Just wanted to give a heads up that we have a handful of original serial Hi-Pros available.
They include power, serial to usb, and programming cables for $175 shipped.
(Please note the serial Hi-Pro is just as fast as the USB Hi-Pro 1.
Note that I call this model old junk just for emphasis. The are not junk. They do work. But they were made for obsolete computers that use RS-232 serial ports instead of USB. You even need a separate power cord for these old devices.
See How to choose a programming device to Program Your Hearing Aids [DIY]
In the Wired Programming Devices: section look at the current choices for cabled Hearing Aid Programming Devices and the reccommendations for those devices.
The old junk serial Hi Pros may have been a good choice in the past due to low relative cost. But you can do much better today buying a mini Pro.
I don’t see the problem. The old Hi-Pro is still a Hi-Pro. It is still the fully properly recognized cabled programming device. The miniPro is likely a reverse-engineered but yes fully working device. As far as speed is concerned…the DIY’er doesn’t necessarily NEED the fastest possible thing. And then the price…the miniPro won that easily. But now with this offering from Audiometrix…not so much.
I’m assuming when he says cables that he means the USB to serial adapter and the CS44 (or variations) and the flex strips (or variations).
If I wasn’t impatient I would have gotten this kit from them.
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No one said there was a problem. I am simply saying you can do much better.
When you say the miniPro is likely a reverse-engineered device I think maybe you mean a clone/counterfeit? I don’t think so. See is mini Pro a clone?
If you are running Win XP on a dirt cheap computer (maybe it’s even old enough to still have RS 232 serial ports) and you really need the extra $50 then this may be for you. Myself, I would much prefer to plug in a USB device and be done with connectivity.
Look at the recent Com port problems connecting USB mini Pros/Hi Pros. It gets much harder when you also have to deal with USB-to-Serial adapters, and, if your USB-to-Serial adapter happens to not support the proper speed then you can multiply your connection problems by a bunch.
Oh, when you forget to unplug a serial Hi Pro with its extra power cord plugged into your 16-outlet power bar it will remain on all night using up electricity thus eating into the extra $50 that you saved.
Also your resale value will plummet. You can sell a mini Pro now for what you paid for it. The serial Hi Pros keep going lower and lower, except for the occasional sucker who doesn’t know which one he is buying.
The fast (zip/zoom) speed (though not required) is nice to have. Especially for some of the longer/slower Hearing Aid Firmware updates.
So to each his own. But I know you can do better.
To clarify, we are including a serial to usb cable. It will literally operate the exact same as a USB Hi Pro. The only difference is it has a power cable you have to plug in.
Let’s not kid ourselves though. The mini pro is not an investment. No one even knows who makes them, they are some generic copy of the hi pro. Yes they get the job done, but they are not better than a real Hi-Pro. In fact, another forum user recently tested the two side by side and the Hi-Pro was faster. I’m not going to drag him into it, but he should be posting his data soon enough.
After our last supplier jacked our prices up like crazy, i did everything I could think of to track down the manufacturer of the mini pro with absolutely no luck. In fact, everything I come across seem to indicate there are several manufacturers. We constantly run into road blocks because of the ridiculous language barrier.
That thread, USB speed of mini pro was not a valid test. AFAIK: The mini Pro and Hi Pro 2 are the same USB 2.0 speed. And yes, $50 higher or lower should not be classified as an investment.
The forum user in question is not the one you linked to. He did another test and the USB Hi Pro 1 was slightly faster than the mini pro.
I’m not saying the mini pro is junk. It’s a great option if you can actually pick it up for a decent price and that’s the part that is a pain in the butt.
And again…we will beat any price. So these serial Hi-Pros will be cheaper.
Nope. I don’t mean clone/counterfeit. I do mean reverse-engineered. And I’m fine with that. I have it. It works. All good. I would have preferred to buy a “real” Hi-Pro though. And now audiometrix are offering one albeit with a more cumbersome serial interface. I get what you’re saying of course…more work and hassle than the clean modern USB connection…but to my mind the attraction of the mini-Pro was the price. Now audiometrix has made that moot to have a “real” Hi-Pro.
For future readers we can only hope that audiometrix will keep stock when they’re low of inventory. It would also be interesting to see what audiometrix can do towards an even lesser price for other options like the mini-Pro or the USB Hi-Pro.
@Volusiano? Maybe it wasn’t an extensive test, i’m not sure. I had the same results here as well.
Hey i’m all for it. If you guys can help me figure out who makes it, i’ll never run out of stock.
As of right now, all I can find is resellers.
Can you tell us about these “results”.
When I use a Hi Pro 1 it detects and saves faster than a Mini Pro by about 10 to 15 seconds.
Obviously it’s not a big deal. Both units get the job done. Whichever is the least expensive is the way to go.
Nah. Too much hassle. I’m fine with what I have.
Sorry, I don’t believe this.
Sorry to hear that. You also don’t believe @MDB or @Volusiano. Which is unfortunate.
Those were my results. I have nothing to prove by making that up. As soon as I can find whoever makes the Mini Pro I’ll be selling those as well.
@audiometrix_hearing: Future readers will be very interested in seeing even lower prices for programming devices that work with most major-brand hearing aids.
As it is…I spent less than available prices known at the time for what I got. It would be a hassle to either return that or sell it to then get your kit for less money now.
Agreed. I look forward to helping out other users. And again I will beat any price, including mini pro prices.
Because of price. I said that many times. The speed difference between the units is basically nothing. 10 seconds? Who cares. All that matters is what’s the least expensive. Right now I only have 7 Serial Hi pros to offer and thats it, supply gone. I doubt I’ll find any more that i can offer at that low of a price.
I don’t know the fine points on the differences between the USB HiPro 1 and HiPro 2. But below are the pics of the HiPro I have tested on (front/back/bottom) and the connect time on it is 70 seconds, compared to 80 seconds on the MiniPro that I own. The Oticon FittingLINK 3.0 has a connect time of 20 seconds.
So is the HiPro below the 1 or the 2?
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