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R/E/P => R/E/P Archives => Whatever Works => Topic started by: Ryan Massey on January 14, 2011, 01:53:26 PM

Title: Headphone pet peeve : 1/4" to 1/8" adapters
Post by: Ryan Massey on January 14, 2011, 01:53:26 PM
Quick rant:
Now that so many clients come in with laptops, Ipods, etc., I can't keep the damn 1/4" to 1/8" threaded adapters on the headphones!  And far too often, they are simply getting lost.  I am seriously considering cutting off all of the TRS plugs from my headphones and hard wiring new ones that are 1/4" only.  

Even more annoying (and perplexing) is that the Sony and AT phones use a different thread, so a handful of the new adapters I bought are doing me no good at the moment.  Arrrgghh!
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve
Post by: Jay Kadis on January 14, 2011, 02:04:26 PM
Ryan Massey wrote on Fri, 14 January 2011 10:53

Quick rant:
Now that so many clients come in with laptops, Ipods, etc., I can't keep the damn 1/4" to 1/8" threaded adapters on the headphones!  And far too often, they are simply getting lost.  I am seriously considering cutting off all of the TRS plugs from my headphones and hard wiring new ones that are 1/4" only.
That's what I ended up doing.  (It's fun with the Litz wire Sony uses.)  I tried putting heat-shrink tubing over the adapter but that only slowed them down.
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve
Post by: jpaul_bordon on January 14, 2011, 03:13:48 PM
That Litz wire is a bear, the only way I could get solder to stick to it was to put it under raw flame to burn the coating off.  It sure makes the wire brittle at that point.  Any techniques to solder them?
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve
Post by: Jay Kadis on January 14, 2011, 03:27:26 PM
jpaul_bordon wrote on Fri, 14 January 2011 12:13

That Litz wire is a bear, the only way I could get solder to stick to it was to put it under raw flame to burn the coating off.  It sure makes the wire brittle at that point.  Any techniques to solder them?
I have just burned off the insulation by tinning with solder.  An iron hot enough (~700
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve
Post by: ssltech on January 14, 2011, 03:41:15 PM
I don't believe that it's Litz wire.

It's 'Tinsel wire'.

Litz wire is a piece of cake to solder by comparison!

Keitih
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve
Post by: Jay Kadis on January 14, 2011, 03:57:19 PM
ssltech wrote on Fri, 14 January 2011 12:41

I don't believe that it's Litz wire.

It's 'Tinsel wire'.

Litz wire is a piece of cake to solder by comparison!

Keith
Ah, so it is.  At least they didn't use knob-and-tube!
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve
Post by: YZ on January 14, 2011, 04:34:00 PM
Superglue. (for the 'built-in' adapters)

And bright-colored 1/4"-to-1/8" adapters; keep a quantity in a locked drawer and make only two or three visible per session.

IDK about the USA, but here they can be found in red.

If you can't get them in color, get the black ones and paint them pink with nail polish.
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve
Post by: marcel on January 14, 2011, 04:37:50 PM
Loctite?

EDIT:  YZ beat me to it.
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve
Post by: MagnetoSound on January 14, 2011, 06:03:20 PM
Yes, tinsel cable is not meant to be soldered.

Crimp tags in all those PO-gauge patch leads, last forever.

Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve
Post by: arconaut on January 14, 2011, 10:19:17 PM

Yup, I replace all the ends with 1/4" on ours. We keep a few pair of headphones with the mini jack, just to have. For iPod, etc, playback, I have mini to TRS 1/4" cables that feed into a panelmounted TRS jack connected to a Matchbox which is wired to an External 2-Track input on the desk.

Those little adapters can be shockingly expensive.
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve
Post by: Ryan Massey on January 15, 2011, 12:17:37 AM
marcel wrote on Fri, 14 January 2011 13:37

Loctite?

EDIT:  YZ beat me to it.



Loctite! Brilliant!

I'll give that a shot first before I pull out the iron.  I don't think the AT phones suffer from the lousy tinsel wire, so I'll replace those before bothering with the Sony's.  Thanks!
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve : 1/4" to 1/8" adapters
Post by: TB-AV on January 15, 2011, 02:19:02 PM
Don't forget that most locktite is a wicking sealer. Meaning it will try to make it's way to any nooks and crannies it can. It might end up insulating the audio contacts over time.

Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve : 1/4" to 1/8" adapters
Post by: marcel on January 16, 2011, 01:04:07 AM
TB-AV wrote on Sat, 15 January 2011 11:19

Don't forget that most locktite is a wicking sealer. Meaning it will try to make it's way to any nooks and crannies it can. It might end up insulating the audio contacts over time.



I think Loctite is basically CA glue, like Krazy glue.  Once it sets, it becomes very hard and should not move or migrate.  If you put a  very small drop on the top of the adaptor (where it meets the body of the jack) with the adaptor firmly screwed in place, you could probably 'lock' it without disturbing any electrical paths.

Krazy glue might work just as well, and be cheaper.
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve : 1/4" to 1/8" adapters
Post by: arconaut on January 16, 2011, 09:52:21 AM

I am dubious but curious about this:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/giftsunder10/b70c/
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve : 1/4" to 1/8" adapters
Post by: johnR on January 16, 2011, 04:56:13 PM
marcel wrote on Sun, 16 January 2011 06:04


I think Loctite is basically CA glue, like Krazy glue.

Loctite is anaerobic methacrylate resin. It hardens in the absence of air. Cyanoacrylate glue (superglue) hardens in response to the moisture content in air. Two different adhesives.
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve : 1/4" to 1/8" adapters
Post by: CWHumphrey on January 16, 2011, 05:00:20 PM
+1 for Loctite red.

Cheers,
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve : 1/4" to 1/8" adapters
Post by: johnR on January 16, 2011, 06:32:57 PM
Or if you never, ever want to get the adaptor off, Loctite 270.
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve : 1/4" to 1/8" adapters
Post by: Tom L on January 16, 2011, 07:41:16 PM
Ryan Massey wrote on Fri, 14 January 2011 09:53

Quick rant:
Now that so many clients come in with laptops, Ipods, etc., I can't keep the damn 1/4" to 1/8" threaded adapters on the headphones!  And far too often, they are simply getting lost.  I am seriously considering cutting off all of the TRS plugs from my headphones and hard wiring new ones that are 1/4" only.  

Even more annoying (and perplexing) is that the Sony and AT phones use a different thread, so a handful of the new adapters I bought are doing me no good at the moment.  Arrrgghh!


Beat me to the punch on this major pet peeve.  Those darn adapters keep breaking (two this week alone!) and the replacements I bought don't fit either.  Arrrrrggghhh indeed.
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve : 1/4" to 1/8" adapters
Post by: TB-AV on January 16, 2011, 11:03:46 PM
"Loctite is anaerobic methacrylate resin. It hardens in the absence of air."

...and they don't cure very fast (at all?)on certain metals and platings without a primer.

There are plenty of good 5 minute epoxies out there.
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve : 1/4" to 1/8" adapters
Post by: Mikes on January 19, 2011, 03:11:37 PM




Maybe this idea can be helpful to some of you.

index.php/fa/16184/0/


Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve : 1/4" to 1/8" adapters
Post by: ktownson on January 20, 2011, 09:45:57 AM
I leave an unthreaded adaptor in the jack and pull the miniplug out.
Title: Re: Headphone pet peeve : 1/4" to 1/8" adapters
Post by: Fenris Wulf on January 23, 2011, 06:42:46 AM
Shrink tubing works if you position it just right so it overlaps the lip on the adapter.

Unbalanced insert cables make great replacement headphone cables.