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What did I do wrong with my headphones??

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tomb18

What did I do wrong with my headphones??

Hi,
My Heil Proset K2 jack started acting up and I decided to change it. I carefully cut away the plastic on the 3.5mm plug and could not tell with 100% certainty that I got the wiring correct. However, as far as I could tell, there are two shielded cables one with white wire and one with a red wire. The two shielded wires were connected together, and the white went to the tip and the red to the other channel.
When I first plugged it in, it didn't go all the way into the phone jack adapter so it seems that a 3.5mm stereo jack is not the right one? Also, it seems that the afx no longer worked?
What was really weird, is that about the same time, I started hearing a low level background noise, some kind of RFI. Well, it was completely frequency independent appearing on all bands, and sounded like a prop based airplane.
So I started looking for the source of the rfi and then it stopped. It then came back and now I realize if I juggle the jack around a bit, it disappears and now the audio is normal.
So, a long story, but what's up with the 3.5mm that it doesn't fit in the phone plug adapter? Is it something different than a 3.5? Why do manufactures like heil use such cheap connectors like an mp3 player??They always break.
Thanks, Tom VA2FSQ

Don Wilhelm-4

Re: What did I do wrong with my headphones??

Tom,

I am going to make an assumption because it was a little ambiguous
whether you changed the jack or the plug.
I assume you changed the *plug* on the headphone cable. If you changed
the jack on the adapter cable, please let me know.

I think you wired it right, but only Heil would be able to answer with
certainty. Yes, normally white goes to the tip (left channel) and red
(Right) goes to the ring. Getting them backwards will reverse the left
and right in your headphones.

A 3.5mm (1/8 inch) plug is correct. Good plugs should work fine, but
off-brand ones may not be as consistent.

If you cut off the cable right above the encapsulating plastic, you may
not have cut enough off. Those cables usually break a bit above where
they are supported.

The nasty sound is likely the result of an open wire. Cut a bit more
off the cable and try again.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 3/10/2013 12:33 PM, tomb18 wrote:

> Hi,
> My Heil Proset K2 jack started acting up and I decided to change it. I
> carefully cut away the plastic on the 3.5mm plug and could not tell with
> 100% certainty that I got the wiring correct. However, as far as I could
> tell, there are two shielded cables one with white wire and one with a red
> wire. The two shielded wires were connected together, and the white went to
> the tip and the red to the other channel.
> When I first plugged it in, it didn't go all the way into the phone jack
> adapter so it seems that a 3.5mm stereo jack is not the right one? Also, it
> seems that the afx no longer worked?
> What was really weird, is that about the same time, I started hearing a low
> level background noise, some kind of RFI. Well, it was completely frequency
> independent appearing on all bands, and sounded like a prop based airplane.
> So I started looking for the source of the rfi and then it stopped. It then
> came back and now I realize if I juggle the jack around a bit, it disappears
> and now the audio is normal.
> So, a long story, but what's up with the 3.5mm that it doesn't fit in the
> phone plug adapter? Is it something different than a 3.5? Why do
> manufactures like heil use such cheap connectors like an mp3 player??They
> always break.
> Thanks, Tom VA2FSQ
>

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Jim Wiley

Re: What did I do wrong with my headphones??

Just a little "helper" when dealing with stereo audio cables, which are
most often marked with red and some (unspecified) other color: "Red is
right, whatever is left over is left".

- Jim, KL7CC

On 3/10/2013 12:38 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:

> Tom,
>
> I am going to make an assumption because it was a little ambiguous
> whether you changed the jack or the plug.
> I assume you changed the *plug* on the headphone cable. If you
> changed the jack on the adapter cable, please let me know.
>
> I think you wired it right, but only Heil would be able to answer with
> certainty. Yes, normally white goes to the tip (left channel) and red
> (Right) goes to the ring. Getting them backwards will reverse the
> left and right in your headphones.
>
> A 3.5mm (1/8 inch) plug is correct. Good plugs should work fine, but
> off-brand ones may not be as consistent.
>
> If you cut off the cable right above the encapsulating plastic, you
> may not have cut enough off. Those cables usually break a bit above
> where they are supported.
>
> The nasty sound is likely the result of an open wire. Cut a bit more
> off the cable and try again.
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
>
> On 3/10/2013 12:33 PM, tomb18 wrote:
>> Hi,
>> My Heil Proset K2 jack started acting up and I decided to change it. I
>> carefully cut away the plastic on the 3.5mm plug and could not tell with
>> 100% certainty that I got the wiring correct. However, as far as I
>> could
>> tell, there are two shielded cables one with white wire and one with
>> a red
>> wire. The two shielded wires were connected together, and the white
>> went to
>> the tip and the red to the other channel.
>> When I first plugged it in, it didn't go all the way into the phone jack
>> adapter so it seems that a 3.5mm stereo jack is not the right one?
>> Also, it
>> seems that the afx no longer worked?
>> What was really weird, is that about the same time, I started hearing
>> a low
>> level background noise, some kind of RFI. Well, it was completely
>> frequency
>> independent appearing on all bands, and sounded like a prop based
>> airplane.
>> So I started looking for the source of the rfi and then it stopped.
>> It then
>> came back and now I realize if I juggle the jack around a bit, it
>> disappears
>> and now the audio is normal.
>> So, a long story, but what's up with the 3.5mm that it doesn't fit in
>> the
>> phone plug adapter? Is it something different than a 3.5? Why do
>> manufactures like heil use such cheap connectors like an mp3
>> player??They
>> always break.
>> Thanks, Tom VA2FSQ
>>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
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>
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>

