Lighter, Smaller batteries!

[DeMo180a]

Is anyone attending the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Associations West Coast Conference this week?
I'm going to be walking the floor, talking to folks about our new zinc air batteries. They got a great reception at the SHOT show this year. We have SOF R&D units testing them out, they already have NSN numbers, they are lighter and smaller than your 5590's, you can shoot them and they keep giving off a charge, they don't blow up when exposed to salt water (like 5590's), and there is NO hazmat in them! Check them out:
http://www.bhigear.com/zinc-air-batteries.aspx

I'm excited to see what happens this week at the AFCEA show. Let me know if anyones going to be there, I'd love to show you our new zinc air batteries.
The Military Times did a blog on them at the SHOT show - you can see it here:
http://www.militarytimes.com/blogs/gearscout/?s=zinc

Give me a shout if your in town, we'll meet for dinner! :o
DeMo
253.370.8105

[albeham]

Wish I had your job, all I do is freqs .....

Have fun, if you get any free stuff..get some for me..please..


AL

[69harley]

The batteries on your website look very similar to the ones manufactured and sold by Electric Fuel. Is BH manufacturing these or reselling the Electric Fuel batteries?

[Ret10Echo]

DeMo...let me know if you are coming back East anytime soon....Can't get to the land of fruits and nuts very easily...:D

[DeMo180a]

The batteries on your website look very similar to the ones manufactured and sold by Electric Fuel. Is BH manufacturing these or reselling the Electric Fuel batteries?

EFP is our manufacturer, and we are blessed in that we have sole distributing rights to the product. In other words there are only two ways to get the battery. Through your Logistics Center (big Army) or through us. If you want the 8180/U or 8140/U they have NSN's and can be ordered that way. I really have no idea how long it takes to get them, or anything about that way of acquisition. Although I'd like to know, because I have had people ask.

I can, however, get batteries to you in a matter of a 7-10 days and all the adapters that go along with them. It all depends on how you want to acquire the product. Many guys like to use an impact credit card to make their purchases. Of course we could bid on a contract if it goes out to bid as well. BHI is a veteran owned, serviced disabled, small business, and in a Historically Underdeveloped Business Zone (HUB Zone). What that means to a supply sergeant is every dollar he spends at BHI he gets $4 credit towards his 3% annual goal of supporting minority business'. A goal the DoD puts out each year. Plus if it goes out to bid stating you want to give say, "HUB Zone" business' first bid at the contract only HUB zones could bid on it. This is especially helpful if you know someone, like BHI, already is a HUB zone and sells the product you want. It also allows you to put a short "flash to bang" posting time (say 5 days) for people to bid on the contract.

Let me know if I can answer any other questions for you 69harley. :cool:
DeMo
ken@bhigear.com

[DeMo180a]

Wish I had your job, all I do is freqs .....

Have fun, if you get any free stuff..get some for me..please..


AL

The show has been good. It's not really an user-level commo show, like I was hoping for. There are a lot of smart guys there, so I don't exactly fit in with my knuckles dragging along the carpet - lol. I'd say 50% of the vendors are involved in software or networking and when you ask them what they do, they start talking and my eyes glass over :). Anyway, I did find some interesting products that BHI can use to increase our product line. Antenna's, power amplifiers for the MBITR, Harris, etc... even some inexpensive handhelds with all the capabilities of the Motorola XTS2500 and 5000! I'll let you know how that goes and give a shout out if we offer anything that may interest you guys.
The most dissapointing thing is that I have to leave the sunshine tomorrow and head back to Seattle's rain!
DeMo

[Ret10Echo]

DeMo,
Internal Fan....what sort of noise-level are we talking about??

Thanks

[69harley]

We experimented with the Electric Fuel zinc air batteries back in 2003. They did not do very well in the rucksack. They need air to flow through them. They also do not work when they are wet. And once they are exposed to air there is no way to turn them off, they will continue to burn (produce power) regardless of current draw. so there is no putting them on the shelf. As for their internal fans, low frequency hum. Inaudible to me from 20 feet away, but it does seem to put operators to sleep. The Marines of all people bought into these. Cheap. No haxmat. Light weight. But they must have air (think being attached to the outside of the ruck), and once they are put into operation the battery clock ticks away. No going out for a six hour event and coming back and turning off radios. The former sales guy for Electric Fuel is a former 75th RRD guy named Matt. Matt was able to get pretty good coverage across the military with these before he moved on to a fuel cell company named UltraCell.

If anyone wants to know more about the Zinc Air batteries Matt can be located on the UltraCell website www.ultracellpower.com

[Ret10Echo]

As for their internal fans, low frequency hum. Inaudible to me from 20 feet away, but it does seem to put operators to sleep.

Thanks, that answers the question.

R10

[DeMo180a]

We experimented with the Electric Fuel zinc air batteries back in 2003. They did not do very well in the rucksack. They need air to flow through them. They also do not work when they are wet. And once they are exposed to air there is no way to turn them off, they will continue to burn (produce power) regardless of current draw. so there is no putting them on the shelf. As for their internal fans, low frequency hum. Inaudible to me from 20 feet away, but it does seem to put operators to sleep. The Marines of all people bought into these. Cheap. No haxmat. Light weight. But they must have air (think being attached to the outside of the ruck), and once they are put into operation the battery clock ticks away. No going out for a six hour event and coming back and turning off radios. The former sales guy for Electric Fuel is a former 75th RRD guy named Matt. Matt was able to get pretty good coverage across the military with these before he moved on to a fuel cell company named UltraCell.

If anyone wants to know more about the Zinc Air batteries Matt can be located on the UltraCell website www.ultracellpower.com

Guys,
Thanks for your feedback.

I can not speak for any company or previous generation zinc air batteries but batteries have come a long way in 5 years, as have many products on the battlefield.

BHI batteries will work in your rucksack. They need air, so you cannot put them in an air tight container, however the batteries I've got should work fine in your rucksack with just a small consideration given to the air vents on the outside (like packing in the rucksack but on the outter edge). They do have a 2 year shelf life and we recommend that they are projected for use and ordered accordingly. However, I've been carrying a show set around for months and still powering applications (charging my cell phone) so having them sitting around will not make the battery die rapidly. We recommend storing the battery in a ziploc when you aren't using it (provided with the battery). The battery will work fine if wet (like rain), but it cannot be submerged because it needs oxygen (this shouldn't be a big problem where we are currently engaged). I can't remember the last time my commo gear was under water and if it was then I did a poor job protecting my kit (river crossing, etc) although Murphy is out their and we all have a bad day. I'm going to video what happens when our BHI Zinc Air battery is submerged in fresh and salt water - oh ya - don't do that to your lithium batteries without a chemical fire extinguisher!

We just spent today shooting the BHI Zinc Air battery, a BB2590 and a BA5590 and lets just say the video is going to change your perception of what battery you carry (I'll post where you can see the video once it's ready to go). Most GI's are carrying a small explosive device(s) on their hip or in their rucksack. our BHI Zinc Air batteries kept giving off over 11 Volts for over 30 minutes after it was shot!:eek:

I'm not expecting the zinc air batteries to replace all the batteries you are currently using, all I'm saying is that they have a place in your mission sets, they don't blow up or catch on fire, they have no hazmat in them, they sustain damage and keep ticking, they are lighter and smaller than comparable 5590's in Watt hours. Those are all what's going on in 2009.

Check 'em out and judge for yourself, I say the product will sell itself once you try them!:cool:

Remember, BHI's Zinc Air batteries were manufactured in concert with RDECOM and already have NSN's. This is a proven product.

DeMo
Ken@bhigear.com
877.772.8383
www.bhigear.com