Headphones are broken: how to repair them yourself? Repairing a computer headset (headphones) with your own hands The wire to the headphones broke. How to fix

Quite often, owners of portable music devices have a question: “How to fix headphones?” Despite all the efforts of manufacturers to make a reliable and durable design, breakdowns during operation are inevitable. The only question is how soon this will happen.

However, this is not a reason for undue concern, since you can literally figure out in half an hour how to repair the headphones and perform the restoration yourself. But first things first.

Localization

Before proceeding with repairs, it is necessary to identify which part of the headphones has failed. Usually this does not require any special skills; it is enough to check the most vulnerable spots. These include the area at the plug where the wire goes into the connector (many manufacturers reinforce this place with plastic material), soldering inside the case and the conductor itself in an arbitrary place. Let us repeat, there is nothing complicated in how to repair headphones, provided that the damage is correctly identified. In other words, this is a kind of diagnosis. It is very simple to do: first you need to carefully shake the wire at the connector (headphones are on, the sound is playing), if this is the reason, then the malfunctions will stop for a moment. The fact is that due to constant bending of the wire in this place, the conductors inside the insulation most often break. If the sound in one of the headphones (phones) sounds quieter, wheezes, or you can hear the wire touching the diffuser, then you cannot do without opening the case. Finally, sometimes it is enough to shake a certain part of the wire for the sound to be restored. This means learning how to fix headphones that have a damaged wire. So, let's summarize the localization. There are three main causes of breakdowns: a break in the conductor at the plug, problems with the wire inside the phone case, and a breakdown of the cord itself.

Plug

There are two ways to solve this problem: installing a new plug and repairing the existing one. We recommend using the first option, as only in this case is it possible to maintain the normal appearance of the headphones. Any soldering, glue, or heat shrink tubing that would have to be used when rebuilding the old plug will be visible. So, how to fix headphones with a faulty wire at the plug? First you need to buy a new one. They come in metal and plastic. The latter are more convenient, since the possibility of accidental short-circuiting of contacts is excluded, and the mass is less. Having retreated 1-2 cm from the base of the old one (depending on the location of the break), it is necessary to cut off the plug. Next, you need to carefully cut the edge of the insulation, find three wires (in some models there may be 4) and strip their ends. Unscrew the new detachable plug, insert the wire into it, tie it in a knot to prevent it from being pulled out, and solder the ends of the conductors to the terminals. Usually coated with colored varnish - signal, and copper - “mass”. It is permissible to fill everything with hot glue. That's all. If anyone is interested in how to repair headphones with a microphone, then the procedure is almost the same, except that there are one more conductors.

By the way, the “ground” is always located closer to the plug.

Phones

If there is a malfunction inside one of the headphones, you need to open the case with a knife, lay the conductors there so that they do not come into contact with the membrane, and fix them with hot glue.

The wire

If the cord is damaged, the localized break area should be cut out. Then strip the ends of the conductors, put a heat-shrinkable tube of the required diameter on each of them, and do not forget to place the tube on the outer insulation of the cord. Next, solder the corresponding conductors and insulate the soldering points with a tube (heat with a match or lighter). This is the most accurate method, much more practical than using electrical tape.

IN Everyday life modern man Headphones are an indispensable attribute that allows you to enjoy listening to your favorite music and audiobooks anywhere and at any time. Unfortunately, this gadget does not last forever and is prone to breakdowns. In such a situation, you have to think whether you can repair the headphones yourself, or whether it is better to buy new ones. It is recommended not to rush to throw away old ones, since broken ones, in most cases, can be repaired at home. This article will discuss how to repair headphones yourself.

Headphones are enough simple device, so all the faults can be listed literally on your fingers. Common reasons why headphones stop working include the following:

  • plug breakage;
  • The headphone cord is faulty;
  • The volume control is faulty.

Plug failure

If your headphones break, the first thing you should pay attention to is the connection point between the plug and the cable. Often the cause of the breakdown lies precisely in this place. Due to frequent bending, the cable cores break, so the signal does not pass into one “ear” of the gadget or into both at once. The microphone may also not work.

The breakdown is quite easy to detect. When the gadget is turned on, you need to try bending the cable at the site of the supposed breakdown in different directions. If a sound appears or a crackling sound is heard, this means that one of the wire strands is broken. What to do if a problem spot is found on the cable?

To repair headphones, do the following.

  1. Cut the plug from the cable.
  2. To repair the plug will be used inside of old with a slight modification. To remove this part, you need to cut the plastic shell using a utility knife, as shown in the picture below.

