Headphone miniplugs ARRGG

[loudnaybor]

Don't give up so easily.
First off, that high flexibility wire CAN be soldered. It's a lot easier to do if you use a gob of flux before touching your solder to the connection. Don't rely on the stuff that comes in the core of the solder itself.
Second, if you have good joints ( solder joints ) there is absolutely NO reason why you can't get this to work.
Your asumptions on the color coding make sense and I would have assumed the same as you did, but that doesn't mean it's right. Do you have access to an Ohm Meter ?

[This message has been edited by loudnaybor (edited 11-12-1999).]

 

[Flyboy]

Has anyone run into this...
a couple of my headphones are decent Sony's with mini plugs that I use the 1/4 inch adapter with. Lately they are getting crackly at the plug. So I go to Radioshack and buy a couple of stereo 1/4 plugs to replace the ends. But after cutting off the mini plug and stripping the wires, what you're left with is not what you think. THe "wires" are not really wire at all but look like fine strands of colored insulation type material that would be impossible to solder anyway. Looks like a ground/red on one side and ground/green on the other. I tried red and green to the two individual connections and the two grounds to the ground connector on the plug. Doesn't work. Looks like I deep sixed a pair of headphones.

 

[Dragon]

That's litz wire. It's VERY hard to solder. The only way is to strip off the outside, painted insulation layer (sandpaper or a chemical paint remover) and use lots of flux, like the man said.

 

[drstawl]

Hey- the headphones were dust without the plug anyway- so you didn't lose much by trying to salvage them.

 

[Dom Franco]

I know it's a big hassle, but you could replace the whole cable up to the Speaker connections in the earpiece itself.

The wires that come with these phones are usually too short anyway. I would suggest purchasing a coiled 25ft. headphone extention cable at Radio shack and cutting off the female end;. then solder it (Much better wire) to to the speaker terminals of the headphone.

Dom Franco