So, a few weeks ago, my SkullCandy headphones started dying. Now, SkullCandy has an awesome warranty. Basically, if it breaks and I didn't break it, I get a new one. Even if I did, I'd get another one at half off. Pretty good deal, but my dumb ass forgot to fill out the warranty card, so the serial number is lost to the ages, and I can't cash in on my free headphones. Guess I'll have to make due with these ones for now... or do I?
So these headphones are only tweaking out with the right earbud. And by twisting the connector and the wire, I am sure the problem is just with the connector at the bottom. Plus, I have some crappy $1 headphones that I got from somewhere else, that I don't need anymore... After concluding that the worst thing that could happen is I'd have to listen to my music on my speakers, I decided to try a little bit of splicing by grabbing my knife and cutting both wires in half.
After stripping the wires down, I found that luckily, both manufacturers used the same set of colors in the wires: red, blue, and copper. (Where blue=left, red=right, and copper=ground.) Now, those wires' color is actually an insulating paint, so I had to strip that off. Some dude in a Bose headphone review suggested I melt that paint off with a soldering iron, but I found that simply dragging a knife gently over those wires got me far better results. I twisted all similar colors together, soldered those bundles together, and then applied copious amounts of electrical tape to protect my poor soldering job from the environment.
In the end, the audio quality is actually really good. (At least, my decibel-addled ears can't hear a difference...) This is really good, cause I was expecting it to sound like a tin-can speaker at best. I'd laugh a bit, and then place an order for a new pair. This result is far better.
Now, some people (making the very bold assumption that people read this blog) will look at this post and go like: "The hell? He thinks he accomplished something there? I do work like that before breakfast." Well, yeah, it probably is child's play to some, but it's awesome for me, given that I'm such a software guy. I mean, I love taking hardware apart, and I do have a fair knowledge of how electronic components are supposed to work, but as my old keyboard will tell you, many things I take apart will never find their way back together. The fact I actually pulled this one off is just astounding to me, and I'm totally grinning ear-to-ear.
So yeah, this was a good Halloween. I think I'll play some congratulatory Dragonforce to celebrate.
Oh, and only 5 kids showed up at our door this year, so we have LOADS of leftover candy... Maybe I'll have a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup with that Dragonforce... :)
Congratulations Ray! I have the same issue when I take things apart. I recently took my keyboard keys off so that I could wash them in the dishwasher to get rid of the oil. In the process, I broke a few key fixtures :(. Most keys don't feel as responsive as they did before I took them out either :(. I'm glad this worked out for you though! Saved you from buying a new pair of headphones until you absolutely had to. Plus, it's always nice to be able to work with your hands :P.