My 3.5mm headphone plug is bent, ever so slightly, so that it slides out of the jack on my phone.
The stereo functioning is still fine.
How can I straighten it?
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1If it were bent, it would be more difficult to insert and to remove it. If you want it to stay in place better, you might very gently crimp the long section, perhaps with long-nose locking pliers.– DrMoishe PippikMay 25, 2015 at 0:24
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Maybe you could use a bit of fire to melt the plastic.– lcjuryMay 25, 2015 at 2:14
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1I would suggest not attempting to straighten it if it's functioning properly. A slight mistake while doing so may make it worse or unusable.– IanMay 25, 2015 at 3:51
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The fact that it slides out of your phone easily should not have anything to do with the plug being bent. Try it with another plug.– NelsonJul 11, 2015 at 3:18
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2 Answers
If it ain't broken, don't fix it.
3.5mm connectors are fragile. They're frequently abused. They won't last forever. Every action you perform on it may weaken the structural integrity. As Ian said in the comments, the chances of you making it worse are quite high.
If you really have to fix it:
Grab two thin pliers, put one one the midsection and one on the tip. Now bend, very carefully.
If you break it, you'll need a soldering iron and a new connector. The connector is cheap, but it's not worth getting a soldering iron if this is the only thing you want to do with it.
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@FernandoCordeiro They're more expensive here (if you want anything that doesn't go up in flames after half an hour). Still, the necessary skill required would make soldering overkill for such a job (unless the headphones were very expensive, of-course).– MastMay 28, 2015 at 9:06
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Maybe it's just me, I find headphone jacks to be easy to solder (compared to electronics boards and so on). Still, yeah, probably overkill. I just think it's better to clarify the cost is not actually prohibitive, just probably unnecessary. :D May 28, 2015 at 9:09
If you want to replace it. Simply cut the original plug off. You can buy replacement pieces any electronics store. You need a 1/8 inch or a 1/4 inch stereo headphone plug depending on your application. On the plug there are 3 connections that are separated by plastic insulators.
The tip or center connection is for the left, the longer (ring) is for the right, the elongated metal piece with 2 little wings is the ground. Those little wings you gently bend around cable with just enough pressure to hold it in place firmly.
With a knife remove about a 1/2 inch of the plastic insulation from the headphone cable . You will then see 3 colored wires -black, red, and white. On the small wires remove about 1/8 inch of the insulation. Use a small soldering iron to join the wires to the connectors.
Black= ground , Red = left, White =right (if memory serves me right) . If it sounds odd afterwards reverse the left and right connections.
I forget to mention there are 2 types of plugs. Male and Female plugs- the reason for this should be obvious. The one on the headphones are the male plug type.