The bad day has finally arrived – when your headphones or earphones finally break. Luckily, you don't have to rush and buy a new one! You can fix it yourself, after stopping by an electronics store. The part you are about to repair is fragile, so there is a risk of further damage. But if your headphones are already damaged, there's no harm in trying to fix.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Locating the Problem
Step 1. Listen while bending the cable
Bend the cable while listening. If when the cable is bent you can hear sound through the headphones, go to Fix Cable, below.
Step 2. Try pressing the plug
If you can only hear audio when you press the end of the headphone jack, skip this section and go to Repair a Broken Plug.
Step 3. Borrow your friend's earpiece
If you can't hear anything, unplug the cable from the earpiece. Plug it into a different earpiece. If you can now hear sound, go to Repair Earpiece.
If your cable cannot be unplugged from the earpiece, proceed to the next step, “Setting Up the Multimeter.”
Step 4. Set up the Multimeter
If you haven't found the problem, use a multimeter. You can buy it at a hardware store. You'll also need a sharp knife, so kids should ask an adult for help if they want to use it. Set the multimeter as follows:
- Set the multimeter to test the continuity of the electric current marked with ))) or similar symbols.
- Plug the black wire into the hole marked COM.
- Plug the red wire into the hole marked, mA, or ))).
Step 5. Test with a multimeter
The multimeter will beep if there is no damage to the wires. Use a sharp knife to peel the skin of the cable/insulator, following the instructions below. Be careful not to cut the conductor wire inside the cable.
- Peel off the wires a little, one near the plug and one near the earpiece.
- Bare wires usually have a thin protective layer. Gently scrape off the layer with a knife.
- Touch one of the wires in the wire with the black wire of the multimeter, and the other wire with the red wire. If the multimeter beeps, then the problem is in the plug or earpiece.
- If it does not beep, peel off the other half in the middle of the cable, and test both strips of wire.
- Make another strip in the half of the cable that doesn't beep. Repeat until you find two dots several inches (several cm) long that "don't" cause the multimeter to beep.
- Proceed to Fixing the Cables', skipping the test step.
Part 2 of 4: Fixing Cables
Step 1. Test the cable
Use headphones and turn on audio. Bend the cable 90 degrees through the top of your thumb and try to bend it elsewhere along the cable. If it makes a snapping or clipping sound in and out, you've found the problem. If the problem is near the jack, see Repairing the Plug for repair instructions. If not, continue to the next step.
- When you've found the position of the damage, mark it with electrical tape.
- If you've found the problem with a multimeter, skip this step.
Step 2. Peel the skin of the cable
Use cable pliers, or carefully use a knife on the "outside" of the cable. Peel off inch (1.25 cm) of the cable skin. Continue cutting until you see the broken part. This is the part you need to fix.
- If your wires look like two wires glued together, each wire will have an isolator (signal) and a bare wire (ground).
- Apple headphones and some other brands with single wires have two isolating wires (left and right signal) and a ground wire inside.
Step 3. Cut the cable
Cut the cable in half. If the wire inside is damaged, cut off both sides to solve the problem. If you do this, make sure to cut both sides the same length. Unequal lengths can cause electrical damage to your headphones.
If only one of your wires is damaged, you may want to solder the wire straight away, without cutting or splicing the wire. This will save time, but the repair will be less robust
Step 4. Insert the burner hose piece
The fuel hose is a rubber hose that looks like the skin of your headphone cord. Insert the cable into the fuel hose to be tightened later. Once you've fixed the cord, you can slide the burner hose onto the bare wire to protect it.
If you've peeled a lot of places to look for the problem, insert a fuel hose in each spot where you've peeled it
Step 5. Connect the wire
This means that you are connecting the correct wire. Make sure you connect wires with the same color of insulator (or without insulator). You have two choices: a ponytail joint, or an inline joint.
- For a ponytail connection, cross the two wires you want to connect, then twist the joint. It's quick and easy, but the fix isn't as neat.
- For inline connections, hold the two wires in a straight line, end to end. Then twist the two wires in opposite directions. This technique is difficult but the result will be neater.
Step 6. Solder the connection
Use a soldering iron to melt some lead onto the wire. Repeat this for each connection. Let it cool.
