Frequency and cost of replacing rechargeable hearing aid batteries

Question and Answer
#37

There’s also a surface to volume ratio. Very small objects radiate heat much better than large, voluminous objects. My iPhone 6S has an aluminum body. It radiates heat like crazy. So battery packaging could make a big difference, too.

So that’s a consideration you’re overlooking. In a small device, there won’t be as much heat build up.

Edit_Update: Example for sphere. Surface area of sphere is 4* Pi* r^2, where r is radius. Volume of sphere is 4/3* Pi* r^3. Surface to volume ratio, when you divide first formula by second is 3/r. That means if you decrease r by a factor of 1/2, the relative surface-to-volume ratio increase is a factor of 6! So a sphere 1/2 the size radiates heat 6x better with the same material. Similarly, for a cube, it’s surface area is 6* x^2. It’s volume is x^3. Ratio is 6/x. Decrease its size by 1/2, it radiates heat 12x better (I may have screwed up in my math, but you get the idea). The difference between a Tesla battery and a HA battery is a lot more than a factor of 2!

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#38

Psst - Don’t tell any one but in reality HA manufactures really want you to replace your aids every three, four years. Thus the limited three year warranty. Furthermore who really knows what it cost to make an aid (?) and the actual mark up percentage (?). Yea I know the standard line (which I heard a million times) which is “the reason aids are so expensive is because not everyone wears one”. Well not everyone wear glasses, yet the cost of glasses is manageable. HA manufacturers have a window open now with “baby boomer” reaching their golden years, thus pushing overall hearing aid sales up. If they don’t all die from Coronavirus first. Yet have prices dropped over the last several years due to more aids being purchased by baby boomers? NOPE. In fact I think the exact opposite has happened and aid prices have risen.

In any case it’s time for some company like (Apple) to reinvent wheel - and come out with hearing aids that don’t cost an arm and a leg, don’t need replacement parts (battery included) for five years and understand the meaning behind “consumer support” - versus don’t call us, we’ll call your. Or more likely a continual busy signal when you call and request aid service.

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#39

Yeah, not in every country. Here default is one year (and I have it for select). For aids my fitter has a deal where he gets 2 years. That’s it.
Insurances here cover basic models every 6 years, or in my case, I get 700 eur deduction every 6 years, for one ear only.

I know they count on us changing every 4 years.
Then it would be more honest to make battery which really can endure 4 years of common ways of usage plus load. And not bs about 6 years and fitters advicing for replacing before warranty ends and manufactures doing the replacements no questions asked.

Even phone manufacturers don’t promise 6 years, and some of them even manufacture own batteries.

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#40

Sealed-in batteries are merely a ‘planned obsolescence’ forcing you to buy new HA’s or send them back for expensive replacement. Originally, cell phones had replaceable lithium batteries but most now are sealed. Millions of old cell phones now end up in the waste stream. Replaceable lithium batteries are still common in cameras and many other devices so you know manufacturers can do it if they needed or wanted to. I think it’s criminal that these companies force us to throw away perfectly functional devices. Pretty well wipes out the used market too. A double win for big business. What a waste of Earth’s resources!

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#41

Apple can replace batteries in ~all of its devices except for the Apple Watch, usually for $50 to $80. My wife had her iPhone 6S battery replaced at an Apple Store while she waited < 30 min. Perhaps there’s a critical small size limit below which such operations are too finicky but it would be great, just as Apple’s come up with tools for in-store use, if HA manufacturers could come up with a relatively inexpensive tool to automate the replacement of HA Li-ion batteries by your HCP where all the mechanics would be taken care by operating the tool. I think with Apple, there’s the risk your iPhone or iPad might be irreversibly damaged in the process but the risk is low enough, they offer to give you an equivalent replacement device if things get screwed up. Perhaps HA OEM’s through their HCP’s could operate on the same plan?

Edit_Update: Actually, iPad battery replacement is very expensive if it’s out-of-warranty - probably better to buy a new iPad. Inexpensive if in-warranty or you’ve been buying Apple Care, which adds up in $$$. iPad battery replacement cannot be done in-store, either. Batteries - Service and Recycling - Apple And for the Apple Watch, several years ago an Apple Store support person told me that the Watch replacement service is just a new watch (still true?).

Dumb idea for changing HA rechargeable: Tool like Cerustop wax guards - pop open HA body shell. Stab out/pry out old battery, flip tool, and stab in new battery. Just as how wax guard is locked in place by inserting receiver into mold again, closing up the HA body shell would lock the battery in place within the shell - problem with this stupid scheme is battery might have a defined rigid shape, unless it were a floppy container with all the rigidity just in a connector end through which the tool does the removal of the old, the insertion of the new, like unplugging from and replugging a bag into an electrical outlet via a plug on one end of the bag. HA OEM’s have probably considered all such possibilities but maybe somewhere there’s a nasty old new Steve Jobs who screams, “Don’t tell me it can’t be done! Just go back and do it!”.

