Frye 7000 User Manual

Download

Page 1

FONIX

7000

Hearing Aid Test System

Operator’s Manual

Version 1.51

Oct. 23, 2006

Page 2

Page 3

Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction & Setup

1.1 History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.2 Basic Test Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.3 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.4 Accessories

1.4.1 Standard Accessories

1.4.2 Real-Ear Accessories

1.4.3 Optional Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.5 Layout, Controls, and Safety

1.5.1 Front Panel Layout

1.5.2 Rear Panel Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.5.3 Safety

1.6 Setup

1.6.1 Unpacking the FONIX 7000

1.6.2 Locating and arranging the 7000 test system

1.6.3 Connecting the Main Module & Components

1.6.4 Connecting the Real-Ear Equipment

1.6.5 Powering up the 7000 test system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.7 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.7.1 Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.7.2 Care & Maintenance of your M1950E Coupler Microphone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.7.3 Locating the serial number and software version

1.7.4 Contacting the Factory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.7.5 Warranty

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Chapter 2: General Operation

2.1 Operation of buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

2.1.1 Using the function keys

2.1.2 Navigating through the screens

2.1.3 Using the pop-up help windows

2.1.4 Using the local menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.1.5 Using the EXIT and RESET buttons

2.1.6 Using the remaining buttons

2.2 Setup Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.2.1 Saving and loading default settings

2.2.2 Setting the date and time

2.2.3 Setting the user mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.2.4 Explaining the settings

2.3 Source Types

2.3.1 Understanding Pure-tone Signals

2.3.1.1 Pure-tone settings

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2.3.1.2 Noise reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

2.3.1.3 Delay times

2.3.1.4 Harmonic distortion

2.3.1.5 Pure-tone Filter

2.3.2 Understanding Composite Signals

2.3.2.1 Noise reduction

2.3.2.2 Intermodulation distortion

2.3.2.3 Composite filter

2.3.2.4 Composite type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.3.2.5 Composite source levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.3.2.6 Digital Speech technical details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.4 Printing

2.4.1 Choosing a printer

2.4.2 Adding a label

2.4.3 Using the internal printer

2.4.4 Loading the thermal paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.4.5 Unloading a partial roll of paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.4.6 Using an external printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.4.7 Putting multiple screens on a page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.5 Display & Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.5.1 Viewing the Curve Characteristics Box

2.5.2 Viewing numerical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.6 Computer Connection

2.7 Remote Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.8 Leveling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Chapter 3: Basic Sound Chamber Tests

3.1 The Coupler Screen Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

3.1.1 Viewing a Pure-tone Display

3.1.2 Viewing a Composite Display

3.2 The Leveling Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.2.1 Leveling the sound chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.2.2 Removing the leveling of the sound chamber: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.2.3 Saving the leveling information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.3 Hearing Aid Setup

3.3.1 Explaining the Coupler Types

3.3.2 In-The-Ear (ITE) and Canal Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.3.3 Behind-The-Ear (BTE) Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.3.4 Open-Ear Hearing Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.3.5 Body Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.3.6 Eyeglass Aids

3.3.7 Wireless CROS and BICROS Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.3.8 Wire-Type CROS and BICROS aids

3.4 Basic Measurements

3.4.1 Signal Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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3.4.2 Running a Test Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

3.4.3 Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.4.4 Deleting measurements and settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.4.5 Running a Single Frequency Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.4.6 Running a Three-Frequency Average . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.4.7 Measuring Harmonic Distortion

3.4.8 Intermodulation Distortion

3.4.9 Battery Current Drain

3.4.10 Telecoil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.4.11 Measuring directionality

3.5 Digital hearing aids

3.5.1 Using Digital Speech

3.5.2 Changing the Speech Shape

3.5.3 Testing with Bias Signals

3.5.4 Checking Noise Suppression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.5.5 Understanding Terminology

3.6 CIC Feature

3.7 Occluded Ear Simulator Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.8 Automatic Testing—Loading & Saving Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.8.1 Setting up a test sequence

3.8.2 Loading a Saved Test Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.8.3 Testing in Fully-Automatic Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.8.4 Testing in Semi-Automatic Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.9 Complete List of Menu Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

70 72 73 73

89 91

93 93 93 94

Chapter 4: Advanced Coupler Tests

4.1 Enhanced DSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

4.1.1 Digital Processing Delay

4.1.2 Signal Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4.1.3 Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4.2 Battery Current Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

4.2.1 Static Test (Estimated Battery Life)

4.2.2 mA/Freq

4.2.3 mA/Ampl

4.3 Coupler I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

4.4 Attack & Release

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

98 99

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Chapter 5: Automated Test Sequences

5.1 ANSI S3.22. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

5.1.1 Leveling for ANSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

5.1.2 Setting up the hearing aid for ANSI

5.1.3 Setting up the analyzer for ANSI

5.1.4 Running an ANSI 96 or an ANSI 03 Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

5.1.5 Running an ANSI 87 Test

5.1.6 Viewing ANSI Results

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Page 6

5.1.7 Testing Digital Hearing Aids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

5.1.8 Viewing ANSI measurements in the Coupler screen

5.1.9 Explaining the Menu Settings

5.2 ANSI S3.42-1992 (ANSI 92

5.2.1 Understanding ANSI 92

5.2.2 Running ANSI 92.

5.2.3 Viewing ANSI 92 Results

5.2.4 Viewing ANSI measurements in the Coupler screen

5.2.5 Explaining the Menu Settings

5.3 IEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

5.3.1 Setting up for IEC

5.3.2 Running IEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

5.3.3 Viewing IEC Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

5.3.4 Viewing IEC measurements in the Coupler screen

5.3.5 Understanding the Menu Settings

5.4 JIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

5.4.1 Running JIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

5.4.2 Viewing JIS Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

5.4.3 Viewing JIS measurements in the Coupler screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

5.4.4 Understanding the menu settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Chapter 6: Real-Ear Measurements

6.1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

6.1.1 Understanding the Real-Ear Screens

6.1.2 Navigating through the Real-Ear Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

6.2 Real-Ear Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

6.2.1 Placing the Sound Field Speaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

6.2.2 Placing the earhook and reference microphone

6.2.3 Inserting the probe tube

6.2.4 Leveling the Sound Field Speaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

6.2.5 Setting up Body Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

6.3 Real-Ear Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

6.3.1 Entering an Audiogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

6.3.2 Deleting Audiometric Information

6.3.3 Creating a Target

6.3.4 Entering Bone Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

6.3.5 Performing an RECD measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

6.3.6 Modifying a Target

6.3.7 Entering an REDD transform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Real-Ear Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

6.4

6.4.1 Measuring in the Insertion Gain screen

6.4.2 Measuring in the Real-ear SPL screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

6.4.3 Measuring the Unaided Response (REUG/REUR)

6.4.4 Measuring the Aided Response (REAG/REAR)

6.4.5 Working with prescription tar

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

gets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

1 1

3 3 4 5 5

8 8 8

3 5 5 5

8 8

Page 7

6.4.6 Using Semi-Auto and Fully-Auto Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

6.4.7 Testing with a single tone or three frequency average . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

6.4.8 Using the reference microphone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

9 Viewing numerical curve data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

6.4.

6.4.10 Deleting and un-displaying measurements

6.4.11 Using Smoothing in measurement curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

6.4.12 Using Output Limiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

6.4.13 Measuring the occlusion effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

6.5 Digital Hearing Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

6.5.1 Using Digital Speech

6.5.2 Choosing a speech weighting

6.5.3 Testing the digital filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

6.5.4 Testing digital noise suppression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

6.6 Directional Hearing Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

6.6.1 Using the insertion gain technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Determining the “null” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162

6.6.2

6.7 Open Ear Hearing Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

6.8 Visible Speech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

6.8.1 Performing Visible Speech measurement

6.8.2 Viewing the Real-time Visible Speech Display

6.8.3 Viewing Completed Test Results

6.8.4 Measuring multiple envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

6.9 CROS/BICROS Aids

6.9.1 Measuring the Head-Baffle Effect

6.9.2 Measuring the Overcoming of the Head-Baffle Effect

6.9.2.1 CROS

6.9.2.2 BI-CROS

6.9.3 Measuring Overall Insertion Gain

6.9.3.1 CROS

6.9.3.2 BI-CROS

6.9.4 Measuring Insertion Loss to the “Good” Ear (CROS)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

1 2

4 6 6 7

8 9 0 0

2 3

Appendix A: Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Appendix B: Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Appendix C: Troubleshooting Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Appendix D: The FONIX CIC Feature

Appendix E: Fitting Formula Tables

Appendix F: Probe SPL Mode Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Appendix G: Glossary of Terms

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

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Page 9

Chapter 1 1

Introduction & Setup

Welcome to the newest innovation in hearing aid testing! The 7000 Test System is the long-awaited successor to the 6500-CX, the analyzer that arguably has become the standard by which all other hearing aid test equipment is measured.

The 7000 Test System has many design improvements, including a high-resolution color display, a flexible and easy-to-use interface, and built-in help screens. Throughout the design process of the 7000 Test System, the engineers at Frye Electronics have followed two important mantras: Flexibility and Usability. We wanted all the features of the existing 6500-CX system in a new package that was easier to use and easier to upgrade. We are confident that the 7000 Test System is a success on both counts

1.1 History

The 6500-CX has been one of the fastest and most accurate hearing aid analyzers in the industry. Since its introduction in 1985 at the International Audiology Congress in Prague, Czechoslovakia, it has evolved through three model num bers: the original 6500, the 6500-C with color, and the 6500-CX with a faster CPU. These hardware upgrades, and the software upgrades that went with them, kept the 6500 analyzer current as hearing aid technology evolved.

The original 6500 operator interface was originally designed around a set of tests that were needed at the time of its introduction. Linear and AGC hearing aids were tested for ANSI coupler performance, and real ear tests were done to check on insertion gain performance. Its Composite signal gave the industry the first real time, interactive frequency response measurement for both coupler and real ear tests. This enabled an order of magnitude increase in the collec tion speed of response data. This feature has been particularly useful in real ear tests, where artifacts caused by ambient noise in the acoustical environment are a factor.

The 6500 evolved to keep pace with the technology of the hearing aid industry. The 6500-C with color video came in 1992. The CX version with its faster CPU was introduced in 1994. Functions such as Multi-curve, Target 2-cc, ANSI 92, CIC, Digital-Speech-in-Noise, the real-ear SPL screen, and Enhanced DSP were gradually introduced, making the 6500-CX analyzer more powerful with each release.

The number of tests on the 6500-CX grew, but the operator interface remained much the same. To accommodate new functions, 6500 front panel buttons were programmed with functions different from their original purpose and labeling. While the help messages on the screen allowed the first time user to operate the instrument, it was obvious that improvements could be made. Some of these

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2 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

were implemented and tested on other Frye instruments. The FP40 analyzer introduced “function buttons” that adapt to handle the specific needs of each test screen and sequence. The FP35 analyzer added help screens and local menus to make the analyzer more intuitive and easier to use.

The lessons learned in the FP40 and FP35 analyzers have been incorporated into the 7000 Test System. It is hoped that these improvements will make the 7000 flexible enough to adapt to any new test procedures as they become needed with the changing testing requirements of the hearing aid industry

1.2 Basic Test Functions

The basic 7000 can perform the following coupler tests:

• Pure-tone signal measurements

• Composite and Digital Speech signal measurements

• Phase measures for binaural hearing aid pairs

• Group delay (processing delay) measurement of digital hearing aids

• Battery Current as a function of amplitude and frequency

For both composite and pure tone measurements, the following are possible:

An additional function that comes standard with the 7000 is RS232 communication with an external personal computer. This allows remote operation of the analyzer from the computer, and lets you save test results onto your computer’s hard drive. Firmware upgrades to the 7000 Test System can also be performed though the computer.

1.3 Options

The 7000 test system has the following software (and hardware) options available:

Real-Ear Option

• I/O Curves

• Attack and Release

• Special CIC hearing aid coupler measurements

• Behind the ear (BTE), In the ear (ITE), in the canal (ITC), Open ear, and body hearing aid measurements

• Choice of either IEC 60118-7 or ANSI S3.22-2003/96/87/92 standard tests (All tests can be installed as options)

The 7000 test system can be ordered with the Real-Ear Option so that tests can be done on the hearing aid while it is in the client’s ear. These measurements are also commonly called “probe measurements” because they are performed

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Introduction and Setup 3

with a probe microphone. Using real-ear measurements makes it possible to individualize the fitting of a hearing aid since a coupler measurement can sel dom tell the operator exactly how what sound is received by the client. Many factors affect the sound on its way to the ear drum. When measuring with a probe microphone, you will know what is happening in the “real-ear.”

ANSI Option

The ANSI Option gives the user access to the ANSI 03, ANSI 96, ANSI 87, and ANSI 92 test sequences. These perform measurements according to the ANSI S3.22 2003, ANSI S3.22 1996, ANSI S3.22-1987, and ANSI S3.42-1992 stan dards, respectively.

This option also includes the Telewand, which is used for performing ANSI 96 telecoil measurements.

IEC Option

The IEC Option gives the user access to the IEC test sequence, which performs measurements in accordance with the IEC 118-7, the performance part of the

IEC standard.

OES Option

The Occluded Ear Simulator (OES) Option includes the MZ-1, MZ-2, and MZ-3 couplers and corresponding correction factors meant to simulate the results of a real-ear simulator (Zwislocki) coupler when simulating occluded ear measure ments in the sound chamber. The results produced with the OES Option will not be an exact duplication of the results produced with a Zwislocki coupler.

VA CORFIG

The VA-CORFIG Option supplies a frequency response in the ANSI test sequence that includes correction factors that make the measurement closer to a real-ear response. These correction factors were developed by the United States

Veterans Administration.

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4 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

1.4 Accessories

The following are accessories that are standard and optional on your FONIX 7000 hearing aid analyzer.

1.4.1 Standard Accessories

The following accessories come standard with each 7000 test system.

Coupler Microphone—M1950E 14 mm pressure-type electret instru mentation microphone. Note: Older 7000 analyzers may use the M1750E microphone.

HA-1 2-cc Coupler Dimensions per ANSI S3.7 for testing in-the-ear aids, canal aids, and aids fit ted with earmolds.

HA-2, 2-cc Coupler Dimensions per ANSI S3.7 for testing behind-the-ear aids, eyeglass aids, and body aids.

Ear-Level Adapter (BTE) Snaps into the 1/4" (6.35 mm) diameter cavity of the HA-2 and MZ-2 couplers. Equipped with a 0.6" (15 mm) length of 0.076" (1.93 mm) ID tubing, the adapter allows ANSI S3.22 specified connection of an ear-level aid to the coupler.

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Introduction and Setup 5

Microphone Adapter 14 mm to 1" (25.4) mm adapter for coupling the M1950E microphone and reference microphone to a 1-inch device such as a sound level calibra tor.

Test Chamber Cable Connects the main module to the test chamber.

Other Standard Accessories:

Thermal Paper Fun-Tak RS232 Cable Dummy Microphone (for testing to ANSI specifications) Sound Chamber Replacement Feet Operator’s Manual Maintenance Manual (upon request at time of purchase)

Battery Substitution Pills

Used to power hearing aids, measure battery drain, and estimate battery life. Standard sizes: 675/76 13 312 10A/230

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6 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

1.4.2 Real-Ear Accessories

When the Real-Ear Option is ordered, the following accessories are included.

Remote Module and Microphones The remote module allows the user to control the analyzer while remaining close to the patient. The probe and ref erence microphones, used for perform ing real-ear measurements, are plugged into this module.

Sound Field Speaker Produces the output for most real-ear measurements. The Real-Ear Option can be ordered with a floor stand, remote module shelf, or with a swing arm.

Loudspeaker Floor Stand The lightweight, sturdy floor stand is adjustable and has a low-profile tripod base.

Remote Module Shelf

The shelf fits directly on the floor stand, providing a stable, convenient platform for operating and storing the remote module. This is the default configuration.

Loudspeaker Swing Arm This swing arm may be substituted for the speaker floor stand & shelf. It is a convenient device that can be mounted to a wall or desktop. The four-piece arm swivels and extends along five different dimensions to allow precise placement and aiming of the loud speaker. Spring tension and friction keep the loudspeaker exactly where you put it.

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Introduction and Setup 7

Monitor Headset Plugs into the remote module, and allows the user to listen to the signal being measured by the probe micro phone. Model of headset may differ from one shown.

Wedge-style Ear Hook

Standard Size. Holds probe and refer ence microphone during real-ear test ing.

Probe Tubes Used for performing real-ear measure ments. Probe tubes are not reusable.

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8 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

1.4.3 Optional Accessories

Infant/Child Headband Includes infant, child, and adult head bands, six bendable earhooks, and two

sets of “animal ears.”

6-cc Coupler Enables checking the response of stan dard audiometer headphones. It is designed around the NBS 9A coupler specifications.

MZ Couplers

MZ-3, MZ-2, and MZ-1 couplers are supplied with the OES Option.

CIC Coupler Non-standard (0.4 cc) coupler used for realistic testing of CIC hearing aids. This coupler is always used in con junction with the CIC software correc tion factors

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Introduction and Setup 9

Open Ear Coupler Non-standard coupler used for realistic testing of open ear hearing aids.

#5 battery pill

Provides battery current measurements for many CIC hearing aids.

Also available: #41 battery pill AA

Sound Level Calibrator A portable, self-contained, field-type calibrator for calibrating the microphone amplifier. It operates on one nine-volt transistor battery. Use with 14 mm-to-1" adapter. Calibration is traceable to the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Conforms to ANSI @1.401984 and IEC 942: 1988.

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10 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

Sound Chamber Stand

A secure, steel-tube stand that improves sound isolation and brings the testing area of the test chamber to convenient table height. Color matches the electronics module.

Sound Chamber Spring Damper Factory-installed.or Assembly Kit. This spring assembly fits onto the back of the sound chamber, making it easier to open the sound chamber lid. Once the sound chamber is open past a cer tain point, the user can release the lid and let the spring open it the rest of the way. Great when performing repetitive coupler measurements.

FM Kit Facilitates coupler and real-ear tests of FM systems. The kit includes a telescoping floor stand with a test plat form and plenty of extra Fun-Tak and a 6-inch (15 cm) square foam pad for using the 2-cc coupler outside the test chamber.

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Introduction and Setup 11

POWER

STANDBY

1.5 Layout, Controls, and Safety

This section describes the basic layout of the front and rear panel of the 7000 test system, and special information pertaining to safety regulations.

1.5.1 Front Panel Layout

The front panel of the 7000 test system consists of 8 function keys, 4 arrow keys, and 9 other keys with varying operations. Together, all of these keys are used to control all the operations of the 7000 test system. A wide internal ther mal printer is located to the right of the front panel. See Figure 1.5.1.

RECD Earphone Package

Consists of one ER3A earphone with a 1⁄4 inch plug, a 72 inch cable, an assortment of ear tips, a calibration certificate, and a lapel clip. This pack

age is suitable for performing an RECD measurement with the 7000 Test

System.

Figure 1.5.1—Front panel

FUNCTION KEYS:

The top row of buttons on the 7000 front panel consists of “function keys” labeled [F1] through [F8]. The function of these keys change from screen to screen, according to the need of the screen. There are three basic uses of the function keys:

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12 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

• To navigate from screen to screen

• To toggle a selection

• To pop-up up a selection menu

For a more complete description of the operation of the function keys, see Section 2.1.1.

[RESET]: Resets the analyzer and returns you to the opening screen.

Many settings, measurements, and test conditions are erased or returned to their default conditions with the push of this button. Use [EXIT] instead of [RESET] to avoid the loss of data.

[HELP]: Brings up a pop-up help window, which tells you what func-

tions can be performed in the current screen.

[MENU]: Opens a local menu, or the Default Settings menu.

[EXIT]: Exits from the current screen, leaving all settings, measure-

ments, and test conditions as is.

[LEVEL]: Levels the sound chamber or sound field speaker.

[FEED]: Advances the internal thermal paper feed.

[PRINT]: Prints current screen.

[STOP]: Stops testing.

[START]: Starts testing.

ARROW KEYS: The arrow keys perform different functions depending upon

the screen and previous buttons pushed. In a test situation, they adjust the source amplitude and frequency. If you press one of the function buttons to bring up a pop-up menu, they are used to scroll through the available options and make

selections.

LEDs: Power: When green, this LED indicates that the 7000 Test

System is powered on.

Standby: When green, this LED indicates that the screensaver

mode is engaged (screensaver not available at this time)

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Introduction and Setup 13

FONIX 7000 Serial No. 1234

Made in Tigard, Oregon, USA by

Frye Electronics, Inc.

Frye Electronics products are protected by

U.S.

and/or foreign patents and/or patents pending

T630 mAL

1.5.2 Rear Panel Layout

The rear panel of the 7000 test system contains most of the external connections for the analyzer. See Figure 1.5.2 for a diagram of the back panel.

Figure 1.5.2—Back panel

1. PRINTER: Connects an external printer to the 7000 test system.

2. SPKR: Connects the sound field speaker for real-ear measurements.

3. EARPHONE: Connect a insert earphone to the analyzer for RECD measurements. A 50 ohm earphone should always be used, to avoid harm to the earphone.

4. SOUND

CHAMBER: Connects the main module to the sound chamber.

5. RS232: Connects the 7000 test system to a personal computer.

6. RS232 LEDs: The red LED indicates the analyzer is sending a poll. This will flash whether or not a computer is connected. The green LED indicates the analyzer is receiving a command from a connected computer.

7. MONITOR: Connects the main module to a video monitor.

8. GAIN: Adjusts the calibration of the M1950E microphone.

9. MICROPHONE: Connects the M1950E microphone.

10. SCOPE: Connects to an external scope for external measuring purposes.

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14 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

11. PROBE: Connects the main module to the remote module (used for real-ear measurements).

KEYBD: Not currently active.

AUX: Not currently active.

The following safety symbols can be found on the back of the 7000 hearing aid analyzer:

1.5.3 Safety

Safety Classification for IEC 60601-1

Type of protection against electric shock: Class I

Degree of protection against electric shock: Type B

Read the accompanying documents. Please read this manual

This symbol indicates that Frye Electronics, Inc. conforms to

Replace fuses only with the same type and rating.

Type B Equipment. The probe microphone and insert earphone are type B applied parts, according to IEC 60601-1.

before operating the 7000 test system. A separate maintenance manual exists for the 7000 test system. If you wish to obtain a maintenance manual, please contact Frye Electronics, Inc. or your Frye representative.

the Medical Device Directive 93/42/EEC. Any attached video monitor, external printer, or external computer should also have a CE mark in order for the 7000 test system to remain compliant.

Protection against harmful ingress of water: Ordinary

Mode of operation: Continuous

The 7000 does not require sterilization or disinfection.

Warning: This equipment is not suitable for use in the presence of flammable anaesthetic mixture with air or with oxygen or nitrous oxide.

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Introduction and Setup 15

Connection of peripheral equipment to the 7000

Compliance with IEC 60601-1-1 Safety requirements for medical electrical sys tems must be determined on a case-by-case basis.

All electrical equipment attached to the 7000, such as video monitors, computer equipment, etc. must, at a minimum, meet one of the following conditions:

a. The equipment complies with IEC 60601-1

b. The equipment complies with relevant IEC and ISO safety standards and is

supplied from a medical grade isolation transformer.

c. The equipment complies with relevant IEC and ISO safety standards and is

kept at least 1.5 meters from the patient.

The allowable leakage currents of IEC 60601-1-1 must not be exceeded. IEC 60601-1-1 should be consulted when assembling such a system.

Electromagnetic compatibility

The 7000 complies with IEC 60601-1-2.

The 7000 generates and uses radio frequency energy. In some cases the 7000 could cause interference to radio or television reception. You can determine if the 7000 is the source of such interference by turning the unit off and on.

If you are experiencing interference caused by the 7000, you may be able to cor rect it by one or more of the following measures:

1. Relocate or reorient the receiving antenna.

2. Increase the distance between the 7000 and the receiver.

3. Connect the 7000 to a different outlet than the receiver.

In some cases radio transmitting devices, such as cellular telephones, may cause interference to the 7000. In this case try increasing the distance between the transmitter and the 7000.

Disposal of the 7000 and accessories

The 7000 and some of its accessories contain lead. At the end of its useful life, please recycle or dispose of the 7000 according to local regulations.

If you are located in the European Union, please report all safety-related con cerns to our authorized representative:

Siemens Hearing Instruments Ltd.

Alexandra House Newton Road Manor Royal Crawley West Sussex RH109TT ENGLAND

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16 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

Otherwise, please report all safety related concerns to the Frye factory:

Frye Electronics, Inc.

9826 SW Tigard St. Tigard, OR 97223 Ph: (503) 620-2722 or (800) 547-8209 Fax: (503) 639-0128 email: support @frye.com sales@frye.com

Frye Electronics, Inc. is a Registered Firm of British Standards Institution, and we conform to the ISO 13485 standard.

1.6 Setup

This section describes the unpacking and setup of the 7000 test system. A description of the front and back panels is also included.

1.6.1 Unpacking the FONIX 7000

Remove the FONIX 7000 test system from the shipping cartons. Store the shipping cartons in a dry place so that they can be used again in the event that the unit must be returned to the factory for repair or upgrade.

See Figure 1.6.1 for a picture of the 7000 test system and a labeling of its basic components.

Figure 1.6.1. Caption: The 7000 Test system.

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Introduction and Setup 17

1.6.2 Locating and arranging the 7000 test system

Locate the 7000 test system in a moderately quiet area, such as a private office or laboratory. In order for test results to reliably conform to specifications, the ambient noise, mechanical vibrations, electrical or magnetic fields must not affect test results by more than 0.5 dB (ANSI S3.22). Low-noise acoustic condi tions, as found in sound treated rooms and booths, are recommended but not necessary.

Locate the main module near the sound chamber. The video monitor may be placed on top of the main module.

If your 7000 has the Real-ear Option, further consideration needs to be given to the placement of the sound field speaker. The speaker should be placed in a manner in which the sound will not reflect off walls, chairs, tables, or other objects. Such sound reflections could negatively affect test results.

1.6.3 Connecting the Main Module & Components

Connect the main module to the system components as follows (see Figure

1.6.3):

1. Connect the video monitor to the jack marked “Monitor” on the back of the main module. Tighten the screws on the connector to secure the connection.

2. Plug the M1950E microphone into the connector marked “Microphone” located on the back of the main module.

3. Connect the sound chamber cable into the plug marked “sound chamber” on the back of the main module. Plug the other end of the cable into the sound chamber. This cable provides all the connections necessary for operating the internal loudspeaker, telecoil, and battery voltage supply of the 7020 test chamber. Tighten the screws of the plug at each end of the cable to secure the connection.

4. Plug the power cord into the three-pronged jack on the rear panel of the main module. Plug the power cords of both the main module and the video monitor into an AC outlet. We recommend using a switchable multiple out let power strip. Any voltage between 100 and 240 VAC is acceptable, 50 or 60 Hz line frequency.

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18 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

PRINTER

SOUND CHAMBER

EARPHONE

SPKR

MONITOR

RS232

KEYBD

MICROPHONE

GAIN

SCOPEPROBE

FONIX 7000 Serial No. 1234

Manufactured in 2003

CALIBRATED

Frye Electronics, Inc.

800-547-8209 www

.frye.com

DATE CAL

DATE DUE

ATTENTION: Ground reliability can be achieved ONLY when equipment is connected to “HOSPITAL GRADE” receptacles.

For service refer to qualified

personnel only.

Consult accompanying documents.

ELECTRICAL RATING:

100–240

50-60 Hz .6A

Made in Tigard, Oregon, USA by Frye Electronics, Inc.

Frye Electronics products are protected by

U.S.

and/or foreign patents and/or patents pending

T630 mAL

Earphone

Speaker

External printer

(not provided)

Monitor

Headphones

Computer

(not provided)

Telecoil board

(optional

)

lewand (optional)

7020 Sound Chamber

Quik-Probe

remote modul

M1950E Microphone

Probe/Reference mics

Figure 1.6.3 —7000 test system setup

1.6.4 Connecting the Real-Ear Equipment

If you ordered the Real-Ear Option, connect the real-ear equipment as follows. See Figure 1.6.3.

1. Plug the remote module cable into the jack labeled “Probe” on the back of the main module. Tighten the connector screw to secure the connection.

2. Plug the round, 8-pin connector of the dual microphone cable into the top surface of the remote module where it is marked “PROBE MIC.”

3. Plug the monitor headset into the remote module by attaching the ¼” adapt er and plugging it into the jack marked “earphone,” if desired.

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Introduction and Setup 19

4. Depending on whether you have a floor stand or a swing arm, either (1) Unfold and extend the floor stand to the desired height, about the level of a seated client’s ear, or (2) Mount the wall/desk bracket of the swing arm in a convenient location. Attach the loudspeaker to the stand or arm, using the threaded connection.

5. Plug the dual banana plug into the rear jacks of the loudspeaker. Then plug the other end of the cable into the main module where it is marked “SPKR.”

1.6.5 Powering up the 7000 test system

1. Turn on the electronics module by reaching back on the right side of the main module (while you are facing the front of the unit), and pressing the POWER switch. The green LED on the front panel, above the words “POWER” will turn on after a couple seconds.

2. Turn on the video monitor. See the video operator’s manual for instructions, if necessary.

The Opening screen of the 7000 test system will be displayed. It contains the FONIX logo, along with the software version, the serial number, and the avail able options. This information is important in identifying your equipment when

you communicate with the company about your FONIX 7000 test system.

1.7 Maintenance

In order to ensure accurate testing, we recommend yearly calibrations of your coupler microphone. For those units with the Real-ear Option, we also recom mend yearly calibration of the probe & reference microphones and the sound field speaker. These calibrations can be performed by any Frye distributor or by yourself with the aid of a sound level calibrator such as a Quest QC-10. Please see Appendix B for calibration instructions.

1.7.1 Cleaning

For your safety, disconnect the 7000 from mains power while cleaning. Wipe the 7000 with a slightly moist but not dripping cloth. Use plain water or water with mild dish washing detergent. Wipe away any detergent with a slightly moist cloth. Finally, use a soft dry cloth to eliminate any lingering moisture.

Never allow fluid to enter the 7000:

• enclosure

• power switch

• power connector

• electrical connectors

• front panel buttons

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20 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

The 7000 microphones should be wiped with a dry cloth. Excess moisture may damage the microphones.

Solvents and abrasives will cause permanent damage to the 7000.

1.7.2 Care & Maintenance of your M1950E Coupler Microphone

Microphones are perhaps the most delicate of FONIX products. They require care and concern when handled. At the risk of sounding negative, the following

is a list of the five microphone DON’Ts.

1. Don’t bend the microphone cord at the connection of the cord and the body!

This is perhaps the most common cause of microphone damage. The place

where the cord and the body of the microphone meet is the most fragile part of their connection. The less strain you put on this area, the longer your microphone will last.

2. Don’t hit the microphone against the sound chamber or any other object!

The microphone head is delicate and easily damaged. Hitting the micro

phone against anything will do you no good and the microphone much harm. Similarly, be careful not the drop the microphone on the floor.

3. Don’t pull the microphone from the coupler by the cord!

When removing the microphone from the coupler, grip the microphone

body, not the cord. Pulling on the cord damages the connection.

4. Don’t get Fun-Tak on the grill of the microphone!

Fun-tak that accumulates on the grill will fall into the microphone body and

onto the diaphragm which will damage the microphone.

5. Don’t touch the diaphragm of the microphone!

The diaphragm is located inside the grill of the microphone and is extremely

sensitive. If you need to take the grill off the microphone, please do so with extreme care, and be especially careful not to touch the diaphragm, as this will cause damage!

Overall, just be aware that your coupler microphone is a delicate instrument that needs to be treated with care and respect. If you do so, the two of you will

be rewarded with a long, happy relationship.

1.7.3 Locating the serial number and software version

When contacting the factory, it is very useful if you have your serial number and software version handy. This information will help us help you regarding repair, upgrade, and technical questions.

The serial number of your 7000 test system can be found on the back of the main module, just to the right of the power switch. See Figure 1.7.3A.

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Introduction and Setup 21

Figure 1.7.3A—Serial number location

The software version of your 7000 test system can be found on the Opening screen. See Figure 1.7.3B.

Press [HELP] to open a help window with more detailed service information. This data may be requested if you call in with a repair-related question. Press [HELP] again to close the help window.

Figure 1.7.3B—Software version location

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22 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

1.7.4 Contacting the Factory

If you have any questions regarding your instrument, have your serial number and software version ready (see Section 1.5.3), and contact us at:

Mailing address: Shipping address:

Frye Electronics, Inc. Frye Electronics PO Box 23391 9826 SW Tigard St. Tigard OR 97281-3391 Tigard, OR 97223 USA USA

Phone: (800) 547-8209 or (503) 620-2722 Fax: (503) 639-0128

Email: sales@frye.com (sales questions) Support@frye.com (technical questions) Service@frye.com (repair questions)

1.7.5 Warranty

The 7000 test system and its accessories are guaranteed to be free of manufacturing defects that would prevent the product from meeting its specifications (given in Appendix A of this manual) for a period of one year from the date of purchase.

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Chapter 2 23

General Operation

This chapter describes the general operation of the 7000 test system, including basic operation of the buttons, screen navigation, default settings, source types, printing, and other information.

2.1 Operation of buttons

The general operation of the various buttons on the 7000 test system are described in this section. This includes a description of the function buttons, the arrow buttons, and the Menu, Help, Reset, Exit, Level, Feed, Print, Stop, and Start buttons.

2.1.1 Using the function keys

The top row of buttons on the 7000 test system front panel consists of “function keys” labeled [F1] through [F8]. The function of these keys changes from screen to screen, according to the need of the screen. The screen itself always shows the function of each of these buttons in a row of boxes along the bottom of the display. This row is meant to represent the physical buttons on the front panel. See Figure 2.1.

Figure 2.1—Function key display

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24 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

There are three basic uses of the function keys:

• To navigate from screen to screen

• To toggle a selection

• To pop-up a selection menu

Navigation

In the Opening screen, the function keys are used to navigate between the vari ous measurement screens. For example, pushing [F1] in the Opening screen will take you to the Coupler screen.

Toggle

In a measurement screen, when a selection for a function key has only two pos sible options, pressing the function key will toggle between those options. For example, a function key setting the ear tested will toggle between “left” and “right.” A red box will appear briefly around the function key box on the dis

play. This box means that the selection is in the process of being toggled.

Pop-up Menu

In a measurement screen, when there are several possible selections to be made with a function key, pressing the function key will bring up a pop-up menu. When this happens, use the [∨, ∧] keys to select the desired setting, and then use [>] to perform the actual selection.

For example, in the Coupler screen, pressing [F5] will bring up a selection of source types. To select the desired source, you would use [∨, ∧]. To complete the selection, you would press [>].

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General Operation 25

F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8

JIS

Enhanced DSP

Audiogram Target Insertion Entry Edit Gain

SPL

ANSI 87 ANSI 96 ANSI 03

Battery Coupler Attack & Test I/O Release

OPENING SCREEN

ANSI S3.42

Other Tests

IEC

ANSI S3.22

Coupler Real-Ear Screen Menu

F1 F2 F3

Visible

Speech

2.1.2 Navigating through the screens

The function keys are used to move from screen to screen. Here is a flow chart of all the available screens and the buttons used to open each screen. Some of the screens will only be available to you if you’ve ordered a certain option.

Figure 2.1.2—Navigation Flow Chart

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26 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

2.1.3 Using the pop-up help windows

Each operational screen on the 7000 test system has a local help window designed to give you a basic operational overview of the current screen. In gen eral, these help windows tell you what each button does in the current screen. See Figure 2.1.3 for an example.

To clear the help window, press [HELP] again or the [EXIT] button.

Figure 2.1.3—Pop-up help window

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General Operation 27

2.1.4 Using the local menus

Pressing the [MENU] button will pop up a local menu that, like the help window, will be overlaid on your current screen. Each local menu contains selec tions specific to your current screen. For instance, when you are in the Coupler screen, the local menu will contain only selections specific to coupler measure ments. See Figure 2.1.4 for an example of a local menu.

Figure 2.1.4—Local menu

Some local menu selections are common across screens. When this is the case, selections made in one local menu will usually carry across any other local menu containing that selection. For instance, AID TYPE is a common selection in the local menus of the Coupler and Insertion Gain screens. If you were to set the AID TYPE to AGC in the local menu of the Coupler screen, it will automati

cally be set in local menu of the Insertion Gain screen.

HINT: Located between each option and its selection in the local menu is a series of dots or dashes. For instance, there are a series of dashes between AID TYPE and AGC in the local menu of the Coupler screen. Dashes indi cate the selection can be saved as a default setting in the Default Settings screen. Dots indicate that the selection cannot be saved as a default selec

tion. See Section 2.2 for details.

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28 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

2.1.5 Using the EXIT and RESET buttons

The [EXIT] and [RESET] buttons can be used to exit from any screen, menu, or window.

The [RESET] button resets the analyzer and returns it to the start screen. By default, this start screen is the Opening screen with the Frye logo. However, the user can change the start screen to be the Coupler Multicurve screen by chang ing the settings in the Default Settings (see Section 2.2.1). All measurements are erased, and the settings are returned to their default values. It is recommended to use [EXIT] instead of [RESET] when moving between screens to avoid the loss of data.

The [EXIT] button closes a popup or local menu. When all such menus are closed, the [EXIT] button exits the current screen without altering the settings, measurements, and test conditions of the analyzer.

2.1.6 Using the remaining buttons

Here is a description of the remaining buttons on the front panel of the analyzer and their use.

[LEVEL]: Levels the sound chamber or sound field speaker. See Sections 3.2 and

6.2.4 for details.

[FEED]: Advances the internal thermal printer paper.

[PRINT]: Prints the current screen. See Section 2.4 for details.

[STOP]: Stops a currently running test.

[START

ARROW KEYS

screen and previous buttons pushed. In a test situation, they adjust the source amplitude and frequency. If you press one of the function buttons to bring up a pop-up menu, they are used to scroll through the available options and make selections. In the Audiogram Entry and Target Edit screens, they are used to edit

the audiogram and targets.

2.2 Setup Menu

The Setup menu contains a number of different functions that set up your analyzer for testing. These functions include saving and loading default settings, setting the date and time, setting the comfort level of the user, and calibration functions. This section contains instructions for several of these functions. For calibration instructions, see Appendix B. For instructions on leveling and saving

leveling, see Section 3.2.

]: Starts a test.

: The arrow keys perform different functions depending upon the

To open the Setup menu, press [MENU] from the Opening screen.

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General Operation 29

2.2.1 Saving and loading default settings

All of the settings in the Setup menu (described in Section 2.2.4) can be saved as default settings. There are five possible setups, so you can have five different configurations saved into the analyzer’s permanent memory.

To save a user configuration:

1. Open the Setup menu by pressing [MENU] from the Opening screen.

2. Set up the Setup menu as desired. All displayed settings will be saved, so make sure that you check all fields. See Section 2.2.4 for an explanation of each of them.

3. Press [F8] to open the Save Setup Defaults pop-up menu.

4. Use [∨, ∧] to select the desired setup number. If you are only going to have one saved configuration, use Setup 1.

5. Use [>] to complete the selection and close the pop-up menu. It will take a few seconds for the 7000 Test System to save the configuration. The saved

setup number will automatically be selected as the current user.

To load a setup configuration:

1. Open the Setup menu by pressing [MENU] from the Opening screen.

2. Press [F7] to open the Load Setup Defaults pop-up window.

3. Use [∨, ∧] to select the desired setup number.

4. Use [>] to complete the selection and close the pop-up menu.

Whenever a user configuration is saved or loaded, that user will also be auto matically saved as the new default user.

2.2.2 Setting the date and time

The date and time that are displayed on every measurement screen can be changed in the Setup menu.

1. Open the Setup menu by pressing [MENU] from the Opening screen.

2. Use [∨, ∧] to select Year under Date/Time. You may want to use [START] to skip ahead sections in the menu.

3. Use the arrow keys to change the Year, Month, Day, Hour, and Minute. The [∨, ∧] keys choose the category and the [<, >] keys make the selection.

4. Use the arrow keys to decide if you want to use AM/PM time or a 24-hour style clock. This is changed in the AM/PM/24 setting.

5. Press [EXIT] to return to the Opening screen when done.

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2.2.3 Setting the user mode

There are two different user modes available on the 7000 test system: Beginner and Expert. In the Beginner mode, extra help windows pop up automatically when function keys are pressed in order to give the user more direction in using

the instrument. In Expert mode, those help windows are eliminated.

To change the user mode:

1. Press [MENU] in the Opening screen to open the Setup menu.

2. Use [∨, ∧] to select User under Other.

3. Use [<, >] to choose EXPERT or BEGINNER.

4. Press [EXIT] to return to the Opening screen. The new user mode will be in effect.

2.2.4 Explaining the settings

The following is an explanation of all the various settings in the Setup menu.

General

PRINT LABEL: Status of the printing label. Choose ON or OFF.

PRINTER: Printer used for printouts. Choose INTERNAL or EXTERNAL. See Section 2.4.

EXT PRNT COLOR: Color used when an external printer is selected. Choose BLACK & WHITE or COLOR.

EXT PRNT LANGUAGE: Language used when the external printer is selected. Choose HPCL or EPSON.

EXT PRNT #SCRNS/PAGE: The number of screens printed on a page using an external printer. See Section 2.4.7.

RS232 BAUDRATE: Baud rate of the RS232 connection. This is the speed of the connection of the analyzer with a personal computer. The Windows-based pro gram used on the computer end will need to have the same baud rate selection.

Other

AID TYPE: Type of hearing aid being measured. Choose between STANDARD (linear), AGC, and ADAPTIVE AGC. This will affect the delays of pure-tone sweeps as well as some other measurements. See Section 2.3.1.3 for details.

GRAPH SCALING: Scaling used when making measurements. NORMAL scales to the upper-most curve displayed. AUTO scales to the current selected curve.

USER: The selected user mode. See Section 2.2.3 for details.

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General Operation 31

START SCREEN: The screen shown when the analyzer is powered on or the [RESET] button is pressed. COUPLER sets this screen to the Coupler Multicurve screen. OPENING sets this screen to the Opening screen with the Frye logo.

Date/Time

YEAR/MONTH/DAY/HOUR/MINUTE: Current date and time. See Section 2.2.2.

AM/PM/24: Clock setting. Choose between using AM and PM settings or the 24hour clock.

Coupler

RESET SOURCE: The signal type selected in the Coupler screen when the [RESET] button is pushed.

NOISE RED (TONE): Amount of pure-tone noise reduction used in coupler measurements. See Section 2.3.1.2.

NOISE RED (COMP): Amount of composite noise reduction used in coupler measurements. See Section 2.3.2.1.

CURVE LABEL: Label used for the two available “ears.” Choose between LEFT/ RIGHT, and A/B.

BATTERY SIZE: Size of battery used with the hearing aid being tested. Used in battery current measurements.

COUPLER TYPE: The type of coupler being used in making sound chamber measurements. Selections of CIC and MZ turn on corresponding software cor rection factors (see Sections 3.6 and 3.7). A selection of NONE or 2cc does not apply correction factors to the curve.

DISPLAY: Display of the Coupler Multicurve screen. Choose between Gain and SPL.

Real-Ear (Only available with the Real-Ear Option)

RESET SOURCE: The signal type selected in the real-ear measurement screens when the [RESET] button is pushed.

RESET EAR: The ear selected in the real-ear measurement screens when the [RESET] button is pushed.

FIT RULE: The selected real-ear fitting rule, also known as a real-ear target.

REF MIC: Status of the reference microphone during real-ear measurements.

OUTPUT LIMIT: The maximum dB SPL value that the analyzer will allow when taking real-ear measurements. When this value is exceeded, the measure ment will automatically stop and the source will turn off in order to protect the patient.

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32 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

NOISE RED (TONE): Pure-tone noise reduction for real-ear measurements. See Section 2.3.1.2.

NOISE RED (COMP): Composite noise reduction for real-ear measurements. See Section 2.3.2.1.

SMOOTHING: Status of smoothing, which rounds off real-ear curves and removes minor peaks. Turn it ON or OFF.

RECD MODE: Real-ear to coupler difference used in real-ear conversions such as HL to SPL. When set to OFF, the RECD graph and table are removed from the Audiogram Entry Screen, and the average RECD is used. CUSTOM ENTERED will let you enter RECD values previously measured, and CUSTOM MEASURED will let you measure the RECD.

APPROACH: The approach set in the local menu of the Real-Ear Target screen. When set to Gain, the source type of REAR 5 in both the Real-Ear Insertion Gain and Real-Ear SPL screens will be set to the RESET SOURCE type. When set to SPL, the source type of this curve will be set to SHORT. This is done for per forming a real-ear saturation measurement at 90 dB SPL.

UNAIDED: The type of unaided curve used in real-ear measurements. A selection of AVG will set the KEMAR average. A selection of CUSTOM will use the patient’s measured unaided response.

IG DISPLAY: Type of display used in the Insertion Gain screen. Choose between having the lower graph display in gain or SPL (output).

TONE FILTER: The weighting used for pure-tone sweeps in real-ear measure ments. FLAT produces tones at each frequency with the same amount of ampli fication. ANSI and ICRA produce tones with higher amplification at lower fre quencies and lower amplification at higher frequencies, according to the ANSI and ICRA speech weighting, respectively. AUTO uses the ANSI weighting for pure-tone sweeps below 85 dB SPL and the FLAT weighting for sweeps at 85 dB SPL and above. Coupler measurements with pure-tone sweeps are always FLAT weighted.

COMPOSITE FILTER: Wide-band speech weighting used in the Composite and Digital Speech signals. See Section 2.3.2.3.

Tone

See Section 2.3.1.1 for an explanation of all the pure-tone settings.

Tone Test Sequences

ANSI 12 dB DIST: The ANSI standard states that when measuring harmonic dis tortion, if the amplitude of the response curve at the second harmonic is 12 dB greater than the amplitude of the response curve at the distortion frequency, the

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General Operation 33

harmonic distortion measurement should be ignored. Choose ON to apply this rule. Choose OFF to ignore this rule.

ANSI OPTION: Modifications to the ANSI test sequences. VA-CORFIG adds the modification requested by the Veterans Administration of the United States. CIC adds CIC correction factors and is meant to be used with the CIC coupler.

BATTERY MEAS: Status of the battery current measurement. Turn it ON or OFF.

EQUIV NOISE TEST: Status of the equivalent input noise measurement. Turn it ON or OFF.

TELECOIL: Status of the Telecoil measurement. Turn it ON or OFF.

2.3 Source Types

There are two main types of sources available on the 7000 test system: puretone and composite. Four types of pure-tone sweeps are available: long, normal, fast, and short. Two types of composite signals are available: Composite and Digital Speech. The composite signal can have your choice of speech weight ings, including ANSI and ICRA.

The type of signal you should choose for a particular test or type of hearing aid depends upon the situation. Here is a description of each of the source types

and when you would want to use them.

2.3.1 Understanding Pure-tone Signals

A pure-tone sweep is a test involving a progression of pure tone signals presented at a specified level. When the sweep is complete, the aid’s frequency response at those frequencies is displayed on the graph (or data column).

There are four types of pure-tone signals: long, normal, fast, and short.

• LONG: Contains 64 different frequencies and only does one sweep before ending the test.

• NORMAL: Contains 43 different frequencies and only does one sweep before ending the test.

• FAST: Contains 16 different frequencies and continually sweeps through them until you stop the test. The fast sweep is meant to be used as a real-time continuous signal convenient for use while adjusting hearing aids. It is an alternative to the composite signals.

• SHORT: Contains 10 different frequencies and only does one sweep. It is primarily used for testing loud levels in real-ear measurements.

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2.3.1.1 Pure-tone settings

There are several different settings available for pure-tone sweeps. You can change all of them in the Setup menu (see Section 2.2). Some of these settings are also available in local menus. Here is an explanation of the pure-tone set tings.

NOISE RED (TONE): The amount of noise reduction used in pure-tone mea surements. This is set independently for real-ear and coupler measurements. See Section 2.3.1.2.

SWEEP START DELAY: The amount of time the 7000 test system presents the first tone in a pure-tone sweep. See Section 2.3.1.3.

SWEEP MEAS DELAY: The amount of time each subsequent tone is presented before the measurement is made in a pure-tone sweep. See Section 2.3.1.3.

MISC START DELAY: The amount of time the 7000 test system presents the first tone in one of the following measurements: reference test gain measurements (in automated test sequences), averaging, harmonic distortion measure ments, equivalent input noise, and single-frequency telecoil measurements. See Section 2.3.1.3.

MISC MEAS DELAY: The amount of time each subsequent tone is presented before the measurements is made in one of the measurements listed above. See Section 2.3.1.3.

I/O START DELAY: The amount of time the first tone in an I/O sweep is pre sented before the measurement is made. See Section 2.3.1.3.

I/O MEAS DELAY: The amount of time each subsequent tone in an I/O sweep is presented before the measurement is made. See Section 2.3.1.3.

DISTORTION: The type of harmonic distortion measurement made during a pure-tone sweep. See Section 2.3.1.4.

STATIC TONE: A continuous tone (or series of tones) presented in the Coupler screen when a pure-tone sweep, Composite, or Digital Speech signal isn’t run ning. This can be set to SINGLE for a pure-tone signal and AVG for a running three frequency average.

RESET FREQ: The frequency the analyzer returns to when RESET is pressed.

AVG FREQS: The frequencies used for averaging in pure-tone measurements. Each frequency set is represented on the screen by the highest frequency in the set. The sets are:

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General Operation 35

HFA (High Frequency Average) 1000, 1600, 2500 SPA (Special Purpose Average) 800, 1250, SPA 1250, 2000, SPA 1600, 2500, SPA 2000, 3150, IEC–(HAIC) 500, 1000,

2000

3150 4000 5000

2000

2.3.1.2 Noise reduction

Noise reduction is used in noisy testing environments. Pure-tone noise reduction takes several measurements at each frequency and averages those measure ments together. Larger noise reduction numbers lead to smoother curves but increase the amount of time it takes to complete a pure-tone sweep.

For example, if you select “4” as the pure-tone noise reduction setting, 172 mea surements (43 x 4) will be taken with every normal pure-tone sweep.

2.3.1.3 Delay times

The 7000 test system allows you to refine your pure-tone measurements with many different adjustments for delay times. This choice is allowed because some hearing aid circuits take a longer time than others to adjust to changes in amplitude or frequency. If the measurement is made too quickly, an artifact in testing will be created. If the measurement takes too long, the test is longer than necessary.

In determining the length of time needed for a proper measurement, a good rule is to use twice the published attack time of the hearing aid. If you are unsure of the attack time, you can experiment with longer times and shorter times and see if there is any difference in the test results. Linear aids can be tested very quickly, so a delay of 20 msec is usually fine. Other aids are quite variable. See Section 2.3.1.1 for a description of the available delay settings.

The 7000 test system has standard delay times that are determined by the aid type selection. When you set the delay settings to Default, the following delay times will be used:

Measurement Standard AGC Adaptive

SWEEP START

SWEEP MEAS

MISC START

MISC MEAS

I/O START

I/O MEAS

100 ms 500 ms 2000 ms

20 ms 50 ms 100 ms

100 ms 500 ms 2000 ms

20 ms 100 ms 200 ms

100 ms 500 ms 2000 ms

20 ms 100 ms 200 ms

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36 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

In addition to the delays, the aid type will also have an effect on the way some measurements are made. With a selection of ADAPTIVE, the analyzer will throw away the first three measurements of all averaging (including refer ence test gain) and harmonic distortion measurements. This will increase the amount of time it takes for the test, but it should increase the accuracy of the test for adaptive AGC aids.

Note: The “Adaptive” aid type category was created for a specific type of adap tive-AGC aid, such as the model created by Telex.

2.3.1.4 Harmonic distortion

Harmonic distortion occurs when a hearing aid clips the peak of a pure-tone input signal, resulting in artifacts at harmonics (integer multiples) of that input signal. For example, if you present a 500 Hz tone to the hearing aid, distortion artifacts could occur at 1000 Hz and 1500 Hz.

The harmonic distortion measurement is expressed as the percentage of the power of these distortion artifacts to the power of the input signal. All hearing aids will have some amount of distortion.

Usually, the strongest artifacts occur at the second and third harmonics of the frequency. With the 7000 Test System, you can test the amount of distortion available in the second harmonics, the third harmonics, or both harmonics (considered “total harmonic distortion”).

Definitions

2nd Harmonic: Energy of the second harmonic or twice the presented frequency.

3rd Harmonic: Energy of the third harmonic or three times the presented fre quency.

TOTAL: Combined 2nd and 3rd harmonic distortion.

See Section 3.4.7 for instructions on performing the harmonic distortion measurement.

2.3.1.5 Pure-tone Filter

Pure-tone signals are usually flat-weighted. That is, in a pure-tone sweep, each tone usually has the same amplitude as every other tone in the sweep. In con trast, the wideband Composite and Digital Speech signals are usually speechweighted. That is, the lower frequencies of the wideband signals have higher amplitudes than the higher frequencies, simulating the long-term average of speech.

When viewing measurements in output (dB SPL), the weighting of the signal is very important because the signal input is included with the measurement results of the output. This could cause some problems when comparing pure-

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General Operation 37

tone sweeps with speech-weighted Composite or Digital Speech signals. For this reason, we have made it possible to “weight” the real-ear pure-tone sweeps on the 7000 hearing aid test system.

The TONE FILTER selection is available in the Setup Menu under Real-ear set tings and in the local menus of the Real-Ear Insertion Gain and Real-Ear SPL measurements screens. It has the following settings:

• FLAT: Uses a flat weighted signal with equal amplitudes of all the tones in the sweep

• ANSI: Uses the ANSI weighting in the pure-tone sweep

• ICRA: Uses the ICRA weighting in the pure-tone sweep

• AUTO: Uses the ANSI weighting for measurements below 85 dB SPL and the FLAT weighting for measurements at 85 dB SPL and above.

Pure-tone measurements made in the coupler measurement screens are always flat weighted.

2.3.2 Understanding Composite Signals

There are two types of composite signals: Composite and Digital Speech. The Composite signal is a continuous broadband signal containing 79 different fre quencies presented simultaneously. This signal is usually “speech weighted,” which means that the lower frequencies have a higher emphasis than the high er frequencies.

The Composite signal is both a faster and a more realistic signal than a puretone sweep because there is no waiting for a progression of tones to complete, and, like speech, a broad spectrum of frequencies is used simultaneously. The Composite signal updates several times a second.

Digital Speech is an interrupted version of the Composite signal used for test ing high-end digital hearing aids. Many high-end digital aids (though not all) use a technology called “speech enhancement” or “noise reduction.” These aids respond to any continuous signal as if it were noise, and lower the gain at the offending frequencies. Unfortunately, these aids regard the Composite signal or pure-tone sweeps as noise, making them difficult to test using traditional meth ods.

Digital Speech was developed as a way to test these high-end hearing aids. Instead of presenting a continuous signal, it presents an interrupted signal that the aid regards as speech instead of noise.

The Composite and Digital Speech signals can be used with several different types of speech weightings: ANSI, ICRA, and FLAT. Flat is generally only used for specific research purposes—it contains no speech weighting and is difficult for most hearing aid circuits to process. See Section 2.3.2.3 for a discussion of the ANSI and ICRA speech weightings.

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38 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

A significant advantage of using a composite signal is that each frequency present in the signal can be individually controlled in amplitude and phase. As the analyzer goes through the leveling process, each component is adjusted to produce a signal that is optimally accurate at the reference point where the lev eling microphone is located. The 7000 test system is able to equalize the ampli tudes to within 0.25 dB for coupler measurements made with the Composite signal. The spectrum limits are broadened to within 2 dB for real-ear measure

ments.

2.3.2.1 Noise reduction

Composite noise reduction is a little different than pure-tone noise reduction (discussed in Section 2.3.1.2), even though both are used for noisy testing envi ronments.

When a composite signal is running, the analyzer takes several different mea surements a second and displays them on the screen. Composite noise reduc tion performs a “running average” of these composite measurements. This means it averages together several of the previous measurements with the cur rent measurement to produce the next curve. If you select “2X” noise reduc tion, it will average the last two measurements together. A selection of “4X” averages the last four measurements together. When performing composite mea surements, it will take several seconds for the actual noise reduction used to reach the set value. This is due to the nature of the running average.

Larger noise reduction numbers lead to smoother curves but increase the amount of time it takes the analyzer to update its composite measurements.

2.3.2.2 Intermodulation distortion

The composite signals are helpful for identifying intermodulation distortion (IM). IM distortion occurs when amplitudes at more than one frequency in a signal combine to create an amplitude at a frequency not present in the original signal. When viewing a graph run with a composite signal, look for points along the graph where the line “breaks up.” Such an appearance indicates the pres ence of IM distortion. See Figure 2.3.2.2 for an example of IM distortion.

This type of distortion is only apparent when a composite signal source is used because pure-tone sweeps do not present more than one frequency at a time.

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General Operation 39

Figure 2.3.2.2—Example of IM distortion

2.3.2.3 Composite filter

There are two main types of composite filters (also known as “speech weighting”): ICRA and ANSI. They differ in the speech spectrum they use.

The ANSI filter, taken from the ANSI S3.42 standard, rolls off the high frequen cies at a rate of 6 dB per octave, starting with a 3 dB drop at 900 Hz. The ICRA filter uses the ICRA speech spectrum developed by the International Collegium of Rehabilitative Audiology. The ICRA spectrum is based on the Long Term Average Speech Spectrum (LTASS) and rolls off the high frequencies more rap idly than the ANSI spectrum. Figure 2.3.2.3 shows a comparison of the spectra.

In general, we recommend using the ANSI speech weighting for Composite and Digital Speech measurements.

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Figure 2.3.2.3—Comparison of the ICRA shape and the ANSI shape

2.3.2.4 Composite type

There are two types of the traditional Composite signal available on the 7000 test system. They are known as “Standard” and “Chirp.” The two signals differ in the manner that their phase is generated, and this difference has an impact on the crest factor of the signals. The crest factor of a waveform is the ratio of its highest amplitude to its RMS amplitude. Human speech is often referred to as having a 12 dB crest factor.

For the needs of most clinicians, the Standard and Chirp Composite signal are virtually identical.

The Standard Composite signal is composed of 79 different individual frequen cies that are each generated with a random phase pattern that results in the signal having a crest factor of 10 dB, close to the crest factor of human speech. (If the phase components were not randomized or otherwise changed, and if all the signal components were in phase, the crest factor of the signal would increase to over 19 dB.) The Standard Composite signal is the standard signal used on the 6500-CX test system, the predecessor to the 7000.

The Chirp Composite signal is another type of composite signal with a low crest factor. The phase of the individual frequency components of the Chirp Composite signal is determined in a way that makes the signal appear to be pre sented as a “chirp,” or very fast sweep. The Chirp has a crest factor of 6 dB. The

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General Operation 41

Chirp Composite signal is the standard composite signal used on the FP40 and FP35 portable hearing aid test systems.

Although the Standard and Chirp Composite signals sound the same to most people, an analysis tool such as Tempus3D will show the difference between them. Both the Standard and the Chirp Composite signals are further speechweighted to agree with the user-selected composite filter (described in Section

2.3.2.3.)

2.3.2.5 Composite source levels

The Composite signal (and its Digital Speech counterpart) is a complex signal consisting of 79 different frequency components. When you set the source level of a composite signal (50 dB, 60 dB, etc), you are actually setting its overall energy, known as the RMS (root-mean-square) of the signal; you are NOT set ting the amplitude of the individual frequency components.

The actual amplitude of each of frequency of the Composite signal is less than the overall RMS of the signal. See Figure 2.3.2.5 for an example of the ampli tudes of each frequency of the Composite signal with an RMS of 70 dB. Be aware of this difference, especially when viewing frequency response results in overall amplitude of dB SPL.

Figure 2.3.2.5

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42 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

2.3.2.6 Digital Speech technical details

The digital speech signal works by turning the composite signal on for a set period of time, taking a measurement, turning the signal off for a random period of time, and turning the signal back on again. This sequence is repeated until the test ends.

The signal “on” time takes a minimum of 60 milliseconds. This includes the time to turn the signal on, take the measurement, and turn the signal off. Some aids may require an additional delay before the measurement is taken in order to allow their circuits to settle. This additional delay time can be changed in the MISC MEAS delay setting that is available in the local menu of the mea surement screens and in the Setup Menu. The MISC MEAS setting is automati cally adjusted according to the aid type selected. This setting is added to the 60 ms minimum measurement time.

The default settings are:

STANDARD (linear): 20 ms AGC: 100 ms ADAPTIVE: 2000 ms

The signal “off ” time is random between 100 and 300 milliseconds. This time is not controllable by the user.

2.4 Printing

The 7000 test system comes equipped with an internal thermal printer. The thermal printer prints a clear, easy-to-read image of the display. You can also hook up an external printer to print your results on normal office paper. You can use any external printer that supports HP PCL (Hewlett Packard Printer Computer Language) version 3.0 or the Epson ESC/P2 printer language.

2.4.1 Choosing a printer

You can set which printer to use in any local menu. (If you want to set the printer language or whether to print in color or black & white, you will need to use the Setup menu, shown in the next set of instructions.) To choose the

printer in the local menu:

1. Press [MENU] from any measurement screen to open a local menu.

2. Use [∨, ∧] to select Printer under Misc Settings. (You can use the [START] button to skip ahead sections in the local menu.)

3. Use [>] to make your printer selection (INTERNAL or EXTERNAL).

4. Press [EXIT] to return to the measurement screen.

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General Operation 43

To set the default printer, and/or to set the external printer language and color choice, use the Setup menu:

1. Press [MENU] from the Opening screen to open the Setup menu.

2. Use [∨, ∧] to select Printer under General.

3. Use [>] to make your printer selection (INTERNAL or EXTERNAL).

4. Use the arrow keys to make the desired selections for EXT PRNT COLOR and EXT PRNT LANGUAGE, if you are using an external printer.

5. Press [MENU] to close the menu.

6. Press [F8] to save the setting as the user default. This will also save all the other selections in the Setup menu.

7. Press [EXIT] to return to the Opening screen.

2.4.2 Adding a label

A label with your printout allows you to record useful information about the client and hearing aid to go along with the test results. See Figure 2.4.2.

If you are in the middle of a test, and you want to add a label for the printout in the local screen, without changing the default setting:

1. Press [MENU] from the measurement screen to open a local menu.

2. Use [∨, ∧] to select Print Label under Misc Settings. You may want to use the [START] button to skip ahead sections in the local menu.

3. Use [>] to turn the label ON.

4. Press [EXIT] to return to the measurement screen. Any printout will now include a label until your turn off the analyzer.

Figure 2.4.2—Label with printed result

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44 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

If you want to include a label on all printouts by default:

1. Press [MENU] from the Opening screen to enter the Setup menu.

2. Use [∨, ∧] to select Print Label.

3. Use [>] to select ON.

4. Press [MENU] to close the Setup menu.

5. Press [F8] to save the user defaults. This will also save all the other selec tions in the Setup menu.

6. Press [EXIT] to return to the Opening screen.

2.4.3 Using the internal printer

The internal printer of the 7000 test system is straight-forward to use. Make sure the internal printer is selected by following the instructions in the section above. Press [PRINT] to print any displayed screen. Press the [FEED] button to

feed the thermal paper through the printer without printing.

General Information

The following is useful information:

• Raise “Head-Up” lever to the

when the internal printer is not in use for extended periods of time.

• Frequently inspect the printer for any residue or foreign matter, and clean

as required. Paper residue or foreign matter may shorten the life of the thermal printer head or platen.

• The 7000 printer mechanism is equipped with a paper back tension

device. This feature is used to eliminate paper migration from side-toside. If paper migrates too far to one side, the edge or the paper will “krinkle” and cause a paper jam. The white plastic spring-loaded back tension rod located at the back of the printer mechanism provides the required tension onto the outside of the paper roll. No adjustment is required for proper operation.

up position when paper is not loaded, or

Error Messages

In the event that an error occurs when printing with the 7000 analyzer, we’ve included some error codes in the lower right corner of the screen that should help a FONIX technician troubleshoot the problem. This section describes those error codes.

There are two categories of errors that can occur with the 7000 printer: initial ization errors and printing errors. Initialization errors occur only when the 7000 analyzer is first powered up; this also initializes the printer. Here are the printer

initialization error codes:

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General Operation 45

• Init failed 0: No memory available for the converted screen buffer

• Init failed 1: No memory available for the label bitmap

• Init failed 2: Printer driver unresponsive

• Init failed 3: Version number from printer board is unreadable

Errors that occur when actually printing have the following error codes:

• Print failed 0: Switching from internal to external printer failed

• Print failed 1: Copying the label bitmap to the printer board has failed

• Print failed 2: Converting of the screen to printable version has failed

• Print failed 3: Copying the converted screen bitmap to the printer board has failed

• Print failed 4: Preparing to print; printer board is busy

• Disconnected: External printer is disconnected.

• No power: Internal or external printer is not powered.

• Offline External printer is offline.

• Head up: Internal printer has head raised.

If you are having a problem with the 7000 printer, contact the factory (Section

1.7.4) and be ready to provide the Frye technician with the error code. The printer software version, available in the help menu of the Opening screen, will

also be helpful.

2.4.4 Loading the thermal paper

Please read the entire instructions before loading paper. Refer to Fig. 2.4.4A for printer features.

Step I: Installing the paper into the printer assembly

1. Open the printer door.

2. Remove the white plastic paper roller from the printer mechanism. If you are replacing an empty paper roll, remove and discard the paper spool from the printer mechanism, but do not discard the plastic roller. The springloaded (white plastic) back tension rod, located directly behind the paper roller is not a removable part.

3. Insert the plastic roller into a new paper roll.

4. Install the plastic roller and paper roll into the printer mechanism, with paper feeding from the top of the roll. The paper roller will fit into the slots on the left and right side of the printer mechanism. The paper roller should drop into position without additional adjustment.

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46 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

Figure 2.4.4A—The internal printer

Step II: Loading paper into the printer

1. Turn on the instrument.

2. Place the Head-Up lever into the

3. Unroll approximately six inches of paper from the roll, and insert the paper’s leading edge into the bottom of the printer, directly behind the rub ber roller. See Fig. 2.4.4C.

up position. See Fig. 2.4.4B.

Figure 2.4.4B—Head-Up lever in up position.

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General Operation 47

Figure 2.4.4C—Loading paper into the printer

4. While holding the paper in place behind the rubber roller, manually turn the thumbwheel to advance the paper approximately one inch. Never press

the [FEED] button while the Head-Up lever is in the

up position. See Note 2

at the end of this section.

5. Center the paper on the rubber roller. Visually inspect the paper path to ensure that the paper advances smoothly without hitting the edges of the printer. If necessary, manually pull on the end of the paper until the paper is centered and does not hit the edges of the printer.

6. Place the Head-Up lever into the

down position.

7. Please read the caution note below before proceeding.

Press the [FEED] button to advance the paper. Continue pressing it until the

paper advances smoothly. The back tension device should automatically correct a misaligned paper feed.

If the paper is not aligned properly, it may “krinkle” on one edge. If the

paper continues to krinkle after feeding 12 inches, place the Head-Up lever into the

up position and repeat steps 5 thought 6.

CAUTION—Do not allow the paper to feed back into the rubber roller. It

may be necessary to use your fingers to guide paper out and away from the rubber roller. If the paper has a severe curl, it may have a tendency to roll back under the rubber roller and cause a paper jam. If this occurs, stop feed ing the paper immediately, remove it from the roller, and reload the paper.

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48 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

8. Tear off excess paper by pulling the paper against the thermal head at approximately a 45º angle.

9. Close the printer door. Press the [FEED] button to advance the paper through the printer door slot. You can tear off excess paper by pulling it upward against the tear strip (on top of the pritner door opening) at approximately a 45º angle. You are now ready to print.

Note 1: Whenever the printer door is opened, you will need to repeat steps 8 and 9. Closing the printer door without tearing the paper at the thermal head

can cause a paper jam, which can damage the printer.

Note 2: If the [FEED] or [PRINT] button is pressed while the Head-Up lever is in up or middle position, the printer may fail to respond to all subsequent key commands, even when the lever is returned to will be necessary to power off the instrument and restart.

2.4.5 Unloading a partial roll of paper

1. Place the Head-Up lever in the up positon.

2. Use the thumbwheel to unwind the paper from behind the rubber roller.

down position. If this happens, it

3. Push the roll of paper back and up, then lift out.

2.4.6 Using an external printer

You can hook up an external printer to your 7000 test system to print your results on normal office paper. This eliminates the problem of fading associated with thermal printouts, and often makes it easier to store your test results.

You can use any external printer that supports HP PCL (Hewlett Packard Printer Control Language) version 3.0 or the Epson printer language ESC/P2. The print er should have a parallel interface. We keep a list of printers that work with our analyzer on our website:

http://www.frye.com/products/analyzers/exprinter.html.

1. Unplug the 7000 test system and the external printer from any power source.

2. Connect a standard printer cable to the external printer.

3. Connect the other end of the cable to the connector labeled PRINTER on the back of the main module of the 7000 test system.

4. Plug the 7000 test system and the external printer into their respective power sources.

5. Follow the directions found in Section 2.4.1 to select the external printer in the 7000 software. If you want to set the printer language or whether to print in color or black & white, you will need to use the Setup menu.

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2.4.7 Putting multiple screens on a page

When printing with an external printer, it is possible to save paper by putting two screen prints on one piece of paper. This is done by printing the first screen on one half of the paper and leaving the paper halfway through the external printer until you choose to print the second screen. To do this:

1. Press [MENU] in the Opening screen to open the Setup menu.

2. Change Ext Prnt #Scrns/Page under General to 2. Make sure Printer is set to External.

3. Press [EXIT] to return to the Opening screen.

4. Go to the screen you want to print on the first half of the page.

5. Press [PRINT] to print the screen onto the first half of the paper. The paper will remain halfway through the external printer.

6. Go to the screen you want to print on the second half of the paper, or run another test.

7. Press [PRINT] to print the second screen and feed the paper the rest of the way through the printer.

Note: if you decide you don’t want to take a second screen shot, press

[FEED] to feed the second half of the paper through the external pritner without printing.

2.5 Display & Data

This section describes the Curve Characteristics Box that is common to every measurement screen, and the data display that shows the numerical data of the

response curves in the Coupler screen and the real-ear measurement screens.

2.5.1 Viewing the Curve Characteristics Box

Each measurement screen has a Curve Characteristics Box that tells you different information about each measured curve. It has several different columns of data: Curve Name, Curve Title (real-ear only), Source Type, Source Transducer, Source Amplitude, RMS Out, Correction Factors (COR, coupler only), and NR (Noise Reduction). Figure 2.5.1 shows an example.

Figure 2.5.1—Curve Characteristics Box

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50 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

Curve Name: This identifies the name of each curve. The first letter is derived from its measurement type—coupler (C) or probe (P). The second letter is derived from its ear—left (L) or right (R). (Coupler curves can also be labeled A and B.) The third letter is the number of the curve. CR1 is the first coupler curve for the right ear. PL2 is the second probe curve for the left ear.

Curve Title: This identifies the title of the real-ear curve. It is only available in the real-ear measurement screens. Here are the possible titles: REUR (real-ear unaided response), REAR (real-ear aided response), REIG (real-ear insertion gain), TARG (real-ear target), HTL (hearing threshold level), UCL (uncomfortable level).

Source Type: This identifies the type of source used to make the curve. Each curve is identified by three letters.

First letter: C = Composite

P = Pure-tone D = Digital Speech

Second letter:

For pure-tone:

N = Normal pure-tone F = Fast pure-tone S = Short pure-tone

For Composite or Digital Speech:

W = Weighted composite

F = Flat weighted S = Spectrum

Third letter:

P = SPL measurement (power) G = Gain measurement

Note: When it’s possible to toggle between Gain and SPL in the local menu, the 7000 test system will convert most curves back and forth between the two for mats.

Source Transducer: This identifies the transducer used to make the measure ment. “Chamb” means sound chamber. “S.F.” means sound field. “Tcoil” refers to a telecoil board or telewand transducer.

Source Amplitude: This identifies the amplitude of the signal used to make the curve.

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RMS Out: The root-mean-square of the measured curve.

Correction Factors (COR): The coupler correction factors used to make the mea

surement. Coupler screen only.

Noise Reduction: The noise reduction used to make the measurement. See Sections 2.3.1.2 and 2.3.2.1.

Lastly, just to the right of the Curve Name column, the 7000 test system uses symbols to describe the display status of the curves. Here is the legend for those symbols:

≡ Curve is completely on the graph

• Curve is measured but turned off

↓ Curve is partially off the bottom of the graph

↑ Curve is partially off the top of the graph

▲ Curve is on, but is out of view above the graph

▼ Curve is on but is out of view below the graph

Curve is partially off the graph in both directions

2.5.2 Viewing numerical data

You can display the numerical data of the response curves made in the Coupler screen and the real-ear measurement screens.

To display numerical data:

1. Press [MENU] from the Coupler screen or real-ear measurement screen.

2. Select Data/Graph using [∨, ∧

3. Use [<, >] to select DATA.*

4. Press [EXIT] to return to the measurement screen.

5. Use [F2] to select the curve that you want to show. See Figure 2.5.2 for an example of the data display of a composite curve.

* Unlike the other measurement screens, the Insertion Gain screen offers the following selections: AIDED DATA and IG DATA. A selection of AIDED DATA will display the data from the aided curves that are normally displayed on the lower graph of the screen. A selection of IG DATA will display the data from the insertion gain curves that are normally displayed on the upper graph of the

screen.

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52 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

Figure 2.5.2—Data display of a composite measurement

2.6 Computer Connection

The 7000 test system is equipped with an RS232 connection that will allow you to connect to a personal computer and exchange data. You will also need a software program, such as WinCHAP, on your Windows computer that can com municate with the analyzer. It is possible to make your own program using the

FRYERS protocol.

2.7 Remote Module

The remote module is a way of operating the 7000 away from the main module itself. This is especially helpful for performing real-ear measurements.

The keys of the remote module are a sub-set of the keys of the front panel of the main module. This means all functions performed with the remote module can also be performed in the same way with the front panel.

Since there are only five function keys on the remote module and eight function keys on the main module, there will be some operations, particularly in coupler mode, that will only be able to be performed with the front panel and its extra three function keys. However, we have made a special effort to ensure all realear functions can be performed with the remote module, allowing you to step away from the main module during the measurement process and make any necessary adjustments to your client and testing situation.

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Figure 2.7—Remote Module

2.8 Leveling

Leveling is the process by which the response of the sound chamber or sound field is measured and computer-corrected so that a flat sound field is achieved. Sound chamber leveling can be saved into permanent memory, but sound field leveling for real-ear measurements must be done for every patient and every ear. See Section 3.2.1 and Section 6.2.4 for instructions on how to perform coupler and real-ear leveling, respectively.

Here are some technical details on the leveling status messages.

• UNLEVELED: Leveling has not been attempted and sound is uncorrected.

• LEVEL_ERROR or LEVEL_FAILED: An error happened during leveling

and source is uncorrected.

• LEVELED: Leveling has been achieved within ± 0.25 dB between 260–

6000 Hz and ± 0.5 outside that frequency range for sound chamber level ing or within ± 1 dB between 260–6000 Hz and ± 2 dB outside that fre quency range for real-ear leveling.

• SEMI_LEVELED: Leveling has been achieved between ± 0.25 dB and ±

0.5 dB between 260–6000 Hz and between ± 0.5 and ± 1.5 dB outside that frequency range for sound chamber leveling or between ± 1 dB and ± 2 dB between 260–6000 Hz and between ± 2 dB and ± 6 dB outside that frequency range for real-ear leveling.

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54 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

• WEAK_LEVELED: Tolerances are the same as SEMI-LEVELED but the max imum output for the speaker is less than 100 dB for coupler measurements or 80 dB for real-ear measurements. To achieve a louder signal, the speaker needs to be moved closer to the analyzer microphone and re-leveled.

If a leveling error occurs during sound chamber leveling, check the connections of the sound chamber and the microphone, and make sure that you are getting noise out of your sound chamber. If those connections are good, your microphone is probably in need of calibration or it is damaged. It is also possible that your sound chamber speaker is damaged, but this is a much less common problem.

If you are having problems leveling the sound field speaker for real-ear measure ments, check the connections of the microphones, remote module, and sound field speaker. If you have been able to successfully level the sound field speaker in the past, the most likely problem is the reference microphone needs calibration or is damaged, although sound field speakers have also been known to go bad.

Sound field leveling, however, is more prone to user error than sound chamber leveling. Make sure the sound field speaker isn’t pointed at a wall or other sur face that may cause the sound field to bounce and interfere with the leveling process (and measurements). The client should be 12-15 inches from the speak er; try moving him closer and see if that helps. For troubleshooting purposes, try leveling the sound field speaker by holding the microphone 6 inches from the speaker. If the sound field levels with this technique, then you probably have a positioning problem instead of a hardware problem. (This technique should NOT be used for leveling for actual real-ear measurements.)

Contact the factory or your local FONIX distributor if you continue to have prob lems with leveling.

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Basic Sound Chamber Tests

In the Coupler screen, you can view measurement curves in dB SPL or dB Gain, and run them with Composite, Digital Speech, or pure-tone signals. You can dis play up to 10 curves on the Coupler screen at the same time.

From the Opening screen of the 7000 test system, enter the Coupler screen by pressing [F1].

The Coupler Multicurve screen can be set as the screen that appears when the 7000 test system is powered or the [RESET] button is pressed. See Section 2.2.1 and 2.2.4 (Other sub-section) for details.

3.1 The Coupler Screen Display

The display of the Main Coupler Screen varies depending upon whether you have chosen a pure-tone source or a composite (including Digital Speech) source.

3.1.1 Viewing a Pure-tone Display

Figure 3.1.1—Coupler Screen with pure-tone source

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Refer to Figure 3.1.1 for the following explanation of the graphical display:

1. Type of display. This will be either dB SPL (coupler output) or dB Gain (cou pler gain).

2. Selected ear.

3. Curve Characteristics box. See Section 2.5.1 for more details.

4. Signal type and leveling status.

5. Selected noise reduction.

6. Maximum output and three-frequency average of the selected curve.

7. Source Signal Statistics Box. Displays the source amplitude, frequency, dis tortion, and output/gain.

3.1.2 Viewing a Composite Display

Figure 3.1.2—Coupler screen with a Composite source

Refer to Figure 3.1.2 for the following explanation of the graphical display:

1. Type of display. This will be either dB SPL (coupler output) or dB Gain (cou pler gain).

2. Selected ear.

3. Curve Characteristics box. See Section 2.5.1 for more details.

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4. Signal type, speech weighting, leveling status, and bias status (Digital Speech only).

5. Selected noise reduction.

6. Source Signal Statistics Box. Displays the source amplitude.

3.2 The Leveling Process

Leveling is the process by which the response of the sound chamber is measured and computer-corrected so that a “flat” sound field is achieved. The level ing status can be saved into the 7000 test system’s permanent memory so that you don’t have to level the analyzer every time you turn it on. However, if you get your analyzer calibrated, or if you get a software upgrade, you should always level the chamber again (and save the leveling).

To double-check the leveling status of the analyzer, place the microphone in the sound chamber at the reference point by itself and run a composite frequency response (see Section 3.4.2). You should get a smooth, flat curve.

If you are getting bad coupler frequency responses that you suspect are the fault of the analyzer, rather than the fault of the hearing aid, the first step of trouble shooting is to level the sound chamber. Even if the screen says LEVELED, the response of the measurement microphone may have altered since the analyzer was last leveled, invalidating the leveling. When in doubt, level the sound chamber again.

See Section 2.8 for details on the leveling status and troubleshooting the level ing process.

3.2.1 Leveling the sound chamber

To level the sound chamber:

1. IMPORTANT: Be sure nothing is plugged into the battery voltage supply.

2. Place the microphone on the left side of the sound chamber, with the micro phone grill over the reference point (Figure 3.2.1). Close and latch the sound chamber lid.

Warning: Leveling is valid only when the microphone position is not

changed after leveling. Each significant change in microphone location requires new leveling.

3. Press [F1] to enter the Coupler screen.

4. Press [LEVEL] to start the leveling sequence. The system responds by pre senting a complex composite signal consisting of tones from 100 to 8000 Hz. It measures the signal and stores correction factors, so that the sound field is flat for testing.

5. Look at the display. After a few seconds, the video monitor should display a “Leveled” message under the Curve Characteristics box. If the 7000 doesn’t level, it could be an indication that your microphone needs to be calibrated or replaced.

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Figure 3.2.1—Leveling the sound chamber

Note: See Section 5.1.1 for the ANSI standardized leveling procedures.

3.2.2 Removing the leveling of the sound chamber:

In some instances, you may want to look at the response of the sound chamber without the benefit of leveling. In order to do this, you will need to remove the leveling of the sound chamber. To do this:

1. Disconnect the microphone or the sound chamber.

2. Push the [LEVEL] button. The leveling will be removed. If you don’t save this new unleveled status, the analyzer will revert to its leveled status after it has been turned off and on again.

3.2.3 Saving the leveling information

To save the sound chamber leveling so that you won’t have to re-level the sound chamber the next time the analyzer is turned on:

1. Follow the instructions in Section 3.2.1 to level the sound chamber.

2. Press [MENU] from the Opening screen. This will open the Setup menu.

3. Press [F5] to save the chamber leveling.

4. Press [EXIT] to return to the Opening screen.

3.3 Hearing Aid Setup

Coupler types and methods for attaching them to hearing aids are described in this chapter. This includes a description of the HA-1 coupler, HA-2 coupler, and the ear-level adapter (used with the HA-2 coupler).

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Basic Sound Chamber Tests 59

OUTER O-RING

INNER O-RING

MICROPHONE

O-RING

0.4" (10 mm)

NUB CONNECTS TO TOP OF HA-2 COUPLER

3.3.1 Explaining the Coupler Types

The HA-1 direct access coupler is used to test in-the-ear and canal aids, and aids with molds connected. Figure 3.3.1B shows the direct access coupler. The sound bore of the aid is sealed directly to the 2-cc cavity of this coupler with Fun-Tak putty, provided with the instrument.

The HA-2 coupler approximates the human ear with an earmold attached. See Figure 3.3.1A. Note the tube that simulates the earmold. Button-type receivers connect directly to this coupler. Behind-the-Ear (BTE) hearing aids connect to this coupler by means of an ear-level adapter, as shown in Figures 3.3.1C.

Figure 3.3.1A Figure 3.3.1B Standard 2-cc Coupler (HA-2) Direct access coupler (HA-1)

Figure 3.3.1C—Ear-level Adapter (used with HA-2)

The length and thickness of the tubing of the ear-level adapter can have a significant effect on the frequency response of an aid. If an aid is being compared against the manufacturer’s specifications, the tubing should be carefully chosen

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60 FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Analyzer

to duplicate that used by the manufacturer to obtain the original data. For ANSI tests, use #13 thick-walled tubing with a length of 0.4 inches (10 mm). When cutting tubing to length, leave extra space at each end to go around the nubs of the ear-level adapter and the hearing aid hook.

Both the HA-1 and the HA-2 couplers have an O-ring located deep within them that reduces pressure on the inserted microphone, thereby reducing damage to the microphone. When inserting the microphone into the coupler, you will feel a point of resistance when the microphone reaches the O-ring. You must contin ue to push the microphone into the coupler past that first resistance or incorrect data will be collected.

3.3.2 In-The-Ear (ITE) and Canal Aids

1. Roll the Fun-Tak, provided with each instrument, into a rod long enough to go around the transmitting end of the aid (approximately 2 inches). (Modeling clay can also be used, but it doesn’t work as well.)

2. Bend the Fun-Tak rod around the canal of the aid, making the result ing “donut” flush with the end of the aid. (Some users choose to seal the vent opening at this end with a small amount of Fun-Tak.)

3. Align the sound opening of the aid to the hole at the conical end of the coupler. Look through the open end of the coupler to be sure the sound opening of the aid is clear of obstruc tions and correctly placed.

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Basic Sound Chamber Tests 61

4. Seal any vent on the aid with a small kernel of Fun-Tak.

5. Complete the acoustical sealing of the aid to the coupler by using a pencil or finger. You may want to dou ble-check the aid placement through the open end of the coupler at this point. Slowly reinsert the coupler microphone into its access opening.

6. Place the completed assembly at the reference position in the test cham ber. With ITEs, the position of the aid can affect the frequency response. As a rule, point the faceplate of the aid toward the right, with the micro phone opening as close as possible to the reference circle. It is best, when possible, to angle the faceplate upward instead of downward (see the photo at left).

For the sake of repeatability, you may

elect to use a ninety degree angle of the faceplate to the reference circle, again with the microphone opening as close as possible to the reference circle. If you are using a battery pill, be sure the metal conductor strip does not obstruct the sound path.

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3.3.3 Behind-The-Ear (BTE) Aids

1. Insert the coupler microphone into the HA-2 2-cc coupler.

2. Couple the aid to the HA-2 coupler using the ear-level adapter. There should be 0.4 inches (10 mm) of tubing between the nub of the ear-level adapter and the nub of the coupler adapter. See Figure 3.3.1-C.

3. Place the microphone of the hearing aid at the reference point in the cham ber, as shown in Figure 3.3.3.

4. Close the lid and test as desired.

Figure 3.3.3—Behind-the-Ear Aid with Ear-level Adapter

3.3.4 Open-Ear Hearing Aids

“Open-ear” style hearing aids have boomed in popularity over the past couple of years. Unfortunately, the ANSI standards have not yet caught up with them. At the moment, there is no standardized method of performing a coupler mea surement on an open-ear style hearing aid. Hearing aid manufacturers have independently developed different mechanisms for attaching an open-ear hear ing aid to an HA-1 or HA-2 coupler. One such device, pictured in Figure 3.3.4A, is attached to the speaker unit of the open-ear hearing aid and to the tubing of an HA-2 coupler. Other connecting devices consist of a plate that attaches to an HA-1 coupler.

To perform a coupler measurement to the ANSI S3.22 standard, we recommend using Fun-Tak to connect the speaker unit of the open-ear hearing aid to an HA-1 coupler, as pictured in Figure 3.3.4B. We believe that the HA-1 coupler is better than the HA-2 coupler for open-ear hearing aids because, unlike the BTE aids for which the HA-2 was designed, open-ear hearing aids are not attached to an ear mold.

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We have also developed a non-standard coupler for open-ear hearing aids. It has two design purposes: 1) To make an convenient connection between the hearing aid and the coupler, and 2) To provide a more real-ear like frequency response than is possible with an HA-1 or HA-2 coupler. Figure 3.3.4C shows a picture of the open-ear coupler with an attached hearing aid.

Figure 3.3.4A—HA-2 Coupler Figure 3.3.4B—HA-1 Coupler

Figure 3.3.4C—Open-ear coupler

Figure 3.3.4D contains an example of a comparison of an open-ear hearing aid tested with an open-ear coupler (Curve 1), an HA-1 coupler attached to the open-ear hearing aid with Fun-Tak (Curve 2), and an HA-2 coupler with an open-ear attachment (Curve 3). The dark line (Curve 4) in the graph represents the KEMAR real-ear gain response of the hearing aid. As illustrated, the openear coupler provides the measurement most like the real-ear response of the hearing aid.

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Figure 3.3.4D—Comparison of couplers with open-ear hearing aid. Curve 1 was measured using the Open Ear coupler, Curve 2 with an HA-1 coupler, Curve 3 with an HA-2 coupler, and Curve 4 is the KEMAR real-ear response.

3.3.5 Body Aids

1. Insert the coupler microphone into the HA-2 coupler. (The most consistent results for body aids can be obtained by locating the 2-cc coupler outside the test chamber, preferably on a foam pad to isolate it from vibration.)

2. Snap the earphone (receiver) of the body aid onto the 1/4" recessed-end of the coupler (Figure 3.3.5A).

3. Place the aid in the test chamber with its microphone opening as close to the reference point as possible. See Figure 3.3.5B.

4. Turn the gain (volume) control to the desired setting and set the switch for microphone operation (not telephone coil or “T”).

5. Close the lid and test as desired. (The aid’s cord will not be damaged by closing and latching the test chamber lid.)

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Figure 3.3.5A—Coupler setup Figure 3.3.5B—Body Aid in test chamber

3.3.6 Eyeglass Aids

1. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for removing the hearing aid assembly or the temple piece from the eyeglass frame, if possible. Should you be unable to remove the aid assembly or temple from the frame, it is possible to place the entire frame in the test chamber for testing. Be sure to fold the glasses first.

2. Insert the coupler microphone into the HA-2 coupler.

3. Couple the aid to the 2-cc coupler using the BTE aid adapter and the appro priate tubing, as shown in Figure 3.3.6.

The length and thickness of the tubing have a significant effect on the fre

quency response of an aid, especially in the 500 to 1000 Hz region. If an aid is being compared against the manufacturer’s specifications, the tubing should be carefully chosen to duplicate that used by the manufacturer to obtain the original data. For ANSI tests, use 0.6" (15 mm) of #13 thickwalled tubing (exposed portion).

4. Position the microphone of the aid as close as possible to the reference point in the test chamber, as shown in Figure 3.3.6.

5. Close the lid, if possible, and then test as desired. If the lid can’t be closed, measurements can be made with the lid open. But we recommend that you first re-level the chamber with the lid open, and use the quietest possible location.

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Figure 3.3.6—Eyeglass Aid Set-up

3.3.7 Wireless CROS and BICROS Aids

The key to testing these aids is to get the proper amount of separation between the transmitter and the receiver. This separation may be vertical. The transmit ter may be in the chamber while the receiver is on top of it.

If you are using a CRT monitor, it may be necessary to turn it off while testing these aids, because CRT monitors create magnetic fields which may interfere with testing. Either turn the monitor back on to view results, or push [PRINT] to print. LCD monitors should not cause interference.

Wireless CROS

A CROS (Contra-lateral Routing of Signal) aid consists of a transmitter and a receiver so that sound received on one side of the head can be transmitted to the other side without a wire connection. You can test these units in the test chamber of the FONIX 7000 Test System. See Figure 3.3.7.

1. Place the microphone of the transmitter at the reference point in the test chamber. Turn on the transmitter.

2. Close the lid of the test chamber.

3. Check the specification sheet of the aid under test to determine how far apart to place the transmitter and the receiver. About 6" (15 cm) is usually sufficient.

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Receiver/Coupler Assembly located parallel to Transmitter, at specified distance (d ) (see manuf. specs).

Place foam under assembly if necessary to achieve specified distance “d.”

ansmitter located

at Reference Point

Figure 3.3.7—Testing Wireless CROS Hearing Aids

4. Place the receiver on top of the lid of the test chamber. The total depth of the lid of the test chamber is about 5 ½ inches (14 cm). To increase the total separation, place foam on the top of the test chamber until the total separa tion equals that recommended by the aid manufacturer.

5. Attach the coupler to the receiver just as you would for an ordinary BTE or eyeglass aid.

6. Align the receiver and coupler assembly on the top of the test chamber so that the receiver is exactly parallel to the transmitter in the test chamber.

7. Test as you would any ordinary hearing aid.

Wireless BICROS

BICROS systems have two microphones: one on the transmitter side and the other on the receiver side.

1. Test the receiver side as an ordinary hearing aid first.

2. Arrange the transmitter parallel to the receiver, but as far as possible from it while still in the chamber. You may have to unscrew the ear hooks onequarter turn to accomplish this. Fun-Tak may help to keep the units in posi tion, but be careful not to obstruct the sound paths to the microphones.

3. Test the hearing aid again. Adding the transmitter should increase the gain by the amount specified by the manufacturer. It is not possible to get exact measurements by this measure because at least one of the microphones will not be at the reference point.

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Additional Notes for Testing Wireless Instruments

1. There must not be any metal objects between the transmitter and the receiv er sides.

2. The two sides must be directly parallel as illustrated (See Figure 3.3.7).

3. The distance between the two sides should be as specified by the manufac turer.

THE GAIN OF THE AID INCREASES AS THE TRANSMITTER AND

RECEIVER MOVE CLOSER TO EACH OTHER. EVENTUALLY, THE RECEIVER WILL OVERLOAD.

4. No other wireless CROS/BICROS/MultiCROS transmitters are to be turned on near the test box.

5. Calculators should be kept at least a foot (300 mm) from the test box.

3.3.8 Wire-Type CROS and BICROS aids

CROS

CROS aids are similar to ordinary hearing aids, except that the microphone and amplifier are separate units connected by a wire. Both units may be placed inside the test chamber during testing.

1. Place the orifice of the microphone unit at the reference position in the test chamber.

2. Connect the amplifier unit to the appropriate 2-cc coupler. (See earlier sec tions for details.)

3. Place the coupler with the amplifier unit at the left side of the test area.

4. Test as desired.

BICROS

Test wire-type BICROS aids just as you would wireless BICROS aids, except instead of separating the two units and keeping them parallel, place both units as close as possible to one another with the microphone openings as close as possible to the reference circle. (Otherwise, follow the steps given in Section

3.3.7 for BICROS aids.)

3.4 Basic Measurements

In the Coupler screen of the 7000 analyzer, you can perform the following measurements: response curves, single-frequency measurements, three-frequency averages, harmonic distortion, and intermodulation distortion.

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3.4.1 Signal Types

The following signal types are available:

DIGITAL SPEECH—A randomly interrupted composite signal designed to mimic speech. This signal is for use with hearing aids with a “noise reduc tion” or “speech enhancing” feature that lowers the gain of the aid in the presence of a continuous signal (such as the regular composite signal).

COMPOSITE—A continuous real-time, speech-weighted signal made up of 79 different frequencies. The composite signal gives you the advantage of seeing how an aid responds to noise that more closely simulates speech, and it lets you see immediately how the aid responds to any change in the amplitude of the signal.

TONE LONG—A detailed frequency response curve that gives you infor mation on the amplification of 64 different pure-tone frequencies between 200 and 8000 Hz

TONE NORMAL—A detailed frequency response curve that gives you information on the amplification of 43 different pure-tone frequencies between 200 and 8000 Hz.

TONE FAST—A continuous pure-tone sweep that takes measurements at 16 different frequencies between 200 and 8000 Hz.

TONE SHORT—A single pure-tone sweep of 10 different frequencies.

3.4.2 Running a Test Curve

1. Press [MENU] to make any necessary selections. See Section 3.9 for details on available menu selections.

2. Set up the aid in the sound chamber as described in Section 3.3 and level if necessary.

3. Select signal type with [F5]. (Press [F5]. Use [∨, ∧] to select the desired sig nal type. Press [>] to complete the selection and close the pop-up menu.) See Section 3.4.1 for details on signal types.

4. Press [START] to initiate the frequency sweep. If you are using the LONG, NORMAL, or SHORT selections, the test will stop when the sweep is com plete. The COMPOSITE, DIG SPEECH, and FAST signals are continuous, making it necessary to press [STOP] when you want the signal to stop.

5. Use [F2] to select the next curve to be measured.

6. Repeat steps 3-5 to take additional measurements.

Figure 3.4.2 shows a completed normal pure-tone sweep.

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Figure 3.4.2—Pure-tone measurement

3.4.3 Example

Following the instructions above, run 4 Gain curves using amplitudes 50, 60, 70, and 80 dB SPL. Use a signal source of COMPOSITE.

This scenario will provide you with a family of curves. Whenever the curves sit on top of each other, the gain of the aid is the same for the amplitudes of those curves. This indicates the aid is running linearly. If the curves provide progres sively less gain as the input rises, then the aid has some sort of compression circuit. Figure 3.4.3 shows two examples of this scenario.

Here are the steps:

1. Look at the graph. If it has a display of SPL, press [MENU] and change the DISPLAY from SPL to GAIN, using the arrow keys. Press [EXIT] to return to the Coupler screen.

2. Use [F2] to select CRV 1. (Press [F2]. Use [∨, ∧] to select CRV1. Press [>] to complete the selection and close the pop-up window.)

3. Use [∨, ∧] to select a source level of 50 dB SPL.

4. Use [F5] to select a source type of COMPOSITE.

5. Press [START] to run the first measurement. Press [STOP] when the mea surement has stabilized.

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6. Use [F2] to select CRV 2.

7. Use [

∧] to select a source level of 60 dB SPL.

8. Press [START] to run the second measurement. Press [STOP] when the mea surement has stabilized.

9. Use [F2] to select CRV 3.

10. Use [

∧] to select a source level of 70 dB SPL.

11. Press [START] to run the third measurement. Press [STOP] when the mea surement has stabilized.

12. Use [F2] to select CRV 4.

13. Use [

∧] to select a source level of 80 dB SPL.

14. Press [START] to run the fourth measurement. Press [STOP] when the mea surement has stabilized. You now have a family of curves.

Figure 3.4.3A—Family of curves. Notice how all the curves are on top of each other. This aid has very little compression between 50 dB and 80 dB SPL.

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Figure 3.4.3B—Family of curves. Notice how the curves show less gain as the amplitude

increases. This aid shows a great deal of compression between 50 dB and 80 dB.

3.4.4 Deleting measurements and settings

Use the [F4] key to permanently delete measurement curves. When you press it, there are four possible selections:

• Selected Curve: Delete only the selected curve, but keep the curve selec tions (usually source type and level).

• Sel Curve & Settings: Delete selected curve and return curve to analyzer default setting.

• All Curves: Delete all curves, but keep the curve selections.

• All Curves & Settings: Delete all curves and return them all to analyzer default settings.

To delete a curve:

1. Press [F4].

2. Use [∨, ∧] to make the desired deletion type.

3. Press [>] to perform the deletion and close the pop-up menu.

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3.4.5 Running a Single Frequency Measurement

At times, you may want to find out what the frequency response of the hearing aid is to a single pure-tone signal. See Figure 3.4.5.

1. Press [MENU] from the Coupler screen.

2. Use [∨, ∧] to select Static Tone under Source Settings.

3. Use [<, >] to choose SINGLE.

4. Press [EXIT] to return to the Coupler screen. The single tone will automati cally be running.

5. Adjust the frequency using the [<, >] buttons. Adjust the amplitude using the [

∧,∨] buttons.

Figure 3.4.5—Measuring a single frequency

3.4.6 Running a Three-Frequency Average

The ANSI standard includes some three frequency average tests. You can run a three frequency average test (apart from the test sequence) in the Coupler screen. See Figure 3.4.6. To do this:

1. Press [MENU] from the Coupler screen.

2. Use [∨, ∧] to select Static Tone under Source Settings.

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3. Use [<, >] to choose AVERAGE.

4. Use [∨, ∧] to select Avg Freqs under Aid Settings.

5. Use [<, >] to choose the highest frequency of the three frequency average. See Section 2.3.1.1 for a complete list of frequencies.

6. Press [EXIT] to return to the Coupler screen. The three frequency average will automatically be running.

7. Adjust the amplitude using the [

∧,∨] buttons.

Figure 3.4.6—Measuring a three frequency average

3.4.7 Measuring Harmonic Distortion

Harmonic distortion is when the hearing aid returns energy at frequencies not present in the source signal. The 7000 analyzer allows you test for this phe nomenon very easily.

1. Press [MENU] from the Coupler screen.

2. Select Distortion under Measurement Settings using the [∨, ∧] buttons.

3. Select the distortion type desired by using the [<, >] buttons.

The selections are:

2ND: Distortion present at the second harmonics, or twice the presented frequency.

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3RD: Distortion present at the third harmonics, or three times the presented frequency.

TOTAL: Distortion present at the second and third harmonics.

4. Press [EXIT].

5. Use [F5] to select a signal type of TONE NORMAL. (Press [F5]. Use [∨, ∧

] to select TONE NORMAL. Use [>] to complete the selection and close the pop-up menu.)

6. Press [START] to run normal frequency sweep.

After running a normal sweep, the harmonic distortion data will appear on the measurement graph as a series of red bars. The scale for the bars is on the right side of the graph

In general, you should ignore the harmonic distortion measurement when the amplitude of the response curve measurement at the second harmonic is more than 12 dB greater than the amplitude at the first harmonic. This is called the

12 dB rule and is part of the ANSI S3.22 standard.

Figure 3.4.7—Measuring Harmonic Distortion

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3.4.8 Intermodulation Distortion

The composite signal is helpful for identifying intermodulation distortion (IM), a type of distortion that sometimes occurs in a hearing aid response.

IM distortion occurs when more than one frequency is present in the source signal and those frequencies combine to create new frequencies not actually present in the source. IM distortion is disturbing to the client, often more so than harmonic distortion. When viewing a graph run with the composite signal, look for points along the graph where the line “breaks up.” Such an appearance indicates the presence of intermodulation distortion. As IM distortion increases, the curve becomes more disconnected. See Figure 3.4.8 for an example of IM distortion.

This type of distortion is only apparent when the composite signal source is used because pure-tone source types do not contain more than one frequency at the same time.

Figure 3.4.8—Measuring intermodulation distortion

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3.4.9 Battery Current Drain

You can measure the battery current drain in the Coupler screen if you use battery pills (instead of regular batteries) in the hearing aid while performing your measurements. To turn on the battery current drain measurement in the Coupler screen:

1. Set up the hearing aid in the sound chamber for testing. You must use a FONIX battery pill to test for current drain.

2. Press the appropriate battery button inside the sound chamber.

3. Close the lid of the sound chamber and latch it.

4. Press [MENU] in the Coupler screen.

5. Use [∨, ∧] to select Battery Meas under Misc Settings. (You can use [START] to skip between groups of selections.)

6. Use [>] to turn ON the Battery Meas.

7. Use [

8. Press [EXIT] to return to the Coupler screen. You should now see the bat

9. Start a frequency response measurement to display the battery current

∨] to select Battery Size and use [<, >] to select the hearing aid’s bat-

tery size.

tery current drain measurement below the Curve Characteristics box. See Figure 3.4.9.

drain.

Figure 3.4.9—Battery Current Drain

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3.4.10 Telecoil

Telecoil measurements can be performed in the Coupler screen using any of the source signals available on the 7000 Hearing Aid Test System. During a telecoil measurement, a magnetic field is used that is supposed to simulate the field of a telephone receiver. A telecoil board capable of producing this field is built into every 7000 sound chamber. When the analyzer has the ANSI option, the

external Telewand can also be used for the measurement.

Analyzer Setup

It is very important to pick a testing location that is free of magnetic disturbanc es, especially those caused by fluorescent lights and power lines. To do this:

1. Locate a wide range linear hearing aid with good low frequency response and a telecoil switch.

2. Set the hearing aid to operate in the telecoil position and turn the gain con trol up to its full-on position.

3. Connect the hearing aid to a coupler. Don’t insert the measurement micro phone.

4. Walk around your possible testing location and listen for raspy humming sounds from the hearing aid. This will be the aid responding to magnetic fields in the room.

5. Pick a location that is as free of such sounds as possible. Rotate the aid in all directions when looking for a good site.

Testing with the Sound Chamber Telecoil board

Every 7000 sound chamber has a built-in telecoil board that can be used for telecoil testing.

1. Set up the hearing aid for testing in the usual way by connecting it to the appropriate coupler and inserting the measurement microphone.

2. Enter the Coupler screen by pressing [F1] in the Opening screen.

3. Press [MENU] in the Coupler screen to open the local menu. Set the TRANSDUCER to TELECOIL under Source Settings and press [EXIT] to close the local menu.

4. Use [F5] to set the Source Type to Composite.

5. Press [START] to start a composite measurement.

6. Look at the RMS OUT in the Curve Characteristics box. This shows the cur rent output of the hearing aid to the magnetic field input.

7. Position the hearing aid for maximum output. For BTE hearing aids, this usually occurs when the body of the aid is in a vertical position. If neces sary, use Fun Tak to help hold the aid in that position. See Figure 3.4.10A.

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8. Use [∧, ∨] to change the intensity of the magnetic field. The choices are: OFF, 1.00, 1.78, 3.16, 5.62, 10.0, 17.8, 31.6, 56.2, and 100 mA/m. 31.6 is the default source intensity.

9. Press [STOP] to stop the measurement or continue to test, as desired.

Figure 3.4.10A—Testing with the Sound Chamber Telecoil Board

Testing with the Telewand

When the ANSI Option is ordered with the 7000 Hearing Aid Test System, the Telewand device is also included. Otherwise, you can order it from the factory as an optional accessory. The Telewand is supposed to provide a more realistic test of the telecoil features of a hearing aid than the built-in telecoil board in the sound chamber because it more closely simulates the magnetic field pro

duced by a telephone receiver.

1. Follow steps 1-5 in the section above.

2. Hold the hearing aid in one hand and the Telewand in the other hand. Position the Telewand as you would position the receiver of a hearing aid. That is, hold the Telewand a few millimeters next to the hearing aid, posi

tioned parallel to the body of a BTE aid or against the faceplate of an ITE aid.

3. Look at the RMS OUT in the Curve Characteristics box. This shows the cur rent output of the hearing aid to the magnetic field input.

4. Position the hearing aid (with the Telewand held against it) for maximum output. For BTE hearing aids, this usually occurs when the body of the aid

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is in a vertical position. If necessary, use Fun Tak to help hold the aid in that position. See Figure 3.4.10B.

5. Use [∧, ∨] to change the intensity of the magnetic field. The choices are: OFF, 1.00, 1.78, 3.16, 5.62, 10.0, 17.8, 31.6, 56.2, and 100 mA/m. 31.6 is the default source intensity.

6. Press [STOP] to stop the measurement or continue to test, as desired.

Figure 3.4.10B—Testing with the Telewand

3.4.11 Measuring directionality

Although directional hearing aids can have different types of polar maps and two or even three microphones, the basic concept is fairly simple: speech sound from in front of the hearing aid wearer is louder than noise from behind him. The FONIX 7000 hearing aid test system cannot give you a polar plot of the directional hearing aid response, but it can provide you with the basic informa tion of how much directional benefit the hearing aid wearer is receiving and at which frequencies.

The directional test takes advantage of the speaker placement in the large sound chamber and the flat testing surface that makes it easy to position the hearing aid for testing. There are two measurements: one where the hearing aid is posi tioned so that it is facing towards the sound chamber speaker, and one where the hearing aid is positioned so that it is facing away from the sound chamber speaker. You should use the same input signal for both measurements. The source amplitude used for this measurement should be greater than the noise floor of the testing environment but less than the compression knee point of the

hearing aid, if possible. 50 dB SPL is usually a good choice.

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Speaker Placement

The speaker in the 7000 sound chamber is positioned on the right side of the chamber at a 45º angle, as illustrated in Figure 3.4.11A. It is important to keep this in mind when positioning the directional hearing aid for measurements.

Figure 3.4.11A—7000 sound chamber speaker placement

Forward measurement

The first step in doing a directional test is to position the hearing aid in the sound chamber so that the front of the hearing aid is pointing towards the right side of the chamber. See Figure 3.4.11B. Close the sound chamber lid and per

form the following steps:

1. Enter the Coupler Multicurve screen by pressing [F1] from the Opening screen.

2. Use [F5] to set the source type to Digital Speech.

3. Use [∨, ∧] to set the source amplitude to 50 dB SPL.

4. Press [START]. After the measurement has stabilized, press [STOP]. The measured curve is the “forward” measurement of the directional test.

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Figure 3.4.11B—Forward directional measurement.

Reverse measurement

Next, open the sound chamber and position the hearing aid so that the front of the hearing aid is pointing towards the left side of the chamber. See Figure

3.4.11C. Different hearing aids have different null points so you will want to adjust the positioning so that the sound chamber speaker is pointing towards what should be the null point of the directional aid. Close the sound chamber

lid when finished and perform the following steps:

1. Use [F2] to select the next curve.

2. Use [F5] to set the source type to Digital Speech.

3. Use [∨, ∧] to set the source amplitude to 50 dB SPL.

4. Press [START]. When the measurement has stabilized, press [STOP]. The measured curve is the “reverse” measurement of the directional test. If the directional microphones of the hearing aid are working properly, this curve

should have less output or gain than the forward measurement.

The difference in the RMS Out of the two curves will give you the average over all advantage provided by the directional microphones. See Figure 3.4.11D. In this example, the hearing aid has an 8 dB average directional advantage.

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Figure 3.4.11C—Reverse directional measurement

Figure 3.4.11D—Directional measurement screenshot

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3.5 Digital hearing aids

All digital aids can be tested, but some of the high-end models require a little more thought and care; these aids have a “noise suppression” feature (also known as “speech enhancement”). This noise suppression, not to be confused with the automatic compression of AGC hearing aids, checks if the sound going into the hearing aid is a continuous signal that could be regarded as noise. If the aid decides that the sound is noise, it lowers the gain at the corresponding frequencies. Conventional testing techniques, such as a pure-tone sweep or the Composite signal, can cause the high-end digital aid to go into this noise reduc tion mode. This means that the gain or output you see on the analyzer’s display will not necessarily reflect the normal response of the aid in speech.

The Digital Speech signal was developed in order to test noise-reducing digital hearing aids without fear of them going into noise suppression mode. It does this by taking the standard Composite signal and interrupting it randomly. The digital hearing aid responds to this modulated signal as it would respond to nor mal speech.

3.5.1 Using Digital Speech

The 7000 analyzer seamlessly incorporates the testing of digital hearing aids into its normal testing procedures.

To test a digital hearing aid, follow the steps outlined in Section 3.4.2, choos ing DIG SPEECH in Step 3. Digital Speech can be used to accurately test any hearing aid, so if you aren’t sure if the hearing aid is digital, you can always use Digital Speech and be assured that the frequency response is correct.

3.5.2 Changing the Speech Shape

By default, the Digital Speech (and Composite) signal use the ANSI S3.42 speech weighting. This speech weighting rolls off the high frequencies at a rate of 6 dB per octave, starting with 3 dB down at 900 Hz. Some clinicians, how ever, may prefer to use the ICRA speech weighting.

The ICRA speech weighting was taken from a CD of sounds developed by the International Collegium of Rehabilitative Audiologists (ICRA) and based on the long term average speech spectrum. The ICRA rolls off the high frequencies much more quickly than the ANSI spectrum. To switch to using ICRA:

1. Press [MENU] in the Coupler screen.

2. Use [∨, ∧] to select Composite Filter under Measurement Settings. Use the [START] key to skip ahead sections, if necessary.

3. Use [<, >] to select ICRA.

4. Press [EXIT] to return to the Coupler screen.

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5. Use [F5] to choose the DIG SPEECH signal source. It will now have the ICRA speech weighting. See Figure 3.5.2 for a comparison of an aid tested with the ANSI and ICRA speech weightings.

Figure 3.5.2—Comparison of a digital aid tested with Digital Speech ICRA (CRV1), Digital Speech ANSI (CRV2), and the Composite signal (CRV3).

3.5.3 Testing with Bias Signals

You can add a pure-tone bias signal to the Digital Speech signal, creating a continuous signal at the frequency of your choice. This will allow you to see how the aid reacts to the presence of noise at different frequencies. To add a bias sig nal:

1. Select the DIG SPEECH signal with [F5] in the Coupler screen.

2. Press [MENU] to enter the local menu.

3. Use [∨, ∧] to select Bias Tone under Source Settings. Use the [START] key to skip ahead sections, if necessary.

4. Use [<, >] to select the bias amplitude.

5. Press [EXIT] to return to the Coupler screen.

6. Press [START] to start the frequency response measurement. The Digital Speech signal will include a bias signal at the amplitude you specified in Step 4.

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Figure 3.5.3—Using the bias signal with Digital Speech. CRV 1-3 have bias signals at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, and 4000 Hz respectively. CRV 4 was performed with Digital Speech and no bias signal.

7. Use [<, >] to change the frequency of the bias signal. The current selected frequency will be displayed on the screen below the Curve Characteristics Box.

8. Press [STOP] when done with the measurement. See Figure 3.5.3 for an example of using the bias signal at several different frequencies.

3.5.4 Checking Noise Suppression

When testing a digital hearing aid that is supposed to be programmed with a noise suppression or speech enhancement feature, it is useful to make sure the feature is working correctly. You can use a combination of Digital Speech and the Composite signal to test noise suppression.

1. Look at the top left corner of the graph on the Coupler screen. It should read “dB GAIN.” If it reads “dB SPL,” you will need to change the display to GAIN. To do this:

a. Press [MENU] from the Coupler screen to open the local menu. b. Use [∨, ∧] to select Display under Display Settings. c. Use [<, >] to choose GAIN. d. Press [EXIT] to return to the Coupler screen.

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2. Use [F2] to select CRV 1. (Press [F2]. Use [∨, ∧] to select CRV 1. Use [>] to complete the selection and close the pop-up menu.)

3. Use [F5] to select DIG SPEECH in the same manner as described above.

4. Use [∨, ∧] to select a normal speech amplitude, such as 65 dB SPL.

5. Make sure the digital noise suppression feature is enabled on the hearing aid, and set it up for testing in the sound chamber.

6. Press [START] to begin the measurement. When the response curve has sta bilized, press [STOP] to stop the measurement.

7. Use [F2] to select CRV 2.

8. Use [F5] to select COMPOSITE.

9. Make sure the signal amplitude is the same as selected in Step 4.

10. Press [START] to begin the measurement. Leave the signal on for at least 15 seconds. This should allow the noise suppression feature time to activate. When the measurement has stabilized, press [STOP].

11. Compare CRV 1 and CRV 2. If the curves are right on top of each other, the aid is responding to the Digital Speech signal just as it would respond to the Composite signal. This could be an indication that the digital suppression feature is either not enabled or not present on the hearing aid. Figure 3.5.4 gives an example of a hearing aid that is amplifying the Digital Speech sig

nal and suppressing the Composite signal.

Figure 3.5.4—Digital Noise Suppression test. CRV 1 was measured with Digital Speech. CRV 2 was measured with the Composite signal.

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3.5.5 Understanding Terminology

With the new testing terminology of hearing aid analyzers combined with the new technology of hearing aids, it’s easy to get terminology confused. “ Reduction” is a term that Frye Electronics has always used to denote the aver aging that the analyzer makes when analyzing data to achieve a smooth curve. This process is described in Section 2.3.1.2 and Section 2.3.2.1.

Some high-end digital hearings have digital signal processing features that try to detect noise in the environment and lower the gain at the frequencies in which it detects the noise. Different manufacturers have different terminology for these features, but they are most commonly called “Speech Enhancement,” “Noise Suppression,” or “Noise Reduction.”

Just keep in mind that these are two separate applications of the phrase “Noise Reduction” that mean two completely different things. When you set the Noise Reduction on your FONIX 7000 test system, you are setting the amount of aver aging the analyzer does. When you set Noise Reduction on your hearing aid, you are usually setting the amount of noise reduction that the hearing aid does.

Noise

3.6 CIC Feature

The CIC Feature is a way of performing a coupler test of a CIC hearing aid that more accurately reflects the real-ear performance of that aid than a regular 2-cc coupler measurement. It is not a way to check the manufacturing specifications of CIC hearing aids because those specifications are based upon 2-cc coupler measurements.

The CIC Feature consists of a CIC coupler (0.4 cc) and software correction fac tors. Both need to be used in order to correctly perform the measurement.

To measure a CIC hearing aid:

1. Attach the CIC coupler to the CIC aid just as you would attach an HA–1 coupler to the aid, and set the hearing aid up for testing as shown in Section

3.3.2.

2. Press [MENU] in the Coupler screen.

3. Highlight Coupler Type under Measurement Settings with [∨, ∧

4. Select CIC with [<, >].

5. Press [EXIT].

6. Select the desired source type with [F5]. (Press [F5]. Use [∨, ∧] to select the desired source type. Press [>] to complete the selection and close the popup menu.)

7. Select the desired source amplitude with [∨, ∧

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8. Press [START] to perform the measurement. You should see CIC appear in the Curve Characteristics box in the “Cor” column of the selected curve. If you are using the FAST, COMPOSITE, or DIG SPEECH signal, press [STOP] to end the measurement once it has stabilized.

Figure 3.6 shows the difference between a CIC hearing aid tested with an HA-1 coupler, and the same aid tested with a CIC coupler and correction factors.

Figure 3.6— CURVE 2 uses CIC coupler + correction factors CURVE 1 uses 2-cc HA-1 coupler

3.7 Occluded Ear Simulator Option

The Occluded Ear Simulator (OES) Option consists of software correction factors and three special (MZ) couplers. Together, they allow you to simulate the data you would get with a standard ear simulator (IEC 711 or Zwislocki coupler), providing the hearing aid or mold being tested is not vented. This should give you a coupler measurement that more accurately reflects a real-ear response of an occluded ear than a 2-cc coupler.

Note: The data results from the OES coupler will not be an exact duplicate for results performed with a Zwislocki coupler.

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To use the OES Option:

1. Attach the MZ coupler to the aid. See Table 3.7 for details on choosing the correct MZ coupler.

2. Set up the hearing aid for testing as described in Section 3.3.

3. Press [MENU] in the Coupler screen.

4. Highlight Coupler Type under Measurement Settings with [∨, ∧

5. Select MZ with [<, >].

6. Press [EXIT].

7. Select the desired source type with [F5]. (Press [F5]. Use [∨, ∧] to select the desired source type. Press [>] to complete the selection and close the popup menu.)

8. Select the desired source amplitude with [∨, ∧

9. Press [START] to perform the measurement. You should see OES appear in the Curve Characteristics box in the “Cor” column of the selected curve. If you are using the FAST, COMPOSITE, or DIG SPEECH signal, press [STOP] to end the measurement once it has stabilized.

See Figure 3.7 for a comparison of a BTE tested with an MZ coupler as opposed to a 2-cc coupler.

Table 3.7—Which is the Correct MZ Coupler to use?

TYPE OF AID COUPLER COMMENT

ITE, ITC

BTE, or EYEGLASS

MZ-1

MZ-1 With custom earmold attached.

(NOTE: Vents must be plugged.)

MZ-2 Without custom earmold attached, when a 3 mm

horn earmold is planned, use with the Ear-Level Hearing Aid Adaptor that normally snaps onto the HA-2, 2-cc coupler.

MZ-3 Without custom earmold attached, when a con-

ventional (#13 tubing) earmold is planned, attach a length of #13 tubing that corresponds to the length of the sound channel of the wearer’s earmold.

BODY

MZ-2 With snap-on receivers, use the MZ-2 without the

Ear-Level Hearing Aid Adapter attached.

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Figure 3.7—Comparison of the responses with the MZ and HA-2 couplers. Curve 2 was measured with an MZ coupler and OES correction factors. Curve 1 was measured using

a standard 2-cc coupler.

3.8 Automatic Testing—Loading & Saving Groups

You can use the 7000 Test System to program simple automated or semi-automated test sequences that will help you test hearing aids more efficiently. Each test sequence can contain up to 10 different response curves with your choice of source types, source levels, noise reduction, and other adjustments.

In automatic mode, the analyzer will quickly run through all designated tests without pausing. In semi-automatic mode, the analyzer will automatically advance to the next curve and stop. This curve will not be measured until you start the test, but you are saved the step of using F2 to select the next curve number.

Tests are programmed into the analyzer using the PROGRAM function that is used to put the analyzer in Program mode. In this mode, you set up the source type, source level, noise reduction, and any other adjustments you would like to make for each curve. You can program any of the available 10 curve slots in the

Coupler screen. See Section 3.8.1 for more details.

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If there is a sequence of tests that you would like to perform frequently, you can save it into the 7000 Test System’s permanent memory using the SAVE GROUP function. Three groups of up to 10 curves can be saved into SAVE GROUP 1, 2, and 3, respectively. When you want to load a group that has previously been

saved, you use the LOAD GROUP function. See Section 3.8.2.

3.8.1 Setting up a test sequence

The first step in running your custom automated test sequence is deciding on the source types and levels of the frequency response curves. When finished, these selections can be stored into the analyzer’s permanent memory.

1. Use [F4] to delete ALL CURVES & SETTINGS in the Coupler screen. (Press [F4]. Use [∨, ∧] to select ALL CURVES & SETTINGS. Use [>] to complete the selection and close the pop-up menu.)

2. Use [F6] to select PROGRAM. This will open a pop-up window with helpful programming instructions.

3. Use [F1] to select the ear.

4. Use [F2] to select the curve number.

5. Use [F5] to select the desired source type.

6. Use [∨, ∧] to select the desired source level.

7. Press [MENU] and use the arrow keys to select the desired noise reduction, output transducer, and composite type, if desired. Press [EXIT] to return to the coupler screen.

8. Save and advance to the next curve. This can be done two ways:

• Press [START] if you want the analyzer to be programmed to automati

cally advance to the next curve and start measuring it.

• Press [STOP] if you want the analyzer to be programmed to advance to

the next curve, but then pause and wait for user intervention before tak ing the next measurement. Use this if you want to make an adjustment to the aid before taking the next measurement. A horizontal line will be drawn across the Curve Characteristics box when a pause is inserted in this fashion.

9. Repeat steps 5-8 to select the desired source type and level for all the curves that you want to measure in the automated test sequence.

10. Press [STOP] after you have set up the last curve that you want to run in the test sequence. For instance, if you want to run only 4 curves, press [STOP] after setting up CRV 4. This will make the analyzer pause after the four mea surements – the remaining 6 available curves will not be run.

11. Use [F6] to SAVE GROUP 1, 2, or 3, if desired. This will permanently save the automated sequence.

Frye 7000 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual