[GTALUG] ot: headphone jac replacement?

[Don Tai]

If you still have the ring you can thread it back on. Locktite is a liquid
that you put on the threads, that when it dries it makes it more difficult
for the ring to loosen and come off. Without the ring the 3.5mm audio jack
might get pushed inside the box, which would mean you'd need to open the
box back up to push it back through the hole.

Do you still have the ring?

The Xerox "Kurzweil Reading Edge Optical Recognition Speech Synthesizer,"
has a separate keyboard on the right side, with yellow and white keys. The
keyboard is attached to the main unit by a curly cable.

You can get someone to retighten the ring, if you still have it, and see if
the stereo sound comes back. Otherwise you might need to replace the audio
jack for a new one, which means opening up the box and possibly soldering.
This is easier than it sounds.

Don

On Tue, 20 Apr 2021 at 21:39, Karen Lewellen <klewellen at shellworld.net>
wrote:

> Indeed the ring became loose, and this afternoon fell off all together.
> i was getting stereo just find  until the ring fell off.
> what is loosekite?
>   your description sounds about right if the unit has a small keypad
> attached to the front right.
> Is there anywhere I could take the unit to get the ring reconnected?
> Karen
>
>
>
> On Tue, 20 Apr 2021, Don Tai wrote:
>
> > A 3.5mm audio jack will have a ring that screws into the cylinder part of
> > the jack. You plug you headphones into the jack. This ring is tightened
> > against the side cover. Has this become loose? If this has loosened, then
> > you could use some locktite to ensure it is tight.
> >
> > An issue is that when the audio jack becomes loose, it might stress the 3
> > wires and stop working. Apart from the looseness of the jack, can you
> hear
> > the left and right channel audio?
> >
> > Do you have a Xerox "Kurzweil Reading Edge Optical Recognition Speech
> > Synthesizer," 1992?
> >
> > Don
> >
> > On Tue, 20 Apr 2021 at 20:33, Karen Lewellen via talk <talk at gtalug.org>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> The thing about the other suggestions is that my personal experience of
> >> blindness  makes some of those steps a bit risky.
> >> If I still have the external connector, its not broken, just came loose
> >> due to how much I use it, why cannot I just screw it in place again?.
> >> The port  or jack is Entirely external to the machine.
> >> Its a talking scanner that looks a bit like a portable  well copy
> machine.
> >> No idea if images exist on line but it is called the reading edge.
> >> Kare
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On Tue, 20 Apr 2021, William Witteman via talk wrote:
> >>
> >>> In that case, you could try to repair the broken bit with something
> >>> moldable like sugaru (sp?) or another moldable plastic, but I would
> tend
> >> to
> >>> go with Don's suggestion, as those parts are generally pretty
> disposable.
> >>>
> >>> On Tue., Apr. 20, 2021, 20:15 Karen Lewellen via talk, <
> talk at gtalug.org>
> >>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Okay, this is why I love  the list.
> >>>> My description is clearly faulty.
> >>>> What I am speaking of is the circle connector into which you plug the
> >>>> headphone itself.
> >>>> as if, had I a really small  hmm wrench? twisting it the other way
> would
> >>>> have  kept the external  port in place.
> >>>> The internals worked perfectly fine, I just   cannot plug in the
> >>>> headphones because the external round connector is gone.
> >>>> Does that make better sense?
> >>>> Kare
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> On Tue, 20 Apr 2021, Don Tai via talk wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>> A headphone jack usually has left and right channels, plus a ground,
> so
> >>>>> only 3 wires.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> You will need to take the device cover off, determine if one of the
> >>>>> connections is loose/cracked. If the connection is loose or cracked
> >> then
> >>>>> you resolder the joint and you're done. Check the connection with a
> >>>>> multimeter. If the plug is worn out you will need to unsolder the 3
> >>>>> connections, remove the old (may be physically attached to the
> >>>> board/cover,
> >>>>> reinstall the new plug to the board/cover, resolder the 3 wires,
> check
> >>>>> connectivity with a multimeter.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> You will need:
> >>>>> -tools to remove the cover: screwdrivers of all sorts, pry tool,
> >>>> depending
> >>>>> on the cover. it does vary a lot
> >>>>> -soldering iron, solder
> >>>>> -replacement 3.5mm audio plug
> >>>>> -multimeter: to check if the soldered joint is electrically
> connective.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> That's it.
> >>>>> Don.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> On Tue, 20 Apr 2021 at 19:00, Karen Lewellen via talk <
> talk at gtalug.org
> >>>
> >>>>> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> I might add  during the current lock down?
> >>>>>> Here is the scoop
> >>>>>> The primary device i use as my computer's speech synthesizer source
> >> has
> >>>> a
> >>>>>> 3.5 inch headphone jack, which has been getting looser over the past
> >>>> week
> >>>>>> or so.
> >>>>>> While I had hoped to find a way to tighten it before a disconnect,
> >> that
> >>>>>> hoped was dashed this afternoon.
> >>>>>> I do have the jac, in fact I have a spare, what I am wondering
> though
> >>>> is a
> >>>>>> couple of things.
> >>>>>> first, if I want to try, or must try reattaching this myself,  which
> >>>> tool
> >>>>>> do I need? screwdriver, or wrench?..or something else?
> >>>>>> If I want it done by someone else, for which I would happily pay
> even
> >> if
> >>>>>> moving the machine might be a dance, where in Toronto might I take
> it
> >> in
> >>>>>> for the work?
> >>>>>> In theory it is rather important, the replacement  synthesizer is s
> >>>> slight
> >>>>>> fire risk, as its casing is broken around the plug in area for its
> >>>>>> adapter.
> >>>>>> Also, it sounds like it has a could, which may become frustrating
> as I
> >>>> use
> >>>>>> my computer rather a great deal these days.
> >>>>>> Ideas?
> >>>>>> Thanks,
> >>>>>> Karen
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> ---
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> >>>>>>
> >>>>>
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> >>>>
> >>>
> >> ---
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> >>
> >
>
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