Headphone jack/speaker disconnect STUCK !

[boomerang]

There's nothing more frustrating than to have a nice, almost pristine boombox where everything else works fine but there's no sound. It seems my speaker disconnect is stuck in the "on" position after one too many cycles of headphone jack insertion and withdrawal. I'm not at all talented at reading circuitry schematics - even if such were available. I've taken it apart and can occasionally get sound if it put thumb pressure on the headphone jack. Otherwise, the speakers are muted. Does anyone know if there's a way to just bypass circuit-wise the headphone jack? I'm not sure how to proceed, but TBH I could care less if the headphone capability is lost. I just want to get my speakers working again. After all, it is a boombox...and headphones are for Walkmans.

 

[baddboybill]

Have you tried cleaning the jack with an electronic cleaner?

 

[Transistorized]

If you mean that you get sound out of your speakers on the boombox when you apply pressure to the headphone jack (box) on the circuit board then this would indicate to me that you have a cracked solder joint. You may be able to apply flux and re-flow the headphone jack solder points. When you apply pressure to the headphone jack port you are temporarily making a connection on the cracked solder joint and it will work. When you release pressure the solder joint crack opens up and breaks connection.

While it could still be an internal issue with contacts in the jack its not uncommon that the years of pushing pressure (plugging in headphones) will cause cracked colder joints on the board. Especially in situations where the manufacturer hasn't supported the headphone jack and is allowing the force to transfer to its soldered connections.

You are also correct that headphone jacks have a disconnect (side leaf pin) that internally disrupts audio to the terminal on the board supplying the feed to the internal pre-amp or audio chip.. This could be more of the issue if by thumb pressure you are referring to applying pressure to the headphone plug while it's inserted into the jack and wiggling it around. However, if by thumb pressure you are referring to simply pressing on the port with no headphone inserted, this is a dead give away of solder joints

 

[PostEnder]

Hi. I'm no expert on taking things apart -- boomboxes or otherwise. (That Aiwa CS-600U misadventure proves as much. :annoyed

But member baddboybill is one of the earlier people to sign up here on BoomBoxery. I think he has a heap of boombox-repair experience. His "electronic cleaner" suggestion might be helpful.

Another member like superduper seems quite knowledgeable, too. Maybe he will chime in. (Shrug)

Yes, it can be said that headphone usage is quite risky to one's hearing, perhaps especially after age twenty. (While speaker usage can be quite risky to the peace and quiet in that home or office SMH)

But I suggest that you keep trying to gain speaker output as the boombox was designed to (quite boisterously) offer. Hopefully nobody will need to de-solder wires and re-solder them to parts of the integrated circuit (IC) board those coloured strands obviously weren't designed to be directly hooked up to -- even if such a (literal) hack does seem to work. (Uh, what Sharp model is it?)

 

[Transistorized]

Hi. I'm no expert on taking things apart -- boomboxes or otherwise. (That Aiwa CS-600U misadventure proves as much. :annoyed

But member baddboybill is one of the earlier people to sign up here on Boomboxery. I think he has a heap of boombox-repair experience. His "electronic cleaner" suggestion might be helpful.

Another member like superduper seems quite knowledgeable, too. Maybe he will chime in. (Shrug)

Yes, it can be said that headphone usage is quite risky to one's hearing, perhaps especially after age twenty. (While speaker usage can be quite risky to the peace and quiet in that home or office SMH)

But I suggest that you keep trying to gain speaker output as the boombox was designed to (quite boisterously) offer. Hopefully nobody will need to de-solder wires and re-solder them to parts of the integrated circuit (IC) board those coloured strands obviously weren't designed to be directly hooked up to -- even if such a (literal) hack does seem to work. (Uh, what Sharp model is it?)

Not sure how to take this post. Its phrasing seems to indicate that I don't know what I am talking about. However, sometimes it is difficult to determine context and tone in writing. So....just to avoid any confusion, I would like to make clear that I was attempting to help by adding to others recommendations and experience with my own. This was not intended to debunk anyone's idea of what the issue could be. It very well could be dirty and could be resolved with a spray of contact cleaner. That's true. A loose or cracked solder joint can cause this as well. I've seen it.

I agree that baddboybill and superduper are very knowledgeable members and have been on this forum for many years. I would never second guess their knowledge and experience no matter how long they had been a member here. They are on top of their game when it comes to repairing these things. However, I'm sure they'd be just as smart if they had just joined so we can't determine ones repair diagnostic and troubleshooting skills on length of membership. If that were the case I have you beat by 5 months but that doesn't mean I am more or less knowledgeable than you or anyone else. I do tend to offer my assistance when I feel I may have a valid point or suggestion. If I don't know, I remain silent and learn from others experiences on the forums.

