I need to replace the backup battery in my Honeywell Lynx 5200 alarm system. The battery part number is 300-03866/LYNXRCHKIT-SHA)

There are a bunch of them for sale on Amazon (Fanhua, VI Vitrons, Kastar, ZZCell, HQRP, GSUIVEER, etc. I haven't ever heard of any of these.) I want to make sure that I get a high quality battery. Any advice on how to choose which battery to buy?

Thanks in advance.

 

Why do You not want to just install an exact replacement part ?
Battery-Pack
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Why do You not want to just install an exact replacement part ?
Battery-Pack
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I didn't realize that smavco was the OEM brand. I couldn't find a Honeywell one...

Thanks.

 

Is your current Battery branded Honeywell on the outside ?
As far as I know, Honeywell doesn't manufacture Batteries.
Most equipment manufacturers contract-out their Batteries.
In fact, your whole Alarm-System is likely built by someone other than Honeywell,
and the company that sells it just pays a Trademark-Fee or builds them for Honeywell.

Honeywell makes their money on Military-Contracts, not home-owner-grade appliances,
but THE NAME or THE BRAND is well known and respected, so they sell the use of it.

I'm wondering why they chose to use Nimh Batteries instead of Lithium.
Is this system really old ?, like maybe ~20-years old ?,
if so, the original Battery manufacturer may no longer exist.

It may be impossible to find a current, high-quality, test Video that covers
all of the odd brands available, especially for Nimh Batteries.
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Those who sell and install the hardware like a locksmith deal with battery issues.
If you live in an area where police are busy through the night responding to alarms
then make sure the advise comes from someone having experience preventing prowlers.

The newer door entry systems use much more power and battery changes are likely
It is nice to access a door with your cell phone but more battery is needed and higher encryption
have also increased significantly. Everyone needs to replace batteries more often know,

 

Is your current Battery branded Honeywell on the outside ?
As far as I know, Honeywell doesn't manufacture Batteries.
Most equipment manufacturers contract-out their Batteries.
In fact, your whole Alarm-System is likely built by someone other than Honeywell,
and the company that sells it just pays a Trademark-Fee or builds them for Honeywell.

Honeywell makes their money on Military-Contracts, not home-owner-grade appliances,
but THE NAME or THE BRAND is well known and respected, so they sell the use of it.

I'm wondering why they chose to use Nmh Batteries instead of Lithium.
Is this system really old ?, like maybe ~20-years old ?,
if so, the original Battery manufacturer may no longer exist.

It may be impossible to find a current, high-quality, test Video that covers
all of the odd brands available, especially for Nmh Batteries.
.
.
.

I've had this system for quite a few years now, so it probably is fairly old. It works very well for us. But we had a recent power outage and I saw the low backup battery message. The reviews of the battery you found were pretty good after 2020, so I am hoping it will be a decent battery. I ordered it. I have had a lot of trouble with no-name LiPo batteries. (I didn't look closely at these to see they weren't LiPo.) I was hoping that someone my have a known good brand for this battery, but it doesn't surprise me that no one does.

I am not surprised to hear that Honeywell probably outsources the manufacturing of these units. I expect that they also outsource the batteries too, but a lot of companies will private label replacement batteries that they know are of good quality. I expect to pay more for private labeled batteries, if I can get them, but expect decent quality.

Thanks again for the link and advice.

 

Those who sell and install the hardware like a locksmith deal with battery issues.
If you live in an area where police are busy through the night responding to alarms
then make sure the advise comes from someone having experience preventing prowlers.

The newer door entry systems use much more power and battery changes are likely
It is nice to access a door with your cell phone but more battery is needed and higher encryption
have also increased significantly. Everyone needs to replace batteries more often know,

Thanks for your reply. We live in a pretty quiet neighborhood. I also installed the system myself, so I know how to replace the batteries. I just wanted a recommendation for a replacement battery brand.

 

If I was concerned about the offerings, I would build my own pack—not a very hard project, and you can choose top quality cells.

