Why buy new headphones if in 9 cases out of 10 the headphones do not work due to a break in the wire near the plug. How to repair headphones with your own hands, or more precisely how to solder a plug to the headphones, is discussed in detail in today’s article.

The described method requires at least the presence of a soldering iron. Read about how to repair meringue headphones with a soldering iron:

A video was made especially for this article that shows the entire process of repairing headphones:

To show how to solder headphones to a plug, we have prepared visual photographs of the repair of two Sony headphones. These are models XBA-1 and XBA-H1. In both cases, the headphones do not work precisely because of the broken wire.

The first headphones are purely reinforcement, the second are a hybrid of reinforcement with a dynamic emitter, but this does not matter. Today, all headphones are equipped with a 3.5 mm plug (jack or jack 3.5mm) and repair of the plugs of both headphones will be shown in parallel.

How to disassemble the headphone plug

To repair headphones, the first step is to disassemble their plug. The vast majority of headphones have a rubber shell on the connector that can be carefully removed. It is more convenient to do this with a thick needle or awl:

We insert the needle shallowly at first, and gradually moving in a circle, we go deeper with the needle to the full depth of the connector. After this, you can pull off the rubber covering.

The second headphones (XBA-H1) had a detachable connector.

As you can see from the picture, the next step is to expose the plastic-filled contacts of the plug. I cut it carefully to demonstrate what was originally there. Usually I cut everything together with the wires :)

Clean the plug contacts:

You need to unsolder all the wires on the connector. Even if you cut them off or they are torn off, there will still be pieces of wires in the tin droplets on the contacts, which can then bridge the contacts. In any case, the tin droplets on the contacts need to be refreshed by melting them with a soldering iron dipped in rosin and pulling out excess pieces of wiring from them.

We're done with the connector for now, now let's prepare the wire. Often the wire dies at the exit from the connector, so we cut it 2-3 or even 5 cm above the connector. Then, using a sharp knife or scalpel, we cut the wire braid in a circle 1-1.5 cm from the end and remove the coating, exposing the wires.

Tinning the wires before soldering the headphones

Please note that the first headphones have 3 wires inside, and the second ones have 4.

Each wire is a mixture of twisted nylon threads and copper wires coated with varnish .

Before soldering the wiring, you must tin, i.e. cover with a layer of tin. First, we twist the wires, because... Surely its end was swung. Then we place its tip on the rosin and press it with a heated soldering iron, lightly dipping it into the melting rosin.

After this, place the edge of the wire on Matchbox and, pressing with a soldering iron with a drop of tin, we turn the entire headphone cord. In this case, the wire should twist and be evenly covered with tin. It is enough to tin the very tip. But no one forbids tinning more, and then cutting off the excess, leaving 2-3 mm covered with tin. The main thing is to leave an untinned section of wires long enough to reach the plug contacts.

That's it, the tedious but important preparatory part is over. Now the more interesting task is to solder the wire to the connector. First, let's find out what and where.

Where to solder headphone wires

I think letters L And R are familiar to everyone and what they mean left And right channels too :) . But what is it GND?

It's simple - it's GrouND or according to ours - Earth. You've probably heard that a light bulb can only light when current flows into it through one wire, and current flows out of it through the other. And this thing is called a closed circuit. So here it is the same - the earphone will sing if one of its wires is soldered to L or R, and the second to ground (GND). So we simply have no other choice but to solder left earphone to L And GND, A right To R And GND.

The colors of the inscriptions and arrows were not chosen by chance; this is the standard color that more than half of the headphones have, and the remaining half have blue instead of green. In very rare cases, other colors are found, but the ground (GND) is always yellow. Always…

If you find it difficult to determine which channel is which, solder the ground, plug the headphones into the player or phone and use the tinned wire to poke the contacts of the plug. look where it will play)

A separate article was devoted to how to determine the purpose of wires in headsets:

How to solder headphone wires

This is the most convenient option) I highly recommend not holding it with your fingers - you can easily get burned. During the soldering process, we try not to touch the connector with a soldering iron for more than 3 seconds, otherwise the plastic separating the contacts in the connector may melt and there will be a short circuit and the repair of the plug will fail (((

Fill the headphone plug with glue

When all the wiring is soldered, all that remains is to fill the connector with polyethylene hot melt adhesive (1 ) and, until the glue has hardened, stick it into the rubber shell (2 ) . It is advisable to fill the entire volume of the headphone jack, so first pour glue into the jack, and then make a drop of liquid on the connector contacts. After inserting the plug into the shell, remove the excess glue that has been squeezed out with your fingers. Now you have another 5-10 seconds to give the connector the desired position (3 ) . Keep it this way until the glue hardens completely. And then use a sharp knife to cut off the last remnants (4 ) .

