Toon Radio

Wired earbuds allow you to listen to your favorite soundtracks on the go, but they break easily. While replacing them when they fail is simple enough, it is not always an option. Then, you must fix the wired earbuds without further damaging them.

Fortunately, you can fix wired earbuds with a few simple steps. While these steps will change depending on what is wrong with your earphones, you need a few simple tools to get the job done.

While simple, most earbud repairs require some soldering, but not all. Please keep reading to learn how you can fix your earbuds without soldering and still keep them functioning.

Fix Wired Earbuds with These 8 Simple Steps

I prefer listening to soundtracks on a good set of speakers. Even the built-in speakers on most laptops are decent enough for most situations. However, there are times when I must wear headphones, and in those moments, I prefer wired earbuds.

Also known as earphones, wired earbud headphones allow me to listen to my music on the go or when I need to be discreet. They offer better sound quality than wireless earbuds while providing the same comfort and discretion. However, they break easily, forcing you to buy a new pair every few months.

Luckily, you can fix wired earbuds with the right tools and a little know-how. While most people discard their broken earphones, they are often very repairable. You likely already have all the tools you need as well. It all depends on what’s wrong with them.

Step 1: Troubleshoot Before Any Repairs

Broken or shorted wires are the most common earbud issue, but it’s usually just the exposed cable that breaks. It can break anywhere along its length, but most of the time it will be either at the plug or the speakers. To find the location, you can wiggle the wire until you hear the sound come in and out.

Step 2: Gather the Tools You Need To Fix Wired Earbuds

While there are some variations, most earphones are simple electronic devices. As such, you only need a few tools to fix them. You may already have them lying around your house.

These tools will include:

1. Replacement parts or donor earphones as needed
2. Your broken earbuds
3. Soldering iron and .032-diameter electronics solder
4. A vise or bulldog clip to hold things safely while you solder
5. Some matches or a cigarette lighter
6. Flat-head screwdriver
7. Penknife, some scissors, or a wire cutter
8. Shrink wrap, or electrical tape

Step 3: Expose The Internal Wires

Audio cables are not single wires. Instead, multiple wires are working in tandem. Near the speakers, you will find two wires inside the cable. Meanwhile, the cable at the plug can contain three or five wires, depending on whether your unit has a microphone or not.

In either case, you must expose those internal wires to fix them. You do this by stripping the insulation off the cable around the problem area with your knife or wire cutter. You want to strip enough insulation until you can see and easily manipulate the wires. Feel free to cut into the jack or speaker housing if needed.

Step 4: Note the Colors

The little wires are color-coded. Their colors are usually yellow, white, and red, but you can find others as well. These colors identify the signal wires heading to the speakers, and the ground wire goes back to the plug. You may also see colors representing the signal and ground for a microphone.

These colors must remain intact after you complete your repair. So, you want to note them down somewhere.

Step 5: Pull Apart and Strip the Internal Wires

Your next step is to expose the copper inside the wires. Separate the wires, then strip off about 1 cm of insulation on either side of the break.

Step 6: Solder the Broken Ends Together

After reaching this far, you can finally repair your earphones. Matching the color, take each broken wire and splice them together with some solder. If necessary, you can recut the wire if you make a mistake and start again.

Step 7: Re-encase the Wires

Once the wires are back together, it’s time to wrap them back up. For the best results, wrap each internal wire with shrink wrap or electrical tape until the metal is no longer exposed. You can then wrap the wires together to reform the outer cable.

Step 8: Test Your Repair

Before you declare a job well done, you should test your earbuds to see if they work. If they do, congratulations. You did it. Otherwise, feel free to repeat these steps as often as needed.

When to Use Donor Parts to Fix Wired Earbuds

These steps will work in most cases. However, there will be times when you must replace the broken cable or part. Luckily, most earbud models are compatible with each other, allowing you to swap parts as needed.

The procedure is mostly the same as above, except that you must sacrifice a donor set as well.

• Cut the Donor Cable to a Length of at least 5 to 7 centimeters or longer.
• Strip the donor cable to expose the internal wires
• Cut the old cable about 2 – 3 cm from the jack or speaker assembly
• Strip all exposed wires to expose the copper
• Burn off 1-1.5 cm of Varnish off each copper tip
• Match the wires by color and twist each pair together
• Isolate and insulate the wiring
• Test the repair

Please note that you want to cut as close to either the plug or the speakers as possible to preserve your cable leads.

How to Fix Wired Earbuds Without Solder

If you don’t have solder, you can still repair the cable. You follow the above steps, but replace the soldering step with the following.

• Cut the Donor Cable to a Length of at least 5 to 7 centimeters or longer from the donated part.
• Strip the donor cable to expose the internal wires
• Cut the old cable about 2 – 3 cm from the broken part
• Strip all exposed wires to expose the copper
• Burn off 1-1.5 cm of Varnish off each copper tip
• Match the wires by color and twist each pair together
• Isolate and insulate the wiring
• Test the repair

Please note that this method will produce a weaker bond that will break faster than a soldered one.

Fixing Your Earbuds Gets You Back to the Music

Broken wired earbuds can ruin your day if you need them. Fortunately, you can easily fix the most common issue. In some cases, you don’t even need solder. You can then get back to listening to the soundtrack you learn about here on Toon Radio.