#42

A very simple thing that HA OEM’s could do right now to help guide users of rechargeable batteries is the same thing Apple does for its devices.

Just have a “Battery Health” monitoring function in the firmware/smartphone software. Not an Apple user long enough to know how reliable it is, but I open that applet for my 2.5 month-old Apple Watch, it says “100% Maximum Capacity” and “99% Maximum Capacity” for my iPhone 6S, which had its battery replaced a month or two before the wife stopped using it and later gave it to me. Her 2-year-old XS MAX reports something like 92% Maximum Capacity.

The point of this is that it simply gives you a real guestimate of where you’re heading with your usage habits for your Li-ion battery. You don’t have to wait until you’ve killed the battery to find out approximately how long the lifespan of your device is going to be if you keep operating the way you are.

Apple’s great web information has told me that I can expect my Apple Watch battery to last the equivalent of 1,000 full charge cycles before it drops to 80% of maximum capacity. My particular usage is such that I can go ~2 days on a full charge (I operate ~100% of time in Airplane Mode still using fitness and sleep monitoring all the time and HA control only as needed). And 2.5 months along, I haven’t dropped a % from full capacity. I would estimate the watch battery will last ~5.5 years (1,000 charges/183 charges/year, for me). My watch only charges wirelessly.

Unless Apple has somehow cornered the patents on such battery health monitoring and reporting, there is no reason HA OEM’s could not provide the same information to their users. The HA OEM’s may say a rechargeable HA will last 5 or 6 years but they give no idea of number of anticipated usable full charge cycles, no battery health reporting, no ability to set alerts when charging or discharging your HA battery (I guess it’s difficult enough, based on Google Play and App Store reviews, just to write a basic smartphone app that users have any respect for). HA OEM’s need to up their game when it comes to just even plain old low-tech rechargeable battery monitoring and better battery longevity parameters. Apple can do it but why not HA OEM’s?

#43

As the owner of many Apple products I can testify to their quality and long lasting trouble free servise.
But I can also testify to the fact that Apple never tries to make low cost products, on the contrary they will almost always be the highest priced items in all categories the compeat in. I am a happy Apple product user but very aware of the premium price for those products. I beleive Apple would make a good aid I am sure it would be at a premium price but I don’t think they are interested as the market for aids is not large enough to be of interest to them in my opinion.

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#44

Article in The Verge on wireless OTA charging via beam-forming (would reduce chore of keeping things charged):

Xiaomi says its ‘Air Charge’ technology works over several meters

It can charge multiple devices at the same time

Needless to say, you should be skeptical about the prospects of this technology making it to market until evidence suggests otherwise. Companies like Energous have been making announcements about “truly wireless charging” at CES and beyond for several years, but the technology is yet to gain serious traction. Xiaomi has demonstrated wireless charging engineering breakthroughs in the past, however, and has the advantage of owning a huge hardware ecosystem that it could theoretically leverage.

#45

I agree Jim. Rechargeable HA’s in which it is nearly impossible to replace the batteries use up far more energy and expensive materials than just the tiny disposable batteries. Recycling the reusable HA’s through the used market or donating them to developing nations puts the technology in the hands of needy people for many years and extends the use of our precious resources. Given a choice, I would NEVER BUY RECHARGABLES! (unless they were user replaceable)

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#46

Since this is the most recent “rechargeables vs. disposables” debate thread (AFAIK), I thought I’d ping it a bit.

South Texas (Austin, San Antonio, etc.) recently went 2.5 to 3 days or so without power - heat or electricity. Temps outside as low as 9 deg F (-13 deg C). Couldn’t use computer whole time, not safe to drive for crazy people on road who don’t know how to deal with snow and ice, and didn’t want to tax car battery to charge cell phones, etc., as car battery was suffering parasite drain from security alarm, etc., in cold.

Thought for sure on returning to forum someone would be pointing out South Texas disaster (was front page news in NY Times, for example) as “see, there you go with rechargeables …!” I basically did not wear my HA’s the entire time power and heat was out because the whole time I was wearing a wool pullover cap plus my down parka with my hood bundled up tight even while l slept! (the indoor temp fell to about 44 deg F (about 7 deg C). My wife almost had to shout at me for me to hear what she was saying through my head covering (if you’ve been going 24x7 without heat, you don’t feel like removing your parka hood to hear the wife - trust me!). I did not feel like messing with HA’s with numb fingers and normally clean them with a Jodi-Vac so did not feel like adopting a new cleaning ritual (too busy running water to keep pipes from freezing!).