I hope that the article was able to show how to repair headphones yourself. Perhaps you still don’t understand how to solder the plug to the headphones or something is left ‘behind the scenes’, feel free to express your indignation or outrage in the comments.

The headphone cable is the weak link, as it has a small cross-section, often bends and is subject to mechanical stress. This may cause sound to drop out from one or both speakers, become distorted, and be interrupted (stutter).

Let's look at two different types of wire damage. In the first case, the cord remains intact externally, but the break occurs internally. The second option is simpler - you can observe damage to the outer sheath of the wire and know the location of the break.

I'll show you a way to repair a headphone cable with your own hands. At the end of the article there are answers to the most popular questions on the topic.

It is almost impossible to visually find the location of a wire break inside the cable, since the outer insulation remains intact.

But it is still possible to determine the approximate location of the fracture. To do this, connect the headphones to any sound source, for example, a mobile phone, and turn on the melody on it, bend the cable along its entire length.

When bending in a problem area, the sound should change its character, and it should change when bending in different directions or stretching the cable. As practice shows, most often the wire breaks near the entrance to the plug - in this place it is more mobile. If this happens, and the wire is indeed damaged in the location indicated above, the problem can be solved by cutting off the damaged section and re-soldering the plug.

How to repair a broken wire?

So where should you start? Step back about 10 cm from the plug and cut the cable with a knife (a stationery knife is best).

Cut off the tear completely, peel off the plastic insulation and varnish within one and a half centimeters of each edge. Twist the wires by color and insulate each one separately. And only after that you can connect them together. Otherwise, a short circuit may occur and the sound from stereo will turn into mono or one of the channels will disappear completely.

If you have heat shrink tubing (cambric), use it instead of tape. Before twisting, put on a piece of larger diameter and move it to the side. Then connect the wires and put small tubes on each twist.

In this article I will tell you how to repair headphones or a computer headset yourself, or mobile phone We will look at the main breakdowns and how to fix them.

Major headphone failures:

Repairing a broken headphone wire

A broken wire is the most common cause of headphone failure. To repair the wire we will need:

• solder;
• scalpel or wire cutters;
• heat-shrink tubing;
• hot glue;
• thread.

First, it is necessary to determine the place where the break occurred, since the outer rubber braid may not have externally visible deformations. You can find the location of the wire break by connecting the headphones to the sound source and bending the wire from the connector to the speakers, we find the place where bending causes sound to appear in the headphones. Having determined the break point, we cut out a section of the wire, taking a few centimeters before and after the break point. Next, we strip the wire from the outer insulation and tin the wires. How to tin a headphone wire is a fairly pressing question. Now I’ll tell you how to do it efficiently and quickly. For this we need: a board, flux (for example organic flux F-99), solder and a soldering iron.

We apply flux to the wire, place the wire on the board and press it for a few seconds with a soldering iron, making movements with it as if you were removing varnish from the wire.

Having tinned all the wires, we put a thin heat-shrinkable tube on each wire, solder the wires, observing the color scheme, and using a lighter or soldering iron, shrink the heat-shrinkable tube.

The heat-shrinkable tube acts as an insulator and prevents the wires from shorting together. Now we need to ensure the strength of our connection. To do this, we fold the wires in a Z shape and use a thread to make a bandage for our connection.

The last stage of repairing the headset wire is of practical and aesthetic importance. Using a soldering iron, carefully apply hot-melt adhesive to our bandage; on one side, hot-melt adhesive will prevent the thread from unwinding; on the other hand, it will give normal appearance connection of wires. If you can’t get black hot glue, you can put a heat-shrinkable tube of the appropriate diameter over the bandage.

