Using hearing aids to hear the world around you better can greatly improve your quality of life, so it's no surprise that regular wearers of these devices want to make them work smoothly. The batteries that power your hearing aids can affect their performance, and there are a variety of batteries to choose from.
Rechargeable hearing aids can be an incredible feat of engineering, packing many technological features into a small package, but they need power to function. Hearing aids therefore require batteries that are both small and powerful. Can rechargeable batteries provide this solution? The answer from rechargeable battery manufacturers is certainly yes, and there are currently 3 types of rechargeable batteries for hearing aids.
- Ni-MH rechargeable battery
Until recently most rechargeable batteries used in hearing aids were nickel metal hydride or nickel metal hydride. On a positive note, these batteries feature time-tested technology that has been used in hearing aids for over a decade. They're usually charged inside the hearing aid, so there's no need to constantly fiddle with tiny batteries and devices.
Unfortunately rechargeable NiMH batteries have a lower energy density compared to the popular zinc-air disposable hearing aid batteries. As a result, they don't last long before needing to be recharged. In fact, NiMH batteries are often unable to meet the energy demands of today's power-hungry digital hearing aids. Even when fully charged, NiMH batteries don't provide enough power to run most modern hearing aids for a full day. Another problem is that NiMH batteries lose capacity over time, so the amount of time a battery can power a hearing aid decreases as the battery ages. Generally speaking, rechargeable NiMH hearing aid batteries need to be replaced every year.Also read:Solar battery
- Silver-zinc rechargeable battery
Silver-zinc rechargeable batteries for hearing aids are a relatively new technology and they hold great promise. For starters, they have a high energy density, providing enough power for 24 hours of continuous use on a single charge. What if you forget to charge your batteries and find yourself running low throughout the day? Silver zinc hearing aid batteries are removable so you can charge one battery while using the other to power your hearing aid. If you need to recharge your silver-zinc rechargeable hearing aid batteries, you can even replace the disposable batteries and keep using your hearing aids. Additionally, the silver-zinc battery system is backwards compatible. They can be used not only in hearing aids designed specifically for silver-zinc batteries, but also in other models that have been adapted to accept such batteries.
In terms of safety, silver-zinc rechargeable batteries are non-toxic and very stable. As an added bonus, they're fully recyclable, which is important because they don't last forever. Silver-zinc rechargeable batteries in hearing aids generally need to be replaced once a year.
- Li-ion rechargeable battery
Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries power smartphones, tablets, laptops and even various medical devices (including some hearing aids). They have high energy density and small size, so they seem to be ideal for hearing aids. In fact, lithium-ion rechargeable batteries are enough power to provide hearing aid wearers with 24 hours of continuous use. If you hate fumbling around and learning to replace tiny hearing aid batteries, the lithium-ion battery comes in a sealed case and is integrated into the hearing aid. They are non-removable, which eliminates the need to put the small disc into the appropriate slot of the device, just charge the entire hearing aid, and because the steel shell button lithium-ion battery can fit more perfectly into the space of the charging compartment of the rechargeable hearing aid Due to its size and structure, the steel shell button lithium-ion battery has become the battery of choice for rechargeable hearing aid batteries.