My laptop headphone jack is busted...is a USB jack adapter worth buying?

Isk2009

Isk2009

DamnSonWhere'dYaFindThis?
My laptop had a small spill a few months ago, but unfortunately it landed right on the head of my headphone cord which in turn ended up cracking my headphone jack from the inside. I did a quick fix and was able to keep it working since then, but as of today, I'm only getting sound out of the right ear. Repairing it myself looks to be out of the question, and at this moment, $ for a pro repair isn't available either... It would seem that the only other option I have would be to get a USB headphone adapter, but from what I've concluded from some searching is that a USB jack might not be the best option for someone into music production.

I'd appreciate it if someone could shed some more light on the possible options I have.

Thanks.

---------- Post added 03-26-2011 at 01:50 AM ---------- Previous post was 03-25-2011 at 11:33 PM ----------

Anyone?
 
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Probably just a simple solder job. Sounds like the connection broke but still had enough contact that you could wiggle the plug or use a shim to keep the contact in place. Similar to an older TV that you have to tap the AV connection just right to get picture and sound from an aux input.

If you trust yourself enough to open the b*tch up and do it I'm sure you'd be fine. Just don't do it on carpet or anywhere that a static buildup could occur or you could fry another component accidentally.

If it's old enough that it's out of warranty I would backup anything valuable and give it a shot yourself. You could learn some new shit as a bonus.

No idea about the USB adapter, but I'd try to fix it myself before anything. Soldering isn't hard once you get the hang of it, and the materials to do it are pretty cheap even if you don't have a soldering iron. $20-30 tops at radio shack I would guess.

Peace!
 
That's the problem, I don't trust myself, lol. I don't have any experience with soldering. When I took my laptop apart yesterday, I saw that the jack was actually split in half right down the middle. So In jiggling the headphone plug around I've actually been making it worse. Would trying to fix it myself but failing effect any other component in my laptop or could it potentially damage it beyond repair?
 
Well the thing that you have to be most careful of just taking it apart and doing the job is that ESD (electro-static discharge). In shops and manufacturing facilities they make you wear a little wristband that's grounded so it isn't an issue, but if you're inexperienced and don't have a proper workbench then it becomes an issue you need to be aware of.

As long as you're not taking it apart on the carpet of a living room or something it's not a huge scare, but yeah potentially you could accidentally touch something and fry a chip or another component without even noticing. Not trying to scare you or anything but it can happen. Doesn't even take enough that you would feel a little shock like when you get a little static shock touching metal and you can feel it.

But really dude, you already took the thing apart and identified the problem. So I would still encourage you to do the job yourself.

A quick google and I found this...Laptop Headphone Jack Repair - What You Need To Know, which doesn't tell you a whole lot but it's a starting point. If you can see that the only issue is the one headphone jack then you should be good. If anything else around it looks f*cked up then you might be in more serious trouble and have to replace the whole board.

You already took it apart, so you know whether the jack is on the main PCB, or a sub-PCB. Then you just need to look up the brand of your computer for a replacement part. Personally, I've never had to crack open a laptop so I can't help you too much further, but I found this...Soundboard for a Dell. You should be able to find a replacement part pretty cheap, at least cheaper than paying somebody $100+ for a 20 minute job.

Without being able to actually look at it I can't say for sure whether it's worth it to just get it repaired or if you could really do it yourself. But if it was mine I would give it a shot. Buy a soldering iron and a little spool of wire, cut some small strips of wire and peel the insulation off the ends and just practice soldering until you get the hang of it. I'm sure there's some tutorials on youtube, and it's a valuable skill to have if you're into electronics. Guitar/bass amps, stereo receivers, and other various music equipment that you're regularly plugging and unplugging from can usually be repaired for little to nothing when they get worn out.

I had an old guitar practice amp that the input jack got f*cked from people tripping over the cord when it was plugged in. Took half an hour to fix an otherwise worthless piece of equipment at that point.

I could try to help you more but it's kind of hard to repair a piece of equipment over the internet.

If you're really sketchy about it, just go for the USB adapter as you could potentially do more harm than good. You'll probably buy a new laptop in the next couple years anyways the way computers go. Let me know if I can help you anymore and good luck, learning new skills is awesome.

Peace!
 
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Well, you've certainly upped my confidence a little bit..enough to make me want to give it a try. But it looks like I'll have to do some backtracking. When I say I took it a part I really mean that I was able to take it apart enough to where I was able to get the casing opened just far enough to see the state the jack was in and not whether it was on the main PCB or a sub. There's a single screw that is screwed in like 15x tighter than every other screw on the laptop and I can't get it out to open the casing up all the way. I'm afraid if I keep trying I'm gonna end up stripping the screw and be, well, screwed, lol.

The link you posted says that enough damage to the jack housing will leave a repair fruitless. I'm not sure how the damage to mine rates, but it's enough that a small piece of the housing has chipped off. I guess I'll find out if I go through with the repairs.
 
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If you are nervous about taking a soldering iron to your laptop you could practice on some inexpensive junk first, you could pick up a cheap radio and practice by taking the headphone jack on and off a few times.
 
^ That does sound like a feasible idea, but it looks like portability would be an issue. I move around a lot. I will eventually buy one, but to solve this specific problem I'll just take a crack at fixing the jack myself

Thanks for the replies everyone, I'll have to go make some purchases first, but I'm gonna go ahead and give it a try

:cheers:
 
There are some considerations ISK .....
You would need a temp controlled iron , it will also have to be quite high wattage as the earth plane will sink the heat from the iron .
Because of the sink effect , it is quite easy to over heat the board and de-laminate the layers of the PCB (very bad) .
It will also be lead free solder , so you will need something with about 4% silver content , and this also requires a higher iron temperature .

Make sure to remove the battery from the laptop before starting work !!!
 
^Thank you for the heads up!

Lord knows I wouldn't have taken any of those things into account, lool.
 
A reasonable temp controlled iron won't be cheap ($100 at a guess from the UK for a beginner one) .
So unless it is a skill you wish to gain then consider the cost and potential damage to the laptop .

Here is a following bodge tip that "may" be a path forward (I would not repair this fault in such a manner) :
Often when these sockets fail , it is generally from mechanical damage (heavy handed clumsy git :P) .
So , either you get fractured through hole "pins" , dry/cracked solder , or the plastic housing of the socket cracks .
If the housing has cracked , you might be able to glue it back together .
Get some superglue and pour a small amount onto a piece of polythene , then get a pin , dip it in the glue and transfere a very small amount along one side of the crack ....stay away from the internal contacts and the PCB .
Then it is a matter of clamping the socket into one piece until the glue sets (lots of hand pressure for short time normally works) .
Leave it over night and give it a try , make sure to "feel" (spin the jack in the socket every couple of minutes) that there is no glue in the socket when you put the headphones in (or use some cheap ones:P) at first go .
Don't get glue between socket and PCB or it will be a real ***** to replace !

As I said , the above is only a bodge guide and not at all what I would consider a repair , but it does limit the potential damage you may do to your laptop !

Goooooodddd luck :)
 
Yea, I did damage the plastic socket, lol. Makes me wish people would stop being cheap and make it from sturdier material. I ended up repairing it (well enough at least). I'm actually second guessing whether or not I want to go through with this soldering job myself. For around $100s and a job that I might botch, it just might be better if I ask around to see if anyone I know can give me a repair for cheap, or just put out the full $ for a repair.

This is all happening at a bad time because I'm slowly climbing up higher and higher the SC charts and I'm not going to be able to take advantage of it if I don't keep the beats coming.
 
If you were in Manchester UK , I would replace the socket for you , but I guess USA is a little far away .
 
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