A few more words about artistic modeling from hot-melt adhesive: if you heat up the hot-melt adhesive and wet your fingers, you can use your fingers to give it any shape before it completely hardens. Irregularities can be made glossy using.

Damage to the headphone plug (connector)

Before repairing the plug, we need to carefully disassemble it; to do this, carefully use a scalpel to cut the housing lengthwise. Breakage of a headphone plug (connector) can be divided into breakdowns associated with mechanical deformation:

• the last link is broken, as a rule, this link remains in the mating part of the device and can only be removed with the help of an awl and tweezers for SMD installation. Such a breakdown can only be eliminated by replacing the plug.
• rotation of the first link (general) around its axis is characterized by a change in sound to “metallic under water” and a decrease in volume. In this case, the repair consists of soldering the contact between the link and the contact tab.

And not related to mechanical deformation of the plug - this is a wire break at the base. It is treated by shortening the wire a couple of centimeters above the break point and soldering it in place, observing the color scheme.

If you break a wire and don’t know which one was soldered where, don’t despair! Using a multimeter you can easily determine this. We put the multimeter in the resistance measurement mode and alternately find 2 pairs of wires between which you will see an equal value (depends on the resistance of the winding of your speakers and usually lies in the range of 16-100 Ohms. We take one wire from each pair, weave them together, this will be a common We solder the wire to the first (most massive) link. We solder the remaining wires to the 2nd and 3rd links. You will probably have a question about how to determine where the right channel is soldered and where the left one. You can check the correct connection by connecting the headphones to and starting the sound adjustment by clicking on the left one. and the right column. There is a second option: we launch an audio player, for example Winamp, and adjust the balance by comparing it with what we hear and conclude that the channels are connected correctly.

Microphone failure

The headsets are equipped with capsule electret microphones. There is an amplifier inside the microphone, which makes it necessary to maintain polarity when connecting the microphone. Microphones are sensitive to diaphragm deformation, so do not try to clean the hole in the microphone. Microphones are also very sensitive to high temperatures, so you need to resolder the microphone quickly and carefully. Before you start soldering, it is advisable to apply organic flux to the microphone contacts, this will improve heat transfer and the contact time with the soldering iron necessary for reliable soldering. You can check the functionality of the microphone only by replacing it with another one, or connecting it to another device that is known to work. And yet you can check whether the microphone is working or not if you have an oscilloscope (or an active speaker system) and a microcircuit at your disposal operational amplifier(any), you can assemble a simple circuit (for example, an inverting amplifier with a single polarity supply.

Do not forget that the microphone must be powered through a resistor, and the signal must be collected through a 0.1 µF coupling capacitor. This will allow you to clearly see whether the microphone is working or not; the amplified signal from the microphone will change the picture on the screen in time with your voice. If you don’t have an oscilloscope, you can connect the output of the circuit to the active speaker system, if the microphone is live, you get a megaphone.

Headset speaker repair.

If the supplied power is exceeded, the speaker may fail; the winding wire in it burns out. Check the integrity of the speaker winding using a multimeter.

For a working speaker, the winding resistance will be equal to the winding resistance of the second speaker +\- 10%. Typically, this value is 16-100 Ohms. If there is sound in the speaker, but it is wheezing, this means that the winding is intact, but it has either peeled off from the membrane or is clinging to the magnet. This may be a consequence of an impact (displacement of the magnet), or a consequence of excess power (boiling of the varnish in the winding and “hooking” it on the magnet, as well as peeling off part of the coil from the membrane). This one requires carefulness. The coil can be glued to the membrane using superglue; it can be applied using a toothpick or a sharpened match. To avoid jamming of the diffuser, do not connect the speaker housing and the membrane until the glue has completely dried. You can speed up drying by placing the speaker under a table lamp.

Headphone volume control repair.

One of the most weak points headphones is a volume control, provided that it is used frequently. The volume control is a dual variable resistor consisting of 2 strips of resistive coating and 2 sliders moving along the surface of the resistive layer when the control wheel is turned.

During operation, dust gets onto the surface of the resistive layer, which causes poor contact between the slider and the resistive layer. This failure manifests itself in the form of a crackling sound when adjusting the volume level, or loss of signal in the headphones. Repairing the volume control involves applying a resistive layer of graphite grease or technical petroleum jelly to the surface. In this case, reliable contact is restored and the crackling sound disappears when the regulator is rotated.

