Activating zinc air batteries (5 minutes is absolutely not enough!)

You’d think we’d know by know about how to care for the batteries, it is not like this is new technology. I’m rather a newbie here, and I find this conversation really interesting.

This TruHearing link: https://www.truhearing.com/articles/extend-hearing-aid-battery-life/ says to “fully” activate the batteries, open the batteries only when we are ready to use them, pull off the tab and wait 2 minutes.

So is it 1? 2? 5? minutes or 24 hours? TruHearing says waiting two minutes will add up to 18 hours of charge to the battery life? Or is this all an urban legend of sorts? If we expose the battery to air for 24 hours, what is it gaining us?

@ssa said:

oh here we go again, another battery thread.

So it is. Not a rechargeable vs disposable thread, still definitely a battery thread. Our hearing aids, the fussy and often expensive devices we spend so much effort on, are dependent on battery power. Without power they’re useless pieces of plastic. So what’s wrong with a battery thread?

@ssa said:

No [voltage] does not [affect the performance of the device], a well designed hearing aid should shut off well before the quality hits

So either: The folks reporting these experiences have well-designed hearing aids, and hence their claims are not plausible. Or the power supply circuits in some hearing aids aren’t well-designed. Perhaps they’re ok when brand-new, but then go out of spec. Seems like an appropriate thing to discuss in a hearing aid forum.

@ssa said:

consider locking this thread…

Why do you want to do that? Do you believe that dangerous misinformation is being offered here?

@x475aws said:

Why do you want to do that? Do you believe that dangerous misinformation is being offered here?

History dictate that it devolve into a flame war, like any battery post we have encountered lately and there is nothing wrong with this post but you are flying a bit close to the sun…

You’re in the ballpark if you wait 1 to 5 minutes. Nothing “Bad” will happen if you don’t wait. I think there is little to gain by waiting 24 hrs, but if you want to, feel free.

If you’re refering to my comment about possible 24-hr wait after peeling off a battery tab, I’m definitely NOT (repeat NOT) trying to discredit disposable batteries. It turns out that hearing batteries need oxygen in order to activate. I’ve only read that exposing the tops 1-2 min to open air do the trick. I’d always let my batteries sit for 5 min before putting them in the aids.

MDB posted a good link to battery life and the air holes I’d read about. I’ve worn battery aids up till the rechargeables stormed the market in 2018. I’d go back to them in a heartbeat if found the aid as good in performance as my Phonak Lumity Life rechargeables.

Hey thanks for posting that insightful article on hearing aid batteries!

From the link:

"How does the air get in there? There are small holes on the positive side of the zinc-air battery to let the air in. When you open a new battery, there is a tab covering those holes to prevent the air from entering until you are ready to use it.

Hearing aid batteries are labeled 1.45 volts, however this voltage is not reached until the air has been inside the cell for 24 hours or so. That is, the voltage immediately after removing the tab probably measures around only 1.1–1.3 volts. After the air has been inside for approximately one minute, the voltage rises enough to power the hearing aid, which fortunately does not require 1.45 volts to operate. So, moral of the story–when you remove the tab, wait a minute before putting it in your hearing aid, otherwise the aid may not function properly."

Yea - 24 hour battery wait time is “really on topic”. Maybe we should have a sensor on each 35 cent battery that glows green after 24 hours sitting (unsealed) on a coffee table, telling you it’s time to use.

@jeffrey said:

It’s not an “issue” that needs to be fixed in the Osia. The disposable battery runs down and needs to be replaced. on second thought, the sound quality begins to deteriorate about an hour before the battery dies.

I believe it can be rectified in software because it knows how much voltage is being pumped into the hardware, that voltage can be the cutoff point before quality is lost…

From the Oticon Real manual:

OK. So we agree that the battery needs 2 minutes to reach an operable voltage but it will not reach maximum voltage for about 24 hours. Most people are satisfied with operable voltage but some purists wait for maximum voltage,

@don2

Can’t think which way it is but Rayovac and Power One have different amount of holes in the batteries.

I think it’s the Power One that has more.

My hospital contract for batteries seem to vary between those brands.

It’s something I noticed a while ago.

I suspect streaming drains a little more as that’s typically when I get a warning. I haven’t done testing but my suspicion is if I first get a warning during streaming that I probably have several hours left if I quit streaming.

I worked for 3M for 15 years in the Canadian factory. They made a bunch of stuff including tape and sandpaper. 5 foot wide rolls; really heavy. I became allergic to 3M’s adhesive on their tape.

There was lots of talk about adhesive transfer. I think that putting the battery in the hearing aids right after taking the tab off contributes to adhesive transfer. That adhesive would be on the contacts in the hearing aids.
edit:
That’s why I used to let my batteries sit before inserting them in the hearing aids. My new hearing aids are rechargeable. I’ve had issues because they don’t last long enough and need to be recharged.
I edited this because of the comment about “hobbies”. I just want my hearing aids to work and I want to hear as well as I can. Battery life is an important concern. Leaving this conversation now.

DaveL
Toronto

What could be used to clean the contacts? Makes sense it could increase the resistance and there for cause a voltage drop.
Thanks