But one of the first things that I did when power was restored was to buy on Amazon a solar-powered battery pack that holds 25,000 mAh charge when fully charged (can be charged by AC in advance of potential disaster or charged by solar, even on a cloudy day (slowly, then). We’ll see how that works out - not hoping for any new disasters soon to really test it out, though… If we really like it, we’d get more. Basically such a device could hold 10 weeks of charge for my Quattro’s. Five or six cell phone recharges, one or two tablet recharges, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MR5RPLL/

There are others like this following item but the some of the reviews say the “waterproof” coating disintegrates with wear and exposure to sunlight!

https://www.amazon.com/Charger-25000mAh-Outdoor-Waterproof-Chargers/dp/B07FPHCWCV

If anyone has any recommendations for similar that they actually used and know stands up to use and abuse (waterproof, can take sitting in hot sun for hours, etc.) thanks for your recommendations and experience

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#47

Goal Zero had been making reliable portable charging systems (including solar chargers) for well over a decade. They are designed for backpackers, climbers, outdoors people. Good products.

https://www.goalzero.com

Jim

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#48

Glad you made it through Jim. I’m in Austin. We lost power for over 75 hours. It was close to freezing in our house. Literally!

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#49

In reading further about my purchase, I see the sellers say that the device is mainly designed as a battery pack and recommend mainly charging it from AC current with a 5V/2A wall adapter (not supplied!) and say that solar charging via the panel is an auxiliary method. It would take ~83 hours to fully charge the battery pack with good solar input (~13 hours to fully charge 25,000 mAh battery pack with AC). That’s OK. What I plan to do, if I like the battery pack device, is to get a larger, pure solar panel that can provide the 5V/2A current that an AC adapter would provide. There are solar panels big enough that can generate a high enough voltage (>13 to 14 volts) to even charge a 12V lead acid car battery. I would think the bigger the panel, the better I’d do on cloudy days, too. (going up a learning curve on this from ~basement level knowledge!).

#50

Great if you avoided frozen pipes. I ran water ~every 2 hours over the 2.5 days of no power but 2 of 4 outside pipes still frozen damaging the faucets mounted on them but the pipes themselves seem to have escaped. In more northern climes (and particularly in houses with basements), outside water pipes often have inside shut off valves to allow the exterior pipe and pipe inside the wall to be thoroughly drained for winter. Some people put “mittens” over the outside faucets but I just try to drip the water fast enough that it doesn’t freeze - but didn’t work for 2 of 4 pipes at 9 deg F!

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#51

Backup power is always a challenge in that it requires some maintenance over time if one wants to be able to count on it. (Batteries wear out, generators require maintenance) My reliable back up power source for electronics is two well maintained vehicles with a full tank of gas (and hybrid battery) I agree with Zuikoholic that goalzero products are solid. Glad you got through it ok!

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#52

Glad to hear Texas is surviving.
We are outside of Fredericksburg without power now for 8 days now. Our county, Gillespie, had over 70% of it’s people out of power at one point. We are down to 42% now I believe. Today the sun is out and temperatures are predicted to get up to 40f. Maybe some of this ice will melt off everything.

Wishing good luck to all dealing with this crazy weather event.

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#53

Wow. Hope you had a fireplace!

#54

Used the house central gas heater with a portable Yamaha inverter generator. It is able to run the house heater, a couple fridges, a freezer and a few lights. We are very fortunate.

#55

I’ve a similar issue here. The downtime due to charging outweighs the lengthy use time.

#56

USA Today article on maximizing phone battery life. Probably applies to HA’s, too, since I doubt HA OEM’s are using battery technology superior to that available in world-class phones… (emphasis on Huawei quote mine).

Apple says that when your iPhone “remain(s) at full charge for prolonged periods of time, battery health can be affected.”

Android phone manufacturers, including Samsung, say the same. “Do not leave your phone connected to the charger for long periods of time or overnight." Huawei says, "Keeping your battery level as close to the middle (30% to 70%) as possible can effectively prolong the battery life."

The official word is to keep your phone charged – but not fully charged.

Your battery will automatically stop charging when it’s full, but in some cases, once it drops to 99%, it will need more energy to get back to 100. This constant cycle eats away at your battery’s lifespan. Most phones come with charging regulation options baked in for this reason.

(but do rechargeable HA’s come with charging regulation options baked in?!)

Source: Cellphone battery life: Should you charge your phone overnight or not? (usatoday.com)