fixing shorted computer speakers

[gooberguy]

I'm sure you all know the problem i'm talking about... your speaker works for the most part, but when the plug that goes into the computer is shifted just slightly one speaker, or sometimes both speakers cut out, and you have to play the wiggle game to fix the sound.

i'm pretty sure this is due to a wire or something being lose in the encasement of the jack and where the wires meet the jack. is there any way to fix this, perhaps by getting a new jack and splicing some wires together? i tried cutting up the encasement and sodering some wires back, but that barely worked, and i still had to play the 'wiggle' game.

thanks in advance

[johns0]

The proper way to fix that is to get a new plug that can be soldered to and cut the old plug off and solder the wires to the new plug cleanly and make sure you have the plug jacket threaded so you can screw it back to the plug,never splice wires to the old plug,it wont fix it it.

[gooberguy]

any idea where i can get the plug from?

[jagabo]

Radio Shack has that sort of part. It could also be a bad solder joint on the sound card.

[johns0]

If you have a decent audio system you might be able the replace the cable itself if it plugs into the subwoofer.

[gooberguy]

definitely not the sound card, but thanks for the thought.

its a logitech 5.1 computer setup. decently old. the cable goes straight into the central speaker, with no signs of easily replacing it

[AlanHK]

First thing to fix is corrosion. Give the plug a polish, e.g. using a steel scrubber or fine sandpaper. Wipe it clean and then give a drop of WD40 -- but wipe it so there is no dripping, just a slight oily feel.

If that doesn't work, it could be the wiring inside the plug. Some can unscrew and you can check it out, resolder. Others are moulded and you have to cut it off and replace (very cheap).

Otherwise the socket in the PC. Turn off the PC and open it up, if you can see the inside contacts watch what happens when the plug goes in and out. There is a spring clip that makes contact with the plug, it may be bent out of position and you might be able to bend it back.

If not, see if you can get at the wiring that leads to the socket, snip it and join some wire, drill a hole in the case (or use a spare PCI slot cover) and attach it to a new plug ($1 or less).

I've assumed your sound is "on board", but if it's on a card than you might replace the soundcard; seems drastic but these are very cheap and easy to install. You could also do this if it's onboard sound and disable that in the BIOS.

[gooberguy]

so i got a new jack and tried sodering my existing wires to the new jack. still did not work.

on the wires i have a thick ground, a green and a red wire.

i sodered the green wire to the inside line, and the red to the outside line, with the ground on the big metal part. still did not work :/

[jagabo]

i sodered the green wire to the inside line, and the red to the outside line, with the ground on the big metal part :/

I think you have the red/green wires reversed. Although, I would expect that to cause a phase error, not no sound at all.

[El Heggunte]

so i got a new jack and tried sodering my existing wires to the new jack. still did not work.

Perhaps the problem is in the wires themselves...

[johns0]

i sodered the green wire to the inside line, and the red to the outside line, with the ground on the big metal part :/

I think you have the red/green wires reversed. Although, I would expect that to cause a phase error, not no sound at all.

That wont cause a phase error,just swapping right to left,phase error(out of phase) happens if one speaker wires are reversed and the other speaker wires are set properly.what happens is one speaker is pulsing out and the other is pulsing in losing bass and center sound.

Sounds like what jagabo said about the sound card solder joint inside or could be somewhere else on the speaker wire,test with another speaker system to rule that out.

[edDV]

Cheap connectors.

Solder the sucka or replace connectors.

[jagabo]

i sodered the green wire to the inside line, and the red to the outside line, with the ground on the big metal part :/

I think you have the red/green wires reversed. Although, I would expect that to cause a phase error, not no sound at all.

That wont cause a phase error,just swapping right to left,phase error(out of phase) happens if one speaker wires are reversed and the other speaker wires are set properly.

That's what he's doing by soldering the wires backwards at the RCA connector. Or is he talking about a stereo pin-plug connector?

[johns0]

He's talking about the stereo plug connector that goes in the sound card connector jack.Out of phase needs 2 independent ground connections.

[edDV]

My experiece with these things is the mini-plug connection is lost due to poor jacks/corrosion rather than reversed wires although that could cause center cancellation. My test is to wiggle until the audio is correct.

Correction is full replacement of connectors with something better or soldering around the connectors.

It could be the speaker wires which can go intermittent if over-bent or squashed.

[johns0]

Reversed wires in stereo plugs do not cause center cancellation,just cause left and right to switch.A loose ground wire will cause center to go out.