Pictures of the Rondo 3 positioned on the charging pad

[Mary Beth]

Several Rondo 3 users have mentioned either finding the “sweet spot” for Rondo 3 on the charger or using a band to keep the Rondo 3 positioned correctly for a full charge.  Others have reported experiencing times when Rondo 3 did not charge correctly overnight.

So I wonder if seeing pictures of your set ups may help.  Just take a picture of your Rondo 3 charging on the pad and post the picture along with a note of whether your Rondo 3 consistently charges overnight or sometimes does not charge correctly.

@Roy and I discussed it this week.

[Mary Beth]

So I did a bit of exploring with Rondo 3 and its position on the air charger with both magnets marked by circles (for concert internals and earlier) and magnets marked by diamonds (for synchrony and synchrony 2 internals).  It seems like both magnet types act the same on the charger with respect to staying in position or turning slightly.

@Roy showed me his sweet spot which is not the exact center and I asked him to take a picture and post it here for all of us.  It works consistently for him.  
 

I noticed in Med-El’s YouTube video that it says and shows EXACT CENTER however the person is also HOLDING it in position for a moment after setting it down.  If I set a Rondo 3 in the exact center, it turns.  If I set a Rondo 3 in the exact center AND hold it in position a moment, it stays in place.  Try it with yours and tell us your experiences. ( @MED-EL Moderator it may be helpful to include holding the Rondo 3 in position a moment in the instruction printed and video info.  It’s an easy step to do to ensure a fully charged Rondo 3 is ready in the morning.)

 

And both @Roy and @Jimit have reported success using a band to keep the Rondo 3 in place.  Roy used the band while cruising to prevent ship movement from displacing his processors but does not need to use the band at home.  His sweet spot consistently works.

 

And we have the option to charge the Rondo 3 via the charging cable as well.

 

I look forward to reading your Rondo 3 charging experiences.

[Tim]

Is this what you were looking for?

In this configuration it has worked well for me.  One mischarge out of maybe 15.  1 in 4 perhaps without rubber band. (Thanks @Roy!)

I find it tricky to get it in the exact middle.  Holding 8t for a moment seems to help. 

Using the rubber band may be as much about holding it place initially as it is about keeping it from moving during the night.

Another possible factor is using the clothes clip on the rondo.  It adds a little distance and may change where it touches the pad in terms of balance.

[Jimit]

Yeah @Mary Beth, In India we have a different charging pad, a bit broader than aircharge and I found it hard to find the exact centre in it. But with experience, you will easily find the spot and a rubber band is a must. Without it the success rate drops drastically. Although with the rubber bands, I haven't had an issue in the last month. Probably using the same spot and position to charge helps.

[MED-EL Moderator]

Hi @Mary Beth, thank you for the feedback. We'll forward it to our experts to improve and make our instructions clearer. 

Kind Regards,

Giulia

[Mary Beth]

So it looks like two methods seem to keep the Rondo 3 positioned in its optimal charging position (centered) on these Qi chargers

1) Place and hold the Rondo 3 for a moment

2) Use a band to keep the Rondo 3 centered

 

And we also have the charging cable as an option.

[Roy]

Here's my Rondo3 charging position, with the LEDs centered on the charging pads. 18 months in with these processors, I've had zero non-charging events since I worked out this orientation. FWIW, I have Concert implants and I live in an area of low seismic activity on a quiet cul-de-sac. Also, I do check that the charging lights are on. As Mary Beth said, my rubber band idea was just for a sailboat trip, not my usual procedure.

[Mary Beth]

Has anyone tried charging Rondo 3 processors on the AirCharge pad using a powerbank instead of plugging into an electrical outlet?  Did everything work okay?  Were you able to charge two Rondo 3 processors plugged into the powerbank simultaneously?

[Glenn]

I have had my implant for just 1 year now and have been centering the magnet on the pad all this time. I have had about a 10% failure rate on charging. I will try centering on the LED and holding it in position for a bit. I just went in and tried it with my spare processor and it stays put nicely this way. When I center it on the magnet it spins around some and usually stops in a place it can charge...or not. I will pay more attention to the position and report after I have tried it for a few days.

[Lauren]

I’ve been paying a lot more attention to this lately and have had the best luck when the processors are positioned how @Tim has his in his picture above. 

That said, there are occasionally times where one or both get skewed off. Current work situation:

It’s almost as if the AirPod spot was designed with this in mind. 😄

[Tim]

Even with my rubber band, I occasionally still get a failed charge. I find it helpful to look back on it a few minutes after putting it on the charger to see if it stayed charging. 

Unlike @Lauren and @Roy , I'm using the clothes retention clip.  That changes the distance to the magnet, center of gravity, and maybe the contact point on the mat, each of which might make it a little more touchy.

