Rechargeable Lumity Life NOT holding its charge anymore

Hearing Aids
#18

Hm. That’s what’s in the back of my mind. I was so hoping to just use the two pairs to get through my 14-16 hour days, but now I’m wondering about the old wives’ tale of rechargeable batteries needing to be completely discharged before being charged up again. For me, that would cause some awkward moments! I don’t even like waiting to hear the warning beeps. I’d rather enjoy a normal day without any pause in hearing as I’d have to excuse myself (usually during the evening movie - or any social gathering after 8pm) and then get to my spare pair (usually plugged in here at home).

I suppose I could travel with my Marvel aids and some batteries at all times … but then I’d miss that noticeable sliver of better speech comprehension as well as not having to change programs pretty much ever. On top of which the Marvels have 3 different programs than my Life aids, so I’d have to fiddle-faddle around and try to remember the program lineup.

If my current problem is due to a faulty charger, that seems pretty easy to fix. If it’s a question of needing to drain the rechargeable aid to zero, I’m up a stinkin’ creek with a paddle full of holes.

#19

I do still want to test out the charging base … this morning’s observation was ODD. Why would an entire night in the charger leave these Life aids winking orange? In my other charger, they wink green after a full night’s charging.

FINGERS CROSSED it’s the charging base, but yes, I agree that Android 12 PLUS my cinderblock ears and being a POWER user are taking their toll on these rechargeables’ usability for more than 12 hours. :neutral_face:

#20

My recollection of this issue when it plagued me was that only the main Bluetooth aid would drain very quickly whilst the other would be fine.
As it says in that link that you provided, by the end of the day one aid would be on 30% and the other on 0%.
Once I fixed the issue all that happened was that the main BT aid drained at the same rate, I don’t remember actually getting longer once the issue was fixed.

It is actually possible to fix under Android 12: if “Enable Gabeldorsche” shows up under Developer Options then enabling that fixes the issue. Alas people have reported back that that particular option isn’t there for Galaxies, shame as it is for Pixels and probably other models.

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#21

HEY! I didn’t even know about that button! So I think I’ll go try that, too! :smiley:

Altho my cellphone has Android 12, I don’t even use it that much. My total phone call use is maybe an hour to 1.5 hrs per day; I stream music maybe 45 min during workout a few days a week. I realize our audiograms are different … I’m pretty much a FLATLINER way WAY down there in the cinderblock zone. Perhaps it’s multi-factorial?

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#22

I have a mixed loss (BC) so my MPOs are pretty high in my right HA compared with what my audiogram shows, I’d be surprise if there was more than a 15% difference with yours. That’s a highly uneducated guess though!
My only evidence about it not hitting the battery is that my left ear is much better than my right but the battery drain in both HAs is almost identical. I also moved from a power receiver back to a medium receiver and saw no change.

My Paradise 90 Lifes had slightly worse battery life but by about 45mins. There can be quite a lot of variation in lithium batteries probably more so in these tiny ones, it could just to be down to chance.

The deal with running batteries empty is way more important with NiCd or NiMh which have a ‘memory’ and like been drained every now and then. Car lead acid batteries, for example, hate it.

I don’t think that it’s a big deal with Lithium rechargeable batteries, but in theory you are only meant to get a certain number of recharges before their capacity falls off. The logic goes that you might as well use a decent amount of the charge (down to 20%) before you recharge so as not to waste long-term battery life. It’s also not recommended to over discharge one but the charger and HA handle that.
This effect may or may not be significant, it’s always hard to tell until you’ve run the experiment for three years!
Long story short: I think that you’re fine not to discharge them all the way.

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#23

Jim, I know you have the omnia’s with disposable batteries… Just curious how is battery life with them?? also I talked to my audi about the M&RIE receivers i trialed them quite a while ago when they first came out and he informed that I should trial them again because they made several changes since they originaaly came out… so hopefully I will be trialing them sometime later this week… how do you like your M&RIE’s compared to normal receiver you have worn in the past??

ReSound Omnias with M&RIE Receivers
#24

Did they say what these “changes” were, as that would be interesting to know.

#25

I would HOPE that’s the case! Today’s experiment: I put in my NEWER Lumity Life aids that I’d charged up all night in the possibly defective charger. The aids were winking orange when I took them out this morning at 9am. At 1pm (4 hrs later) I got the first warning beep.

My second test will be using the OLDER Lumity Life aids later today (when these beans go down due to the poor charge). The older aids have been charging up since last night in a newer charging base, and when I lift the lid (like peeking at a cake in the oven) they are winking GREEN. That seems a very good sign! :smiley:

I think I’m going to have to face the music on rechargeables vs battery. The trend seems to be in favor of rechargeables ONLY for newer, more powerful and feature-packed aids. I suspect the head of Phonak product development doesn’t wear aids, and can happily avoid the daily lumps and pitfalls that we mere users need to figure out - even as Phonak can crow about being environmentally friendly with nothing but rechargeable aids. :smirk:

#28

@x475aws: [Of course I will …]

I still don’t know how one can remain loyal to Lumifys if one needs two pair to make it through the day.