Secondly, I never said to "de-solder wires and re-solder them to parts of the integrated circuit (IC) board" that "obviously weren't designed to be directly hooked up to". I said that depending on the design of the box, you may need to re-flow the solder joints to the headphone jack on the printed circuit board (PCB) it's attached to.

I am sure superduper and baddboybill have both seen this happen because I most certainly have.

 

[floyd]

If you own a soldering iron just heat the pins on the PC board side of the headphone jack , if you wiggle the jack and see movement on the pins where they are soldier into the board that's a dead give away of a bad solder joint . if you fix the jack that should fix the problem.

 

[boomerang]

However, if by thumb pressure you are referring to simply pressing on the port with no headphone inserted, this is a dead give away of solder joints

Thanks. Everybody who replied has provided good information...helpful information. I hope my post didn't inspire any arguments. Yes, Transistorized, applying pressure on and around the port (with NO headphone jack inserted) is where I get the crackling and intermittent sound through the speakers. I never considered solder joints...but that's a pretty convincing argument. I'm not sure how to proceed though. I suppose I might be able to locate the breaks, but if it is a problem inside the port, I guess I have a big problem. So frustrating, because everything else is in great shape and ready to rumble !!!

EDIT: JVC Floyd, okay. tomorrow I will take a look at it under magnification and see if I can find any obvious breaks in any connections. IIRC the headphone port is attached to a 3"x5" circuit board which is attached to the back of the cabinet by at least two Phillips head screws. I sure hope I won't be required to take that off to examine the reverse side.

 

[baddboybill]

Hi. I'm no expert on taking things apart -- boomboxes or otherwise. (That Aiwa CS-600U misadventure proves as much. :annoyed

But member baddboybill is one of the earlier people to sign up here on Boomboxery. I think he has a heap of boombox-repair experience. His "electronic cleaner" suggestion might be helpful.

Another member like superduper seems quite knowledgeable, too. Maybe he will chime in. (Shrug)

Yes, it can be said that headphone usage is quite risky to one's hearing, perhaps especially after age twenty. (While speaker usage can be quite risky to the peace and quiet in that home or office SMH)

But I suggest that you keep trying to gain speaker output as the boombox was designed to (quite boisterously) offer. Hopefully nobody will need to de-solder wires and re-solder them to parts of the integrated circuit (IC) board those coloured strands obviously weren't designed to be directly hooked up to -- even if such a (literal) hack does seem to work. (Uh, what Sharp model is it?)

Not sure how to take this post. Its phrasing seems to indicate that I don't know what I am talking about. However, sometimes it is difficult to determine context and tone in writing. So....Just to avoid any confusion I would like to make clear that I was attempting to help by adding to others recommendations and experience with my own. This was not intended to debunk anyone's idea of what the issue could be. It very well could be dirty and could be resolved with a spray of contact cleaner. That's true. A loose or cracked solder joint can cause this as well. I've seen it.

I agree that baddboybill and superduper are very knowledgeable members and have been on this forum for many years. I would never second guess their knowledge and experience no matter how long they had been a member here. They are on top of their game when it comes to repairing these things. However, I'm sure they'd be just as smart if they had just joined so we can't determine ones repair diagnostic and troubleshooting skills on length of membership. If that were the case I have you beat by 5 months but that doesn't mean I am more or less knowledgeable than you or anyone else. I do tend to offer my assistance when I feel I may have a valid point or suggestion. If I don't know, I remain silent and learn from others experiences on the forums.

Secondly, I never said to "de-solder wires and re-solder them to parts of the integrated circuit (IC) board" that "obviously weren't designed to be directly hooked up to". I said that depending on the design of the box, you may need to re-flow the solder joints to the headphone jack on the printed circuit board (PCB) it's attached to.

I am sure supersuper and baddboybill have both seen this happen because I most certainly have.

I don’t believe he meant any harm in what he said. But usually start with obvious easy test. I do agree with you that putting pressure can be cold solder joint but it can also be crack in trace on board. Or maybe just a very dirty and corrosive headphone jack switch. One thing I’d like to know is did he test with headphones to. That will also help narrow it down. 👍

 

[Transistorized]

I agree.

