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spiky_dog · Dec 24, 2004, 11:25 PM

It looks and feels as if the headphone jack on my well-worn 1G iPod is about to bite the dust. there's a lot of free play in it, and parts of it are visibly cracked off. which brings me to my question:

has anyone replaced or heard of replacing the headphone jack on an iPod of any generation? i'm not the only one who has wondered about this, as evidenced by this macslash comment and head-fi.org thread, but i haven't found news of anyone who has actually gone through with it.

the macslash comment generated the following helpful sources for electronics parts at least, which is great since i wouldn't have had the slightest idea where to look otherwise:

www.newark.com
www.digikey.com

i suppose the first step should be to pry open the device with the tools that newer tech provided with their replacement battery... but that will wait until i see if this thread generates any responses and after christmas break, since the ipod and jack is still holding in there by a thread, or sliver of solder as it may be.

Spheric Harlot · Dec 24, 2004, 11:52 PM

IIRC, the soldering points for that jack are on the side of the motherboard the display is on, so you'd have to remove that first.

I have yet to hear of anyone successfully removing and re-installing a display on an ipod.

I don't think it's possible, since the display is glued on, again IIRC.

spiky_dog · 04:25 AM

hmm, thanks for the reply. here's a pic of a 1G iPod's innards thanks to Tom's Hardware:

link to pic -- hit reload and it should appear

it looks like soldering could be a pain, yes...

but doesn't look impossible, at least when viewed at this resolution.

Spheric Harlot · Dec 25, 2004, 04:21 AM

Well, *nothing* is "impossible".

But those jacks on the right are either SMD, in which case they need a very precise and experienced hand to be replaced, or regular soldered, in which case, you need to get at the back of that board, which is where the display is.

-s*

magid · Dec 28, 2004, 03:42 AM

To get to the area behind the screen is very easy, it will only take a few minutes to get to. The hard part is actually soldering it back on. It would prob be easier just to buy a full replacement motherboard for it.

LeeG · Dec 28, 2004, 10:41 PM

My original 20Gb G2 ipod got a crack in the 'inner circle' of the headphone jack - this caused the unit to short circuit when you used the in-line remote cable, and it would flash the battery symbol (even after a full charge).

I had it replaced by Apple (still under warranty). Don't know how you'd fix it...

Lee

spiky_dog · Dec 28, 2004, 10:48 PM

Originally posted by LeeG:
My original 20Gb G2 ipod got a crack in the 'inner circle' of the headphone jack - this caused the unit to short circuit when you used the in-line remote cable, and it would flash the battery symbol (even after a full charge).

this is exactly what has happened to mine. except that mine has been out of warranty for quite some time now as i bought it in march 02

, and i figured that using a plastic headphone splitter somehow avoided this short circuit and the resulting unpleasant side effects (instant battery drain, unit turning off).

LeeG · Dec 31, 2004, 06:19 PM

Yeah mine was August 2002, I found using just the headphones (no in-line remote) worked, but I got it fixed in March 2003 (less than 1 yr) so warranty prevailed. I wonder what the cost to fix would be from Apple-

Lee

spiky_dog · Jan 13, 2005, 02:43 AM

an update: my ipod is still hanging in there, barely. the new sennheiser cans that i bought for my home stereo also work with the ipod, and don't cause it to spontaneously shut off as did the sony mdr-v6s that preceded them. furthermore, with the just-announced ipod shuffle being $99 (not to say that 512 mb == 5 gb) there's not much incentive for me to hunt down a jack and try my hand at soldering surface mount components. so this project is effectively dead. thanks for all who replied in any case -- it was an entertaining thought experiment for me if nothing else.