Custom Electronic Ear Plugs.....

[caorach]

The little button I had just taken as being a charging status tester rather than a charge starter...So far the LED has only shown red for charging and green for charged when I have pushed it.

I think you are right Alan and I'm completely mistaken - it is clearly called a charge status button but I was sure I'd read somewhere that the charging process doesn't start until it is pressed. However, I read the manual and it clearly says that it is just a status button and now I've no idea where I got the other info from so it must be incorrect.

It is possible that the AAs keep "topping up" the plugs and I'm fairly confident there is some parasitic drain as they've gone flat in a few months with almost zero use of the plugs. The other possibility is that I have a fault but that seems unlikely as the charging all works as expected so I'd guess that I just don't fully understand their operation as yet.

 

[Alantoo]

Have you tried the USB charging system or just the AAs? The charge on USB even from 25% seems to be only an hour or so...I haven't timed it but I had forgotten to put it on charge before a range day and it was fully charged up in the car in the hour or so journey to the event.

I have a very fancy CTEK 12 volt lead acid 25amp smart charger for the garden/smallholder machines which has circuitry in it to sense the state of the battery and vary the supply to optimise the charge rate...it also has a reconditioning phase which shakes up the plates (to remove any of the sludge I think)...anyway once it has achieved the maximum charge in the battery it then just coasts along and waits (probably using one of your parasitic drains to sense) until the charge level in the battery has dipped below 95% or some such and then tops it up....you can leave the thing connected to a winter stored boat of motor bike battery or an array of them for months and it will maintain them in good health without overcharging. Can't do that with my old BlackHawk fan cooled charger which would boil all the acid out in a week!

I guess that optimum smart charging circuitry is available now for all types of rechargeable batteries...just a question of whether the charger manufacturers have actually included it.

Alan

 

[Klenchblaize]

Not sure if this will stop the constant high pitched singing noise, though,,,

Probably not so sleep with the radio on if you're single or your partner can handle it. Worked for me.

K

 

[caorach]

Have you tried the USB charging system or just the AAs? The charge on USB even from 25% seems to be only an hour or so...

I guess that optimum smart charging circuitry is available now for all types of rechargeable batteries...just a question of whether the charger manufacturers have actually included it.

Yes, I've charged using both batteries and USB, I didn't time either but the last time it was plugged across the USB the plugs had about 3 hours of use and I'd guess they recharged in not much more than 15 minutes as I pressed the button and was amazed to find the lights green.

Microprocessors, usually microcontrollers in this sort of application, are now very cheap and are ideally suited for jobs like this as a little bit of software can very accurately control the charging process, if you were doing it a lot then there's probably less than a day of work in writing the software to control a battery charger as the process is pretty simple and well defined. Most modern micros can do analogue to digital conversions etc. on the chip so they can accurately measure voltages and then make the necessary changes to charging voltages or stop charging altogether. While there are expensive microcontrollers there's probably something suitable for this job that won't cost more than £1, maybe less. I do very little electronic design but for the few simple things I occasionally play at it is almost always cheaper and easier and faster to simply program up a microcontroller, or use something like a Raspberry Pi, to do the job rather than designing traditional electronics. Many micros can be "sent to sleep" for periods and so they use very, very little power. Without taking the top off I don't know that the 3M box is using a micro but it would be the easiest solution to charging but clearly it has to detect when you put the plugs into the charger so the micro has to keep waking up and testing for this. In the short term this uses next to no power but over a longer period it is probably enough to exhaust a set of AA batteries every so often.

When you look at the features these have, just as the first example I picked, for a few quid it really is quite remarkable:

8-bit PIC Microcontroller Family - Microchip | DigiKey

Microchip's 8-bit PIC MCU features increased Flash memory densities, intelligent analog, and digital peripherals.

www.digikey.co.uk

 

[zambezi]

Based on Alantoo and caorach's endorsement of the LEP offering from Peltor, I have made the purchase of the 200 variant. I will take delivery by Monday and will test drive at a clay day, some fullbore range time and on a cross country yomp [to see if wearing them feels seamless/comfortable to me on an extended "stalk"].

 

[Orion]

Based on Alantoo and caorach's endorsement of the LEP offering from Peltor, I have made the purchase of the 200 variant.

Ditto here - purchased through the business so not too painful! Off next week for 6 days of Monterias where I’d normally wear my Peltor Sport Tacs, which tend to get a tad uncomfortable after a full day on a peg due to large(ish) lugs, so I’ll give them a good try out.

