Back in the summer I got a new pump under warranty because my pump was forgetting settings when I changed batteries. When I got the new pump, I took a picutre to text to a friend of mine who also has Type 1, because the screen on the new one (bottom) was significantly bright than the screen on the old one (top). Suddenly, I was actually able to puzzle out some of the text on my pump, where previously I hadn't been able to guess at most of it.
A few months ago I switched meters to the Contour Next. I figured that the meter had always been as dim as it was until I compared it to the Contour Next and noticed a big difference. So I called Animas up and got a new meter remote under warranty. And, as I'd hoped, the new remote has a much brighter screen than the old one.
I have only had my meter for three years and only had the pump for perhaps a year because it was a replacement. I am not sure if Animas is using some new, vastly improved screen or whether the screens are burning out. I hope it's not the latter. My pump warranty is up in April and I plan on monitoring the screen closely - the new meter screen I got seems brighter than my six-month-old pump screen, which makes me wonder if they are burning out. I do keep my screens on almost the brightest setting because I need it (I also keep my phone and computer and TV on the brightest settings), but I have both screens set to time out in 15 seconds, so it's not like they sit on for huge lengths of time.
Curious if anyone else has had a similar experience. I plan on using my pump and meter past warranty because my work insurance only covers one pump per lifetime, and I plan on staying in my present job for the foreseeable future, so want to save that "one pump" for something good. Thus, I hope the screens don't burn out with time...
I've noticed that the white pixels on the Ping screen start to turn a light brown color over time. Yes, I definitely think that the screens dim over the years.
Well that is not good. You'd think with paying $7,000 for this they could put a screen on it that doesn't dim over time. I wonder if keeping it on a slightly dimmer level would help preserve it longer... Otherwise I might just see if I can trade in my pump one final time right before the warranty is up. Having a bright screen really makes a difference in how well I can see it.
Running dimmer will slow the aging of screen. I hate when I can't read it in sunlight.
Just put a new one in service today. Screen is nice and bright. This one needs to last 2-3 years. My sight is OK but I need glasses to read the display.
Where are you located? I'm in the US and got my Ping in September and my remote meter screen looks NOTHING like that. Yours (both the old and the new ones) look fantastic compared to mine. Mine has a backlight and although it helps (not using it the screen is awful)yours seems to be in color.
Jeez - I wonder if I could get a European meter remote instead of the crappy one that ships with the one in the US??
I’m in Canada. The meter remote has the same screen as the pump. Sadly, I dont think you’d be able to pair your pump with a meter remote from another country, because your pump would be locked to mg/dl and the meter would be locked to mmol/l.
Animas pumps in Europe do not link to a meter or remote. We went straight from the 2020 to the Vibe.
Animas' screens are hopeless in bright light. Medtronic's screens may look like they were recycled from a 1996 Nokia mobile phone, but at least you can read the things in sunlight. I had an "interesting" experience last summer in the Alps. Standing on an "exposed" ridge at an elevation of 2500 metres with drops on either side and my CGM low BG alarm going off. In the end I had to stuff my pump up my T-shirt pull the neck opening over my head and peer down at the pump screen to see what the reading was.
In Canada the meter remote is paired with the Ping. I didn't know that the Vibe even came with a meter, since it's not paired.
It may be because I have to get really close to see things, but I just shade my pump screen with my hand and let my head block the other light can read it in sunlight. When I was debating which pump to get I saw the Minimed pumps and Animas pumps at a conference, and could not read the Minimed pumps at all even with a magnifier and the backlight turned on, which is a huge reason I went with Animas (that and the fact that it's waterproof).
The resolution on the MM screen is pretty miserable (which must make it problematical if you have any visual impairment), but it is just as good/bad in bright light as in darkness (where you can use the backlight). The resolution on the Animas screen is much better in low light but you cannot read it in bright light (no discrimitation here - it's unreadable even if you are Hawkeye).
