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#215717 - 08/05/2004 11:15 Cali headphone jack question
Folsom
member

Registered: 12/08/2001
Posts: 175
Loc: Atlanta
Has anyone had any problems with the headphone jack on their Cali? After I got it (out of warranty), the headphone jack is getting intermittant conections, and I have to twist the plug to get a good connection.

It sounds like the headphone jack needs to be resoldered to the board. How hard is it to open up the cali so I can fix it?


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#215718 - 08/05/2004 19:16 Re: Cali headphone jack question [Re: Folsom]
daPyr0x
stranger

Registered: 14/03/2004
Posts: 43
First things first, check your headphones. Just as a precautionary measure (And you'll probly respond with somethin like "what do you think I am, stupid?" - but we all forget small things)

So long as it's not your headphones, I would very highly doubt that it has to be resoldered to the board, and I would think that it sooner needs to be cleaned/replaced. To have intermittant connections that are fixed by twisting the plug in the jack....I very highly doubt it would have to do at all with the soldering job.

Whether it's easy or hard or anything, chances are it won't be terribly easy, but won't be impossible. There's also a pretty good chance you will damage your player in one way or another by opening/attempting to open it...that's just from experience though.

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#215719 - 08/05/2004 19:26 Re: Cali headphone jack question [Re: daPyr0x]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31565
Loc: Seattle, WA
First things first, check your headphones.
Or, even better, try a completely different pair of headphones.

I would very highly doubt that it has to be resoldered to the board
Why do you doubt this? I've seen that very thing happen on countless portable players dating all the way back to the Sony Walkman days.

And yes, twisting the plug in the jack can easily cause a loose solder connection to temporarily make contact, because it changes the direction of the stress against the assembly.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#215720 - 10/05/2004 13:50 Re: Cali headphone jack question [Re: tfabris]
Folsom
member

Registered: 12/08/2001
Posts: 175
Loc: Atlanta
Sorry, I forgot to add that I have tried two different pairs of headphones.

I did take it apart and resoldered down the connector. I does seem more stable now (before I could get no audio when I twist the plug, now there is always some audio), but it still is intermittant/crackly. I don't know why resoldering make it better. I need to do some more running with it to see if I actually changed anything. I'll also get some contact cleaner and clean the jack to see if that helps.

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#215721 - 10/05/2004 14:30 Re: Cali headphone jack question [Re: Folsom]
morrisdl
enthusiast

Registered: 21/08/2000
Posts: 346
Loc: Rochester, NY USA
I have a Cali and against my usual wisdom on the matter I got the Best buy extended warrantee. Good thing, since I am on my 3rd pair of headphones. the problem exactly as you described, always gets better once I replace them. I have found that taking the head phones out while in my bags seems to help (last 3 months, rather than 1). There has been 2 different versions of the head phones, and both failed. Unfortunately I really like the design, otherwise I would just get a better pair of buds.
_________________________
Cheers, -Doug Morrison Mk2-32G Back light buttons, Neon red screen

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#215722 - 10/05/2004 20:29 Re: Cali headphone jack question [Re: morrisdl]
Folsom
member

Registered: 12/08/2001
Posts: 175
Loc: Atlanta
Yeah, my headphones died also. The left earphone broke but was still usable. Then the plug broke. It was hard to tell if the jack or the plug was the problem until I used a new pair of headphones.

I'm going to try to find a different brand of headphone jacks. I work in the electronics industry, so I should be able to find some jacks that will fit.

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