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1. 1 An Informational presentation for the audiological professional from Connevans Limited
2. 2 Digital hearing aids can cause funny noises when used with personal fm systems
3. 3 A question for you
4. 4 Let us predict your answer We guess that reported occurrences of fm noise interference from analogue hearing aids is rare
We guess that with digital hearing aids and cochlear implant processors reported fm noise interference is more often
yes ?
5. 5 Electromagnetic interference A number of digital hearing aid users have reported occasional loud noises when using their fm system
Occurrences were unpredictable
Mostly noticed when the transmitter was turned off
The sound was a whooshing noise
6. 6 Electromagnetic interference We have identified the cause to be ElectroMagnetic Interference (EMI) generated by DSP hearing aids
7. 7 EMI testing of DSP aids
8. 8 Diagram of Test setup
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12. 12 The peaks are EMI noise from the hearing aid they move with time and will eventually cross the fm receiver frequency, which is why noise is only sometimes heard.
13. 13 The fundamental processor clock frequency in the DSP aid running at around 1MHz is not stable
The frequency drifts with time, battery level, temperature & processor activity
At the 72nd harmonic (72MHz-USA fm) any frequency drift is 72 times larger
At the 174th harmonic (174MHz-UK fm) any frequency drift is 174 times larger
This means that the EMI drifts across all fm receiver frequencies at some time
Lets look again at the animation
14. 14 The peaks are EMI noise from the hearing aid they move with time and will eventually cross the fm receiver frequency, which is why noise is only sometimes heard.
15. 15 The peaks are EMI noise from the hearing aid they move with time and will eventually cross the fm receiver frequency, which is why noise is only sometimes heard.
16. 16 Objectives of this informational presentation To raise awareness of the issue
To encourage hearing aid manufacturers to improve their designs
17. 17 Solutions Some DSP hearing aids produce much less interference than others so these will become preferred for use with fm systems
Keep the fm transmitter on when the receiver is in use
Use a transmitter microphone mute facility when sound is temporarily not needed
Switch off receiver when not needed
18. 18 One last question Are FM systems worth the effort?
A positive
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