When HB said mono, I thought he meant both phones sounded the same. He said he'd swapped headphones, so the problem must have been in the jack. Testing the phones unplugged would reveal nothing about the jack.
I've reported OVER & OVER & OVER that I HAVE tried headphones in my other audio devices; have also tried plugs, adapters; switched everything around. Nada.
I wouldn't be asking for help if I hadn't tried as much I could first!. Of course when a thread gets long, some info gets left behind.
HB
As I just answered another friend above, I HAVE TESTED VARIOUS HEADPHONES WITH VARIOUS OTHER AUDIO DEVICES; ALSO TESTED PLUGS AND ADAPTERS. WAS VERY THOROUGH. SWITCHED EVERYTHING AROUND. BOTTOM LINE: EVERYTHING WORKED EXCEPT JACK IN STEREO. Which is why I reached out for advice.
HB
Oh, yeah. I found out about that later. A reasonable conclusion.
One of the reasons it's hard to follow is your demented quoting style, where you quote large amounts of text for no apparent reason, inserting useless blank lines, which become triple blank lines when you re-quote your own quotes. You also use vague and incorrect terminology, and don't understand what you read very well.
Shouting doesn't add a thing.
"WAS VERY THOROUGH SWITCHED EVERYTHING AROUND" is vague and inconclusive shouting. You never described switching "everything". Many things could be switched that you haven't mentioned. It's a near certainty that you haven't tried every combination, since you show no evidence of even knowing what combinations exist.
"EVERYTHING WORKED EXCEPT JACK IN STEREO" What might that mean, specifically, in plain English?
Good luck. In this conversation, some of the info you've been given is excellent, and you've ignored plenty of it. Some of the info you've been given is incorrect and useless. But the biggest stumbling block is you, your incoherent posts, your misunderstanding of the terminology, you misreading of many of the suggestions, and your inability to step through the troubleshooting in a logical manner, which you're now trying to blame on Usenet. Some people are trying to help you, and now you're getting testy at them because you can't understand what you read, or what you write. Give up and buy a TV that isn't total crap.
It's been fun watching the village idiot's dog chasing its tail.
yer noggin skwawkerz iz bustikated tho eum in tha dumpsty an git a reel tee vee
Problem is not the TV. Problem is the stereo through which I get sound. Jack for headphones (which I have to use because of hearing) has deteriorated; only gets one channel. Looking for advice how to (a) fix jack or (b) use stereo sound some other way.
Got 2 pieces of advice how to "clean" the jack, in case that's the problem. One is delicate sandpaper -- but has downside. The other is liquid -- WD 40 and other suggestions.
Going to try liquid and see if that helps.
I'm not technie enough to implement some of the good suggestions by myself; need to find somebody competent & willing to help.
Thanks!
HB
gregz posted for all of us...
And I know how to SNIP
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
gregz posted for all of us...
And I know how to SNIP
Not the sand! :-)
It sounds like you've established it's a bad stereo jack on the HK unit. The question is what to do now? Repair is one option - and we're only assuming that the jack is bad. Any part of the circuit in the HK that delivers audio to that jack could be broken so, theoretically you can replace the jack and still have no stereo output. Repairing a problem like that could be fairly extensive/expensive, even to get an estimate.
If it were me, I'd bypass that jack and the HK. That leaves a wireless headphone or separate amplifier box option. If you want to be able to still hear TV through the speakers of the HK, you'll need two splitter cables as well. Choice of gear dependent on how existing gear is routed. Cost should be around $25. Basically a dedicated low-power amplifier for headphones that is being "dropped into" the audio system where the HK and its most likely bad jack now live. It's what I would do, or go wireless.
I solved the ubiquitous low volume problem of my existing 32" LCD TV by just attaching some normal-sized bookshelf speakers. Fortunately this unit's built-in speakers were wired with normal speaker wire spring clip connections. The larger box recovers the bass that's always missing from the slim built in speaker.
