#28

Well, another year has gone by, and my second eBay battery started showing signs of weakness. I followed the link I posted above for my first batteries, and they showed out of stock. I tried Luga’s link from January 2021, but the link was broken. But I searched for 601430 and found what looked like a suitable battery, and ordered it. This latest one was narrower but thicker than the ones I used before, and the thickness made it hard to get the Clip closed, but it is working.

One other difference between the various battery versions is how the tabs are arranged (the spots you solder the wires to). On this latest battery, the tabs are very close to each other, which raises the risk that you will short out the battery when doing the soldering. So that is one more factor to consider when buying one of these generic batteries.

For the record, here is the link to the eBay listing:

And the product description:

3.7V 200mAh 601430 Lithium Polymer LiPo Rechargeable Battery (USA STOCK)

The product picture shows the battery with a connector already attached, but the connector was not included.

#29

Thanks for sharing. This info is much appreciated!

#30

Someone in this thread found batteries with the same part number that were NiMH (Nickel metal Hydride). Others have used Lithium Polymer replacements.

The replacement battery chemistry needs to match the original due to charging differences. Using the incorrect type risks fire or explosion if charged improperly. I do not have this device but am familiar with rechargeable battery technology.

1 Like
#31

I would be very surprised if NiMH batteries would work properly in the ConnectClip and even if they did, I doubt they would last very long. NiMH is better than NiCad, but not by much. Li-ion batteries took over from NiMH and NiCad because they perform much better and last much longer. In particular, they don’t have the same “memory” problems.

#32

It’s not even about NiMH vs Li-ion, which is better, although @darylm is correct that Li-ion is better in many ways and hence has become more popular. It’s actually about what the ConnectClip is designed to use, and as a result, what the charger inside the ConnectClip is designed to charge, because a charger for Li-ion cannot be used to charge NiMH batteries, and vice-versa. You don’t want to be charging a NiMH battery using a Li-ion charger or vice versa because it’s not safe nor is it proper to do so in the first place.

I have a specially designed charger that is microprocessor based and is designed to charge both types of battery chemistry, either NiCad/NiMH or Li-ion, by using a different charging algorithm/process for each of the chemistry type. But that’s a box the size of my palm that can charge up to 4 batteries of different types independently. The tiny little charging circuit inside the ConnectClip can’t afford to be that smart, so it’s most likely dedicated to charging Li-ion batteries only.

Besides, not only NiMH and Li-ion are different type chemistries, they also have different voltages across a single cell. NiMH is 1.2 V, and Li-ion cell is 3.6 V. OK, you can stack 3 NiMH cells in series to get the 3.6 V of the Li-ion, but again, there’s no room inside the ConnectClip to place that many NiMH cells to replace the tiny little Li-ion cell anyway.

1 Like
#33

It probably depends on the formulation and the charging system. Years of Toyota Prius batteries up until 2015 refute your statement. After that only some models like my 2017 used NiMH but with a higher quality nickel.

My son’s first Prius easily lasted 10 years and, I think, 150K miles. They only charge to 80% and discharge to 20% of capacity.

#34

NiMH in general is better than NiCad in the sense that it has much less of a memory effect than NiCad, so you don’t have to discharge it before recharge to avoid the memory effect. Also, it doesn’t self discharge even when unused as quickly, although originally it still did self discharge as well, but not as much as NiCad. But then later on Energizer came up with a modified NiMH battery that is much slower self discharged (would still contain 70-80% of charge over a year or two even if unused), and eventually everybody followed suite and came up with the same chemistry (or maybe the Energizer patent expired and everybody started copying their chemistry).

1 Like
#35

NiMH batteries have been almost completely phased out of use in mobile devices, portable tools, EVs, energy storage systems. This is because Li-Ion is vastly superior to NiMH. If there were not Li-Ion batteries, we probably would not have rechargeable hearing aids or rechargeable ConnectClips.

1 Like
#36

The Prius used them for over 15 years and possibly even longer in low end trim levels. My 2017 base model has NiMH and they had supposedly improved the grade of Nickel used. They kept the same 20% to 80% operating range in the models with LiIon.

#37

Again, the fact that your 2017 Prius uses NiMH is not terribly relevant. An automobile application will have the largest / heaviest battery that the car can hold. The only parameters that anyone cares about are cost, life and range. The reason that Li-Ion has almost completely displaced NiMH is because Li-Ion is superior to NiMH.

#38

The Prius only needs a tiny amount of range in their NiMH battery (probably just a mile or less) to be enough to support acceleration from stops, and to accept regeneration. There’s a reason why all modern EVs with any reasonable range (even hybrids like the Chevy Volt with 37-50 mile range) all use Li-ion batteries and not NiMH batteries like the Prius.