  3. After cutting the plastic, remove the insides of the plug. You will see contacts to which several thin wires of different colors are soldered. In the same way, you can disassemble iPhone headphones.

  4. Remember or sketch on paper which contact and color the wire was connected to. The pictures below show standard wiring diagrams cable cores. The color of the conductors may differ in different models, in this case, green is the left channel, red is the right, and copper (without insulation) is common.


  5. If you need to repair headphones with a microphone, which are connected with one plug (usually there are 2 plugs on the cable), then the wiring diagram will be as in the figure below.

  6. Next, you need to free the internal cable cores from the external (general) insulation.

  7. Headphones cannot be repaired without a soldering iron. This is explained by the fact that it is necessary to connect common wires and tin the tips of all conductors using flux and solder. Since the conductors are covered with insulation (varnish), the tinning process will be a little difficult. To make it easier, it is recommended to use a lighter to lightly ignite the ends of the wires. You can also clean the ends from the varnish layer using a regular knife.

  8. To continue repairing headphones with your own hands, for example, Defender headphones, you need to find ballpoint pen , from which you only need one part, namely the bottom. It will serve as a housing for the plug.

  9. Prepare a small piece of heat shrink tubing to protect the wire from sharp bends.

  10. At the next stage, you will need to put the tip of the handle and heat shrink on the cable, and then solder the tinned ends of the wires to the plug part.
  11. We solder the contacts, strictly following the wiring diagram (using our sketch).

  12. After you have soldered all the conductors, you need to check whether the headphones are working or not. To do this you can use a multimeter and call all contacts. If there is no device, then simply plug the plug into the phone socket and turn on music playback on it. Make sure that both channels of the headset work separately by turning the balance control in the equalizer.
  13. At positive result testing, wear heat shrink tube to the soldering place and using a lighter or a hair dryer, make sure it fits snugly to the plug.

  14. To proceed, prepare a small amount of epoxy resin.

  15. Add a few drops of resin to the tip of the pen and slide it onto the soldered plug. At this point, the headset repair is considered complete.

The procedure for replacing the plug is the same for any type of headset, for example, such as: beats headphones By Dr, Sennheiser HD 215, Razer Kraken Pro, as well as for Steelseries Siberia v2 headphones, Audio-technica ATH-ES7 and Defender headphones.

Headphone cord is faulty

How to repair headphones if the headset cord is faulty? You can try to find fracture site internal wires of the cable, probing and bending all its sections while the gadget is running. If you hear a cracking sound or a sound during the test, mark this place with a marker. Next, at the break point, the cable is cut and stripped. After which the ends of the thin conductors must be soldered, observing color, and insulated.

If the break point is not found, then the entire cord will need to be replaced.. The following example will show the repair of vacuum headphones.


Replacing the cord in large headphones

Large gadgets, such as, for example, Philips headphones or Sven headphones for a computer, differ from in-ear ones only in the size of the speaker (diaphragms in small gadgets). Difficulties may arise when trying to get to the speaker in order to solder the wire contacts.

U different manufacturers The methods for opening them vary. These may be latches that are difficult to detect or hidden screws hidden under soft “pads” - ear pads. For example, the question often arises of how to disassemble Sennheiser headphones HD203?

This is done simply.


When repairing Steelseries Siberia headphones, the ear pads hold adhesive based. You can remove them by carefully prying them up with a screwdriver, after which you can find the fasteners. Some models use latches instead of screws, which can be broken if pressed hard. If they break, you will have to glue the cups of the gadget together, after which they will become inseparable.

In the Razer Kraken headphones, the ear pads are not glued and can be easily removed.

After disconnecting them, the fasteners can be found under the glued paper.

In the Audio-Technica M30 or ES7 headset, they are also placed on the rim of the gadget’s cup. Philips headphones are no exception.

By the way, the Audio-Technica ES7 headphones have hinges for rotating the cups. Therefore, if you disassemble it while repairing a gadget, you must be careful.

The Philips SHD 8600 headset is devoid of all the disadvantages associated with replacing the plug and cable, since it is a representative wireless devices.

Volume control problems

How to fix headphones if you have problems with the volume control in the form of loss of sound or crackling? In this case, you can use graphite lubricant to apply it to the resistive layer to restore contact. After this, the headset should function without problems.

If after lubrication the headset continues to work poorly, then the regulator needs to be replaced with a new one.

So in most cases, before you run out and buy new headset, its repair can be done with your own hands. To do this, you will need a soldering iron with a thin tip and skills in handling it.

