Soldering headphones is a fairly simple process. However, if you don’t have soldering experience, then repairing headphones may seem like an impossible task.
We hope that this article will solve the problem. We should immediately note that the question of the expediency of this enterprise should always be considered.
So, the cost of some headphones is very low. Do I need to spend time fixing them or is it better to buy new ones?
Soldering the headphone wires will require the necessary minimum of equipment and consumables. The cost of this equipment, even the cheapest, can be much more than the price of a headset.
Soldering headphones at home
If you still decide to solder headphones, then you need to prepare the place and tools. To do this, you will need:
- A soldering iron;
- Tin;
- Rosin or solder;
- Stationery knife, scissors;
- Insulation material;
- Multimeter (preferably);
- Tweezers (preferably).
If you have no experience in soldering, it is recommended to study this process in advance. You should practice on a pack of ordinary wires before you start repairing headphones.
Fault diagnosis
You need to start by identifying the area of the defect. Headphones are a very simple design. In this article we will consider the option without a microphone. Soldering headphones with a microphone is the topic of a separate article. Structurally, the headset consists of two speakers connected by wires with a plug.
From which it follows that the defects may include a wire break or a burnout of one or two speakers. Most often, one of the veins fails due to frequent kinks. Not all manufacturers use high-quality stranded conductors. But, even the highest quality wires, sooner or later, will break from frequent bending.
The scheme of headphones for the phone
Everything is clear with the design. Now let’s move on to the headphone circuit. The whole catch is to solder the three wires correctly. If you found a breakage not at the connector, then everything is much simpler. Cut off the damaged area, clean the wires, tin and solder, observing the color marking. Later we will tell you how to tin the wire from the headphones.
But, if a breakage occurred at the connector, then you should know which wire and where to solder. The pinout of the headphones, in most cases, is the same. The color of the wires may vary. Of course, you can use the Internet to find out the pinout of any particular model. But, not all models can have schemes.
It is best to sketch and photograph the wiring diagram directly during the disassembly of the connector. It will be easier and more reliable this way. Often the connectors are filled with rubber and they have to be cut to get to the wires. Think in advance about how you will assemble the connector. For example, you can buy a collapsible one.
Soldering headphones: how to strip the headphone wires
After cutting the cable, you will find that there are three or four wires inside. One/two uninsulated is the mass. They are soldered to one contact. Two wires (single/stranded) are varnished and have different colors. Often it’s red and green/blue. This is the right and left channel. You can specify using a multimeter.
Many people are wondering – how to clean the headphone wires? It’s very simple – scrape off a layer of colored wire varnish with a stationery knife / blade. The uninsulated mass does not need to be cleaned if it is not oxidized. Scrape carefully, as fragile wires can easily break. In any case, do not burn the varnish on the wires.
This will increase the brittleness of copper and cover the wire with a layer of carbon. Often the varnish layer on the wires is so thin that it easily comes off during soldering. In this case, you can immediately start wiring the wire. Prepare a well-lit and comfortable place in advance, as well as the surface where you are going to solder the headphones.
How to pry the wires from the headphones
Soldering the headphone wires begins with tinning. The process is simple, but the soldering strength depends on the quality of tinning. That process will require a well-heated soldering iron, rosin (flux/solder) and stripped wires. Note that to solder the wire to the connector, it is enough to clean a small area of 1-2 mm.
Immerse the wire in the flux if it is pasty. Or use a soldering iron sting to sink the end of the conductor into rosin. Then transfer the wire to the soldering surface and cover it with tin. The coating should be uniform. Cover the entire cleaned surface with a catch. Now the wires are ready for soldering.
Soldering headphones
The preparatory stages are over. The question arises – how to solder the headphones? Very simple! Use rosin and tin to connect the wires. That’s the whole point of soldering. In order not to make a mistake, use the existing scheme. That is, solder the mass to the mass, the left channel to the left, and the right to the right.
Observe the color marking of the wires. Sealed areas must be isolated. You can use nail polish. When it dries, use some available insulation material. Such repair of the headphone wire is suitable not only for smartphone models, but also for conventional stereo headsets.