The Li-ion have higher energy density when it comes to weight and space compared to NiMH. You can’t just simply say one battery chemistry is as good or better than another battery chemistry without factoring in what application that battery chemistry is being used for. For the application of the Toyota Prius as a hybrid, the use of NiMH is good enough so the use of Li-ion is not necessary. In that application, the NiMH has the advantage of a lower cost.

If rechargeable HAs use NiMH chemistry in the current shape and form of the HAs instead of Li-ion batteries, I’m sure the HAs won’t last you the 12-16 hours of use daily. The same with the ConnectClip. If it had used NiMH batteries, you would have had to charge it a lot more often than its current form using Li-ion batteries. May not even last you all day before you have to recharge if it were NiMH unless they make the ConnectClip twice the size or something. Then nobody would want to buy it if it were too big to carry around in their pocket or wear around their neck.

And it’s not just the weight and size disadvantage for the energy density. NiMH basic cell voltage is only 1.2V, while Li-ion basic cell voltage is 3.7V. If you have designs that require a higher operating voltage, let’s say at 3.6V, you’d have to put 3 NiMH cells in series to achieve that voltage, while only 1 Li-ion cell alone can deliver that much voltage already. Surely you can redesign things to work with 1.2V, but perhaps at a higher cost than a 3.6V design.

2 Likes
#39

Not to beat a dead horse, but I did some reading about the NiMH Prius battery.

According to Car and Driver, the Prius battery consists of 28 Panasonic nickel-metal hydride modules, each of which six 1.2-volt cells. They are connected in a series and produce a total of 201.6 volts.

The battery for a 2012-2016 weighs 85 lbs.

Several companies are now making Li-Ion replacements. One of them weighs 35 lbs (less than half of the original battery) and puts out 260A (more than double the 100A of the original battery).

Toyota is a very conservative and risk-averse company. If the new vehicles with Li-Ion batteries have the same range as older vehicles with NiMH batteries, it’s probably because the new batteries are smaller and weigh less than the original battery.

According to Green Car Reports, Toyota is still using NiMH batteries in their AWD hybrid, because NiMH performs better when it’s cold. The NiMH pack will weigh about 25 percent more (165 pounds, versus 132 pounds) and occupy about 20 percent more volume than a lithium-ion pack with a comparable output and usable capacity.

#40

I found the company that makes the OEM battery for the ConnectClip. It’s called Synergy ScienTech Corp, based in Taiwan. I emailed them to find out if it’s possible to obtain the batteries. I suspect that Oticon has exclusive rights to the battery, but I will post again when I hear back.

UPDATE: I have some bad news. The company that makes the batteries says they are a custom part and they will only sell them with an authorization letter. I doubt Oticon will provide that.

1 Like
#41

I found that the same battery is used in a Brother RJ4230B thermal printer. I also found a company in Poland that sells them in Europe. I sent a message asking if they will deliver to Canada or USA. I will post again when I hear back.

UPDATE: I have some good news. The company in Poland apparently has 9000 units and seems willing to sell to overseas customers. I asked for clarification and I will provide an update as soon as I hear back. Just for curiosity, how many people are interested in ordering the OEM battery for the ConnectClip?

UPDATE: I chatted with the company in Poland. I will order a couple of batteries from him and give them a try. Again, these are supposedly the exact battery that comes in the ConnectClip. He asked me if I want to buy 1000. Not likely…

UPDATE: I ordered a couple of batteries from the supplier in Poland and I received four of them. They are exactly the same as the original battery. Comparing the new battery with the old battery, the old one is swollen, which explains why it won’t hold a charge. I opened up the ConnectClip and made the mistake of trying to disengage the battery connector which @stevepriceloco noted is glued in. I removed as much of the glue as possible and softened the remaining glue with alcohol, but unfortunately, the socket for the connector was only glued onto the board and it came off. I tried to replace it on the board, but was not successful. The ConnectClip still works fine when it’s plugged in, but unfortunately, it’s not fixed.

It’s really a shame that the connector is glued in, rather than some other mechanical method. It would be a very easy replacement, were it not for the glue.

2 Likes
#42

Can you post the dimensions of the OEM battery so I can compare what is available now?

#43

Here is a link to the FCC test report has photos and dimensions of the OEM battery, which is that battery that I have. The part number is derived from the size, 4.5 mm x 17 mm x 30 mm.

Internal-Photos-3615016.pdf

2 Likes
#44

Thank you. I may give it a try.

#45

I have four of the OEM batteries.

#46

Hi darylm

I wanted to dm you but this site doesn’t seem to have that option.

Im wondering about those batteries you purchased from a company on Poland.

Are they still available, if so do you have the contact information?

Are they still working for you?

Thanks
Brian

#47

Click on the green icon with a letter “D” and a pop-up screen is shown. The blue bar with message + envelope is for private messaging.