So I allowed my fiance to use my computer while I was out of town, and I come back to find out she has somehow managed to lodge the headphone plug into the outlet. I’ve tried disassembling the computer, but because of the way everything is situated, I can’t reach the problem; I don’t entirely feel comfortable messing around with it, either.
This wouldn’t bother me if the situation only disallowed use of the headphones, but now I can’t listen to music through my regular speakers either. Can someone computer savvy tell me if it’s possible to listen to music through my speakers with the plug still lodged inside? Or at the very least, a possible way to get the blasted thing out?
I don’t have the money to take it to a repair shop.
If I were to assume you’re talking about a desktop PC, then the next question is: Is the socket located on the motherboard (i.e. is it grouped in a cluster of other connections for the monitor, printer, USB etc all in one place), or is it a separate card (appearing on one of the horizontal metal slots further down the back of the case?
Or are we talking about a front panel audio connector? Need more info.
It’s a desktop (HP), and yeah, we’re talking about a front panel audio connector. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve taken the case apart, but I can’t access the problem itself unless I start taking everything apart. I’m willing to do it, but I’m just barely literate in the inner workings of a computer, so I’m hesitant about doing so unless it’s a last measure.
If it’s just the front panel audio connector, then the one on the back should still function OK for connecting the speakers (assuming that whatever is broken at the front hasn’t actually shorted anything).
I’m not familiar with the case design of your machine, but fixing the front panel stuff will probably necessitate removing the fascia from the case; this is often tricky and may involve unscrewing it (or perhaps releasing lots of plastic clips) from the inside of the case; accessing these screws or clips may in turn necessitate some quite serious disassembly of the machine…
…but it may not; is it possible to remove both side panels from the case, or is one of them pop-riveted in place? Can you see the clips or screws securing the front fascia of the case?
I have the speakers plugged into the outlet on the back, but the sound is tinny and almost inaudible even with the speakers cranked to eleven.
I can remove both the right and left sides of the case independently of one another, but the problem is in an uncomfortable position. In order to reach it (and at that point, I’m even more unsure of what I’m doing), I’d have to unscrew all of the metal panels to which almost everything is mounted to.
Sorry for the double post, but if it helps: I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the sound beyond the obvious. The speakers have always sounded tinny when the headphones were plugged in.
I’m not sure why you can’t get it out from the front, can you explain more?
If you haven’t tried these already, you might do so before disassembling things any more:
use a strong magnet to try to extract the plug.
try using silly putty, push it into the jack till it contacts the remains of the plug, then pull it back out. If you’re lucky, it will bring the remains of the plug back out partway.
use a tweezers to grab hold of it and pull it out.
take a small screw, screw it into the part of the plug that is stuck there (avoid screwing it into the jack itself) and use that to pull it out.
The plug didn’t snap cleanly. Half of it is still is still connected to the useless headphones, while the other half is lodged a half-inch inside the socket. Tweezers are too large to fit, and my make-shift sewing needle chopsticks have yet to make any progress in the removal.
Firstly, are you sure you’re plugging the speakers into the right socket at the back (the headphone socket, rather than the line out socket, which will be at a much lower level)?
It’s also possible that the sound card has separate volume controls for the front and back audio connectors; turn the physical volume down on the speakers, then look in the Sounds and Audio Devices applet in the control panel; is there an ‘advanced’ button?
Hang on, are we talking about a broken plug stuck into an intact socket, or a plug that has been inserted with force sufficient to displace the socket into the case? I had assumed it was the latter, but your subsequent posts seem to suggest the latter.
If it is the latter, I would recommend that you stop trying makeshift tools, in case you damage something. Use a proper tool - borrow (or if you must, buy) a pair of needle-nosed pliers.
I’m positive the speakers are plugged into the right socket. In a moment of desperation, I even tried to plug it partially into the offending socket to elicit some sort of non-tinny sound; it worked, but I don’t relish kneeling on the floor and holding it in whenever I need sound.
There is an Advanced button in the audio controls, but there isn’t an option for controlling one seperate panel.
It is the former. I’ve bought the slimmest pliers I can find, but the space between the plug and socket is still far too narrow (there’s a space just wide enough to accomodate a needle on either side of the plug).
The bit that’s stuck into the socket, is it stuck right inside, or does it protrude a little? Judging from the remnants of the broken plug, what’s actually left in there? Is it just the little metal nib from the end of the plug, or does the bit that you can touch with a pin have a hole in the end?
The best ‘proper’ solution is going to involve gaining access to the inside of the front fascia; the jack socket would probably be open enough to allow the remaining piece to be pushed back out.
However, that’s only if you can get the fascia off. A non-proper method that might work is to make a folded-flat loop of some stiff material (such as a thin sliver of plastic strapping or fishing line) and try to work this down alongside the lodged piece, with a view to looping it around the end and pulling it out. Beware though that it would be really easy to damage the spring terminals of the socket this way.
As a last resort, I would be tempted to try a really tiny (and REALLY careful) dab of epoxy adhesive on the end of something like a cut-off nail; push this into place and secure it with a piece of tape, then pull it back out when it is set.
I think you’re screwed – you’ll have to remove the soundcard, push the broken connector out from the back, and possibly replace the output jack, if you want to have headphones again. Or else hope the silly putty trick works. At least if you can remove the broken connector, you might have a good chance at restoring the line output of your soundcard. Or, if you’re feeling lucky, you could take a hammer, an awl or one of the tools used for removing pins from small hinges, and hit the broken connector really hard and hope it comes out “the other side” without damaging something else. You’re not going to be hearing anything from your computer as long as the headphone jack is in use, which is the case currently.
OR: you could buy a cheap <$30 PCI soundcard, pop it in <5 minutes in your computer, and use that as your main sound source. Probably an improvement on your current rig, cheap, and definitely cheerful. I would think you could find a card equivalent in quality to the OEM card for your HP for about $10 or so, if you look around.
I have an idea for a minor improvement on Mangetout’s idea. Start with a coffee stirrer or similarly small plastic straw. Use a working headphone plug to stretch it to the “right” size so that it will easily slip snugly around the outside of a plug. Put this sheath around the outside of a toothpick or similar probe. Then you can extend the probe out of the sheath, apply a small dab of epoxy, and retract the probe. Slide the whole assembly into the jack and extend the probe to the wayward metal bit.
This prevents you from smearing epoxy on the inside of the jack, and makes Mangetout’s solution less risky.
