Headphones and extension cable - leave plugged in?
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With my K3, I use the 3.5mm headphone jack on the back and toggle speaker on /off with a macro programmed into PF1.
As my headphones have a relatively short cable, I use a 6 ft extension cable. Recently, the connection between the extension cable and the headphones become intermittent, so I replaced the cable. My question - is it better to unplug the headphones from the extension cable when not in use, as maybe the spring tension inside the female end of the cable is weakening. Or, would repeatedly plugging/unplugging it cause more fatigue in the connection over time? |
Re: Headphones and extension cable - leave plugged in?
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One trick you can try is to cut one fuzzy end off a regular paper "Q-Tip"
stem and apply a couple drops (or squirt) of DeOxit. Then poke it into the 1/8" socket and wiggle it around a bit. Also, wipe the plug with a similar squirt on the fuzzy end. It may well be that your cable isn't intermittent, but just very slightly oxidized. 73, Charlie k3ICH ----- Original Message ----- From: "Barry" <[hidden email]> To: <[hidden email]> Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2014 11:39 AM Subject: [Elecraft] Headphones and extension cable - leave plugged in? > With my K3, I use the 3.5mm headphone jack on the back and toggle speaker > on > /off with a macro programmed into PF1. > > As my headphones have a relatively short cable, I use a 6 ft extension > cable. Recently, the connection between the extension cable and the > headphones become intermittent, so I replaced the cable. > > My question - is it better to unplug the headphones from the extension > cable > when not in use, as maybe the spring tension inside the female end of the > cable is weakening. Or, would repeatedly plugging/unplugging it cause > more > fatigue in the connection over time? > > > > -- > View this message in context: > http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/Headphones-and-extension-cable-leave-plugged-in-tp7591390.html > Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[hidden email] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to [hidden email] ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
Re: Headphones and extension cable - leave plugged in?
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In reply to this post by Barry
IMHO, the trouble of removing the plug and plugging it back in is not
worth the cost of a replacement cable. I suspect it has worked fine for several years. If not, look for a better quality cable. In case the problem is caused by contact oxidation, removing the plug and re-inserting it several times should wipe the contact area and restore it to normal operation. 73, Don W3FPR On 7/19/2014 11:39 AM, Barry wrote: > With my K3, I use the 3.5mm headphone jack on the back and toggle speaker on > /off with a macro programmed into PF1. > > As my headphones have a relatively short cable, I use a 6 ft extension > cable. Recently, the connection between the extension cable and the > headphones become intermittent, so I replaced the cable. > > My question - is it better to unplug the headphones from the extension cable > when not in use, as maybe the spring tension inside the female end of the > cable is weakening. Or, would repeatedly plugging/unplugging it cause more > fatigue in the connection over time? > > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
Re: Headphones and extension cable - leave plugged in?
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In reply to this post by Barry
On 7/19/2014 11:39 AM, Barry wrote: > > My question - is it better to unplug the headphones from the extension cable > when not in use, ... Or, would repeatedly plugging/unplugging it cause more > fatigue in the connection over time? --------------------------------------------------- The plugs/jacks are meant to be connected all the time, so it is better to just leave them connected. I believe the usual culprit is a break in the little wires inside the cable, and not usually the spring clips that comprise the jack. They usually break close to where the strain relieve ends. One can usually repair them by cutting the jack off the cable (NO pun intended... I assure you) ;-) and installing an inexpensive replacement for around $1. The same goes for the plugs on the headphones, although the little cables on the headphones are typically much smaller gauge than that of the extension cable inner conductors, so they are much harder to fix than extension cables. I have no argument with the suggested de-oxit treatment, but in my experience, the jack is not the usual suspect (although sometimes the jack contacts do break occasionally) and the usual problem is a break down the line just after beyond the strain relief, so close to the jack we suspect it, instead of the cable. Shoot, these little extension cables cost about $2 or less at www.allelectronics.com so it behooves one to have several extras on hand and just toss them when they go flaky. I cannibalize them for the good ends and use them for other things when building projects. I took extra cables, an extra headset, and some odd connectors to my first time at the big contest station along with my radio and favorite headset - just in case I encountered any problems with my gear... and that enabled me to provide instant replacement of a flaky cable and headset on the most important 40 meter station, saving them from having to effect time-consuming repairs. I felt pretty stud because I was prepared and was able to solve the problem in a flash. So, buy extra cables and just swap them out whenever they go bad, tossing the good ends into your "wish box" for use in future building projects. Just MY take, anyway. ------------------------ K8JHR ------------------ .. ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
Re: Headphones and extension cable - leave plugged in?
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In reply to this post by Barry
Rather then plug and unplug headphones, I simply wired up a box to take the
output from the K2 speaker jack, and feed it into a switch that in one position drives the headphones and the other drives the speaker. This eliminates wear and tear on both the headphone cord and the headphone jack in the rig. 73, Steve K4JPN www.thewinstonator.com/K4JPN.htm ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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Thanks for the reply, guys. I know the cables are cheap - I just bought replacements on Ebay $2.39 for 2, including shipping! Just a pain, especially when it fails during a contest, like this one did during the IARU last week.
Barry W2UP P.S. Sorry for forgetting to ID in my earlier post :-) |
Re: Headphones and extension cable - leave plugged in?
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In reply to this post by Don Wilhelm-4
In the broadcast stations I worked at over the year, the audio patch panels had a lot of activity.. but there were basic ground rules to make sure something 'bad' didn't happen in the middle of a live show..
1) you plug and unplug the connection 2-3 times before leaving the cable hanging. (Periodically they got cleaned and lubed, but the connections will oxydize over time.... 2) you always test the connection with the studio so that you don't have a surprise. With video cables, it was not as common to have issues, because there was always a plug in the connections for the 'normal' feed. (Video didn't use the contacts in the patch bay to provide the 'normal' connections. There were some audio cables that were left in place for months in some cases.. Periodically they would get the same "reseat" action to make sure that there was no problem. (Example: control room reconstruction.) The sheer volume of contacts and cables in that environment makes replacement difficult to impossible (well, until the switch to HD, which meant everything had to change..) KK4QDZ - Now with Extra Class Priv's, and a tiny KX3 to enjoy them! -------------------------------------------- On Sat, 7/19/14, Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]> wrote: Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Headphones and extension cable - leave plugged in? IMHO, the trouble of removing the plug and plugging it back in is not worth the cost of a replacement cable. I suspect it has worked fine for several years. If not, look for a better quality cable. In case the problem is caused by contact oxidation, removing the plug and re-inserting it several times should wipe the contact area and restore it to normal operation. ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
Re: Headphones and extension cable - leave plugged in?
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On 7/20/2014 6:50 AM, Bill Blomgren (kk4qdz) via Elecraft wrote:
> In the broadcast stations I worked at over the year, the audio patch panels had a lot of activity Do not confuse the high quality cables and plugs used in studio patch bays with the cheap crap we find in today's consumer market. Cables are flimsy, connectors are flimsy and have dissimilar metal issues. The only audio connectors I trust are those made by Switchcraft (USA) and Neutrik (EU). Years ago, Switchcraft marketed high quality DIN connectors made by Preh. I don't know if they still do. 73, Jim K9YC ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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