JCB Super Alkaline 9V Batteries (6LR61)

This is a single 9V alkaline cell from the JCB Super Alkaline range, supplied on a blister card holding one battery. It is the familiar rectangular block with two snap terminals set close together on the top face, and the pack carries the codes 6LR61 and MN1604, which both name the same 9V format. The chemistry is alkaline and the nominal voltage is 9V. Like all alkaline primary cells it is used once and replaced rather than charged.

The 9V block is the cell most domestic smoke alarms and heat alarms take, and it appears again in carbon monoxide detectors, multimeters, guitar effects pedals, radio microphones and plenty of wireless doorbells and garage remotes. Before ordering, take the old cell out and look at the top: if it has two snap studs sitting side by side rather than a flat button or a spring contact, this is the right format. Alkaline handles the steady low to moderate drain those devices ask for better than zinc carbon does, which is the usual reason alarms are specified with it.

The front of the pack prints a 7x mark, up to seven times more power, asterisked without the comparison set out on the card, so read it as JCB's own headline rather than a measured figure. The manufacturer prints no shelf life on this pack. Worth knowing before you add it to the basket: one unit of this listing is one cell, and the minimum order is 10 units in multiples of 10, so the smallest purchase brings ten separate cards. If you would rather have three cells on a single card, our JCB 9V Alkaline 3 Pack does that, and the wider JCB range here runs from AAAA, AAA and AA up to D, with lithium and alkaline coin cells and rechargeable AA alongside. Ten cards is a sensible holding if you have several alarms to keep fed.

How many batteries come in one pack?

One. Each blister card holds a single 9V cell, and the minimum order on this listing is 10 units, sold in multiples of 10.

Is this the same thing as a PP3?

Yes. The rectangular 9V cell with two snap terminals on top is coded 6LR61 and MN1604 here, and PP3 is the same format under another name.

Will it work in my smoke alarm?

If the alarm takes a 9V block with two snap studs on the top face, yes. Check the cell you are replacing first, as some sealed alarms use a built in lithium pack instead.

Can this cell be recharged?

No. It is an alkaline primary cell, meant to be used once and then replaced. The JCB Recharge line on our shelves covers AA rather than 9V.

What does the 7x on the front mean?

The pack prints up to seven times more power with an asterisk, and the comparison behind it is not set out on the card, so we pass it on as a pack claim only.