Any trouble with Sonnet rechargeable batteries

[Mary Beth]

Hi all,

After using disposable batteries in my Sonnets I returned to using rechargeable batteries with a new set of standard rechargeable batteries.  I have 6 batteries for my bilateral Sonnets.  I start each day with two batteries that were fully charged a day prior and switch mid afternoon to two other batteries that were fully charged the evening before.  This leaves two batteries that were charged the evening before to begin the next morning.  This is how I rotate batteries and ensure that all 6 batteries are being used equally.  I use the Sonnet battery pack wallet to hold the 4 batteries not being used at the moment.

 

Over the past month, I have had an odd problem.  When I swap in the fully charged batteries mid day, sometimes the battery has no power at all.  The first two times this happened, the batteries had charged in the same slot position in the charger so I assumed something was wrong with that slot of the charger and Med-El replaced the charger.  Then it happened again.  This time I put a tiny sticker on the battery that had no power at all even after fully charging but kept that battery in rotation.  Then it happened yet again but it was not the battery with the sticker.  Yesterday it happened twice....one was the battery with the sticker.  So I discarded the two batteries.

 

Med-El is replacing the charger again and replacing the batteries this time too.  

 

The battery contacts are clean and I use the dry kits every night.  The dead batteries would not work in either Sonnet so it isn’t the rechargeable battery adapter nor control unit.

 

I am just wondering if anyone else has had the same experience?  Have your Sonnet batteries ever been dead after a full charge?

[Mary Featherston]

No, but mine haven't been in use for all that long, only three and a half months.  I've heard that the rechargeables have a less than extended life, though, and after three years you may just be running up against that.

[Mary Beth]

@Mary Featherston

These were new rechargeable batteries that I just started using last month.  The stickers on them said first use by October 2018.  I think your batteries are safe if they haven’t done this for three and a half months.  

 

I’m not sure exactly what is supposed to happen as these rechargeable batteries get near the end of their usefulness.  I think they are supposed to just last for shorter times.  Med-El says to change out the standard Sonnet rechargeable batteries when they last less than 7 hours.  I don’t think they are supposed to just intermittently stop holding a charge completely.  Something is definitely wrong with a few of mine.  I am weeding them out and we will see.  The new ones arrived today and hopefully this odd problem will go away.

[Mary Featherston]

@Mary Beth that does seem like something that could be tested for at the factory.

[Mary Beth]

@Mary Featherston

We are not allowed to return defective Sonnet rechargeable batteries to Med-El in the return envelope.  It is written on the enclosed paperwork.  That leaves me wondering how the problem gets figured out.  I hope it was just a fluke and all goes well from here on.

[Mary Featherston]

@Mary Beth - I actually meant, I'd have thought they'd test them before shipping them.  But I'd imagine that not permitting people to mail them back has to do with shipping restrictions.  I'd hope that the audiologist described the problem.

Usually, yes, you'd want to get the complaint unit back, but they probably know how many bad batteries there are and if the percentage is low enough it's probably simpler just to replace them.

[Mary Beth]

@Mary Featherston

Oh sorry I misunderstood your post.

 

I contacted my Med-El CSR directly about the problem and explained what was happening.  He took care of the replacement and noted the problem on the form that comes with replaced parts.  We sign that form and return the malfunctioning parts (except for batteries) in the enclosed prepaid FedEx envelope.  It is quite a fast and smooth process.  And fortunately for our CI audiologists, we can handle it independently.  My CSR is awesome!

[Kara of Canada]

I haven’t had mine for a full year yet. I have them all marked as to the new and old. So I can keep an eye on which ones star to deteriorate with charges. So we shall see no real issues with them. They hold a charge for the full ten to eleven hours then they beep. Change and repeat. Lol. I did just use disposables for a month. And I was so used to changing them every three days! But we shall keep on this journey. 

[Mary Beth]

Update

 

After replacing rechargeable batteries, charger and the battery cover my right Sonnet powers up consistently.

My left Sonnet still had the intermittent problem of not powering up so we replaced the rechargeable battery adapter.  The left Sonnet still had the intermittent problem of not powering up so I switched to disposable batteries.  The left Sonnet still had the intermittent problem of not powering up even with disposable batteries.  We are now replacing the Sonnet control unit.  

 

All battery contacts are clean and Sonnets go in dry kits every night.