BTW, does the HK have a built-in tuner? Same results as TV with headphones? I know we're being repetitive, but I've fixed things that weren't broken (at least in the place I thought they were) before so it pays to be exhaustive.
FWIW, cleaning, reaming or sanding the jack's innards are not likely to help if this is mechanical damage. Most contacts have an ultrathin chrome-like plating that once mechanically degraded, will rapidly corrode. Remember, though, if you opt to fix it, the repair may not simply involve a jack transplant.
No. I blamed the lack of an organized manner of proceeding on Usenet.
He does seem testy, when I tthought I made a good point. And even if I didn't, I was trying to. If it indeed is the jack, there were several posts about cleaning with a spray, about bending tangs -- these are good ideas. (Except that I think it will be hard to bend the tangs right, especially since there will be 6 (no common tang) and only one needs to be bent. It's probably the farthest of 3 from the center and should be bent closer to the center, but if too close to the center, the headphones will stay on even when the speakers are on. However that can be solved by unplugging the headphones so maybe being the tangs will actually work. If you choose the wrong group of 3, that won't be so bad either. You can then switch to the other set of 3, but like I said you should push with a wooden stick while wearing the headphones, in order to identify the right tang) When the missing sound appears, that's the right tang.
And there is always the last resort: Replacing the jack, but it's likely stuffed in a small corner of the device, and since the sound goes off when the plug is inserted, that means there are 7 wires going to the jack, each of which has to be put back on the right solder tab of the new jack. And even though all 1/4" stereo ** jacks work the same, they aren't all built the same and the solder connections can be in different places from other jacks. Right??
**(What is the nomenclature that means double throw? Insert that between stereo and jacks above, or just make sure to buy a 7 solder-connection jack. I've never seen "double throw" in the description or name of a jack, and yet they come in what's reasonably called both single and double throw. Double if they turn some output off when they turn the headphones on. )So it would take 5 sets of notes. See below^^^^
One A, a table that just says which wire (described by color, and by destination if two wires are the same color) goes to which solder connection (described by a drawing or more than one drawing if they're not all on the same side.) .
Then B, also a table, by examining the old jack, what each solder connection, described by where it is, (first row, 2nd from left, for example: Actually, it's better to make a drawing or more than one drawing if connections aren't all on the same side) and what it is for. Left in, L normally on, L normally off, same 3 for Right, and common. That's 7. (Normally on goes eventually to the RCA jacks. Normally off goes to the headphones)
Then C, by examinging the new jack, the same as in the previous paragraph for B.
Then a table that matches every solder connector in B to the one in C that is for the same purpose.
Then a table that matches every wire as described in A to a solder connector in C. (by using the table just above and the information in A, (and if necessary, B?) )
(Somehow I thought there would be another step or two, and a D, but I think I got everything.
All of this has to be written down or assuredly, one will get confused. One will get confused anyhow and have to look at what has been written down. If you don't write every step down, A, B, C and the two last tables, you will not finish, or you will finish by guessing.
I'm sure I've confused the OP by now, so unless he can find the exact same jack,,, well even then he needs to do steps A and B, And there's a good chance the jacks will look the same until one is done with step A or step B, and then one notices that they're not the same. Step C should be done, even if one thinks the two jacks are the same.
Remember, if one doesn't finish connecting all the wires, the device won't work anymore, not even the RCA output jacks.
I don't know how much someone would charge to do this, and I'm afraid the faceplate might not look like new when he's done. Because there is probably a nut that holds the jack in place is outside the chassis but under the faceplate.
^^^^Hmmm On the other hand, maybe it's held in place by solder connection pins that go into the printed circuit board. Would they do that with something subject to such lateral forces as a 1/4" jack????? Then one has to get a jack with the the pins in the right place. None of that A, B, C, D stuff will help. Are they any more standardized when one buys a jack like this with circuit board pins? Then one also has to consider how long the pins are and whether the jack will line up with the hole in the faceplate. Are they always as long as one needs? If they don't know here, ask in sci.electronics.repair.
