Health Sciences · Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
A black briefcase houses a black-and-white electronic instrument, a Fonix FP-20 portable hearing aid analyzer. The Samsonite case has reflective silver trim on its front face, with two lockable latches and a black plastic handle.
The electronic instrument is permanently mounted in the case. A white console panel is divided into two sections. On the right is a foam-lined testing chamber whose hinged lid is held in place with a magnetic strip.
The instrument comes with several standard accessories. These are:
– One FM12 ceramic element microphone mounted in a 14mm housing. (This was left attached to the instrument’s sound chamber, where it was photographed.)
– One 14mm to ANSI 1″ microphone adapter. This is used to couple the FM12 Microphone to various accessories such as sound level calibrators or headphone couplers.
– One Direct Access HA-1 Coupler (also referred to as the “2 cc coupler” for testing all-in-the-ear hearing aids.
– One Standard HA-2 Coupler for testing all types of hearing aids except all-in-the-ear hearing aids.
– One Ear-Level Aid Adapter (with tubing) for connecting a behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid or an eye-glass hearing aid to the HA-1 coupler using the included length of tubing.
– One film canister, marked with a handwritten label that is difficult to decipher but may read “latest”, contains a plastic and metal element attached to a piece of green Fun Tak. The purpose of this assembly is unclear. However, according to the instructions, Fun Tak is used to seal the speaker port of all-in-the-ear hearing aids to the concave port of the HA-1 coupler for testing.
The left side of the console features several buttons and a numerical readout. On the top surface of the instrument is a power button and an electrical cable.
The interior of the case lid has several pockets. These contain the following documents:
– One unopened clear plastic pocket containing a document whose cover reads “Samsonite// The Survivor”. The pocket contains two metal briefcase keys.
– One paper pad containing blank data forms. The forms are titled “F 20/ FP20 Hearing Aid Performance Data.”
– One Cerlox-bound instruction booklet titled “Fonix Instruments for Hearing Health Professionals”.
Accession Number: 2018.rehab.3
Alternative Name: Fonix FP20 Hearing Aid Analyzer
Primary Materials: Plastic, Iron Alloy, Aluminum.
A label at the top of the instrument reads “electro-medical instruments co.// OAKVILLE, ONTARIO// (416) 845-8900// ANSI 1989// Calibrated Dec/9/92// Recal Dec 93”
A blue and white label on the top surface reads “The Queen Elizabeth Hospital// Asset No. 9921”
A maker’s label on the right side provides the following information: “Serial No. 1059”, “U.S. Patent No. 3922506 and other U.S. and/ or foreign patents and/or patents pending.”
A label from the City of Los Angeles, entitled “Approved for Electrical Safety” has the following code: “BU196365”.
Dimensions (cm): Height = 14, Width = 37, Length = 47.
The hearing aid analyzer generates acoustical test signals to analyses the response of a hearing aid in terms of sound pressure and harmonic distortion. This example is small, portable and has an integrated testing chamber. It is capable of testing all major formats of hearing aid that were available during the time of its production.
During the testing procedure, the hearing aid is coupled to the instrument’s microphone using an adapter and sealed within the testing chamber. When a calibrated test tone is played, the response of the hearing aid’s speaker is registered by the microphone and interpreted by a microprocessor controlled digital sound processing system. Results are displayed on the instrument’s console and recorded by the operator on a standard form.
The image below, from section 4.2 of the included instruction manual, shows a typical testing arrangement for a BTE hearing aid. There the instrument’s microphone is inserted into the port of the HA-2 Coupler. The Ear-Level Aid Adapter is attached to the opposite end of the HA-2 coupler. This is attached to the end of the earhook via a short length of tubing. This assembly is shown within the testing chamber in front of the speaker port through which the test tone enters the chamber. For the test to take place, the lid would be closed.
The instrument and case are in excellent condition, with the exception of the plastic foam material that lines the acoustical testing chamber. This foam was heavily deteriorated and had contaminated the accessory items stored in the testing chamber. Loose foam particles were vacuumed away and the accessory items were cleaned. These are stored in a separate bag since their weight is enough to damage the remaining foam, which is extremely fragile.
Associated Instruments:
Frye Electronics, Inc., Tigard, Oregon, USA.
Date of Manufacture: c. mid 1980s.
This artifact among a collection of items acquired from the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute on December 6th, 2017.
As of June 2025, the commercial webpage of Frye Electronics (https://www.frye.com/wp/) contains useful pages on company history and product history. Unfortunately, Archive.org does not archive these pages correctly.
The following online publication features an interview with Kristina Fryem daughter of the company’s founder George Frye and head of technical support at Frye Electronics:
Anon. “Analyze This” The Hearing Review. Website. Mar 14, 2008 (Archived June 24, 2025)
Frye Electronics was incorporated in October of 1973 by George Frye. The company produced a hearing aid analyzer that Frye had built to demonstrate a hearing aid that he had designed for his mother. When he demonstrated the hearing aid at a convention, the testing box had generated more interest than the hearing aid itself. The company’s first product was the FONIX 5000 and its derivatives. (See anon. 2008)
The FP20 was introduced in 1981 as the first portable hearing aid analyzer. Its purpose was to permit hearing professionals to conduct testing beyond the clinic. It achieved this by forgoing the integrated printer of many standard units, relying instead on forms for recording data read off of the console.
- Donated to UTSIC