How did my earphones fix themselves?

  • Thread starter Thread starter frixis
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a user's experience with malfunctioning earphones, specifically a Sony Ericsson model. The user describes a situation where the earphones only worked when the jack was partially inserted, and after attempting a fix by connecting wires inside the earphones, they found that the earphones began to work again without any apparent connection. The scope includes troubleshooting and technical explanations related to audio equipment.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that the issue may stem from an intermittent bad connection on one channel of the earphones, which could explain the need for a loose connection to hear sound.
  • Another participant notes that when the jack is only partially plugged in, it may short the left and right channels together, leading to sound in both earphones but not in true stereo.
  • A further explanation is provided that the shorting of the wires inside the earphones likely resulted in sound being heard in both channels, and the current functionality without the short may be due to an intermittent open-circuit that was temporarily resolved by moving the wires.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the possibility of an intermittent connection issue, but there is no consensus on the exact nature of the problem or the reason for the earphones working again without the short.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not resolve the underlying technical issues or assumptions about the earphone's wiring and connection mechanisms.

frixis
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ok my earphones weren't working properly..
sony ericsson.. i had two sets of the headset and earphone pair..
anyhoo one of the earphones wudn't work if they were properly fixed in the jack but if i fixed the pin thingi lightly in the jack both wud work..
so i decided to open my earphones... um.. that place where all the wires are connected.. anyhoo there were 3 wires, red blue and green so i touched the ends of the red and green together and there was sound in both earphones
and then i taped it that way..
but today i untaped it all and none of the wire ends are touching now and i can still hear in both earphones...
can someone explain this!
 
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I seems that you have an intermittent bad connection on one channel of your phones. Often when you only loosly (or half way) plug a stereo jack into a socket it shorts L and R channels together so I guess that's what was happening there. Note that you might hear something in both ears but its the same channel in both so not proper stereo.

Most likely the same when you shorted the two wires inside your earphones. My only guess as to why it's now working without the short is that the open-circuit is intermittent and just moving the wires around has caused it to make connection once more.
 

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