Altoghether, the above is several more reasons that, as cheap as I am, I like the idea of the wireless headphones whose transmitter plugs into the RCA jacks.
Higgs Boson posted for all of us...
And I know how to SNIP
Now, now Higgy. You are dealing with Stumped here so ya go real slow and he won't catch on anyway. Cool your jets, he ain't worth it.
I don't see how if the speakers turn off when he plugs the headphones in. But I've drawn stupid conclusions before. (Today I read something and realized my lawnmower might just need a new bridge rectifier, which even Black & Decker only charges 17 dollars for. Other places, $4, he said.)
But you've just reminded me that there might be a resistor for each channel in the headphone circuit, which he'll have to move or replace if he replaces the jack. OP, don't destroy the resistor before you copy the colors off it it and which color is at the end. But you can probably reuuse the old ones.
Good question.
I think we've all fixed things that weren't broken. The joy of doing a good repair is mitigated by the fact that it was the wrong repair.
Robert Green posted for all of us...
And I know how to SNIP
If it says Radio Scrap on it yup.
I think I mean 5 tangs, here and in my other post. That would make everything easier.
I'll think about this tomorrow.
You're right, and I apoolgize to the Universe. People ARE trying to help m e. What I see happening is that someone just joins the thread, not having read all the back posts, and I have to repeat the basic info I posted in the fi rst place.
Now that is unfair. Maybe it's the term "switching" that bothers you?
What I did was methodically try ALL my headphones, ALL my plugs, and ALL my adapters in the jack. "Switching around" = Headphone A with plug B, ada pter C. Then rotate all such that each component has had a chance to work with each other. There's a mathematical term for this procedure but I can't think of it. Basically, eliminating all the variables.
Sigh. After "switching around" all 3 sets of all 3 headphones, plugs and a dapters, it became clear that THEY are not at fault, since they did work in other audio items. What is left? The stereo jack. I really didn't think that was so hard to understand, so I hope it's clear now.
HB
Sigh. You're right, but I was starting to lose it, trying so hard to outline the procedure I followed to eliminate variables.
Big Time! I'm a hopeless amateur when it comes to audio.
so unless he can find the exact
OK, wireless headphones: Sounds do-able. IMPORTANT: Would the sound I get through wireless headphones be the same as through TV speakers (blecch)? Remember the reason I had sound routed through stereo was TV speakers POS.
Or will headphones be better than TV speakers, and if so, why?
Hope Q. is clear. I am terrorized.
HB
Tx. Have done all testing so far with vaious plugs and adapters, because all my headphones require them. Good idea to borrow headphones that don't need adapters, just to rule out.
HB
I'd have to hook it up to speakers to answer definitely. It IS a high-end stereo meant to work with good speakers.
Somebody asked for HK model number. I had put it in my first post. AVR 135. Very elaborate; hell's own amount of settings.
Most comments positive.
HB
You're being VERY kind & helpful!
but I've fixed things that weren't broken (at
Love it!
HB
Did we establish that fact? I can't recall. I believe Higgs is a she, not a he, FWIW.
I've dealt with a similar issue that turned out to be a hairline crack on the main board. Some stereos use switches to change from headphone to speaker output, some use relays and some just use the jack's built-in shunt connections.
I think there's a deeper issue here, and that is I don't see HB opening up the unit and doing a jack transplant. No offense, HB, but electronics repair doesn't seem to be your forte. Now it would be nice to know what's under the hood in case you decided to get it repaired, but I'd still go with other options like wireless headphones or a small dedicated headphone amplifier box. I would be tempted to open it up and check it out but I also might be equally tempted to buy a $25 headphone amplifier box with RCA inputs and 1/4" stereo headphone outputs.
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