HA mic died suddenly - causes?

[RoseRodent]

I had my hearing aid exchanged yesterday due to a fault, and it was working just fine from 4pm till 11pm, when it abruptly stopped dead. I have checked all the usual, battery, tubing, etc. The aid does still work on T and DAI, and sound comes out normally in both of those modes, but the microphone mode doesn't work at all, all 3 M modes are silent. It doesn't make any squealing noise even if I take the tubing off, which normally drives it wild. I've called to try to get another repair/exchange appointment but that could take some time, so I wondered did anyone know what else it could be?

Would this be consistent with moisture ingress? I thought the whole aid died with moisture not just the mic/speaker? I have put it in a drying beaker, which is all I have, just cos I may as well put it somewhere! I know the drying beaker is not really that good - can I blast it with a low-heat hairdryer or is that likely to do more harm than good to it? I really want it to just start working again! I tried my backup hearing aid but I can't wear two odd ones it just sounds crazy, so I have to wear a pair of bad ones, and they don't fit my FM or anything.

I suppose it's a good thing Wednesday is the day I go to the deaf school! :D

[alhrx]

I had my hearing aid exchanged yesterday due to a fault, and it was working just fine from 4pm till 11pm, when it abruptly stopped dead. I have checked all the usual, battery, tubing, etc. The aid does still work on T and DAI, and sound comes out normally in both of those modes, but the microphone mode doesn't work at all, all 3 M modes are silent. It doesn't make any squealing noise even if I take the tubing off, which normally drives it wild. I've called to try to get another repair/exchange appointment but that could take some time, so I wondered did anyone know what else it could be?

Would this be consistent with moisture ingress? I thought the whole aid died with moisture not just the mic/speaker? I have put it in a drying beaker, which is all I have, just cos I may as well put it somewhere! I know the drying beaker is not really that good - can I blast it with a low-heat hairdryer or is that likely to do more harm than good to it? I really want it to just start working again! I tried my backup hearing aid but I can't wear two odd ones it just sounds crazy, so I have to wear a pair of bad ones, and they don't fit my FM or anything.

I suppose it's a good thing Wednesday is the day I go to the deaf school! :D
Something similar happened to me a few weeks right in the morning before going to work. The problem seemed to be localized in the hook of my hearing aid. I found there very small white piece for moisture prevention.
With a curved needle, I made a hole through it and sound was restored. Before trying something to your hearing aid, check if you have something similar in the hook of your hearing aids. If there's nothing white on the hook, have your hearing aid checked by a professional.

[RoseRodent]

It doesn't work even if I unscrew the hook and take it off completely, so it definitely seems to be dead. They are mailing me out a replacement hearing aid, but have totally misunderstood what fault I have with it, so hope it is going to be fixed!! They think I am returning it again with the same fault as I had fixed yesterday, which was a fault with the DAI connectors, which is the one bit that is working!! Any other ideas? Would be nice to see if I can resuscitate this one as then I'd have a spare.

[drperry]

I found there very small white piece for moisture prevention.
With a curved needle, I made a hole through it and sound was restored. Before trying something to your hearing aid, check if you have something similar in the hook of your hearing aids. If there's nothing white on the hook, have your hearing aid checked by a professional.

That white thing in the hook of your hearing aid was probably a damper. It's designed to alter the acoustic output of the hearing aid. It sounds like it got plugged up w/ moisture or debris, which is why poking a hole through it helped. If you're still ok with the sound, no big deal. But if you're noticing differences now, look into having the damper replaced.

[alhrx]

That white thing in the hook of your hearing aid was probably a damper. It's designed to alter the acoustic output of the hearing aid. It sounds like it got plugged up w/ moisture or debris, which is why poking a hole through it helped. If you're still ok with the sound, no big deal. But if you're noticing differences now, look into having the damper replaced.

I didn't noticed anything different in the quality of sound after I made that hole in the damper. The acoustic output is still perfect. The problem with the damper (clogged by moisture) has happened twice to me and I don't think I will replace the hook again but I'm worried if removing that damper affects later the hearing aid. I'm drying my hearing aids overnight in Dry and Store Global to remove any possible moisture. Do all the Phonak hearing aids have that damper on their hooks?

[RoseRodent]

Do all the Phonak hearing aids have that damper on their hooks?

Most have an option for different earhooks, so if you are having repeat problems with the damper you might ask your audiologist if you can switch to a different sort, possibly one with no damper, or a different style of damper, but you'd have to have the programming altered to suit the new hook, and one without a damper may not suit your loss.

[drperry]

If using real-ear verification, I've found that dampers are not nearly as important as they used to be. The purpose is to smooth out the frequency response. Back when hearing aids were adjusted with a screwdriver, they made a big difference. With modern aids, you can often smooth it out using the programming software.

If you didn't notice much difference, I'd leave it out.

[Walter]

I had my hearing aid (http://www.hearsource.com/index.html) exchanged yesterday due to a fault, and it was working just fine from 4pm till 11pm, when it abruptly stopped dead. I have checked all the usual, battery, tubing, etc. The aid does still work on T and DAI, and sound comes out normally in both of those modes, but the microphone mode doesn't work at all, all 3 M modes are silent. It doesn't make any squealing noise even if I take the tubing off, which normally drives it wild. I've called to try to get another repair/exchange appointment but that could take some time, so I wondered did anyone know what else it could be?

Would this be consistent with moisture ingress? I thought the whole aid died with moisture not just the mic/speaker? I have put it in a drying beaker, which is all I have, just cos I may as well put it somewhere! I know the drying beaker is not really that good - can I blast it with a low-heat hairdryer or is that likely to do more harm than good to it? I really want it to just start working again! I tried my backup hearing aid but I can't wear two odd ones it just sounds crazy, so I have to wear a pair of bad ones, and they don't fit my FM or anything.

I suppose it's a good thing Wednesday is the day I go to the deaf school! :D

Have you checked your battery contacts? They will spread apart over time. Other than that it sounds like a trip to the audi for repair.

Walt

[Um bongo]

Have you checked your battery contacts? They will spread apart over time. Other than that it sounds like a trip to the audi for repair.

Walt

She's getting a response in the T setting, so it's not the battery. Blocked mic port or mic failure sounds most likely.

[Walter]

She's getting a response in the T setting, so it's not the battery. Blocked mic port or mic failure sounds most likely.

Sorry missed that. You are right. :rolleyes: