It was in an email vice website but same basic info. Apparently they’re having battery issues with heat and battery swelling. They plan to replace ALL Dash PDMs over the next few months. In the mean time they recommend not charging more than 85% and no overnight charging!
We knew they were cheap cell phone tech, so it isn’t greatly surprising, eh?! I only use mine as a back up to using Loop on my iPhone,
They say if you have the problem, to switch to your back up insulin plan, I don’t recall them EVER mentioning such a plan in any ad, brochure, or training by their rep. (Not that I don’t have one!) Perhaps they will now?
@TomH,
It would be cool if someone could invent technology that didn’t require people to have to frequently recharge their PDM’s (like almost every day!).
Like a very cheap power source that could be replaced, say once-a-month or so. They could be little cylindrical “power units”. You would place one in that faces up, and the other one right next to it that faces down.
Imagine if these “power units” were not only very small, but also very cheap. Like about 72 cents each, if you bought a bunch of them.
And if you were going camping, you could bring 2 replacement power units so you would not need to worry about recharging your PDM when you were out in the woods.
Or imagine if you were going on a trip that lasted several weeks. You could put two new “power units” into your PDM, and not need to worry a thing about recharging your PDM for the entire trip!
My 2 yo Dash PDM stopped charging a couple months back, it would only hold a charge for a few hours. Insulet overnighted me a new one so no worries, but I was curious how much it was user error vs the PDM. Guess it wasn’t my fault!
Unfortunately its not quite that simple. Besides the voltage limitations of typical “power units”, they only have 1000-2000 mAh capacity, whereas a Dash battery has 1300 mAh capacity. Its unlikely to get a month running the same hardware as daily-charge battery pack, unless those “power units” are “D Cells”. Also li-ion batteries have different discharge behavior that can be advantageous to microelectronics.
But all of this is moot, of course, because Insulet is trying to get out of the business of PDM hardware.
My point was this - as much as people liked “hating” the old PDM, at least you didn’t need to worry about recharging it. New batteries would last about a month. And even when the batteries were low, it would only take you a minute to put new ones in, rather than needing to spend an hour or more recharging it.
Not counting the aspect of Looping which the old PDM can’t do - if you had to go on a mountain climbing trip that was going to last a month or more, which PDM would you want?
@Eric I just knew you’d have very clever reply! You’re point is well taken, sometimes “old” tech works just fine! For small devices lithium/nicad/LIPO has its advantages, if it’s built the right way to avoid problems.(though if used only as a back-up like I do, I wouldn’t care that much!). Come on solid state rechargeables!
@Karl.n Mine started to last only about 1/2 to 3/4 of day, but they shipped me a replacement for it just before I switched to Loop. With only an 85% charge, it would certainly impact the convenience factor (yes, we’re spoiled!). I think it largely depends on how often you “turn on” the screen, though BT is continuous draw, I’m fairly sure the display light and characters eat most of the power.
@TomH,
A couple of months ago I was traveling. I used my phone Loop because when I am not at home, my wife can’t bail me out of a low at night. So when traveling, I liked having Loop working for me at night. (It is not the Insulet version of Loop, but rather the home-baked version.)
Anyway, I was looping on my iPhone for the trip.
When I would go into the city, away from my hotel room, it really sucked having to watch the power level on my phone. I brought a portable Anker charger, and plugged it in when on the train and when sitting in the restaurant, just trying to keep my iPhone charge sufficiently high. I was draining it taking pictures and talking on the phone.
Also on the plane, you never know if the plane you are going to be on will have the charging ports. Some of the older planes don’t have those. Being on a plane without a way of recharging your insulin delivery system…
@Eric I’ve thought of doing the same, though my travels thus far haven’t really required it. I’ve actually considered getting a solar/crank charger but haven’t acted on it because “what are the chances”…right up until they happen!
I am not 100% sure that the crank-type chargers would be effective, because I think the amount of cranks it takes might be ridiculous. If you need to crank it 10,000 times, you probably won’t need any insulin.
Does anyone here have any experience using one of those on a phone?
I use this one because it’s very small and portable.
@Eric You may be right about the cranking, one of the concerns I had and reason for asking. On the other hand, a power supply only is only good for a couple of charges, while the solar/crank version would be good if electricity was down for a longer period (not that I’m approaching from a survivalist perspective, just thinking…). The one you mention certainly has the size/capacity angle!
@TomH,
For emergencies while at home - like if the power is out - you can also plug it into the charger in your car. That works great, as long as you have gas! It’s always a good idea to fill up your tank before an ice-storm or hurricane or whatever. Most cars with a full tank can idle for over a day!
For a camping adventure, the hand-crank/solar might be the longer-lasting solution. But again, you’d want to test out the whole thing before you left the house.
If I was dealing with any zombie apocalypse long-term survival situation, MDI would be the way to go. You can re-use syringes, which is great compared to the 3-day pods.
Received an email from Insulet this morning that they are beginning to replace PDMs. It requested confirmation of customer info (address) and asked questions whether still using the PDM as primary/backup device, if I had the PDM but wasn’t using it or Dash pods anymore, and if I no longer had the PDM and didn’t need a replacement. It stated the older PDMs (18mos+) were the most likely to suffer the problem and would be replaced first and then progress to newer PDMs. It will be interesting to see what the new hardware looks like, probably not all that different and I expect the app to be the same. I carry the PDM with me as a backup to using my phone using Loop incase the phone gets broken, lost, or Loop malfunctions when I can’t rebuild it.
@Eric I’m using Dash pods, an iPhone 14 w/Loop-dev, Novolog, and a G6. I use an iMac at home to build Loop, no Mac laptop to take on the road. I understand there’s a way to keep a copy of Loop on a thumb drive/similar to transfer to a phone and even build remotely, but haven’t gone that far as yet. Anything particular in mind? You, @Chris, and others always have good ideas and I try to keep an open mind on treatment…
I have heard that too! I don’t know the process, but I have heard of others doing a build for someone and sending it to them so they can put it on their phone.
I have made some cool modifications and customization to the standard Loop build. I need to write a post about it sometime.
I am still using the old pods with Loop. I like being able to switch back to the old PDM if I need to. I know at some point the old pods will be discontinued, so I will have to join you on the new version of Loop.
@Eric Here’s a link on Loop and Learn website regarding how to remote build using a website called Diawi: Remote Build / Emergency Build Prep | Loop and Learn. I think some parents of T1s use it to remote build or remote install to kids phones. I haven’t given it much thought as I haven’t seen/felt the need to do so. I do know some folks maintain a “back up” phone or install Loop on a spouse’s phone as a back up. Probably something I’d explore if I took month-long excursions or long distance trips for work or vacation, though it might be easier to haul around a Mac laptop; for now, my needs are met with what I have.
That’s a helpful reference. So far I have not had a problem with Loop once it is on my phone, but It would be a good backup to have just in case.
Next time I build, I will also build an IPA file.
I am very simplistic. When traveling I bring my old PDM as a spare and also bring Levemir and syringes in case all the pods fail.
That way I have different methods. Like if my Riley Link or iPhone is lost, or if anything happens to any of the stuff, I have different types of backup.
Syringes are really the best go-to for emergency backup. Syringes just don’t fail! In the somewhere around 70,000 syringe injections I have done, I have only had a few where there was a problem with the syringe!
And you can use a syringe many times. As long as you have food and water and warmth, you can survive with nothing but a vial of rapid insulin and a single syringe.
@Eric I consider myself relatively informed, apparently not; had to look up IPA file; I’ll have to follow up on that. Going off topic a bit, we do similarly for travels: my “supply bag” has Dex/Omni PDMs, pods, G6s, backups of Baqsimi, Lantus & Novo, needles; my small “kit” has Novopen, needles, g-tabs, Baqsimi, BG meter/strips/lancets, and an AirTag (yes I lost it once).
