ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => Hearing Issues => Topic started by: leapyrtwins on October 11, 2010, 12:05:02 pm
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Question for those BAHA wearers who have a BP100 or BP3.
Do you use batteries that specifically say they are for "implants"?
My BP100 - despite being repaired by Cochlear - continues to beep to indicate a low battery even when the battery is not low. I checked in with my customer svc rep @ Cochlear this morning and she tells me that the issue may be that I'm not using "implant" batteries.
I typically purchase size 13 (orange) Duracell batteries at Walmart and have never had a problem up until now.
Anyone else finding that "regular" hearing aid batteries are causing their BP100 to beep when the battery isn't low?
I sent an email to my audiologist and am waiting to see what she has to say.
Thanks,
Jan
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My audiologist told me I could stock up on #13 batteries at Costco and did not say anything about needing specific implant batteries. I will have my BP3 back this week and we will see. I was not getting a low battery beep at all and I used the same battery for a week.
~dale
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Jan,
I don't have the BP100, but I've never heard of "Implant" batteries. I know people with Cochlear Implants that use regular hearing aid batteries (just more of them!). I'm not sure how a battery would know if it was inside an implant or not - aside from the fact that the processor isn't implanted anyway.
I'd be interested to hear how this turns out, since the batteries Cochlear provides with the initial shipment of the processor are just regular hearing aid batteries.
Lori
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I use Duracell and have no problems. Are you testing them on the battery tester that Cochlear sent to you?
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I get my improved BAHA next week....now called BP3...why is that...at this point I've no idea what Cochlear did to it..just know that it went in for upgrades....include the new white battery covering....i use the no. 13 and have stocked up on them...my audiologist said the power ups might be better and maybe last a little longer...no idea...never tested that theory....but i'll be keeping on eye on this topic.
JO
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Battery tester??? Don't believe I have one of those - but then again I haven't looked in my "big" white box from Cochlear in months; maybe there's one in there.
Had additional contact with my Cochlear rep today and this is what she said:
"As the technology improves, the power requirement becomes more pronounced. Some people are able to use the BP100 with hearing aid batteries, but the BP3 (which is what your BP100 was upgraded to) has improved technology over the BP100. The increased power requirement is not due to the rubber insert -- that is a mechanical feature and serves a very rudimentary purpose."
She also offered to send me some complimentary batteries (as in free from Cochlear) to see if that solves the issue. They are already on their way to me Fed Ex. If they don't stop the low battery beep from going off when the battery isn't low, I'll have to send my BP100 back for repairs.
Thanks for all the responses; I'll keep you posted.
Jan
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So if they keep upgrading, eventually we'll need to hook ourselves up to the car battery? :D
Lori
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Good point!
You just never know :D
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I had this same problem with my BP100 back in March while still using the batteries included with the processor. It would erratically give me the low battery signal with only 8 hrs on a new battery, but the battery would not quit for about a week (it was a long time before I had the patience to let the battery quit). It would beep every hour or so for a bit then stop for several hours and start again. It was sent in for repair and came back fixed and I have not had that problem since (although I have had the case crack and currently have static like a Geiger counter in 2 programs). The cryptic repair note from Cochlear was something like “low EL contactâ€. So if the processor keeps working for the usual length of time and just signals low battery it probably needs to go in for repair.
As for batteries I stick with the Powerone size 13 recommended by Cochlear, although I get them from a less expensive source (Amazon). Aside from the recommendation I found out they are rated at 1.45V while all other HA batteries I have seen are 1.4V.
I hope this helps; I've been a lurker here for a while (SSD for 30 yrs from Meningitis at age 4).
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I just ordered some from Amazon....best price I could find. i also got the Power One, which is the one sent out by Cochlear. However, on Amazon, it does show them as rated 1.4v. I didn't see the 1.45 anywhere. But for $15 and some change, I got 60 batteries. At least a year's worth, a little more, actually.
~Dale
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Well, ironically since I finally contacted Cochlear about this problem (which has been going on for a couple of weeks now) today I had no issues with my good old reliable Duracell battery.
Will still try the batteries Cochlear sends me - should arrive tomorrow - just to see if the false beeping is gone for good.
Thanks for the tip on Amazon, Dale and Rockhammer. I order books from there all the time, so I may just start adding batteries to my future purchases.
Jan
PS - welcome to the Forum, Rockhammer ;D
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Jan, Cochlear just sent me a battery tester, some more wipes, brushes...2 for the BAHA and 1 for my implant...such a deal!
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My battery tester came with the kit Cochlear sent me prior to actually being connected. I am sure they are inexpensive, but probably more from Cochlear than somewhere else on line.
~Dale
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Hey, I had to buy my own battery tester!