IK2VTJ

Re: What did I do wrong with my headphones??

In reply to this post by tomb18

Il 10/03/2013 17:33, tomb18 ha scritto:
> ...
> So, a long story, but what's up with the 3.5mm that it doesn't fit in the
> phone plug adapter? Is it something different than a 3.5? Why do
> manufactures like heil use such cheap connectors like an mp3 player??They
> always break.
> Thanks, Tom VA2FSQ
>
>
I had the same problem (and still have) with my old
Heilsound headset: the 3.5 mm plug
doesn't fit perfectly in the rear phone socket.
Fortunately my new Heilsound headset does.
Same brand, same plugs but just little different diameters!:-(
73 de IK2VTJ, Piero.
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73 de IK2VTJ, Piero.

Joe Subich, W4TV-4

Re: What did I do wrong with my headphones??

> I had the same problem (and still have) with my old Heilsound
> headset: the 3.5 mm plug doesn't fit perfectly in the rear phone
> socket. Fortunately my new Heilsound headset does.

If it was old enough, the old headset probably had 1 1/8" (3.175 mm)
plug instead of a 3.5 mm plug. The difference isn't much - but just
enough that a 1/8" plug is "sloppy" in most 3.5mm jacks.

73,

... Joe, W4TV

On 3/11/2013 2:22 PM, Piero wrote:

> Il 10/03/2013 17:33, tomb18 ha scritto:
>> ...
>> So, a long story, but what's up with the 3.5mm that it doesn't fit in the
>> phone plug adapter? Is it something different than a 3.5? Why do
>> manufactures like heil use such cheap connectors like an mp3 player??They
>> always break.
>> Thanks, Tom VA2FSQ
>>
>>
> I had the same problem (and still have) with my old Heilsound headset:
> the 3.5 mm plug
> doesn't fit perfectly in the rear phone socket.
> Fortunately my new Heilsound headset does.
> Same brand, same plugs but just little different diameters!:-(
> 73 de IK2VTJ, Piero.
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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
>

N5GE

Re: What did I do wrong with my headphones??

Just love those metric sizes ;o)

73,
Tom
Amateur Radio Operator N5GE
ARRL Lifetime Member
QCWA Lifetime Member

On Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:48:55 -0400, "Joe Subich, W4TV"
<[hidden email]> wrote:

>
>> I had the same problem (and still have) with my old Heilsound
>> headset: the 3.5 mm plug doesn't fit perfectly in the rear phone
>> socket. Fortunately my new Heilsound headset does.
>
>If it was old enough, the old headset probably had 1 1/8" (3.175 mm)
>plug instead of a 3.5 mm plug. The difference isn't much - but just
>enough that a 1/8" plug is "sloppy" in most 3.5mm jacks.
>
>73,
>
> ... Joe, W4TV
>
>
>On 3/11/2013 2:22 PM, Piero wrote:
>> Il 10/03/2013 17:33, tomb18 ha scritto:
>>> ...
>>> So, a long story, but what's up with the 3.5mm that it doesn't fit in the
>>> phone plug adapter? Is it something different than a 3.5? Why do
>>> manufactures like heil use such cheap connectors like an mp3 player??They
>>> always break.
>>> Thanks, Tom VA2FSQ
>>>
>>>
>> I had the same problem (and still have) with my old Heilsound headset:
>> the 3.5 mm plug
>> doesn't fit perfectly in the rear phone socket.
>> Fortunately my new Heilsound headset does.
>> Same brand, same plugs but just little different diameters!:-(
>> 73 de IK2VTJ, Piero.
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> 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
>>
>______________________________________________________________
>Elecraft mailing list
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>Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
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>Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Amateur Radio Operator N5GE