Repair of headphone arms (the suspension on which the speakers are mounted).

Broken headphone arms are one of the most common problems. Some manufacturers who rely on the quality of their products have already reduced the possibility of such a breakdown of their headsets to 0. Instead of classic plastic arms, they use flexible metal spring suspensions coated with a layer of PVC or rubber. But we are talking about a classic plastic suspension and a method for repairing it.

In the photo we see that the arch is broken in half. To repair it, we will need several thin metal plates, M2 or M3 screws, 2-component epoxy glue and. To begin with, we apply our plates to the bow and, using a marker or pencil, make notes: where we have to drill the holes. holes in the arms and plates and tighten the structure with screws. Please note that the metal plates are quite long and do not end immediately after the screw hole, this adds to the reliability of the design under loads. Also pay attention to the 3rd plate, which is located on the back of the headphones. It is installed before pouring epoxy glue, and is also designed to increase the strength of the headphones and resistance to future tests.

Microphone mount repair.

The microphone mount (boom, “antenna”) is usually made elastic and quite resistant to mechanical damage, but it can still be broken. In the photo we see how the plastic base of the microphone mount was damaged as a result of the headset falling. Its function was to adjust the position of the microphone in the vertical plane. Naturally, it will not be possible to restore full functionality, but it is quite possible to securely fix the microphone in one position. For this we will need: a drill, a wire with a diameter of 0.6-0.8 (mm) and hot melt glue. Having determined the optimal position for mounting the microphone, we outline the places from which we will drill holes. Next, using a wire, we tightly tighten (sew together) the base of the mount and the body of the headphones at 3-4 points. We twist the wire from the inside of the earphone using pliers. Next, we apply hot glue on top, giving it the shape we need using fingers moistened with water. Next, you can take nail polish or spray paint and cover the repair area.

Send us yours, or register and publish them yourself.

Everyone who uses headphones has sooner or later encountered the fact that they fail. As a rule, this manifests itself in the form of one non-working speaker. This kind of breakdown is typical for headphones, and it is due to the fact that their wires are constantly bent. Below in the photo, red circles show the areas most at risk of cliffs.

As practice shows, if such a breakdown occurs, in most cases performance can be restored. We'll tell you in detail how to solder your headphones so that they continue to delight you with clear sound.

Problem Definition

A break can occur in the plug, at the speaker, or somewhere in the cable. The latter case is extremely rare and, as a rule, is caused by mechanical stress on the wire due to careless handling. In such a situation, it is recommended to completely change it, since the adhesions will create a problem area.

Most often, the problem lies in the plug itself, since this is the most critical place. In most cases, by pressing on the base of the connector, or bending the cable near it, you can find a position in which both headphones will start working. As a result of this, we can state that the problem lies precisely in the plug.

Standard plugs

Before we begin the repair, let's look at the most common types of headphone jacks, as well as their connection diagram. This will help us decide how to solder the headphone wires if the cable has 4 wires (headset with microphone) or 3 wires.

Below is a classic diagram for connecting headphones connected to each other by a common ground. In quality devices such as Koss Porta Pro, Philips, Sony, Sennheiser, etc. a separate shielded wire is used for each channel; in more budget implementations, there may be a common shield for two channels.

For headphones with a microphone, the plug has an additional contact pad; a diagram of such a connection is shown below.

Note that many manufacturers mobile devices can use non-standard connectors; we will consider this topic at the end of the article.

List of necessary equipment for repair

To work we will need:

• Not a very powerful soldering iron, 25 W is enough. On the Internet, of course, you can find a method on how to connect the wires in headphones without a soldering iron, but this cannot be compared with the reliability of soldering. Therefore, if you don’t have it, buy it (price starts from $3), it will always be useful in everyday life;
• rosin and solder;
• new connector (check that it is the same type as the one we are replacing).