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#29

Realise HA manufacturers won’t see it like this but if the rechargeable Aids don’t last the day, then it’s not fit for purpose.

This means Bluetooth streaming for the whole day if you want, as Bluetooth is there so why shouldn’t people use it.

Instead people limit Bluetooth because they worry about the Aids not lasting the whole day. Google says most people wake up at 6am and go to bed at 10pm. Most not all tho.

Also people using the UP receivers are also having issues with batteries not lasting the whole day and with no Bluetooth at all.

This is my opinion (maybe not others) that they aren’t up to standard. Phonak and others need to work on improving the battery life.

Having rechargeable Aids for me, would be quite stressful and wouldn’t want that on myself. That’s just me!

:slight_smile:

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#30

no specifics were given…

#31

@Zebras: It’s not only you, Zebes … I’m sure you’re well-acquainted with my views on the subject.

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#32

Yes :slight_smile:

The ‘up to standard’ maybe 5 or 10 years in the future. I don’t know. I’m only guessing. Maybe never?……

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#33

@Zebras: :joy: Just making sure … I would have reiterated for your and @kevels55 's benefit!

:chair::chair::chair::chair:

#34

You’d only be adding extra wear and tear to your HA’s by unnecessarily discharging your devices. Li-ion batteries do not have charge memory. I have other Li-ion-powered devices (not HA’s) that are still going strong after almost a decade of use, kept well by managing their state of charge (SOC). Going below 20% or above 80% for extended periods of time stresses out Li-ion batteries. Relative to your backup set of Lumitys, if you don’t need the full charge range of the second set to get through the day, charging the backup set to less than 80% would be a good idea to minimize wear, too, because otherwise you’re going to have them sit most of the day at 100% charge before you use them.

OTH, after you’ve looked into every possible software/firmware glitch with your audi, if you can afford to burn through two sets of Lumitys to get the job done and enjoy their marvelous sound, why not just do it and enjoy life (at considerable cost!).

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#35

AGREE completely. Glad I still have my older battery Marvels. I’m a 7/8am to 11:30pm (or later) person. Maddening, cuz I just need an extra 2-3 hours MORE every single day from my aids.

I know it seems a luxury for me to have these 2 pairs of Lumity Life aids, but until I got the 2nd pair, I had to swap in my battery Marvels every single day at about 8pm. The program lineup was different, and the speech comprehension not as good, but at least they were paired/connected to my phone and TV streamer.

#36

Lots of good advice there. I had indeed been letting one of the pairs sit fully charged in the cradle at 100% till needed. My phone’s BT tells me how much charge is remaining, so I can use that as a guide for swapping in the 2nd pair.

Confession: I got a 10% discount on the 2nd pair as it was ordered nearly at the same time as the first pair. Plus I got the standard Medicare discount on the 1st pair, so I saved some money.

Until/unless battery life on rechargeables is improved, I’m going to be The Alien who needs TWO pairs of aids to get through every single day. I’m not complaining, I’m just very grateful for the excellent aids I have.

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#37

@1Bluejay: :joy: I’m sorry, but I’m poor. This is like saying

“I got a 10% discount on the 2nd Cadillac as it was ordered nearly at the same time as the first car. Plus I got the standard Environment Canada discount on the 1st Cadillac because it’s a new, energy-efficient vehicle, so I saved some money.”

Sorry … welcome to my world!

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#38

The thing is, if one uses two sets of aids to get through the day, they’re reducing their reliability, because now a malfunction in either set will leave them high-and-dry for part of the day. The chance of a problem is doubled, more or less. Unlike having a set as a spare, which increases reliability.

@1Bluejay, I don’t think you should shy away from mentioning your problems with rechargeables. Not just “My Lumitys are great because…”, but “My Lumitys are great because…BUT the rechargeable batteries are inadequate, causing me stress and aggravation”. I don’t think that a switchover to rechargeables is inevitable if people don’t quietly accept their shortcomings.

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#39

I don’t get it. The Phonaq blurbs asay that there are two main advances with Lumify:

  1. Advanced charging
  2. Aids are waterproof

However … when I read the Forum posts on Lumify, there seem to be two principal problem areas:

  1. Charging issues, and
  2. Lack of water proofness

What’s wit diss?

The blurbs also say that the technology was designed to lasted for 6 years. That’s not what I’m reading!

(Addendum: Perhaps the same might be said of any make, but you’ll not catch me saying it about Oticon because it’s my bram, eh?)

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