You're right, Dale, they are inexpensive. I think I paid about $5 for two of them, and they have little keychains attached and a little drawer to keep a spare battery in.
Lori
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I know you are all discussing the BP-100 batteries but someone mentioned implant batteries. The Power One p675 batteries used with the BAHA Intenso are marked as Implant plus. The size 10 batteries from Power One that I use for my hearing aid only say 'for hearing'. Some one also mentioned in some forum recently that there was a physical difference in size of some of the size 13 batteries from different manufacturers that may be causing intermittent contact. I'm sure there will be a solution shortly.
Paul
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Heard from my audiologist yesterday. Apparently the idea of the "implant" batteries I was given by the Cochlear rep was incorrect.
My audi tells me that her contact @ Cochlear said that there is no such thing as "implant" batteries for BAHAs and that conventional hearing aid batteries are perfectly fine.
In the meantime, the problem seems to have solved itself. No "false" beeping now for the past 2 days.
But in the meantime, I did receive 12 free, premium batteries from Cochlear ;D
Perhaps I'll include 6 of them in the next Official BAHA Recovery Kit. Are you reading this, Meagan? ;)
Jan
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So what are you saying, Hearing aid or Implant batteries are the same thing? They just change the name for marketing gimmick and to confuse the consumers?
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Ken,
My research shows only the p675 battery as an implant battery. You and I have the BAHA Intenso which uses this and it is designed for extra power.
Paul
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Ken -
apparently my Cochlear customer service rep was confused. She is more familiar with CIs and didn't realize that BAHAs are different when it comes to batteries.
She also didn't realize that the Intenso takes different batteries than the Divino, the BP100 and the BP3.
As you know, until recently, Cochlear had a bigger focus on Cochlear Implants than BAHA implants. Thankfully us BAHA wearers are now getting more attention.
There IS justice in the world! :D ;D
Jan
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Jan,
I know your problem with batteries seems to be solved, but just FYI, I personally found that PowerOne (these are the batteries that Cochlear included when I got my BAHA) batteries did work better for me than just any old battery. I buy them over the internet from a site called microbattery.com. I get 60 batteries for $24.95 plus shipping and handling (I don't remember how much it was, but not much). In my opinion PowerOne is superior to Duracell or other batteries and not badly priced if you buy them this way. Since I change my battery every week to ten days, a case lasts over a year.
Wendy
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Thanks for the input, Wendy.
I should have updated this thread about a week ago.
I've been using the batteries that Cochlear sent me and honestly I haven't seen a big difference between them and the Duracell batteries I usually buy at my local Walmart. The sound from my processor is just as good, they last just as long, etc.
I think the low battery beeping problem I was experiencing was related to my BP100 "reprogramming" itself. One day while driving to work with my iPod on (I have an adapter for my car) I realized that my BP100 was beeping in response to certain musical notes in certain songs. Over time, it's stopped doing this.
I remember that when I first got my BP100 it used to beep in accompaniment with the seat belt reminder beeps in my car. After a few days that stopped.
The BP100 will beep in response to "strange" noises it encounters (like the sound of the beeps on your microwave, etc) until it realizes that these are "normal" sounds in your world.
In the past week I have had absolutely no false low-battery warning beeps from my BP100.
I think the program is solved - or at least, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Jan
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Here I am in Africa, and the past few days, I have had a terrible beeping and whistling problem. I had changed the battery 5 days earloier when this first happened, so I thought maybe I had a bad battery. I tossed it and put in a new one. However, I am still beeping away. Like you, Jan, I was upgraded to the BP3 and reprogrammed. I do have an appointment anyway with my audiologist the week after I return. It is so annoying!!!!
~Dale
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Hmm, good to know. I was curious what people's opinions on the battery subject were.
My mother works at a pharmacy and has already told me that she will let me know when there are good deals afoot so I can plan my purchasing.
I may look into trying to find a battery tester too.
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Dale -
are you running into sounds in Africa that are "foreign" to you and your every day life back home?
If so, you'll find that your BP100 beeps for a while but after the sounds become "routine" it will stop beeping.
If you continue to experience the problem when you get home, definitely go see your audiologist.
Jan
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Jan,
No, not really any new sounds. I get that low battery beep every couple of hours, sometimes more frequently. In addition, I get a whistling. I just wonder if all the people around me hear it too!
~Dale
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Has anyone tried the accu plus from Power One? It is a rechargable battery for hearing aids.
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I did a little more research on the rechargable batteries. The charger is aroung $170 from Amazon. At that price compared to the cost of 60 batteries it would take over 10 years to break even.
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I found Amazon to be the cheapest. I got 60 batteries for under $20
~Dale