Bits of a aux cord stuck inside MacBook Pro.

[rosenild]

To Mac Forums.

An aux cord has been pulled out too of my MacBook Pro too quickly so that there's bits of the aux cord inside the headphone socket. I've tried searching the web for a lot of tips and advices, but none of them has worked out for me.

A friend told med about two options : 1) Soundflowerbed 2) Sound Siphon.
He told me that I could trick my MacBook so that the built in output (the sound from internet, iTunes, etc.) could get out of my MacBook through one of these two softwares.

Now I've tried both softwares but with no luck.

Can anyone help me?

Thank you for your time and considerations.

Oliver

 

[RadDave]

An aux cord has been pulled out too of my MacBook Pro too quickly so that there's bits of the aux cord inside the headphone socket. I've tried searching the web for a lot of tips and advices, but none of them has worked out for me..................

Hi Oliver - welcome to the forum!

You need to clarify your problem - I'm assuming that you are referring to a 3.5 mm mini-stereo headphone jack and that a portion(s) has broken off and is stuck in the jack port - correct?

If not and the material is loose, then a few gentle 'shots' from a can of compressed air might be worth a try. BUT, if a metallic portion of a headphone jack, then another issue; of course, you could always take your laptop to a qualified Apple repair shop.

Another choice is to google 'headphone jack removal' - there will be a LOT of hits - one solution has been to use a dab of super glue to attach the broken piece and then pull it out - give us some more information if you issue is not as I've described. Dave

 

[rosenild]

I already went to a qualified Apple repair shop, but unfortunately they wanted to remove the whole side of the Macbook and it would end up costing a lot of money.

You are correct. A portion of the 3.5 mm mini stereo headphone jack has broken off and its stuck in the jack port.

 

[RadDave]

I already went to a qualified Apple repair shop, but unfortunately they wanted to remove the whole side of the Macbook and it would end up costing a lot of money.

You are correct. A portion of the 3.5 mm mini stereo headphone jack has broken off and its stuck in the jack port.

Yep, I assumed that the repair would likely be expensive, sorry. Just curious though, are you still getting any sound from the built-in speakers? Don't know 'how much' of a partial stereo plug needs to be in the port to mute your computer sound?

But, all that I can suggest is as before w/ the google suggestion. Good luck. Dave

 

[rosenild]

No sound at all

 

[RadDave]

No sound at all

Sorry - that's what I thought. Well, you have the google hits if you want to give any a try. My only other suggestion is to visit iFixit, look up your specific MBPro model, and then see if there might be a 'guide' to address the headphone jack issue? These repair tasks are often rated 'moderate to difficult', so might dissuade you? Dave

 

[chscag]

No sound at all

If you use our forum search you'll find numerous threads and ideas on how to remove a broken off headphone plug stuck in the headphone jack. One that usually works is to use super glue. Apple will not remove it for you but instead will change the entire logic board of which the headphone jack is attached to. Very expensive solution.

 

[rosenild]

Do you guys know if there is any software that can help me? A friend of mine tried to recommend me Soundflower and Siphon Sound. Is there software that can trick the computer so that I can listen to music?

 

[RadDave]

Do you guys know if there is any software that can help me? A friend of mine tried to recommend me Soundflower and Siphon Sound. Is there software that can trick the computer so that I can listen to music?

Hi again, I have no experience w/ using software in this fashion; Soundflower output is an option in System Preferences -> Sound; also, you might want to explore the 'Audio Midi Setup' in the Applications folder - again, I've not used this feature to provide advice.

BUT, I just paired my bluetooth (BT) soundbar w/ my MBPro and played some music; then, I plugged the headphone jack in and the sound continued fine on the soundbar - so, if not already owned obtain some BT headphones and/or speakers (I also own several portable ones for travel which were inexpensive) - give it a try! Dave

 

[alicepattinson]

My cousin also had this problem, more suggestions please. Thanks in advance.

 

[rosenild]

Hello once again.

I've been to a electronics store and they tried to fix the problem. I happily went home but the sound does not work at all, even though they tried! I went back there and they said it's a software problem now, not so much as it is a hardware problem. They can fix it, but they will have to erase everything on my macbook and reset the whole macbook. Is there any way I can fix it myself? I've tried searching the web and tried resetting the PRAM, but it does not work

 

[RadDave]

Hello once again.

I've been to a electronics store and they tried to fix the problem. I happily went home but the sound does not work at all, even though they tried! I went back there and they said it's a software problem now, not so much as it is a hardware problem. They can fix it, but they will have to erase everything on my macbook and reset the whole macbook. Is there any way I can fix it myself? I've tried searching the web and tried resetting the PRAM, but it does not work

Hi again Oliver - what did the electronics store do to fix the problem? Were they able to remove the broken phono jack from your laptop? When you first picked up the 'repaired' machine from the store, did the sound work at the time, but then not when you returned home? Did you also reset SMC?

Please respond - hard to give further advice w/o knowing answers to these questions. Dave

 

[corbintech]

I would say they used something in the hole to put pressure of the metal that puts the pressure of the plug. If they did that, the plug would just fall out and possibly leave the inside of the plug with bent metal that may be making contact. That would cause the sound not to work because the jack would be sending a signal that the plug is in thanks to the short that was created.

What I would do is get a very strong pin, turn the computer off (obviously) and place it in a position you can work on it. Being very gentle with the pin, light it well (may need another person) use the pin to straighten the metal back to where it was. This should work.

This would not be a software issue. A headphone jack is very simple, either it is shorted when a plug is plugged in and disables the speakers, or it is not.

That is most likely the problem you have, the jack is shorted and the computer thinks something is plugged in.

 

[bobtomay]

Purchase a bluetooth or airplay compatible speaker / headphone.

Or an Apple TV and plug it into an audio receiver.

You can find bluetooth speakers as cheap as $15-$25 - Airplay compatible probably start around $100.