How to Split a Stereo Speaker Wire to Adapt to a PC

Most computer speakers have additional power to amplify sound.

You can modify traditional speaker wire to connect to a personal computer with some soldering. It's not an ideal solution, since the 3.5 mm jack on a computer is designed to provide minimal power for small speakers, or for speakers with an internal amplifier. If you have small speakers that you want to connect to your PC, you can use speaker wire to make a custom cable.

Things You'll Need

• Wire cutters
• Wire strippers
• Permanent marker
• Solder
• Soldering iron
• Heat-shrink tubing
• Heat gun
• 3.5 mm tip, ring and sleeve male adapter

Instructions

1. Strip the last 1/2 inch of insulation off of the speaker wire. One speaker cable with two wires carries a monaural audio signal. Stereo speaker wire requires two, two-wire cables. If you only use one cable, the PC will only transmit mono sound.

2. Slide a two inch section of heat-shrink tubing over the speaker wires. Separate the individual strands of wire. Label one wire as "Left" and the other as "Right." Trace the connections back to the other end of the speaker wire and label the other ends.

3. Take the end of the speaker wire where you are adapting it to the PC and twist the bare metal of the unmarked ends together. Twist the strands on the right and left wires separately to eliminate loose strands of copper.

4. Touch the soldering iron to the bare metal of the left speaker wire. When the wire is hot, touch the solder to it until the solder melts onto the wire. Remove the solder and iron. Repeat the process to put solder onto the right wire and the unmarked double-wire.

5. Hold the soldering iron against the connection point for the tip of the 3.5 mm jack until the connection point is hot. Touch the left wire to the connection point until the solder melts. Remove the iron. Repeat the process to connect the right wire to the ring connection point and the joint-wire to the sleeve connection point.

6. Slide the heat-shrink tubing over the connections and shrink it with a heat gun.

7. Connect the opposite end of the wire to two speakers. The left marked wire connects to the left positive speaker terminal. The left unmarked wire connects to the left negative speaker terminal. The positive is red and the negative is black. The pattern is the same for the right speaker wire.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep unshielded speakers at least one foot away from your computer and components to avoid damage from the magnet within the speakers.

References

• The Electronics Club: Jacks and Connectors
• Crutchfield: Speaker Wire - Choosing and Installing