Visually, Roy has it rotated 180 degrees from how I had it.  Also, it looks like it is almost aligning the red and orange lights.  Another nice visual cue. I'll give that a try. 

[Mary Beth]

It definitely seems like it is not a user friendly charging situation with Rondo 3.  Since it is advertised as a simple to use processor, it would be helpful if charging it correctly every single night was simple as well.

[Glenn]

On 4/27/2023 at 3:25 PM, Mary Beth said:

It definitely seems like it is not a user friendly charging situation with Rondo 3.  Since it is advertised as a simple to use processor, it would be helpful if charging it correctly every single night was simple as well.

I have been following this thread and trying to find the sweet spot to charge my Rondo 3 reliably. It failed to charge last night. It still looked like it was in the proper position, but both the led on the charger and the one on the processor were out. I turned the processor on and checked the battery state, it flashed orange.

I am going for the rubber band kludge to see if I can get it to work.

[Tim]

For about the last 10 days I've been recharging the Rondo 3 turned 180 degrees like Roy's picture, still with the rubber band.  No bad charges so far with the new practice. Thanks @Roy!

 

[MED-EL Moderator]

Hi there, our team here at MED-EL has created an illustration to demonstrate the best location for RONDO 3 on the charging pad. Please have a look and let us know if you have any questions. 

Kind regards,
Alicia 

[John F]

Tbh it says a ton about how poorly this is when officials need to post a picture of where to place their Rondos and it still doesn’t line up with the big circle printed on these pads that folks are relying on.  (I got a good chuckle though). It’s not just placement that’s an issue but also stabilization.  The pads are so slippery that even blowing on them displaces it.  Just the cheapest thing ever. 

 

It was pointed out that thankfully it’s not proprietary charging, so folks can (and probably should) look at (yet another) 3rd party option until MedEl figures out a better solution to a widely complained about issue.  Just stay away from MagSafe charging pads unless you want to be removing the magnet regularly.

 

I posted this elsewhere in CI land but this is what I use thanks to @Enegra suggestion a month or two ago.  Charging link.  I’ve not had issues since.  Charges just fine.  Place the Rondos right on the line and all set without worrying if the breeze from an open window in the back of the house moves the device.

 

 

 

 

 

[Tim]

It seems like the way I'll remember it is to just center the "MED EL" company name on the circle (or charging line in previous dual charger picture.) Should work find whether MED EL is right side up or upside down. Don't try to center the oval device on the circle of the charging pad.

By the way, I still use the rubber band for every Rondo charge and have not had a failed charge in over a month. 

Others don't seem to rely on the rubber band except for Roy when he is at sea on rocking boats.

Maybe the rubber band is more about making sure to get it carefully in place rather than just quickly putting it on the mat.  On the other hand, maybe my setup is just more sensitive since I'm the only one that posted a picture using the clothes clip and that seems to change the contact point and distance to the mat.

PS.  I still love and rely on the clothes clip but perhaps I'm just more clumsy or absent-minded than other Rondo users!

[Tim]

On 3/20/2023 at 11:46 AM, Mary Beth said:

Has anyone tried charging Rondo 3 processors on the AirCharge pad using a powerbank instead of plugging into an electrical outlet?  Did everything work okay?  Were you able to charge two Rondo 3 processors plugged into the powerbank simultaneously?

@Mary Beth Sorry, I don't think you got much of a response. By powerbank, you just mean a standard portable battery rather than a particular product, right?  Doesn't seem like it could be a Med-El product because it doesn't start with Audio like virtually every accessory and app.  🙂

I haven't tested it but the core spec for the charger and the version of the Qi charging the Rondo 3 seems to support is 5 Volt and 1 Amp.  No fancy higher speed charging (10 or 15 Watt faster charging).  The result is that as long as a portable power bank can support two USB 5W connections simultaneously, it should work to charge to charge two Rondos simultaneously using the standard mats.  Also the powerbank should have sufficient capacity but the Rondo batteries are pretty small/low capacity so anything good sized should be good. 

Maybe @John Schulz would like to weigh in with a more technical answer. 

[John Schulz]

@Tim@Mary Beth I do not have Rondos but as Tim said, the power bank needs to be rated for how ever much the receiving device can handle, but plus ~50%. Wireless charging is very inefficient with a maximum efficiency of about 80% but can be as low as 60% (https://www.quora.com/How-energy-efficient-is-Qi-wireless-charging-compared-to-wired-charging?share=1). So at 5W for one CI charging, the power bank should be rated for at least 1.5A of draw. If you want to charge two,  you should get one that supports at least 3A. Most power banks for phones will be rated for 2A+ but that's not always given since the USB power delivery spec can be as low as 0.5A.

 

If people want, I could host a site that lists compatible gear from Amazon to make finding CI compatible things easier. Let me know!