- Ground wires usually have a thin layer to protect them. Scrape off this layer or burn it with a soldering iron before you solder it. Avoid inhaling the smoke.
- Once cool, wrap the connection with electrical tape to ensure that the red and white ends remain separate from the ground wire.
Step 7. Slide the fuel hose into the connection place
Heat the fuel hose with a lighter. Aren't you happy that you inserted the fuel hose first before soldering the joint?
The fuel hose will shrink to a quarter of its original size, wrapping around the joint to protect and strengthen the cable you just repaired
Part 3 of 4: Repairing a Broken Plug
Step 1. Buy a new plug
You can buy cheap plugs online or at an electronics store. Choose metal plugs with stereo and spring connections. Make sure it's the same size as your old plug, usually 3.5mm.
Step 2. Remove the old plug
Some plugs can be turned off directly from the cord. If the plug is connected to the cord, you will need to cut it about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the end of the plug.
After you remove the plug cover, look at the wire. Even if it looks connected and undamaged, cut the wire anyway. The problem may be with the wire connecting to the old plug
Step 3. Peel the cable with cable pliers
You'll usually find an unshielded (skinless) wire and two insulating, or skin-protected wires. The bare wire is called the ground wire, and the other two are wires for transmitting left and right signals.
Side-by-side cables have additional bare wire, otherwise the contents are the same as individual cables
Step 4. Attach the plug to the cable
Remove the cover on the new plug. Insert the cover and spring into the cable. Also insert the fuel hose into the cable.
The base of the plug should have two pins on the end. If there is only one pin, it means you bought a mono plug, not a stereo
Step 5. Connect the wire to the pin
Separate the three types of wire in your cable. Twist the loose ends until they are thin. Tie the wire as shown below:
- The bare wire is connected to the main terminal, the longest metal. If there are no bare wires, directly connect the wires with a striped insulator.
- The two remaining insulating wires are connected to the two pins (at the ring-shaped ends). There is no color code for this pin. If you put it wrong, the right-left sound will be reversed. But your headphones will be fine.
Step 6. Clamp the wire to the pin
Use small clips or tongs to keep the wire in place. Do not let the three wires touch each other.
Step 7. Solder the wire to the plug
Use sandpaper to roughen the ends of the wire for easy soldering. Solder the pin. Heat the pin to melt the tin. Repeat for the other two wires.
Step 8. Replace the plug cap
Turn the plug cover to close the spring and plug. Test your headphones again. If the problem persists, it's probably because the wires are touching. Reopen the cover and separate the wire.
Part 4 of 4: Repairing Earpiece
Step 1. Open the earpiece
This process will be different for each model. Check the internet for specific guides, or try going to the following links:
- Look for the screw in the Earpiece. You will probably need a size 0 screwdriver.
- Gently peel off the foam layer. Once removed, look for the screws underneath.
- Insert a pry or whatever tool is thin enough to pry out the base of the ear. Pry it out. This can damage certain models, so try to find some direction before prying.
- The ear bud lining is removable, but it's likely that you'll need a new rubber seal later. The problem is usually with the wires under the ear buds.
Step 2. Look for loose wire
If you are lucky, the problem will become obvious. Any loose wire inside the ear piece should be reattached to the loudspeaker. Look for a small metal pin, hopefully with other wires connected to it. Solder the wire back into position on the bare pin.
- If more than one wire is loose, you may need a manual to see which wire to connect to which.
- Make sure the wires don't touch each other.
Step 3. Change the driver
You can buy new headphone speaker drivers online, but these can be expensive. If you think changing drivers is more profitable, take your headphones and the new drivers to a repair shop. You can try to repair it yourself but the risk of damage is high:
- Cut the rubber seal around the driver with a sharp knife.
- Unplug the cone-shaped driver.
- Install the new driver into the same slot. Be careful not to touch the thin diaphragm.
- If this doesn't feel secure, apply a little glue to the edges.
Tips
- Practice disassembling cheap earphones first, if you have any.
- Try not to touch the soldering iron for too long. This could melt the surrounding plastic or damage the connection.
- If the lining of your ear buds has come off, you can print out silicone rubber to replace them.
