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#1 How to Repair or Fix Headphones (Headphone Jack)

video #1 How to Repair or Fix Headphones (Headphone Jack)

A "how to" guide showing how to fix plug shorts that occur in most brands of headphones.

The headphone plug I show in the video is $4.19 (2 pack), here's the link:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2104061

Another Gold plated plug is also $4.19 but it only has one plug in the package. This one requires NO SOLDER:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103990#pr-header-2103990

6 comments

May 20, 2012. 12:33 PMhowie57 says:

Thanks Rich, I tried to fix my daughters headphones the other night and couldn't get them to work. Now that I know about sanding the coating off of the colored wires, I think I can go back and finish fixing the headphones. I have been an electrician for 19 years and know most of the tricks of the trade. But that is all high voltage. I all ways say "Your never to old to learn something new." Thanks Again.

May 20, 2012. 6:05 PMRichsMethods (author) says:

No problem. I might ask you a few questions sometime soon.

Thanks for watching! -RM

Mar 16, 2012. 6:42 PMce9999 says:

This was very helpful, thank you.

A pitfall I ran into with my headphones, which are an old pair of Sennheiser HD435 Manhattans (sadly no longer available), is that the wires each contain a small fiberous core which is very cut resistant, enough so I couldn't cut the wire with a wire cutter. It also wouldn't stay twisted, and was just a general pain in the neck. I finally had to cut it out of the red and green wires with a pocket knife, just to get it out of the way. A hassle, yes, but maybe this cloth core was why this wire lasted for 17 years before it shorted out.

I forgot to pick up fine grit sandpaper to clean the wires, so I (very carefully) used a piece of brand new Scotch Brite scouring pad, mostly green nylon but with enough abrasive in it to do the job.

After I had the ground wires soldered on, I realized I had done it upside down, so the red and green wires couldn't reach to their correct positions without crossing. Oops. So, the channels are backwards. Luckily, the headphones are perfectly symmetrical front-to-back, so I can just wear them backwards, problem solved!

It was a cobble job, admittedly, but it works, so I am happy.

Mar 17, 2012. 11:07 AMRichsMethods (author) says:

Glad you got them to work. Thanks for sharing your story. It took a lot of time, but I think it paid off!

Thanks for watching! -Rich

Jan 19, 2012. 10:19 AMed.alexander says:

The tabs at the end of the ground plug are meant to be bent over to hold the shielded part of the cable. This is to eliminate the need for hotglue.

Jan 19, 2012. 7:14 PMRichsMethods (author) says:

Yes I know, but I didn't realize this till I fixed a few more headphones. In my third video I do this, but thanks for pointing this out! The more I find out the better. Thanks for watching!