" Hah.

Anything is better than Mary Lou Retton saying it's super charged.

 

[Mr Happy]

I think that big yellow sticker with the "PUNCHES UP" very nearly qualifies as song and dance.

Yes, I was overlooking that when I wrote it.

But the outer wrapping gets removed and thrown away, and then the charger and batteries look entirely similar to regular NiMH chargers and batteries. The lettering that says "Charge ONLY in a NiZn charger" is in the smallest possible type and at the very end of all the other yada yada yada warnings about disposing in fire etc. OK it says NiZn 1.6 V in slightly bigger lettering, but is a non-technical person going to know what that means?

 

[Paul_in_Maryland]

Re: Ni-Zn from UltraLast: capacity

I wonder whats the capacity on these cells??

about 1600 mAh at a discharge rate of 1 amp, 1500 mAh at 2A. Subtract 8 percent a month for self-discharge. Four or five charging cycles are needed to achieve full capacity.

 

[PhantomPhoton]

I'm curious whether they'll handle a ~5A draw and what the voltage sag will be if they can handle it.

 

[MarioJP]

I'm curious whether they'll handle a ~5A draw and what the voltage sag will be if they can handle it.

I would not be surprise if they can handle that kind of current draw with little voltage sag I remember seeing a chart that at 10A the voltage was around 1.5v. Cant find that chart I know its somewhere here on these forums.

Though I would imagine at those current draw the cell would have a very limited cycles.

These cells are true heavy duty cells for the most part.

 

[Curious_character]

Boy, those things sure walk, talk, and quack like the old rechargeable alkaline cells first marketed in the '70s or earlier, then some time later, dying out both times. The capacity of the rechargeable alkalines would drop considerably each charge cycle, and the internal resistance would increase pretty dramatically. So they became useless for even moderate drain applications after a few cycles. NiMH were vastly superior for high drain applications, and primary alkalines more practical for low drain applications. So, try as the marketers did, they never really caught on.

Are there any good specifications for these cells? I'd like to see if they're (yawn) the same old thing with some lipstick on, or if they're really something new.

My experience with Fry's Ultralast lithium cells was dismal, so I wouldn't judge all NiZn or any other cell by how Ultralast brand cells perform.

c_c

 

[Mr Happy]

There seems to be a bit of variability between cells. Or maybe they need a few cycles to break them in. I'm trying to find out what's what.

 

[Mr Happy]

Preliminary test results added to first post.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

makes you wonder if it is possible for them to make a charger for nimh and nizn both. It would make things simpler if you only had one charger to prevent accidental charging of cells in the wrong charger. would nimh cells even charge in this charger or is it an accident waiting to happen?