Is Your Headphone Jack Plug Giving You Problems?

You are doing your favorite activity and listening to music on your headphones. Suddenly the music just stops or its interrupted with a loud crackle. How annoying! Weather it is your old Sony Walkman, MP3 player, new Apple iPod, iPhone, iPad or your lovely laptop, the thought of an audio malfunction could be shocking. Most likely your audio interruption is caused by a problem with your Headphone Jack Plug.

Sometimes it's the simple things that count. With all the complicated circuitry and programs going on inside today's audio capable gadgets, it may be the common headphone jack that causes the most problems. A set of headphones and the headphone jack gives us the capability auditory interaction with today's popular electronic devices. Depending on the type, a headphone jack costs anywhere from a fraction of a dollar to a few dollars. That is why it can be very frustrating when you realize you may have paid hundreds of dollars for an electro-gadget that doesn't work because of a relatively cheap!

The term headphone jack or headphone plug refers to both male and female metal connectors that come in various sizes. The most common sizes are a 6.35mm or 1/4" jack, 3.5mm miniature jack and a 2.5mm sub-miniature jack. The malfunction of a simple headphone jack can be a big headache.

There are a few different causes for its malfunction. The female part of a headphone jack is most prone to causing a failure because it us an opening into the inner circuitry of any device that has one. Allowing sand, dust or water to get inside could cause a problem. Some of today's latest audio devices have a "moisture" detection sensor. If liquid or excessive moisture gets inside the headphone jack, a small LED light will change from white to red to indicate unacceptable moisture levels. Such indication may cause the device to shut down in an attempt to avoid further damage. Another common cause of headphone jack failure is a bad connection do to the spreading of the internal metal contacts. This is the reason for most repair requests or returns for MP3s, cell phones and iPods. It has been noted as one of the most discouraging problems for audio technicians. Technicians have stated that it is a shame that such beautifully designed devices fail because of a jack malfunction.

So, what can be done to avoid and/or repair a problem with headphone jacks? If you think dirt or dust got into the jack, you could try blowing out the jack hole. You can blow into the hole yourself or buy a can of compressed air commonly sold in electronic and computer stores that are made specifically for cleaning electronic devices. If you think liquid or moisture got into the hole, just let it sit for a while in a dry warm place for a couple of days, the device might dry out and begin working properly. If none of these works and your device is under warranty, send it back to the manufacturer for repair.

Although not recommended, you could try a do it yourself fix. To do this, remove the cover of your device. This may require you to remove a number of screws around the perimeter of the cover. If you have soldering skills you can remove the old solder from the jack by heating up the old solder with a soldering gun and tabbing it off with a toothpick. Then apply new solder using proper soldering technique. If you do not know how to solder try cleaning jack connectors with an alcohol swab. Test your device to see if it works. If not, you may want to re-solder the connections. Soldering properly requires some skill.

If all of the above methods do not resolve your jack problem, your best bet may be to send it back to the manufacturer for a repair. Follow the instructions in your user manual for the repair process. But there are ways to avoid problems with your headphone jacks. Be gentle when inserting the male jack into the female receptor. Angling when injecting may cause the female connectors to spread, thus causing a loose connection, which may require constant jiggling. Use device clips to secure your device to your belt or pocket to avoid pulling on the jack if your device falls or is pulled.

Sometimes the best way to avoid jack damage is prevention. Some devices come with jack covers but others do not. If you have a device that does not have a headphone jack cover you can buy one at your electronics store or go on-line and search for "headphone jack cover". Protect your investment, avoid dust and moisture and get a cover if you don't have one.

How To Solve Headphone Jack Problems

Lately iPhone problems have been more prevalent, especially regarding the headphones and headphone jack. These problems are being reported more and more, not only from iPhone users but across the Apple board. It has to be mentioned that if you are having problems with your iPod or iPhone and it is still under warranty, it is recommended that you take it to your nearest Apple store and have them take a look at it. After all they are the professionals and will be able to tell you whether it can be fixed or if it needs to be replaced.

Problems being reported are that the earphones only play from one side or not at all or that the music crackles, sounds fuzzy or fades in and out or to one side. It could also be that the headphones are not transmitting your voice. More often than not the problem lies with the actual headphone jack and not the headphones themselves. This could be caused by the internal contacts getting wet or not being able to make proper contact due to dirt or damage. Some have reported problems after upgrading the firmware but it has not been proven that it is the actual software that causes the problem.

Some ways to prevent these types of headphone jack problems is by ensuring that you do not leave headphones connected and wrapping the cord tightly around your iPod or iPhone. This could damage the input sensors within the jack and lead to them not connecting properly. It may happen that a tiny piece of lint could have become stuck inside the jack, this is solved by blowing compressed air into the jack while turning the phone in different angles. If you do not have compressed air, a vacuum cleaner or even hairdryer with the heat turned off could be used to try and clear lint and other pocket debris from the jack.

If the above method doesn't work it could be that the inside of the jack is dirty or sticky from something else. The way to solve this is by using a cotton bud and some rubbing alcohol. Remove most of the cotton from the bud so that it easily fits into the jack. Dip it in some rubbing alcohol and gently turn the bud to clean out the jack using slight pressure. While allowing the jack to dry thoroughly, examine the bud to see if there is any dirt present. If it comes out dirty you might have to repeat the process a couple of times. Be careful not to leave traces of cotton on the inside of the jack and use very little rubbing alcohol in the process. If this still does nothing to solve your problem you may need to replace the jack entirely.

The ICatchi Plug could be the solution to all of your headphone jack problems and iPhone problems. By simply inserting the plug into the headphone jack, it will prevent unwanted fluff, dirt and liquid from getting into the jack. It fits into any 3.5mm headphone jack and is compatible with most iPhone covers. Plans for launching a 2.5mm plug are also in the pipeline. Furthermore, the ICatchi Plugs are fully customizable with sports logos, flags, smilies and other fashionable signs and symbols for that added personal touch that will keep your iPhone looking trendy.

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Article Submitted On: March 30, 2011