 

[Alantoo]

Just back from an evening at the range where I was wearing them from just after 8pm until 10:30-ish and was reminded of one of their features to share with the thread followers...the first time you wear them continuously for over two hours you will be surprised to hear a pleasant American lady saying "Time out" in one ear followed a few seconds later by the same thing happening in the other ...if you leave well alone the warning will be repeated a minute or so later and eventually the LEPs shut down. As soon as you hear the voice though you just touch the control button and the timer is refreshed for another couple of hours.

@zambezi and @Orion I hope you are both as delighted with them as I am.

Alan

 

[Orion]

Quick question for Alantoo and Caorach.

Are the ‘Skull Screws’ mentioned the same as the Peltor ‘Torque’ eartips? If not, do you have a link for them as all I’m getting under that search term are badass motorcycle numberplate bolts with on the heads!

 

[Alantoo]

Quick question for Alantoo and Caorach.

Are the ‘Skull Screws’ mentioned the same as the Peltor ‘Torque’ eartips? If not, do you have a link for them as all I’m getting under that search term are badass motorcycle numberplate bolts with on the heads!

I have an idea that I noticed them being called the two different things so would say yes.

However I received small, medium and large flanged and the large skull screw foam plugs in a trial pack with my LEPs I presume you will get the same.

Alan

 

[zambezi]

LEP200s arrived today. They arrived with a variety of ear plugs and a lanyard that tethers them together to prevent loss. Not sure if the lanyard is required as the buds I have tested so far make a snug fit with the ear. But possibly too snug? Will try Alantoo's recommended foam plug: CCC-GRM-25. Charging took sub 30mins, so probably pre-charged at factory. Some chainsaw work this afternoon will be the first test.

 

[Alantoo]

LEP200s arrived today. They arrived with a variety of ear plugs and a lanyard that tethers them together to prevent loss. Not sure if the lanyard is required as the buds I have tested so far make a snug fit with the ear. But possibly too snug? Will try Alantoo's recommended foam plug: CCC-GRM-25. Charging took sub 30mins, so probably pre-charged at factory. Some chainsaw work this afternoon will be the first test.

I haven't needed to use the lanyard either...they feel very snug. A friend at the range has a pair and I have only ever seen him with it on...but then he sometimes removes them during "forward, score and patch" and I don't.

When you are using them with a constant noise like a chainsaw or tractor I have found that it best to have them on the lowest volume...you can obviously test their SNR effectiveness by turning them off.

Alan

 

[zambezi]

When you are using them with a constant noise like a chainsaw or tractor I have found that it best to have them on the lowest volume...

Agreed. I discovered that the chainsaw motor noise was attenuated well, but the noise of the chain cutting the timber was strangely clear. There is no particualar need to use them whilst chainsawing as hardhat has muffs, but it was an interesting test. It absolutely cuts out impulse bangs such as banging two planks together. Impressed so far. I am going to bust some clays tomorrow...

 

[rhhudson]

So the difference between the 100 and the 200 is the Bluetooth feature. As previous stated do you need an additional speaker or is that it your ready to roll and take calls / music etc?

 

[zambezi]

So the difference between the 100 and the 200 is the Bluetooth feature. As previous stated do you need an additional speaker or is that it your ready to roll and take calls / music etc?

The option of taking calls whilst phone is set to silent is a nice to have and did not add a great deal to overall cost. Also it may have practical applications on range days when there are folk in the dugout of the butts and others at at the firing point. [Thinking of Millpool here]

 

[Orion]

Confused here (yet again!).

Do the units link directly via Bluetooth to the source - iPhone etc.?

I thought, maybe erroneously, that you needed to purchase an interim unit, the ‘Neckloop’ (TEP-LOOP-200) that then plugged into the source via an audio plug and lead?

Do tell.

 

[Alantoo]

I thought it needed one of these... 3M™ Peltor™ TEP-LOOP-200 Neckloop | £60.00 | TEP-LOOP-200

That seems to be almost half the price I have seen them elswhere

Alan

 

[rhhudson]

So you need to buy an additional 'loop to enable the Bluetooth to work?

Might aswel save the extra £5 and go for the 100 range? Or is there anything else different?

 

[zambezi]

Confused here (yet again!).

Do the units link directly via Bluetooth to the source - iPhone etc.?

I thought, maybe erroneously, that you needed to purchase an interim unit, the ‘Neckloop’ (TEP-LOOP-200) that then plugged into the source via an audio plug and lead?

Do tell.

Yup. My bad. Failed to read the detail. Urgh.

 

[Orion]

No problemo amigo.

Still worth the extra £5 in case future Bluetooth connectivity is required.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Still to find an ear plug that works for me so they remain a failed and expensive experiment.

K