 

Hopefully this replacement solves the problem.  Fingers crossed.

[Kara of Canada]

????

[Kylie]

Hi @Mary Beth

After we had a discussion recently about how much I liked my rechargeable batteries I have started having big problems!! But I am not sure which part is the problem.

Several times now I will put a fresh battery in the case and close it but the sonnet is dead, no lights flashing at all. Sometimes it fixes if I slide the cover off and on again, or if I pull out battery and put it all back together.  Sometimes it it not remedied by any amount of fiddling and I have to get another battery or 2 and try again. So not sure if battery or cover or other??

How would you recommend diagnosing the problem?

[Mary Beth]

@Kylie

Yup.  Been there.  Which is why I use disposable batteries.

First I would replace the battery cover.  They seem to loosen over time and since pushing up the battery cover is the only way to turn the Sonnet on, they need to stay tight.  Any chance you have a different battery cover in your kit to try?

 

Have you removed the rechargeable battery adapter and then reattached it?

 

With my Sonnet processors and battery problems like you describe... these things solved it various times.

 

-replace battery cover

-remove and reattach rechargeable battery adapter 

-replace Sonnet processor

-replace rechargeable batteries

-replace charger

 

I gave rechargeable batteries a good go of it and finally switched to disposable Power One implant batteries which I swap out every other morning.  Now I always have great battery power and it’s easy to carry around an extra pack of batteries in case of emergencies.

[Kylie]

So after you changed to the other batteries, does the battery cover problem still occur sometimes, if it's a matter of loosening over time?

[Mary Beth]

@Kylie

only one time.  

[Kylie]

Ok so I did have a spare battery cover in my pack so I changed that over. It worked first time with every battery! Good start.

 

[Mary Beth]

@Kylie

seems like you know which part to replace so you have a spare for next time!  Good detective work.

[Kylie]

Thanks for your help. Once again this forum has saved me a trip to the audiologist to sort something small!

[Kylie]

I was due my microphone cover change in a couple of weeks too, so I did that as well. AND of course that meant I was due a decal change... so here it is today! 

[Mary Beth]

Gorgeous! @Kylie

[Megan L.]

@Kylie

Ooooooooo! A SONNET Night 🤩 I love it! And so happy you were able to fix your processor without a trip to the audiologist. This exact thing happened to me 2 years ago and when I looked closely at the battery cover there was a small crack at the top and that made me try a new battery cover.

[Kylie]

@Mary Beth

Sadly the new battery cover did not solve the problem. Within days the problem was recurring frequently. I also have reconnected the battery adaptor to no effect.

So now I have replaced the batteries themselves with the power one consumables. One day in, all working fine.

(Also they are louder?!!)

Fingers crossed this is the solution!!

 

[Mary Beth]

@Kylie

Interesting! 

I hope the disposable batteries (Power One Implant) keep working well for you.  They work great with my Sonnets and last a bit more than 2 sixteen hour listening days for me.

Keep us posted!

[Kylie]

1 hour ago, Mary Beth said:

@Kylie

Interesting! 

I hope the disposable batteries (Power One Implant) keep working well for you.  They work great with my Sonnets and last a bit more than 2 sixteen hour listening days for me.

Keep us posted!

I keep seeing Zenipower brand being advertised online when I search for the power one implant line. Any opinion about these by comparison?

[Mary Beth]

@Kylie

 

I had terrible experiences with multiple packs of zenipower batteries with my Sonnet processors!  They kept causing false dead battery beeps.  Even packs from different boxes dated with different expiration dates.  Others reported the same problem.

 

Oddly enough, zenipower batteries worked fine in my OPUS2 and Rondo 1 processors.  So it was just a Sonnet issue in BOTH of my Sonnets.

 

This experience led me to think that the Sonnet processor is quite picky about power supply.

[Kylie]

Ok I've been using the power one implant batteries for several days, absolutely perfect sound with no intermittent failures like I was getting regularly before.

So I am concluding that the disposable batteries are my best solution! Like you said @Mary Beth maybe the sonnets are very picky about power supply and so maybe as the rechargeable batteries age a bit, it is just not enough to keep it running properly. I have now ordered a huge pack of the power one batteries to keep me going for a while. No point in trying the cheaper brand at this point.

Thanks for your help in problem solving!