Are all hearing aid chargers the same?

Hearing Aids
#11

Rechargeable hearing aids have one problem, which is that when you run out of battery, you have to put it on the charger for at least an hour to get the rest of the day’s operation of the hearing aid.

I have a strange idea, maybe an inductive power charger will offer something that the older type of plug-in chargers didn’t.

Try to imagine if Phonak or any other manufacturer offered for sale - a charger in the form of a headset. Those headphones would actually be a power bank that would supplement the hearing aid with inductive charging even when we wear the hearing aid.

People would probably think that we are listening to music, but we are actually charging the hearing aid.
I think that the hearing aid must be able to distinguish between a desktop charger and a charger in such a way that it can be turned off while charging on the desktop charger and still work when we wear such headphones.

1 Like
#12

It is interesting to read this post and all the comments. Some make me want laugh some make me just shake my head. I have been wearing rechargeable aids for about 3 years now, two different sets, one set my main hearing aids the other my backups. I wear my aids on average of 16 hours a day. My short days about 12 to 14 hours, my long days are between 18 to 20 hours. I haven’t had my aids go dead at anytime. Now I don’t stream a whole lot but I do stream some. My aids are always connected to my iPhone and sometimes to my iPad and other times to the connect clip. Most of my streaming is using the connect clip connected to my kindle streaming audiobooks. While I know we are all different and have different requirements and issues I fully believe that more and more hearing aids are becoming rechargeable and less and less with be using the disposable batteries. As aids become more powerful and more complicated the more power is needed and the zinc batteries aren’t going to be able to handle the load.

2 Likes
#13

I killed one cat! Cats have nine lives…

#14

Good idea! A word of caution when charging using headset - electromagnetic waves effect on the brain.

#15

Nice to read your reply. Retiree enjoying life to the max!

#16

I maybe retired but I still love technology. I was trained by the Navy to be an Electronics Technician, and a troubleshooter. Then I educated myself to be an electronics engineer then a software engineer. I have to say once you understand how to troubleshoot, with the right research you can do basic troubleshooting of any thing you set your mind to do.

2 Likes
#17

Absolutely NOT!

Oticon More Rechargeable H/A’s will only work with The More Smart Charger, or the Oticon standard induction charger.

Kirkland is made by Sonova (Phonak) not interchangeable w/Oticon.

1 Like
#18

I love technology but have to learn from someone. I am more towards biology. Let’s enjoy whenever you are.

1 Like
#19

More important than the cost, it seems to me, is the size of a charging coil compared to the size of a couple of contacts.

#20

The problem with contacts are they get dirty, and the aids don’t charge, I don’t know about you but most of the time that I put my aids on charge it is a dark room or very little light. Kind of hard to see if the contacts are clean. I personally love the wireless charging.

2 Likes
#21

When I put my KS10.0T aids in the charger, I would notice if the LEDs on the aids didn’t indicate that they were charging.

#22

True but if you are trying not to wake up someone what are you going to do, if it doesn’t start charging? And the fact you like one type and I another is why we still have choices.

1 Like
#23

I’m not against wireless charging, but I think the aids would have to be bigger.

#24

My More1 aids are much smaller than my friends Phonak Marvels.

1 Like
#25

Another factor to consider here is Dexterity.
People with arthritis, or other issues will find Inductive charging much easier to accomplish.

I trialed the Marvels before going to the Oticons, and it was such an improvement to be able to just drop them in the base, and lift them out in the AM.
FYI I have a condition known as Essential Tremor, and believe, me it matters!.

2 Likes
#26

Anyone reckon if the HA’s compatible with the Oticon smart charger (More, Ruby, Zircon) will work with the Phillips Charger Plus MNR T R (https://i.imgur.com/vJCJwiH.png) that’s made for the Philips HearLink since it appears to be the same platform? I am getting some second hand Ruby’s or Zircon from a friend but there is no charger included. The Oticon charger costs over $400 where I live, and the Philips one should be less than half the price.

#27

The specifications on the Phillips Charger Plus and the Oticon SmartCharger look the same to me.

Though, it’s possible the hearing aid slots may be a different shape??

#28

It all depends on the firmware in both the aids and windows he charger yes there is firmware in the he charger and somehow it communicates with the aids.

#29

Oh okay, Do you Costco membership? Maybe ask Costco if you can put your Oticon HAs into their Phillips charger and watch the lights.

Here’s a link to another thread on the subject.

eta: I will have to stop my habit of dropping another link into a conversation because it repeats the first 5 or 6 lines related to the new link and then it appears that I am changing the conversation. Sorry, I fixed it with a proper link.

#30

My first smart charger did that to me and the VA replaced my charger, that is a defective charger the person has.

1 Like