Swap in iPod wire into aftermarket earphones.

This is my first instructable. I was looking for a how to for swapping iPod earphone cables and couldn't find anything. So I decided to write my own.

This instructable will cover how to transplant your iPod earphones cable into other earphone buds. Whether you like the white cable better or if you need to cannibalize broken earphones to get ones you want without buying new ones. In my case, I needed to do this because my after-market earphones were too long and had too many other obstructions in the cable. Also one side was longer than the other which I didn't like very much.

On the picture you see the iPod OEM earphones on the left, the middle is the after market ones and the right is my modded pair.

Step 1 Open up iPod phones

OK, so the first thing is to take both Ipod earphones apart. To do this just pull the bottom gray piece out and then carefully separate the speaker module from the rest of the earphone body. There is some glue involved here but it's not too hard just be slow and gentle with it and it will come apart without damage.

Carefully unsolder the wires from the speaker. Also you'll need to untie the cable so that you can pull it free of the earphone body. Make sure to do this to both earphones.

Comments

[Femputer]

Can it be done without a soldering gun? I have good speakers, but bad cords, and vice versa.

[jimbo333]

if you have a butane jet lighter you can heat a piece of a coat hanger and use that for a soldering iron, if you are doing a longer job continue to heat it while you are doing the work slightly above the tip as to avoid melting your project. i use this technique when i am not at home. (you will need a handle on the coat hanger so you dont burn yourself.)

[kandrejk]

I don't think so unless you find some way to clip the cables on there, but i have no idea how you would do that. Once you open up the good or bad earphones you'll see that the only way the cables are attached to the speaker assembly is with solder. So the only way to undo that is with a heat source and an soldering Iron is your best bet, and only way I can think of doing it without jacking up your speaker.

[soze360]

Dose this work for the iPhone ear buds with mic. Transplanted into regular head phones(not ear buds). If so will the mic. Still work with my iPhone. Because I can not find head phones(not ear buds) anywhere with a mic.

[The Lone Hoot]

I'm with the first guy - I don't really see the point in changing wires. I'd just use the iPod earbuds to begin with. Actually I do - for every audio device I use (iPod, PC at work, clock radio when my wife is watching TV in bed, etc.). If it's sound quality and fit you're after, look into Griffin's "Ear Jams" - I paid about $6 plus shipping on Ebay. They make a ridiculously major improvement in sound and they fit better and help seal out about 10db of exterior noise. Best $6 I have ever spent on any electronics EVER. Cool hack, don't get me wrong. I just don't really get the motivation is all. I'm sure you had a good reason though, and it's good that you were able to do what you set out to do and that you documented it well to share with others. Nice job!

[baneat]

Just so you know your experience in audio technology is practically nothing, meaning your statements have no weight. iPod earphones cost a ridiculous £20, and you can get better sound out of a £5 set of earphones.

[The Lone Hoot]

Well well... thanks for adhering to the site's policy of playing nicely. Just so YOU know, you are being presumptuous in your description of my alleged experience in audio technology. But I'll grant you the fact that you happen to be correct - my knowledge is quite limited indeed. However, my comment (if you'd take the time to re-read it) was not critical of the maker's work, it was more of a question of motivation. In the particular circumstance he mentioned his preference for the cable itself, while not mentioning that his other earbuds sounded any better. So you see, I was questioning why he wanted to use other earbuds to begin with, when it is possible to vastly improve the sound quality of the original apple earbuds with Griffin's Earjams. Your comment that $40 apple earbuds have inferior sound quality than $10 after market earbuds is weak. First of all, most people with an iPod already have the earbuds that came with it so to compare the cost of the earbuds is rather a moot point. Secondly, the $10 set you refer to could be ANY $10 set and I don't know about you, but I've come across some pretty bad earphones/earbuds for $10 and some that are not too bad. But for less than or equal to the additional cost of buying aftermarket earbuds, one can purchase Griffin's Earjams which instantly make a tremendous improvement in sound by simply snapping them onto the apple iPod earbuds. Without the need for "surgery" (with the potential risk of ruining one or both sets of earbuds). As for my opinion having no weight: first, YOUR opinion has only as much weight as my own in this forum secondly, don't take my word for it then, research Earjams and take the word of others with "more valuable" opinions. As a bang for the buck option, they tend to be quite well received by most users. Again, thanks for your pleasant reply. I hope you also noted my encouraging "attaboy" I gave the user in my original comments. Simply because I (and others) question the reason WHY he performed the "hack", doesn't mean that it wasn't worthwhile. You shouldn't feel the need to come to his aid when he hasn't been attacked, and you certainly don't need to belittle the input of others.

[baneat]

Har Har I wasn't actually referring to your answer, or the poster, I was referring to someone that instantly said that the iPod ones are better so why would you bother to switch. Sorry about that, but did you really need to take that amount of time to make such a good response? Pity it wasn't aimed properly, it would have been a real shutter-upper if it was :P

[The Lone Hoot]

"Har Har I wasn't actually referring to your answer, or the poster, I was referring to someone that instantly said..." Weak sauce, my friend very weak sauce indeed. "did you really need to take that amount of time to make such a good response? Pity it wasn't aimed properly..." This from the guy who just admitted his own comment missed the mark. Fine. You win. Feel better? I hope so. If not, well, I have never been a big fan of this response because it's so lacking in originality, but with you it'll have to do: "WHATEVER!"

[Arbitror]

Whats the point of changing wires?

[codongolev]

explained in first step.

[badrang4]

pretty good

[!Andrew_Modder!]

not bad. but id just use the default wire.