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Phonak Lumity Life Aids screeching feedback inside the charging base

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I’ve posted this annoying occurance in a few other threads, but having gotten no input, I thought I’d dedicate a new thread to the topic.

Maybe I’m the only one experiencing this … but BOTH pairs of my Phonak Lumity Life aids, while seated inside their respective charging bases, have on occasion (maybe every other month?) started to SCREEEEEECH feedback at FULL throttle inside that box. Unfortunately, I’m usually not even aware of this happening cuz I’ve got the aids out and charging up for the night. That’s when hubs alerts me ASAP to the problem.

But the other day, I walked into the bedroom and WOW. With my 2nd pair of aids IN, I could hear the other pair screaming like they wanted to bust out of jail. I have three questions here:

  1. Anyone else ever experience this with rechargeable aids?
  2. Any idea why my aids would be on FULL THROTTLE while charging up?
  3. Will the aids actually DIE on me if they are running FULL THROTTLE like that now and then? I ask, cuz both pairs have had a receiver/speaker die on them at the 4-month mark. Could this feedback issue be causing them to burn out?

I have to charge these aids up every night. But it alarms me that they occasionally go into FULL THROTTLE feedback inside that charger. I shut the lid when they’re in there cuz I thought that triggered the charging, but maybe if I left it open it wouldn’t happen?

Any insights here MOST welcome. Any audis on the board, if you are so inclined to ask your Phonak rep, I’d be obliged.

10 people in this conversation9 min readJump to latest

They are turning on for some reason.
Without your ear canals to hold the sound they feedback.
Does the charger have metal charging contacts for the aids?

Might this happen if they were physically in the charger but not actually charging. Therefore, on and close to a reflecting surface.

If the charger is like the Marvel and Paradise versions, then if power to the charger is interrupted the aids will turn on and start partying with each other. But since it’s happening with two different chargers it doesn’t seem likely to be an issue with the power supplies or wires. If both chargers are plugged into the same outlet then I’d suspect the outlet has an issue. If that’s the case then moving them to a different outlet should cure the problem.

You can deactivate the automatic switch on.
Your audi can do this in target. It is also possible in the myphonak app.

In reply to @Raudrive

They are induction charging bases - so no wires, prongs or plug-type to set the aids in. I just have to give 'em a wiggle to make sure they’re “seated” into the tiny cup-like depressions inside the charger. They DO seem to be turning on randomly tho…

In reply to @VinceJ

Weirdly, I’m always very careful to turn both aids OFF before seating them inside the charging base. Once they’re seated, they’ll start winking a colored light: green if charged up, orange if almost dead or red if actually dead.

It’s like maybe a power surge or something is making the aids turn ON inside that charger, and being enclosed so tightly, they squeal feedback till someone hears it!

In reply to @Dusty

Good insights! The charging base differs from Marvel/Paradise in that it’s induction. And the bases are plugged into different sockets in different rooms. Also, the aids go into feedback overdrive occasionally - never on the same day even. So every several weeks it happens. I just hope I’m not killing them slowly with the unchecked feedback going on.

Can anyone comment on the probability of hearing aids being on at FULL BORE, as if being clenched in a fist, burning out from too much power?

In reply to @sterei

Sterei, this is probably my best option! Just have my audi just turn off that automatic ON switch in the software (I don’t have myphonak app). That way only I would be turning them on after taking them out of the charger.

The aids should only turn ON when lifted out of the induction charging base. But if they’re coming on automatically for whatever reason while enclosed in the base, it’s not good.

THANKS ALL for your suggestions and ideas! Very much obliged! Now I’ll call my audi and do the needful. :smile:

That info is good to know. I am thinking of upgrading my Phonic Paradise to the Lumity. I had wanted to get the slim until I learned that the slim would not have . However, you and many of the replies mention turning you hearing aids off during charging. I had never been told of that. A couple of years ago I switched from a Resound battery ha to the Phonic R rechargeable. For all that time I have been placing them in the Phonic charger with the has turned on. I don’t think I have had any trouble doing that, but I will switch to turn them off while charging.

Thanks

For the record Bonaprof, even my audi said that it shouldn’t be necessary to turn the Lumity Life aids OFF before putting them in the charger. I just thought it might be a safer option? Not based on any scientific proof, mind you!

I just sent my audi an email and am waiting to hear back if she advises me to come in and have that auto-ON turned off for good. I honestly think I may have killed the master aid on BOTH pairs of my Lumity Life aids by them just being in feedback mode for who knows how long till my hubs HEARD them shrieking.

Augh. Do not want to repeat that happening again.

Guys I always thought they turn off “automatically” when placing in the charger and turn on “automatically” when removed? as in this is the default settings in the software, which of course be changed by the audiologist.

@tenkan said:

Guys I always thought they turn off “automatically” when placing in the charger and turn on “automatically” when removed?

Right. But if you unplug the charging base, or if the power cord is askew, or if the power fails, then there’s no power reaching the aids, so they think they’re not in the base any more and turn themselves on (if the default settings haven’t been changed).

In reply to @tenkan

Yes, that’s correct. They switch on when removed from the charger. But how they sense this removal?

  1. Old style with electrical contact pins: when they don’t sense the power (voltage) anymore from the charger. Bad/loose contact between and charger.
  2. Induction charger: when they don’t sense a strong enough magnetic field anymore. Maybe if they were placed a little out of the optimal position.

For both charger types: when the charger is looses its connection to the power supply. Or they power supply looses connection to mains.

I don’t think, it makes a difference to switch off before charging.
But it it’s a good habit to check for blinking LEDs to confirm they are charging on a level as expected (red/orange/green).

In reply to @Dusty

@Dusty said:

But if you unplug the charging base, or if the power cord is askew, or if the power fails, then there’s no power reaching the aids

Thing is: these induction charging bases are also charged up - independent of having any aids in them. So even if power fails (or I unplug them and take them on a trip) the base UNPLUGGED is good for 3 full charges of the aids before it, too, needs to be plugged in and charged up again.

It’s a mystery to me what’s going on, but the fact that both charging bases have had the contents (2 different pairs of Lumity Life aids) go ON and start the screaming feedback seems like something’s not working right.

Maybe my audi can get an answer if she calls Phonak Tech Support? Will definitely come back here to post any answer.

@1Bluejay said:

these induction charging bases are also charged up - independent of having any aids in them. So even if power fails (or I unplug them and take them on a trip) the base UNPLUGGED is good for 3 full charges of the aids before it, too, needs to be plugged in and charged up again.

Then the only workaround I can think of is to charge one aid at a time. Might be less of a headache since you have two bases. Keeping the bases far enough apart should stop the screaming. Something like an unhappy married couple spending most of their time in separate rooms. :slight_smile:

LOL!!! My unhappily married pair of aids… Yeah. I’m living with them, walking in stereo. :wink:

Sorry you have this problem! Fortunately it hasn’t happened to me (yet??) with my Lumity and induction charger.

I think you can prevent screeching by disabling automatic-on. That way your should stay OFF until you remove them from the charger and manually turn the aids on.

You can make this change in myPhonak app. Just press Devices, then scroll down to Auto-On Change Settings and turn that option off.

I think you and others with this suggestion have NAILED it. I need to go in and have the auto-on turned off.

Ah, I could install myPhonak, but drag my feet on having yet ONE more thing to manage with daily software updates on my Android phone and then things going awry elsewhere.

Thanks ALL for the input!

OK! News from the front line! My audi pinged me today: turns out that Phonak says even the Lumity Life CHARGING bases have firmware update requirements - yeah, who’d have thunk?

I had all these odd screeching feedback issues with my Life aids when they were in the charging cradle … perhaps this is one reason why. So Thurs I go in to have a firmware update done on all my Lumity Life charging bases … and for good measure, I’ll have my audi turn the auto-ON feature OFF on both pairs of Life aids.

I’m hoping I never experience the shrieking aids in their chargers after this update.

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