How to Solder Headphone Wire
Portable music players have become ubiquitous since the release of the iPod in 2001. MP3 players like the iPod allow you to be active while using them, and generally can stand up to the weathering that accompanies physical activity like jogging. However, the headphones you use are often not as durable, and many are prone to breaking near the plug that connects to the player. You might resort to buying new headphones, but in fact most headphones can be restored to working condition with solder and just a few tools and parts.
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Things You'll Need
- Wire cutters
- Wire strippers
- Stereo headphone plug, 1/8-inch
- Soldering iron
- Heat shrink tubing
Instructions
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1
Cut the broken headphone plug off, using the wire cutters. Make sure the rest of the cord is in good condition.
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2
Strip insulation off the two insulated wires inside the headphone cord with wire strippers. Use your replacement headphone plug as a guide to strip off just enough that the insulation will remain past the end of the plug body.
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3
Slide a 1/2-inch piece of heat shrink tubing onto the headphone wire and move it well away from the plug. You will not be able to put it onto the cord after soldering. If your plug has a fitted shell or screw-on body of some kind, you may have to slide this onto the wire before soldering as well. Make sure you will be able to correctly assemble the plug after soldering it to the cord.
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4
Solder the uninsulated wire inside the cord to the sleeve contact on the headphone plug. This is the ground wire, and will always connect to the sleeve of the headphone plug, which typically has the largest contact.
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5
Wrap the stripped end of one of the insulated wires around one of the remaining contacts on the plug.
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6
Plug the plug gently into an MP3 player or computer and play a piece of music. Listen to the one headphone that is sounding to determine if it is connected correctly. If the right headphone is playing the left channel from the original music recording or vice versa, unwrap the wire and move it to the other unsoldered contact on the plug. Otherwise, it can stay in place.
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7
Solder the two insulated wires to their respective contacts on the plug as determined in the last step.
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8
Move the heat shrink tubing to the plug end of the cord until it covers any exposed wire that the plug body will not cover, and carefully shrink it with the soldering iron or another heat source.
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9
Assemble the plug body as necessary. Some plugs come with screw-on shells, and some have built-in crimping mechanisms to keep the wires from being too stressed.
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10
Plug in your finished plug and test it with some music.
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Tips & Warnings
Purchase replacement plugs at any electronics store or on the Internet.
Exercise care when stripping insulation, as many portable headphones have delicate wires.
If you do not have heat shrink tubing, use electrical tape instead.
Resources
- Photo Credit Headphones image by bluefern from Fotolia.com