Knowing if it disrupts audio to the headphones when plugged in would be a good test. If it were a bad joint it would also disrupt audio on the headphones during play when pressing on the jack. If the audio on the headphones is uninterrupted, then it's possible that the pin which moves when the headphones are inserted to kill the audio feed to the main amp is simply not making connection internally, broken, etc.. If it is a poor connection due to oxidation and minor corrosion, deoxit will / should clear it right up. As you said, this is the easiest and first thing to try. And, as I was saying in my original post (or meant to imply)...if that doesn't work it comes down to a solder joint, faulty headphone jack or (as you stated) a broken wire to trace on the PCB itself.

So boomerang, there you have it... Keep us posted.

 

[PostEnder]

Hi. I'm no expert on taking things apart -- boomboxes or otherwise. (That Aiwa CS-600U misadventure proves as much. :annoyed

But member baddboybill is one of the earlier people to sign up here on Boomboxery. I think he has a heap of boombox-repair experience. His "electronic cleaner" suggestion might be helpful.

Another member like superduper seems quite knowledgeable, too. Maybe he will chime in. (Shrug)

Yes, it can be said that headphone usage is quite risky to one's hearing, perhaps especially after age twenty. (While speaker usage can be quite risky to the peace and quiet in that home or office SMH)

But I suggest that you keep trying to gain speaker output as the boombox was designed to (quite boisterously) offer. Hopefully nobody will need to de-solder wires and re-solder them to parts of the integrated circuit (IC) board those coloured strands obviously weren't designed to be directly hooked up to -- even if such a (literal) hack does seem to work. (Uh, what Sharp model is it?)

Not sure how to take this post. Its phrasing seems to indicate that I don't know what I am talking about. However, sometimes it is difficult to determine context and tone in writing. So....just to avoid any confusion, I would like to make clear that I was attempting to help by adding to others recommendations and experience with my own. This was not intended to debunk anyone's idea of what the issue could be. It very well could be dirty and could be resolved with a spray of contact cleaner. That's true. A loose or cracked solder joint can cause this as well. I've seen it.

I agree that baddboybill and superduper are very knowledgeable members and have been on this forum for many years. I would never second guess their knowledge and experience no matter how long they had been a member here. They are on top of their game when it comes to repairing these things. However, I'm sure they'd be just as smart if they had just joined so we can't determine ones repair diagnostic and troubleshooting skills on length of membership. If that were the case I have you beat by 5 months but that doesn't mean I am more or less knowledgeable than you or anyone else. I do tend to offer my assistance when I feel I may have a valid point or suggestion. If I don't know, I remain silent and learn from others experiences on the forums.

Secondly, I never said to "de-solder wires and re-solder them to parts of the integrated circuit (IC) board" that "obviously weren't designed to be directly hooked up to". I said that depending on the design of the box, you may need to re-flow the solder joints to the headphone jack on the printed circuit board (PCB) it's attached to.

I am sure superduper and baddboybill have both seen this happen because I most certainly have.

You must excuse this non-repairer, sir. I think that your screen name (with its avatar) was one of the more recognizable ones from my early days of browsing a boombox-fan website such as Stereo2Go. (You were on that 'site first, yes? ) I have seen your replies to other members who have questions about -- or who comment on -- their dealing with some issue or another on audio electronics. I think your replies have shown that your technical expertise is unquestionable.

The posting of that 990-odd-keystroke message of mine is, simply put, bad timing. I spent a long while composing the message mostly in a word-processing document.

I am always aware that someone might respond to an initially unanswered message before I post my own frequently long messages. I took that chance and kept composing the message.

Sure enough, when I wanted to post my message, someone else (you) had posted a reply after baddboybill had posted his message. I decided (apparently incorrectly) not to edit the message further and I clicked "Post" (or whatever).

The timing of my posted reply makes for some awkward reading. It might give one -- and perhaps especially you -- the impression that I was faulting or scorning your experience with electronics. I certainly was not, as baddboybill himself noted in the first sentence of his reply to your displeased message.

Again, no offense meant . Hope this message isn't more bad timing .

 

[hopey]

I agree.

Knowing if it disrupts audio to the headphones when plugged in would be a good test. If it were a bad joint it would also disrupt audio on the headphones during play when pressing on the jack. If the audio on the headphones is uninterrupted, then it's possible that the pin which moves when the headphones are inserted to kill the audio feed to the main amp is simply not making connection internally, broken, etc.. If it is a poor connection due to oxidation and minor corrosion, deoxit will / should clear it right up. As you said, this is the easiest and first thing to try. And, as I was saying in my original post (or meant to imply)...if that doesn't work it comes down to a solder joint, faulty headphone jack or (as you stated) a broken wire to trace on the PCB itself.