Algorithm of actions for repairs

Now that we have everything ready, let's start restoring the headphones:

• we cut off the old connector, approximately at a distance of 0.5-1 cm from its base, so we will get rid of the problematic part of the wire;
• remove the insulation so as not to damage the conductors. As a result, we will see four wires, two of which will be coated with insulating colored varnish, and two without insulation (an example is shown in the photo);

• in order to tin the wires, it will be necessary to remove the insulating varnish from them; this is done using a stationery knife or fine-grained sandpaper. We twist the screen of the right and left channels together;
• as mentioned above, it can be three wires, two of which are channels, and one is a common screen, in this case we simply remove the insulating varnish from them;
• we disassemble the new connector, do not forget to thread the stereo headphone wires through its base, as shown in the photo (otherwise you will have to redo everything);

• Let's start soldering the wires to the connector. It is recommended to start with the general one, after which we solder the left and right channels. The result is shown in the photograph;

• After letting the wires and connector cool for a few minutes, you can test the result. To do this, connect the plug to the audio output socket and check the operation of the headphones. If everything is fine, we proceed to assembling the connector. What to do if one earphone still does not work will be discussed separately;
• We fix the wire; for this purpose, there is a clamp on the connector (on the contact where the common wire is soldered), an insulated cable is inserted into it and crimped using pliers. In the photo below, the clamp is marked with a red circle on the unsoldered connector;

• For greater reliability, we insulate the contacts with electrical tape, and at maximum proximity to them we recommend tying a knot on the cable. This will significantly reduce the risk that an accidental jerk will break the solder.

• We assemble the connector and use the headphones for our own pleasure. If you need to solder a 4-wire plug to headphones (that is, with a microphone), the principle of operation is almost the same.

Now consider the option that one of the speakers, after replacing the plug, continues to remain inoperative; there are several reasons for this:

• poor-quality soldering, it is necessary to carefully check it;
• there is a problem with the headphone speaker, there is a very high probability that the wire has broken near it;
• problems with the cable itself, as mentioned above, it is not recommended to extend the cable or connect it at break points.

As you can see, in two out of three cases the problem is solvable. If the reason is poor-quality soldering, you should re-solder the connector more carefully; if there is a break near the speaker, proceed according to the following algorithm:

• cut the wire near the base of the earphone;
• we disassemble the earphone, as a rule, they are made to be self-latching, so there will be no problems with this;
• we remove the insulation from the wire and strip and tinning it;
• if you have a multimeter, then at this stage you can ring the headphone lead to ensure its integrity;
• We solder the wires, test the headphones, and assemble them.

Video: How to solder headphone wires

Non-standard connectors

We have already mentioned that many manufacturers produce devices where the input on the headset differs from the standard one. For example, some models of Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson, etc. It is also common to find headsets that use a USB connector instead of a standard plug, for example, WH-205.

As for the technology for repairing such headphones, it is practically no different from the usual one. The only exception may be searching for an original plug for a particular phone model. But, given the increased number of “left” manufacturers of original spare parts, it is not difficult to buy such a connector.

In addition, do not forget that to connect a standard headset to a non-standard connector, you can use an appropriate adapter, for example, such as shown in the photo.

If desired, such an adapter can be soldered independently, but given the low cost of Chinese products, this is not particularly necessary.

As you can see, soldering headphones correctly is not difficult; all that is needed for this is accuracy and skills in working with a soldering iron. Even if you didn’t manage to make the repair the first time, don’t be upset, check everything again.

A frequent breakdown of headphones is a broken wire near the plug. This is due to the fact that during operation this particular place is subjected to extreme loads. There are two ways out of this situation: buy new ones or solder the plug again. The soldering process is simple, and a person who has skills in working with a soldering iron can handle it.

The main problem during repairs is the pinout of wires. Since the headphones consist of 2-3 pairs of wires, and 1-2 more microphones are additionally added to the headset, which does not make the work easier. However, there are no hopeless situations; we will resolve issues gradually.

Preparation

During the work we will need some tools and devices. First of all, this is, of course, a soldering iron and consumables for soldering. Any tool is used during the work; power in this case is not important.

A different approach is needed to consumables. Thus, POS-61 solder, 1 mm in diameter, purchased not so long ago, turned out to be unsuitable for soldering. During work, the hardened metal became grainy and dull. I had to use POS-40 from old stocks. So you should be careful when choosing solder.

The second consumable necessary for soldering is rosin or flux. I use rosin, the reason is that flux is an acid which will eventually break down the bond. For the same reason, I do not recommend using aspirin tablets as a flux, as some Internet gurus advise.

