A loose headphone jack often results from extensive use, repeatedly using a pair of headphones with a bent plug or jamming something into the headphone port that does not belong. Once the headphone port becomes loose, your headphones may cut in and out due to loss of connection while moving around, and, over time, the headphone port itself may free of the motherboard, resulting in complete failure. You can correct the loose headphone port yourself, though doing so may void your warranty.
Step 1
Open the computer's case. Depending on the computer and whether its a laptop or tower PC, you will need to use a Philips head screwdriver to remove the screws that are holding the chassis together, or you will need to unclasp the locks that are holding the PC case onto the tower's frame. Consult with your computer's manual for specific disassembly instructions if you're uncertain how to remove the machine's chassis.
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Step 2
Determine if the headphone port is attached to the machine via a cable or if it is soldered to the board. Examine the area around the headphone jack for damage, such as a cracked plastic support frame that held the jack in place. Examine the headphone jack itself for a broken connection; if the jack is soldered to the board, one of its connection pins may have become broken.
Step 3
Solder the headphone port back onto its pins if it has become dislodged from the circuit board. Plug in your soldering iron and allow it to heat up for five minutes. Put on a pair of magnifying safety glasses to help you see them small pins. Touch a piece of solder to the soldering iron so that a bead of solder appears on it, then touch the bead of solder on the soldering iron to the headphone pin and its corresponding pin on the circuit board. Remove the soldering iron and blow on the warm solder to harden it quickly.
Step 4
Insert a stick of hot gun into a hot glue gun. Plug the hot glue gun into a power outlet and turn it on "High" if it has a power setting. Wait for a small amount of glue to ooze from the gun's tip, which indicates that the gun is hot. Place a dollop of glue onto the loose headphone port, then press it firmly to the board beneath it to fix it in place. Only perform this step after fixing any broken pins, or if the jack is loose due to a cracked piece of supporting plastic.
Step 5
Reassemble the computer by reversing the steps you took to disassemble it.
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