Battery Life and the Low Battery Indicator

Use Alkaline Batteries only. Rechargeable batteries tend to have lower voltages even when fully charged, which might trigger a Low Battery indication even when the batteries are charged. While the ds32a Stethoscope will operate, the Low Battery warning will not provide accurate indication.

The Low Battery Indicator on the display will show when the batteries require replacement. A red LED in the Low Battery Indicator signifies a low battery condition.

After a Low Battery indication initially occurs, the ds32a Stethoscope will provide a few additional hours of operation, which should be sufficient for a few days of use in a typical work environment. It is recommended, however, that batteries be replaced within a day of the Low Battery Indicator warning, to ensure uninterrupted service.

When the batteries have become depleted beyond their useful life, the unit will fail to power up, or will power up and immediately power down, preventing further use. The unit cannot be used in any mode without battery power.

ds32a battery life is highly dependent on device use. We estimated 3-4 month battery life in typical use. Examining a large number of patients each day will naturally require more regular battery replacement than occasional use. Another important factor is the volume level and type of body sound. The ds32a Stethoscpe has high current bass drive circuitry to reproduce powerful low frequency signals without distortion. This circuitry consumes more current when reproducing heart sounds in Bell mode compared with, say, listening to lung sounds in Diaphragm mode. It is for this reason that an exact battery life specification is not provided.

Note: The Low Battery Indicator (Red LED) is also used as a Programming indicator, when saving power-up preferences. See this page for further details.