Replacing ConnectClip battery with eBay battery

Hearing Aids
#1

I got new Oticon OPN miniRITEs two years ago. I also got a ConnectClilp and carry it every day. It turns out I rarely use it as a remote mic or remote control. I have not streamed a lot of music-maybe 50 hours in two years. I do appreciate it for phone calls (though I don’t spend a much time on the phone).

Anyway, the battery deteriorated to the point where it would show the red light in the evening, and if I tried streaming or a phone call in the afternoon, it would shut down.

My wife took on the challenge and ordered a battery from an eBay vendor (eElectronicParts.com, two batteries for about $14 including shipping).

eBay has a lot of batteries with the same voltage and mah rating and similar dimensions, but often the dimensions are not given.

The batteries we got turned out to be 4mm wider than the original, but my wife did make it work. There were two difficult points: First, the extra width meant cutting away some of the plastic inside the battery tray. Second, Since the battery connector is glued in, she unsoldered the wires from the old battery and soldered them on to the new. That meant soldering on a “hot” circuit, which requires extra care.

Other notes: a T5 torx screwdriver is needed. The body is best popped open at either corner on the end with the USB connector. The original battery is held in by double stick tape and must be pried out. There are some good pictures in the thread here: The Oticon Connect Clip Scam

Of course, the big questions are, will these cheap batteries last all day? And how long until they need to be replaced again? Time will tell.

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Is the battery in the Oticon ConnectClip user replaceable?
#2

Thanks for sharing this!

For reference, can you share which battery you ordered from eBay specifically?

Also, please report back after you’ve used it long enough to share whether the replacement battery perform the same as the OEM battery or not.

I assume that you ordered 2 batteries just to have a spare but you only need one at a time, right?

#3

Correct. Only one battery is needed. I opened mine up to take a look. It’s a small battery with not much space to hold it. Mine is holding up pretty good so it will be a while before I try anything.
There is a battery on ebay right now that should fit. Same specs as original but maybe 2mm wider.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-7v-200-mAh-Rechargeable-Lithium-Battery-LiPo-cells-402030-200mAh-for-Arduino/2241594677

#4

Thanks, I tried looking on eBay for this but looks like it’s gone.

#5

The main reason we got two batteries was in case we messed up one. Plus, the shipping costs more than the battery. And this particular vendor was selling them by the pair, and we liked the vendor since they were shipping from the US instead of directly from China.

Two days on the new battery, working fine so far. I’ll update this thread if I have problems.

#6

Do a search on ebay for “3.7v lipo battery 200mah.”
Just be sure to get one that’s shipped from USA.

1 Like
#7

A quick update: My ConnectClip with the new battery has lasted all day every day without turning on the red light.

However, I did a stress test on Monday. I streamed a basketball game and then played music from my phone. After about 3.5 to 4 hours, the ConnectClip shut down, about 8 hours from when I turned it on in the morning. I never tried to stream that many hours in one day with the original battery. Oticon claims the device should be able to stream for 4 hours and still last the whole day, so it seems this cheap battery is not as good as the real thing.

But still, it beats paying for a whole new ConnectClip.

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#8

Is ConnectClip works without battery? At home for streaming from computer just plug in micro usb. I don’t understand these transmitters why not works as a sound card like a simple usb sound card without connecting to compputer via bluetooth.

#9

A USB connected soundcard is limited use for the computer only. A Bluetooth connected streamer is a lot more universal and can work with all Bluetooth devices.

I’m guessing that if the ConnectClip battery is no longer functional, you can still probably use it by continuously plugging it in to a micro USB power source.

#11

Probably works without battery? I can plug a power bank too.

#12

It depends on the design of the device. Some device are rendered inoperational while being charged. Others can be used in parallel while being charged.

I’ve been able to use the ConnectClip while it is being charged and it seems to work just fine. So I think it’s usable even with a bad battery in place. I’m not sure if it would work WITHOUT a battery, though, meaning that if you physically remove the battery yourself from the device and only use it with the micro USB port being powered.

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#13

Yeah, for example widex’s neckloop streamer doesn’t work on charging. I examined oticon’s gadget if this works or not when plug in micro usb at firstly. Works. :slight_smile:

#14

Thanks for the information. My Connect Clip is a little over 2 years old and the battery would no longer hold the charge. Decided to replace the battery myself because I use the ConnectClip for work and didn’t want to wait for the trip back and forth to Oticon.

Just purchased two batteries from EBay (link at the bottom). One battery is a spare. Soldered/spliced the new battery wires to the old wires and all works as advertised. The actual new battery is a little narrower and a little thicker than the original but the ConnectClip case closes without needing modification.

Out of curiosity, does anyone know how much Oticon charges to replace the battery if its out of warranty?

Time will tell how long the new battery lasts but so far so good…

Many thanks for the original post and YMMV,
LGalarza

3 Likes
#15

It seems like as a matter of policy, Oticon doesn’t do battery replacement on the ConnectClip at all, so you either have to figure out a way to do it yourself (like you did), or buy a new ConnectClip from them. At best, if you have reason to complain loudly enough, they may send you a whole ConnectClip replacement instead.

1 Like
#16

Interesting approach to customer service. Perhaps they didn’t consider how to manage the process when they designed the device given the battery is not easily replaceable. Not good either way…

Many thanks for the confirmation.

#17

i think these cheap chinese batteries whether sold in your place are not close to the original. Even if it says 200mah I think the actual capacity is not as it says on it, but it is of smaller capacity. They often know how to write that he has more, but this makes it easier to sell batteries when they increase his numbers.

#18

Everything is made in china.

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#19

Good job, Luga. Thanks for sharing.

1 Like
#20

One should be able to know within a week of use whether the replacement battery lasts as long as the original battery or not. If the capacity rating is not as advertised, it should be easy to tell within a week, time enough to work out the issue with the eBay vendor and give them the appropriate rating.

As for the longevity of the replacement battery, that’s just going to be a gamble that one can only find out within a year or two. But the longevity should be a lower risk gamble compared to the capacity, so it’s a more acceptable risk.

#21

Luga,
I’m glad you were able to install the new battery without modifying the body of the ConnectClip. It’s interesting to see that you found a battery that has a built-in circuit board for over charging protection. That sounds like a good feature, though the board is one more thing to fit into the small space available.

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