So boomerang, there you have it... Keep us posted.

i agree it maybe the solder joints on the PCB or the internally normally closed contacts within the jack. There is also the possiblity the mic jacks NC contacts as well as these are in series and can add up to too much resistance although less likely.

 

[boomerang]

I agree.

Knowing if it disrupts audio to the headphones when plugged in would be a good test. If it were a bad joint it would also disrupt audio on the headphones during play when pressing on the jack. If the audio on the headphones is uninterrupted, then it's possible that the pin which moves when the headphones are inserted to kill the audio feed to the main amp is simply not making connection internally, broken, etc.. If it is a poor connection due to oxidation and minor corrosion, deoxit will / should clear it right up. As you said, this is the easiest and first thing to try. And, as I was saying in my original post (or meant to imply)...if that doesn't work it comes down to a solder joint, faulty headphone jack or (as you stated) a broken wire to trace on the PCB itself.

So boomerang, there you have it... Keep us posted.

Will do. Sorry I'm taking so long, but I just haven't had a chance to take a second look at it. I didn't try it with headphones YET...but IIRC it worked fine in the past. I'll review all the suggestions above and see if I can narrow it down for you guys. Thanks again everyone and I will look at it later today if I can.

 

[boomerang]

Ok, I'm back folks. Sorry for the wait. I tried the recommended headphone test and it is the same situation for the headphones (intermittent, crackly sound with channel panning...but only if you physically wiggle the jack or put pressure on/around the port) I literally just tested this minutes ago, so I'm not sure where I stand, but I'll have to re-review everyone's posts above as I know there is a next step listed there. I suspect I'll need to get my large magnifying glass out and try to see if there are any cracked solder joints. IDK if my users manual has a schematic, but that wouldn't help much as I know zilch about reading electronic circuitry diagrams. These things are hard to work with when disassembled - mine is in two pieces, joined by a single strand of wires, and I have all the knobs of and stored in a plastic baggie. Not exactly a "user friendly" product for working on.

EDIT: If it is a faulty headphone jack like Transistorized mentioned above...what options if any do I have???

 

[Transistorized]

If you have already tried spraying cleaner as baddboybill suggested and it's still not working correctly, then at this point its time to remove the tiny headphone board to where you can flip it over and view the bottom where its soldered. Wiggle the port and look for cracked pins, traces or loose solder points on the board. If its cracked at a solder joint you can re-flow with a soldering iron like Floyd suggested. The only thing you need to be careful of, is not heating the joint too long. If your iron is reaching the proper temp it should only take 1 or 2 seconds for the solder to melt to a shiny appearance. Heat just long enough to puddle the solder then remove the iron. If you know which joint it is, focus on repairing that one only and leave the others alone. If the jack housing is made of plastic and the soldering iron is left on too long it can/will distort the plastic housing of the jack.

If you feel uncomfortable with this and the part/board is able to be removed, take it to a repair facility. They will check the joints and re-flow at a reasonable cost.

If no broken traces or cracked/loose solder joints are found then you would need to find a replacement jack/board combo.

 

[boomerang]

If you have already tried spraying cleaner as baddboybill suggested and it's still not working correctly, then at this point its time to remove the tiny headphone board to where you can flip it over and view the bottom where its soldered.

Thanks. What exactly does the "tiny headphone board" look like? My headphone/external speaker etc. port is a one piece black plastic unit which is attached to a brown 3"x 5" circuit board...which is itself attached by at least two Phillips head screws to the back cabinet. Part of it is obscured, but there are at least two screws to deal with. Is that what I have to take off and examine the back of???

 

[baddboybill]

If you have already tried spraying cleaner as baddboybill suggested and it's still not working correctly, then at this point its time to remove the tiny headphone board to where you can flip it over and view the bottom where its soldered.

Thanks. What exactly does the "tiny headphone board" look like? My headphone/external speaker etc. port is a one piece black plastic unit which is attached to a brown 3"x 5" circuit board...which is itself attached by at least two Phillips head screws to the back cabinet. Part of it is obscured, but there are at least two screws to deal with. Is that what I have to take off and examine the back of???

The circuit board should be correct to check for breaks in joints or traces. But another recommendation is have you cleaned any switches or pots? This may be another problem that 90% of boombox issues stem from as these units sit many years without use and collect dust dirt and moisture inside. I just restored a lasonic trc920 that had very little sound from right channel and zero sound left. Cleaning fixed issue 100% and now full sound. But since your already by board for headphone jack check it to.