Phonak Paradise Battery/Charge Issue

I’m closing in on 2 years with my VA issued, Phonak Paradise P90’s. On occasion, and usually when it’s not convenient, I wake up in the morning and find the L side red light on. A few nights ago, I woke up in the middle of the night and checked the charger…both side were solid green. But when I woke up, the L was red. I do the usual…clean contacts, reset, then wait. Fortunately I have an Oticon OPN spare that I can use while the L side recharges.
I currently live in Thailand and not convenient to going to Bangkok to the Phonak center. I’m more wondering if this is a common problem with the Paradise models…or if this is a one-off that I’ll eventually have to have repaired (either the hearing aid itself or the charge??) Any advice in the meantime?
All said and done, while I’m a big fan of the Paradise P90, I’m not confident that rechargeable batteries are ready for heavy duty users…16 hours a day, lots of bluetooth. At least with replaceable batteries, if one dies out, it’s a cinch to replace. Not so with a rechargeable.

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I’d say:
-Wipe the body of the aid well before inserting into the charging case.
-Change the aids not to turn on when removed from the case. Then, if there is a disconnect in the night at least you have the charge up to that point, and it hasn’t drained by being on during the night.

WH

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I would suspect the charger before the hearing aids.

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I have the same problem with the right hearing aid and I do not know why happens.

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Let me also add this reality wrinkle to rechargeable aids: when traveling, you may not even find a SOCKET convenient for plugging the charging unit into! Yep. That was my recent experience with a 5-day trip to the FL Keys here in the US. Nice motels & hotels, but NO PLACE to plug the dang charger into unless I wanted to use the socket by the bathroom sink or maybe put the unit on the FLOOR next to the bed? That was a real DOH moment for me. Who’d have thought that rechargeables could be so STOOPID when taken on a trip. Most sockets are already completely taken up with lamps, fridge, coffee maker, etc. On top of which most sockets are located behind the headboard or deep in a built-in cabinet. So even extension cords aren’t going to work here.

Before the pandemic, I’d travel to India and countries where I’d typically need an adapter. But now I have to also think about where I’d plug the charger in, cuz my trips last weeks or months, not just 3 days.

Luckily, I had my backup Marvel aids with me on the recent trip. So Day One, out went the Paradise Life rechargeable aids, and IN went the old-fashioned, battery-charged Marvel aids.

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I’ve had the same problem, solved by getting a new charger - but starting to have problems again.

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I wonder if you could use one of these small batteries used for charging cell phones or tablets, presuming your charger has a usb part to its cabling? I generally travel with one small one, or a larger one about the size of a pack of cards that will charge something small multiple times.

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^^^^^

Not sure about that! I turned in my Paradise induction charger unit, but will find out soon enough when I pick up the Phonak Lumity Life aids + charger in a week or so.

We travel with some multi-socket plugs (like it takes 3 plugs, BUT does not fit more than 1 or 2 if the plugs have large clunky ends to them).

Ultimately, even charging platforms for cell phones, et all, have to go into a wall socket, and I put my PHONE on that, so there goes the socket! Maybe I need to travel with a UPS-protected power strip to accommodate all the gizmos that need power.

I often ship myself a box of stuff via USPS so I don’t have to haul it in my bags.

Ahhhhhhhh… just gimme a simple set of battery-operated aids! I always travel with a UV sanitizing/drying unit, too, and that is pretty much USELESS if the entire night is taken up with Phonak aids in their own charging cradle. DOH.

Hearing aid makers need to talk to us folks in the field. We’re using their devices daily and can help them develop the full line of what’s needed: induction drying/UV charging cradle, some kind of battery pack or option to charge these aids on the road for days, etc., How about sleek covers that can easily be put on and off the BTE unit for trips to the hair salon? I got a dollop of hair dye painted on my Marvel aids cuz I don’t want to sit like a cinderblock for a couple hours getting my hair done.

Oh, I’ll write a book on it some day. :slight_smile:

Another thing to consider is a block that has four or five USB outlets. Plug in your phone, HAs, tablet, etc all off one wall outlet. Today I’d buy one that has USB-C ports as well, as things are going that way. My Roger On uses USB-C, although the cable it comes with to charge uses USB-A at the wall end. A USB-C to USB-C will be easy later.

WH

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Hey that’s a GREAT idea!!! I have such a block right here where I charge up Garmin watches and what-not. Thanks for thinking out of the box! :smiley:

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I have a short power strip that has a handful of outlets. Not the big monster, and no surge suppression, but it sure helped on a handful of trips. A google search brought up a bunch of different things, but none like what I have. But this one looks kewl!

Travel power strip

WH

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SEE?! There ya are! Like minds think alike. That is exactly what I need going forward. Thanks for the link!

Another variation here.

Typical travel kit includes an extension cord for use with my CPAP machine or hearing aid charger.

2 of the Phonak battery pack accessories. Each will charge my hearing aids 4-5 times. That means I’m good for a week if i can’t get access to power or there’s limited outlets availability.

It is an old topic but the selection of a correct battery based charger must include an “always on” feature. That reduces the choices by 95%. Otherwise the charger shuts down on full charge and the hearing aids see that as being removed from the charger and ‘turn on.’ So they discharge in the cradle. A work around is to go into setup and set the hearing aids NOT to turn on upon removal from the charger. Then you must do it manually. Or, buy an always on battery pack.

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These work perfectly for me. Perfect attachment to the Phonak charger base. No need to change any settings

The price has gone up since i purchased my 2.

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same here, plus a device that will multiplex a boatload of USB ports.

I just bought this that is a short power strip that offers 2 USB-C, 1 USB-A, and 2 regular outlets. Seems good for travel and might work for HAs, but I just got it because I was tired of reaching under my desk to plug in various things.

For the USB-C, I’d want a healthy PD load capability. I’ve seen some that are only 10 or 20 watts. Seems kinda anemic. Give me more like 90 watts on ea USB-C! I hope that is the case for yours.

WH

It’s a mixed bag. If you’re only using one USB-C it’s 65W. If you’re using both USB-C it’s 45W/18W. If you’re using all the ports, it’s 30/20/12. :man_shrugging:

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Well, better than a sharp stick in the eye.

WH

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