Cheaper rechargeable battery option available

[hnandan]

Hi,

Does anyone has experience with using 1.6v ZiNc rechargeable batteries in the NXT brick. I am not sure if higher voltage can fry the brick.

They are much cheaper than buying the rechargeable battery pack + charger sold by Lego thus worth researching into.

These are available at AMAZON at following link:

http://www.amazon.com/PowerGenix-ZRPGX- ... pd_sim_e_3

HN

[mattallen37]

I don't think I have heard of them before. I think the parts with the lowest max voltage connected to the batteries are the H-Bridges. IIRC, they are rated for a max of 10.5v. 1.6v x 6 = 9.6v, but they could have a higher voltage when fully charged (like other batteries do). I would say try it at your own risk. I think the FW also has an automatic shut-down in an event of over-voltage (I think around 12 volts), but by that time, the H-Bridges may be fried.

[h-g-t]

I did some searches on these batteries but they are not generally available in Europe and the postage charges from the US are very high. The overall cost of buying the cells did not seem to be worth it since it meant I had to buy yet another charger.

Could not see anything about using them on Lego but I did find several comments from photographers who had damaged their flashguns.

The Amazon advert posted above had a very comprehensive review from one user and the summary was -

"The only verifiable benefit for PowerGenix NiZn cell is its higher operation voltage. However, even this may turn out to be a curse rather than a blessing, as higher voltage can cause unregulated appliances to burn out.

If you have a digital camera that works well with eneloop, stay with it. Switching to NiZn will not offer more power, nor longer run time. Only if your camera does not work well with eneloop, then it is worthwhile to try NiZn cells as a last resort. But you better contact PowerGenix, and ask whether they will assume warranty liability for the use in your camera. Otherwise, try it at your own risk!"

That marched the general impression I got from my research. Would be interested to hear from some daredevil with deep pockets though!

[jwiger]

I'm typically an early adopter, so i will more than likely try this out on my Power Functions projects. Since these are the first NiZn batteries to hit public market it figures that their performance is a little low. I'm sure in time the technology will mature. There is a lot of interest in this chemistry for full size hybrid and plug-in electric cars. The theory is that Nickel and Zinc are much less toxic (better for the enviroment) than Lithium based batteries.