DIY headphone repair

How to repair headphones

Stopped playing in one ear? Has it started rustling? Wait, throw it away, repair it!

Below are typical headphone problems. In 99% of cases, one of the options is yours.

Internal break in the cord

Manifestations: the sound begins to rustle in one of the headphones (less often in both), and over time disappears completely.

Diagnostics: The break occurs at the bend of the cord, i.e. either directly at the connector, or at the wire entry into the earphone itself. You can accurately set the location if you turn on playback and rotate the cord. A cracking sound or sound indicates the exact location of the break.

Repair: Cut the cord below the break point and solder it again.

Option with a break at the connector

Plugs usually come in two types - solid, flexible plastic, a molded hard core, and a soft rubber cap. It is necessary to remove the rubber cap; if this is not possible, cut it with a knife.

Cut through the casting with wire cutters and get to the place where the wire is soldered to the metal contacts of the connector. Strip and solder the wire, and put everything back together.

Fill cavities due to removed plastic parts with epoxy glue, faster curing is better.

The cut elastic band can be strengthened with bondage made from synthetic threads. Heat shrink tubing can also give good results.

Option with a break at the earphone

It is necessary to disassemble the earphone. Large headphones are assembled with screws. Smaller headphones with clips. Headphones droplets, earbuds - adhesive connection. The adhesive joint is disassembled either with a knife, or by squeezing the headphones in a yew - due to elastic bending, the crack usually runs along the glued joint.

The wire inside the earphone is tied in a knot to prevent it from being pulled out. Cut the wire, strip it, tie it in a knot and solder it as before. Glue the earphone back together.

Channel blockage

This malfunction is only possible with closed acoustic earphones. The membrane is separated from the channel by a thin metal mesh. Ear wax, as the earphone is used, covers this mesh and interferes with the passage of acoustic waves.

Diagnostics: no sound, although the continuity test shows the integrity of the headphone windings.

Repair: disassemble the earphone and wash the mesh in alcohol. Disassembly is preferable so as not to stain the membrane with leaking alcohol and dirt particles.

Membrane damage

Manifestations: crackling, rattling in one of the headphones, difference in playback timbre.

Diagnostics: visual inspection and opening of the earphone.

Repair: after opening, straighten the membrane if it is wrinkled. The effect will be temporary and the headphones will need to be replaced. If there are foreign particles on the membrane, remove them. Wash the mesh that separates the membrane from the surrounding space.

Why is this happening?

Let's look at the photo of the place where the veins broke:

With a small bending radius, the strands accumulate a large fatigue load and break. If you take a paper clip, straighten it and bend it in the middle, first in one direction, then in the other, then after several such bends it will break. The same thing happens with the conductors in the wire.

They fight this in two ways. At first, it is a special wire with a special weave of cores. The central channel made of synthetic threads provides the wire with tensile strength, and the wires wound in a spiral when the wire is bent experience more torsional load than bending. When loaded with torsion, the core is more stable. The second method is to increase the bend radius. To do this, the connector or earphone ends in an openwork flexible plastic structure, which, bending along with the wire, increases the bending radius. But correctly selected rigidity of the plastic is strictly necessary; if the plastic is too hard or too soft, the design will not be of any use.

To avoid disturbing others, many people use headphones when listening to music and watching videos. Unfortunately, over time they break, and if you don’t mind throwing away the cheap ones, you don’t really want to part with your favorite rare and expensive model. Therefore, many are interested in how to fix Samsung, Sony, etc. In principle, the repair sequence is the same for all models, and if you have a soldering iron at home, do not get upset prematurely - restoring the operation of the accessory is not so difficult.

Finding the reason

Before doing this, you must first identify the location of the malfunction. Most often, sound loss is associated with:

Broken wire between the plug and the speakers;

Broken wire at the very head of the plug;

Broken speakers;

Broken volume control;

Rubbing the wires on the headphone arm.

It is unlikely that it will be possible to visually determine what caused the problems with the headphones and where the problem area is located. But still, the preliminary inspection should not be neglected. If this does not work, you need to connect the headphones to your laptop or player and turn on the music at full volume. Then, starting from the plug, gradually bend the wire along its entire length until a sound or crackling sound appears. If you manage to find the fracture site, you can safely assume that the hardest part is behind you. Otherwise, you will have to disassemble the case and check the speakers.