 

In fact, if there was room I would use something like this to make it easier in the future.

click on the images for an Amazon listing
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In the likely case there isn't room, I would use the same shrink tubing used by the producers of the packs.

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Ask the manufacturer. Why mess around with safety?

 

Ask the manufacturer. Why mess around with safety?

This is a NiMH pack. There is very little in the way of safety concern involved. It will just be a set of cells in a series (almost certainly) and there is not "protection" save the internal pressure relief valves of the cells.

This is like the polar opposite of a LiPo or other lithium battery.

 

This is a NiMH pack. There is very little in the way of safety concern involved. It will just be a set of cells in a series (almost certainly) and there is not "protection" save the internal pressure relief valves of the cells.

This is like the polar opposite of a LiPo or other lithium battery.

Sure but I prefer to get it from the source when it comes to safety and reliability. They made the product so they probably know best. I'm also willing to pay a premium for replacement parts.

 

I tend towards the opposite approach. The OEM usually makes compromises to save pennies and in any event made their decision years ago based on at least some criteria I don’t care about. If I have an opportunity to upgrade, I jump on it.

A lot of batteries you can find out there are outright fraud. Reviews help some but some people will give a battery 5 stars because it works. Actual tests are better but tough to find and not always well done.

I’ve adopted Panasonic’s Eneloop NiMH batteries as my go-to rechargeable. I’ve been using them for over a year and dozens of recharge cycles. That’s not enough to pass final judgement but so far so good.

 

I tend towards the opposite approach. The OEM usually makes compromises to save pennies and in any event made their decision years ago based on at least some criteria I don’t care about. If I have an opportunity to upgrade, I jump on it.

A lot of batteries you can find out there are outright fraud. Reviews help some but some people will give a battery 5 stars because it works. Actual tests are better but tough to find and not always well done.

I’ve adopted Panasonic’s Eneloop NiMH batteries as my go-to rechargeable. I’ve been using them for over a year and dozens of recharge cycles. That’s not enough to pass final judgement but so far so good.

Eneloops are among the very best NiMH cells, particularly the Pro version. But the secret source for the hands down bang-for-your-buck NiMH cell is the Ladda 2450, from of all places, Ikea! The 2450 is the capacity, and in tests it beats the Eneloops in tests where the discharge is relatively high.

 

One nice thing about the Eneloops is the low self-discharge rate. They’re actually practical to use in a flashlight you use only sporadically. Typical NiCads go dead by the time you need them.

 

One nice thing about the Eneloops is the low self-discharge rate. They’re actually practical to use in a flashlight you use only sporadically. Typical NiCads go dead by the time you need them.

People theorize that the Ladda cells are made in the same factory as the Eneloops. While this doesn't seem to be correct, they are very similar in performance—including self-discharge. They are rated 2450mAh, but new they beat that by a bit. The major difference is price.

Eneloops (white) are 800mAh and cost about $3.75 a piece, the pros (black) are 3600mAh and about $4.50 a piece, but the Laddas are about $3.15 a piece, shipped (if you order two packs of four from Ikea)—or about $2.50 a piece if you pick them up at the store.

The are very close to the Eneloop Pros, but cost about half.

 

FWIW, I got my Eneloops 2000mAh AAs through Amazon for $2.81 apiece delivered in a pack of 16. Not cheap but worth it.

And yeah, IKEA isn’t manufacturing batteries so it wouldn’t surprise me if those are Panasonic or Samsung batteries inside.

 

Panasonic NiMH cells have that capacity:
https://www.mouser.ca/c/power/batte... V&rechargeable/non-rechargeable=Rechargeable
Or have Digikey's elves make you a pack:
https://www.digikey.ca/en/products/detail/panasonic-bsg/HHR-380AB27F6/271989

I'd be tempted to make an external battery box and use recycled tool cells. If the system is just trickle charging them continually, nicads might be better. I might even be tempted to hook up a relay that switches to a 6 volt lead-acid or 7.2 volt LFP battery that's on a separate float charger, or use isolation diodes in a way that requires more thinking than I'm prepared to do at the moment.