Intermittent problem charging KS10's

Hearing Aids
#14

I have had identical issues with my KS10s. Mostly they charge fine but occassionally they start charging but are discharged in the morning. This has happened to both aids at different times.

Then this week, one of them failed to turn on. Long press on the button did nothing. Putting it back in charger did nothing. So took them back to costco with the charger. The guy plugged my charger in and inserted the HA and what do you know? It started charging.

So I decided to get costco to send them back and get the electronics replaced. I will use my old aids for a couple of weeks.

Incidentally, I too have the PerfectDry Lux and although I havent used it for a while, I did use it regularly after I got them. I stopped using it as I saw no benefit.

I am considering getting the Phonak charger which has the built in dehumidifier.

If I was cynical, I would wonder if Sonovo had given Costco the ones that had failed the QA tests (which would explain the massive cost difference).

#15

Any further developments? I’m having similar issues…

#16

The magic is to hold both buttons in until the hearing aid resets. It takes either 10 or 20 seconds. Then place it in the charger.

#17

I’ve been through the mill on this issue I’m afraid. When this first began, Costco sent one hearing back for repair. The next time they said I needed a firmware update to my aids, so they did that. The next two times they repaired then replaced the charger. Lastly they are replacing the 115/5v converter that they say is the culprit. They keep a drawer full of them. Well, that worked for awhile, and I admit the issues are fewer, but not by any means gone. I still have the occasional (read at least a couple of times per week) dead aids in the morning; aids that are blinking amber, then blinking green, and don’t go to solid green unless I remove them to activate, then put them back in the charger. Sometime too, they will be solid green, then the next thing is they go dark or solid red. I’m reasonably sure the issue is with the charger and/or power supply, rather than the aids. Sure wish they’d find a fix though.

#18

If you’re talking about KS10s, the fix is to do a reboot. Which indicates it’s a software bug.

To reboot, simply hold the down button for 20 seconds. There will be no lights or tones to indicate it has rebooted, which is why I say 20 seconds when the manual (p. 49) says 15. After you’ve done that, make sure your charger is plugged in and put them in the charger. All should be well when they charge. You can keep tabs on whether they’re charging properly with the app. (Yes, it can read state of charge while they’re charging.)

What this means is that if you can’t afford a surprise when they come out of the charger, do a reboot before you do.

#19

UPDATE

The reboot trick is not working for me, at least not consistently, so it’s not a proper fix. After twiddling about a bit, I’ve finally found consistent charging by ensuring solid, continuous contact in the charger.

If I place my HAs in the charger firmly, then rock the tops (receiver wire end) back toward me, that forces the pins on the HAs into good contact with the charger terminals. Release gently, plug in the charger, and I get a consistent, reliable charge.

I think the issue here is both hardware and software. If the connection isn’t secure, something as minor as temperature drop during the night might allow one or both HAs to shift, breaking electrical contact. The other part of what’s messing with people is that the charging progress indication continues to rise, even though charging has stopped. That’s why I was seeing full or near-full charge when the HAs were in the charger, and something much lower, maybe a bit higher than where they started, only moments later when I took them out of the charger and they activated for use.

That means that, while it’s handy to be able to check charge level while the HAs are in the charger, you can’t trust the reading. It’s been consistent and accurate for me since I’ve been doing the press/rock/release routine. But that routine depends on friction to hold the HA contacts against the springy charger terminals, and that friction may fail to hold after wear from many insertions.

If/when that time comes I might start playing with toothpicks or something to wedge the HAs in place during a charge. Or give up, turn them in before my trial 180 days is up, and go to a different brand. Not sure I want to start that kind of project again. These are my first-ever HAs, the KS10s are working fine for me, and I understand their Bluetooth functionality is hard to beat.

1 Like
Costco has stopped carrying Phonak hearing aids
#20

Here’s what I’ve noticed a half dozen times in the last month - I know that the aids’ charges are low enough they should blink amber in the charger, and yet one of them will blink green. If I check the app, that aid shows nearly full charge. It won’t charge because the aid thinks it’s already full. So the fix is to remove the aid, wait for it to start, shut it down, and put it back in the charger. The aid will then blink amber, the app will show the aid’s correct charge level, and the aid will charge normally. At first I thought it was only the bluetooth side exhibiting this behavior, but a couple days ago it was the other side one day, and the bluetooth side the next. I consider this a minor quirk but it’s obviously troublesome for anyone not aware of the issue. Occasionally I use a spare Marvel charger so I’ll be watching to see if the problem shows up in that scenario. My guess is that it will eventually.

4 Likes
#21

Thanks for the helpful information.

#22

You absolutely correct. Very well explained, this is what a lot of people are experiencing. Manufacture needs to address this issue.

#23

The manufacturer is addressing the issue, sonova put out a press release about this issue with Costco, hopefully everything will get sorted out.

#24

@Dusty
That’s exactly what I experienced as well. Maybe 3 times the last 3 months.
@tenkan
Where did you see this press release? Was it describing the issue in detail or are you referring to the general press release from about 1 month ago?

#25

Yeah it was the one released just last month, I really don’t think sonova will reach out to any of us to let us know the actual details, could be one of those things that they’ll try and sweep under the carpet, we may have to wait for a 3rd party to get any true insight.

#26

Ok, thank you @tenkan.

Maybe it can be solved via the HA firmware (charging procedure).

But I don’t think so, if this is the real reason for the separation from Costco.

I can live with it now that I know how to deal with it.

(green flashing when inserted into the charger)

#27

Since then, my Costco HIS said the Sonova separation we cause of Sonova’s mishandling of this situation,

#28

I searched for press release, could not find it. Could you allude to what it said. I believe their should be some rumbling of a class suit concerning this issue.

#29

Think I found it:

2 Likes
#30

How is that addressing the issue of the charging problem, it’s a press release saying they are running away from the problem. This is not a Costco problem, it’s a manufacturer problem. Costco tried to use leverage, and they ran.

1 Like
#31

Yeah well that’s the thing, we just don’t know exactly what the situation is, I’m pretty sure sonova will just try to move on, the Paradise and Lumity are still selling so who knows…

2 Likes
#32

Anyone who’s had this issue and gone back to Costco - what was the process? Was it a straight swap of HAs or did you have to turn in the faulty aids and get them repaired?

My right HA now requires some careful positioning in the charger to stay charging. The hard reset advice makes no difference - think there’s an issue with the contacts. Left seems to be working fine and both sockets work (the left HA charges in either)

#33

I had the issue, went back to Costco and they needed to send them away for repair (and the charger too). All were replaced.

In the meantime, I bought the Phonak charger. Never had an issue with the Phonak charger and KS10s, but I don’t use them all the time at the moment as I prefer my old Phonak Q90s.

1 Like