It is better to solder on a wooden surface, since metal or glass takes away heat, which is critical when working with a soldering iron.

Recommendations: How to disassemble headphones: instructions with step-by-step photos of repairing all elements of the headset
, Headphone wiring
, Making your own simple headphones and headsets with a microphone

In our work we will need:

• A sharp knife, a mounting knife or an electrician's knife, is not so important. It is needed to remove insulation.
• Sandpaper for cleaning the contact area and heat-shrink tube, 4-5 mm in diameter.
• Don't forget about pliers or duckbill pliers, they are needed to hold the parts while soldering.

Soldering

To begin, use wire cutters or a knife on the platform to cut off the plug housing from the headphone wire. You can immediately strip the ends of the wires and burn the metal to remove the varnish.

The headphone plug itself is enclosed in a monolithic housing. However, to work with it you will have to remove the plastic or rubber-like material. You only need a sharp knife; in this case, a mounting knife is used, since for me it is most convenient to use. Using a knife, carefully cut the plug body along the pressing seam.

Then we manually remove any remaining rubber or plastic from the plug body. At this time, pay attention to the location of the wires, they usually differ in color, so remember or make a diagram of the location. In order to know in the future which wire to solder into which socket. The best option would be a drawn approximate diagram.

Next, we strip the ends of the headphone wires from insulation. We burn their tips - this will get rid of the varnish, or we lightly go through them with sandpaper. The photo shows a cleaned and ready-to-use plug and prepared wires. The left one is in green insulation, the right one is in red. White and black are common, they fit into the same slot, for this reason they are twisted.

After preparation, in order to make it easier to solder them, we tin them. The tinning process is simple. After dipping the wire in rosin or applying flux, use a soldering iron to apply a thin layer of solder to the metal surface. The surface of the wire becomes silvery.

The ends of the wire in the photo are somewhat long; later I had to trim them a little, leaving the ends of about 5 mm.

Next, before soldering, we need to think about the plug body, since the original one is cut and removed. Therefore, we first put a piece of heat-shrink tubing on the headphone wire, which will act as a rigid insulator for the wire at the plug, and a conical tip from a ballpoint pen with a narrow edge cut off. We check how everything fits in and sits in place. Before soldering, place the heat shrink tube and cone on the headphone wire.

Next we proceed to soldering. We take a little solder onto the soldering iron tip, dip it in rosin and quickly transfer it to the soldering site. It is important to take exactly the right amount of solder. When solidified, the solder itself should be silver in color with a slight gloss, and the connection should be strong enough.

After soldering, we check the functionality of the headphones. Do not forget that after work the plug is still hot, you do not need to pick it up immediately after using the soldering iron. You can check the operation of the headphones either by testing the wires or by simply plugging unfinished headphones into the jack of your phone or player. If everything works, then we proceed to designing the plug housing; if not, we check the contacts again.

The connection itself looks something like this, but it’s still better to smooth out the protrusions. After checking, if everything works, slide the heat-shrink tube onto the plug. Then we warm it up with a hairdryer or the flame of an ordinary candle, as in my case. It looks a little scary, but I think it will be quite fixable in the future. After the insulator is seated in place, we move the cone of the pen forward to the desired position.

In order to fix our fasteners and fill the void in the cone, you can use epoxy resin or, as in my case, a mixture of soda and Cosmofen cyanoacrylate glue.

It is worth considering that this mixture hardens extremely quickly, so you need to work with it quickly and carefully. After this we rub the upper joint with sandpaper and the entire plug is ready.

About pinout

How to connect broken headphone wires

Depending on the type of headphones, a certain number of wires are connected to the plug:

• mono headphones – 2 wires;
• stereo headphones, 3 wires, mono headphones with a common wire are less common;
• stereo headphones with 4 wires, 2 common, in one socket;
• headset, 5-6 wires, additional for microphone.

If 2-4 wires usually do not present difficulties, then with big amount wires, you need to carefully and carefully open the plug housing in order to know which wire to solder into which socket.

The second option, in this case, is to test the channels using a device, or determine the type of connection by the color of the wires. There is still no uniform standard for the color of wire insulation.

DIY headphone repair