Repairing a break

Answering the question: “How to fix headphones yourself?”, we note that most often the cause of the malfunction lies in a broken cord. To eliminate it, you will need a soldering iron, solder, a board or metal stand, flux, and a sharp knife or blade. The question of how to repair the headphones yourself is very simple to solve in this case. First, cut out a section of several centimeters 10-20 millimeters below and above the break point, then remove the insulating layer from the cord. You need to act very carefully here, since the wires themselves are very thin and easily break off. After this, a heat-shrinkable tube is first placed on each of the contacts. When soldering, be sure to follow the color scheme. The heat shrink acts as an insulator; it protects the soldered wires from short-circuiting. You can, of course, get by with regular electrical tape, but appearance after this there will be much to be desired. To make the connection more durable, the restored section of the cord is folded in the shape of the letter “Z”, and a bandage is made with thread around the entire fastening. The same will need to be done if the break occurs near the plug. Repairing headphone wires is best done with a multimeter.

Solving problems with speakers

How to fix headphones yourself if you hear noise and extraneous sounds? In this case, you will most likely have to disassemble the speaker housing. In over-the-head headphones, the screws are most often hidden under the soft ear cap, but small headphones are usually held on with glue, and therefore getting to the speaker is not an easy task. Here you just have to rely on your luck and superglue, which will be needed to reassemble the case. It is much worse if the sound is heard with a creaking or crackling sound. This means part of the coil has come off or the membrane has become deformed. In this case, you will need superglue, a toothpick and extreme care. The body should be connected only after the parts have completely dried.

Eliminating crackling volume control

Dust falling on the resistor layer often leads to poor contact between this layer and the slider. As a result, when adjusting the volume, extraneous sounds appear. How to fix the headphones yourself in this case? Here's how: or is applied to the surface of the resistor. After this, the contact is restored, and the crackling noise disappears.

Sooner or later, this happens to everyone - your favorite headphones break and stop playing, or wheeze and the sound periodically disappears from them. If the headphones are inexpensive, then it’s easy to replace them with new ones, but if they are expensive and of high quality, and you have problems with finances, then you can try to fix them yourself.

So, let's fix the headphones ourselves

The first step is to determine the cause of the malfunction - it is either a wire break or a malfunction of the headphone speaker itself. The problem can be determined by the symptoms. If the sound periodically disappears and appears, or if one “ear” does not play at all, it is most likely a broken wire. If one of the headphones begins to play quieter, or plays with wheezing, this is a speaker malfunction. However, sometimes a faulty speaker may also not play at all.

You should only try to repair the headphones yourself if the wire breaks. If the speaker malfunctions, it’s a lost cause. However, a broken speaker coil is a warranty case, so if your headphones are still under warranty, then you should try sending them to service center for replacement.

If you are sure that a broken wire is to blame for the malfunction of the headphones, then this problem can be eliminated. If the sound disappears and appears periodically, the easiest way to find the break point is to turn on the player and begin to pull, bend and unbend the wire along its entire length with your fingers step by step. In the place where the bending of the wire leads to the loss of sound, the desired “snot” is located (the break point). Next, we just need to cut out the faulty piece and connect the ends to each other. If the sound disappears and does not appear at all, you can go at random and try to cut off the end of the wire with the plug (most often the wire breaks near the plug). To check the remaining wire, it is most convenient to use a multimeter in resistance measurement mode. If the headphones are large, then the wires there usually have their own insulation. In this case, before checking, you need to remove 2-3 mm of insulation with a knife from each wire. If the headphones are pocket-sized, then the wires are usually coated with varnish as insulation and it is not so easy to scrape it off with a knife; a lighter will help us here - you just need to singe the ends of the wires and lightly scrape them with a knife. After this, by measuring the resistance between the wires with a multimeter, you can understand whether we have cut off the break point or not yet. If you don’t have a multimeter and you’re not going to give up on repairing your headphones, you can take a regular 1.5 Volt finger or little finger battery. When you connect it to the ends of the wires, a slight click should be heard in the earpiece.

After we have cut off the damaged section of the wire, we are faced with the task of attaching a plug to the headphones. Usually they use a plug called a 3.5′ mini-jack. It can be easily found in stores selling amateur radio products. Another (possibly simpler option) is to buy some cheap chinese headphones no more than 100 rubles and cut off a piece of wire with a plug from them. Next you just need to splice the wires and insulate them. If you know how to solder, solder them, it will be more reliable. For insulation, you can use electrical tape, heat-shrink tubing, or, at worst, even regular tape.

If your headphones with a microphone (that is, a headset) are broken and you need to repair them, then the repair method is generally similar. The only point is that there will be more wiring.