Is the battery in the Oticon ConnectClip user replaceable?
I’d go to my audi to do this, but until I am vaccinated for COVID I’m not making any unnecessary trips.
Thanks.
You can search this forum for a thread where a ConnectClip user with a bad battery was told by Oticon that they should buy a new ConnectClip because Oitcon doesn’t do battery replacement on the device, even for a fee.
You can also search for another thread on this forum that talks about trying to buy a replacement battery on eBay (not an official replacement battery, just a “guess for a replacement” battery), but it seems to work out OK for this user, although it requires taking the ConnectClip apart and soldering the new battery in place, and the replacement was not a perfect fit, all of which are non-trivial tasks performed by this user.
2 Likes
Thanks for the response.
It seems absurd that you should have to buy a new device just because the battery won’t hold a charge anymore.
I don’t mind taking it apart, but if the battery isn’t a perfect fit, I don’t want to mess with it. Especially soldering something tiny like that. I don’t have a tiny iron.
I’m pretty peeved with Oticon for the second time. Perhaps Phonak or Siemens for my next pair.
Well, I’m not going anywhere until after a COVID vaccination, so I’ll call my audi aftre my vaccine (whenever that is) and price a new connectclip.
Bob
1 Like
I would definitely recommend you have your audi check with Oticon about replacing the battery. You might be pleasantly surprised.
It won’t cost you anything to ask, and the worst that can happen is Oticon will say no.
Somebody on this forum said they made a big fuss about it with their audi because Oticon put some misleading claim in writing somewhere (maybe in the brochure?) that the battery could be replaced, and now they learned that it can’t. I think in the end Oticon decided to give him (or her?) a brand new ConnectClip to make him happy. But I think this is a case-by-case basis only. The squeakiest wheel gets greased.
1 Like
Thanks.
Since I won’t be working until after COVID-19 and I am not going anywhere that I don’t NEED to get to until I get a vaccine, I’ll see my audi then and do what needs to be done.
I was hoping it was something I could do myself.
I’m a musician by trade, I keep the stage volumes low, but click the aids down anyway. Between songs, I can use the clip to click them back to ‘normal’ so there is a chance that I can hear what someone in the audience might be telling me.
Bob
I bought 10 of them on Alibaba for $46 (the minimum they sold). Somewhat fiddly to replace, as the case is hard to open and you need to solder the leads, but not that hard. They work as well as the originals. Same model number. They are standard NIMH batteries and it is absurd for them not to replace them and expect you to buy a new clip to replace a $5 battery. May a camel caravan overnight in their yard. Just match the battery model # and they are the exact same size, voltage and amperage.
2 Likes
Yes, before going postal, explain the situation to your audiologist. Last time I visited, they gave me a brand new ConnectClip, in case I needed a spare. The one I have has worked perfectly well since I got it.
I went to my Audi, and she said for Oticon to replace the battery in the ConnectClip it would be $250. To buy a new ConnectClip it’s $250, so I bought a new one.
That isn’t putting “People First” IMHO and pretty absurd.
So I’m going to try to take the old one apart. It seems like one tiny screw holds it together.
Before I do, does anyone know what model battery it is, and where I might be able to get a new one?
Thanks,
Bob
Do a search on this forum and you should find a thread or two that covered this. I think some folks have reported to have successfully replaced them on their ConnectClips using batteries bought from eBay.
3 Likes
Thanks. I’ll do that.
Bob
I have not taken my ConnectClip apart but I did find a document on a web site with FCC docs covering the ConnectClip (called an audio clip). It had the following info on the battery:
Brand: SYNERGY
Model: AHB451730PC
Rating: 3.7 Vdc, 200mAh
Finding one with the correct cable and connector may be an “interesting” exercise as I haven’t found a part number for that kind of assembly.
2 Likes
Thank you very much!
Bob
I replaced mine. No problems since. This is the link referenced above: Replacing ConnectClip battery with eBay battery
1 Like
Thank you very much, Luga.
This is great information.
Bob
1 Like
I thought it’s already well established that the Oticon ConnectClip battery is NOT DESIGNED to be user replaceable easily. That’s not a question anymore.
The question is whether there are users who still manage to figure out how to replace it and actually did it. The answer is yes. If there’s a will, there’s a way.
3 Likes
@Volusiano: IIRC, you have purchased at least one spare battery. Can you find batteries with the proper connection clip already on the battery, or do you have to cut the clip off the dead battery and reuse it?
Hi Jim, yes, I bought 2 spare batteries off of eBay just to be ready even though my ConnectClip is still going strong and not showing sign of not lasting long enough yet. Mine is 3.7 Vdc, 200 mAh, labeled Z.S.V.I +601430 (per recommendation from someone who bought the same from eBay and installed it OK.
They came with the bare wire and no connection clip. I haven’t tried to install them yet (nor have I opened up my ConnectClip yet), but I suspect I’d have to reuse the connection clip already existing in there.
1 Like
Thanks @Volusiano. Seems pretty straightforward to me.
I haven’t taken mine apart, either. I’m going to wait until I get a new eyeglass prescription.
Tiny things are a bit blurry to me, so since I’m not in a hurry, I’ll wait until my eyesight is optimal again. A new appointment is in the works, but she’s very busy after the pandemic. I guess I’m not the only one to have put this off. 
1 Like