Duracell No. 13 Zinc-Air Hearing Aid Battery
The Duracell No. 13 1.4 volt zinc-air hearing aid battery is pictured
at the right.
The No. 13 hearing aid battery came out by 1962 with the advent of
ever smaller behind-the-ear (BTE) and in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids.
Early No. 13 batteries were either silver-oxide or mercury batteries.
In the mid-1950s silicon transistors began to be used in hearing aids.
These transistors needed the higher voltage (1.5 volts) that silver oxide batteries
produced. However, high silver prices
in the 1980s sounded the death-knell of the silver oxide battery,
coupled with the fact that the more modern silicon transistors could run
on the lower voltages supplied by the zinc-air batteries.
Zinc-air batteries began replacing the existing mercury and
silver-oxide batteries in the late 1970s
and early 1980s. Mercury batteries are no longer sold today because of the mercury in them and the consequent environmental concerns.
The No. 13 zinc-air battery battery measured 0.305" in diameter
by 0.208" thick. |
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
 
|
|
|
The bottom (positive end) of the No. 13 battery. Note the two tiny air holes
(yellow dots at the ends of the "+" cross arms). An orange tab seals these holes keeping the air
out until the battery is ready to be used. By doing this, zinc-air
batteries have a long shelf life. When the tab is removed, the battery
starts "working" and even if you don't use it, in a few weeks it will be
dead.
|
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
The Duracell zinc-air batteries typically came either 4 or 8
batteries to a pack. This is an 8-pack. Notice that No. 13 batteries
have orange tabs on them, making it easy to identify them. |
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
Incidentally, Beltone gave their version of the No. 13 zinc-air battery, the
non-standard designation of No. 26. It was identical in size and shape
to the No. 13 and had the proper orange tab.
|
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
Top view of the No. 13 zinc-air hearing aid battery showing its size.
(Each mark on the ruler is 1/16".) |
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
Relative size of the five sizes of zinc-air hearing aid batteries as
seen from the top. From left to right they are battery numbers 5, 10,
312, 13 and 675. |
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
A three-quarter view of the 5 zinc-air hearing aid batteries showing
their relative size. From left to right they are battery numbers 5, 10,
312, 13 and 675. |
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
Side view of the 5 zinc-air hearing aid batteries showing their
differences in height. From left to right they are battery numbers 5,
10, 312, 13 and 675. |
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
Bottom view of the 5 sizes of zinc-air batteries showing the
color-coded tabs that seal the air holes before they are used. From left
to right they are battery numbers 5 (red tab), 10 (yellow tab), 312
(brown tab), 13 (orange tab) and 675 (blue tab).
|
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
(If a larger picture doesn't appear, you may have to
turn your pop-up blocker off)
|
|
|
