Droid headphone jack self-fix?

[brando56894]

Apparently this will happen with all moto droids (my friend got a brand new one and she said she noticed hers was loose after a few days) so replacing it just delays the inevitable, IMO its way easier to just try this method since you wont be without your phone for a little while.

 

[GohanBurner]

Well the paper did the trick. Extremely snug now with no cut out!

 

[krosenqu]

Another success story here. After searching on and off for about a month, I found this thread. I am pretty much to blame for my headphone jack becoming loose. Once or twice it got yanked when my headphone cord got caught on a door knob (or whatever) as I walked by. It then started to crack the audio every time the jack was jostled.

Anyways, a clear Arby's straw and an exacto knife later, my headphone jack is now jiggly crack free. I found the straw to be better than paper as it had better crush force strength so I could shove it in there. I was able to shim 3/4 of the circumference of the jack.


EDIT:
haha, jiggly crack. funny words are funny.

 

[Nicky]

Bump on the straw, worked like a charm! dancedroid

 

[usafaux2004]

Hey all,

I'm on my second Droid X (first one came August 24th, had to replace about a month later. Received a replacement early October (THEN shipped back the old one, so never without the phone). Now it's middle of November, and the SAME FRACKING PROBLEM!

Anyway, now that that's out of the way, can someone post the straw solution...I know what needs to be done, but I just can't visualize where to put the piece.

Sincerely,

Mike.

 

[Nicky]

@usafaux2004 Check out buymagicfish's links, they should help

Than where is M$ getting the ones they use for the Zunes? I have several Zunes including one of the originals (that I got the first week they were out) and have had ZERO issues with any of them and several of them have been abused (the original one severely). The original has also always doubted as my care media device so it has a ton of hours and thousands of connect/disconnects. They are out there, Moto just refuses to put one in the phone. Also I've read from others (that have looked in the phone) it's not as much about the adapter as it's flimsy connection to the board (just a few small solder joints, no real solid connection or mount).

So I was looking at teardown images and it LOOKS to me like the droid headphone jack isn't even attached to the board at all!! It kind of looks like its only attached to the back end of the phone and it just 'rests' on the board connection areas. They probably do this so it has a little more give but those pins must be lifting off the board as they get older/less flexible/bent whatever.

Take a look at http://www.phonewreck.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Droid46.jpg

The ZUNE has a ribbon. Take a look at this ZUNE hd teardown pick http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/NmCoGApC4PNsLqrZ.large

and here is the ipod touch http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/XqLrUHgSEYERiT4u.large

For the apple and m$soft products the headphone jack is physically connected, not just resting on the board.

So I take it back, the issue isn't the jack, or the quality of the jack, its the way that the jack is meant to stay in contact with the board.

 

[jadoll]

Headphone Static

Same problem here: Static in headphones and sometimes the volume drops out if I move the wrong way. Called Verizon at 1-800-922-0204 and talked to Tier 2 technical support. They claimed they had no reports of any similar problems (I find that hard to believe), but they very courteously are sending a replacement Droid. My phone is only 4 months old. So it is still covered under the 1 year manufacturer's warranty. I'm wondering: Does the 1 year warranty start all over again with the replacement phone or is it prorated?

 

[mswartz]

On third DINC

Same issues here with the jack. Original started getting noisy after about 1mo of use. Waited for months but finally called VZW, and was sent first replacement DINC, a refurb. Looked ok, but after backup and start of reinstalling apps, the DINC shut down. Sure enough, all it took was to drop it into my had from about 5cm and it would reliably repeat the power-off shutdown. So another call to VZW, another replacement. Finally got the second replacement setup like my original, using Rerware's MyBackupPro v.2.5.6 for apps and data, which worked flawlessly.
The headphone jack so far works ok.
I am not sure I understand how I would epoxy the jack into place ahead of a failure.
Any guidance, or better yet, pictures?
My DINC replacement refurbs are clearly NOT extending the VZW warranty- it expires 1 year from the date of the original activation.

 

[Ted]

This worked for me, also. Actually, at first it didn't...

I read that he used a thin(k) strip - maybe 1mm. This made the issue less prevalent, but it was obviously still there. After reading about the straws, I approached it differently...

Since I'm in an office and hibernating for the winter, I chose to use a clear tab from a hanging file folder. From the back, bottom edge near the middle of the tab, I cut a sort of chevron shape -- kinda like this:

**************************
**************************
**************************
**************************
**************************
**************************
**************************
**************************
**************************
-------**************--------
---------------*----------------

The bottom "point" was just to help start it into the hole and the angle was only barely there. The dimensions were more along the lines of nearly 3/8" wide (1/2 circumference of hole) by 1/4" or more tall.

Nearly 1/4" went into the curved slot by gently tapping on the top of the plastic. After it stopped going in, I used an X-Acto to trim it flush.

It is working GREAT - it COMPLETELY eliminated the cracking/popping/changing tracks/pausing, etc. Great fix! Thanks, all!

 

[Droidfish]

I've had an original moto droid for over a year now and the headphone issue didn't hit me until I started using my phone for music at the gym.

Thanks for this fix, I really didn't want to send my phone in. I used a straw and so far it's worked like a charm

 

[brando56894]

I just had to do this again for the third time, this time I used more of the straw. The first time it was too small and fell into the device after about 2 or 3 weeks; the second time I made it slightly longer but still kept the C shape (I melted the edges hanging out to make it flush), and this worked for about 2 months; recently it started cracking and popping again so I took the straw out and forgot about how horrible it was without anything in there lol.

Instead of making it a C shape this time I only cut one edge and made it so it formed a complete circle around the jack (i had to trim something like 1/16" or 1/32" off so it wouldnt overlap), flamed it, and it works perfectly again!

 

[usafaux2004]

I must be creativity challenged, since I've read this topic a dozen times, and still am not quite sure where the damn straw has to go in order to work....

If anyone has any engineering drawings, napkin sketches, or PICTURES! that would help a lot for those like me...lol.

 

[Nicky]

Hope this helps. I've had to resort to two straw pieces thick after a few months of one. Both mine and my husband's are "fixed" this way.

View attachment 25272

 

[usafaux2004]

Hm, I can see how it works, thanks, but what about the Droid X? Doesn't seem it looks the same.

 

[bthomp21]

cant wait to try this and see if it works, i am tired of my pandora app that stops because it thinks i unplugged the cable