Jornada 720 Speakers

Ever since about near the end of July, my Jornada's stereo speakers have been sometimes working, sometimes not even when the volume is at the max. Most of the time it isn't working so does anyone have an idea of why they are malfunctioning, how I can fix it, or whether I can fix it? It also might be something to do with the drivers but I doubt it.

Thanks.

Sounds like a hardware problem most likely. Can you hear the audio through headphones? If so, then you know the problem is most likely related to a loose speaker wire, or faulty speaker.

It does not effect the headphone jack. Mind you, I have had the Jornada for about 1.5 years so I can't see why it would just suddenly start being temperamental.

If the headphone jack isn't disconnecting properly when the phones are removed, that can stop the speaker from working. I've seen it happen a couple of times with damaged jack ports.

The only problem I have with the headphone jack is having to push the lead in to get both sides of the headphones functioning. Anyway, I've had the speaker just stop working and the headphone jack not being used at all at the time.

The jack doesn't necessarily need to be used in this instance, if the connections broken and the passthrough circuit has reconnected due to a jolt then this can cause your problem.

And it doesn't help that the jack itself is faulty (or perhaps your headphones are just a wee bit out of spec). Having to push extra hard or otherwise fiddle with it means that something isn't aligning properly. The tip is the left-hand channel, the next ring (after the insulator) is the right channel, and the shaft is the ground. (BTW, this is called a TRS connector in technical/historical circles.)

Inserting the plug breaks a normally closed electrical circuit (which is presumably connected to the speaker circuit; this is the passthrough circuit C:Amie to which is referring). From a mechanical side, you could imagine springs of some sort that put some tension onto the contacts between the circuits in the jack and the plug, but most likely the contacts themselves are bent to provide the tension. With enough usage or time, the contacts may have become worn or corroded which prevents the jack from properly returning to the electrical closed circuit state (or is giving the appearance that a"ghost" plug arently has remained (non-working speakers after headphone use) or has been intermittently inserted (random drops in and out of speakers).

Replacing the plug is the "right" thing to do, but I don't have the foggiest about how difficult that might be. If you haven't done soldering work before, I don't know that you want to begin with something directly attached to the motherboard.

If you have a headphone "extension cord" (if you want to take the risk because of potential QA issues, they are $1 at the dollar stores in the use) or even a headphone splitter jack/adapter (allowing two headphones to listen to one device ... sorta like 2 straws in your milkshake ) that might tell you if it's a jack issue. If you attach the cord/adapter without headphones attached and your speakers work properly, then the problem is the switch-open contact (the empty female end of the cord will contain a properly working set of contacts). It might or might not help your channel issue.

Sounds to me like problem solved. Sound works continuously through headphones, so audio is not making it to internal speaker. Not a faulty audio circuit on the motherboard.

Now you need to rule out an actual speaker fault by opening up the device and checking the audio signal before and after the headphone jack while it is demonstrating the fault. If the signal is present in both areas, but no sound is heard...the speaker is bad (I've never seen it). If the signal is not present to the speaker, then the jack is bad.

Solutions: replace jack (or maybe just bend the contacts a little to insure they make contact). If they are worn out completely, solder a bridge and lose the headphone capability forever, but gain the internal speaker.

I couldn't find a replacement jack part for the 720 when I've looked in Maplin's before now, it's an odd size and shape and isn't serviceable

I didn't figure you could get the parts, but thought that maybe you could fabricate something from other parts and make it fit....

It's the height of it that I found the problem, kind of difficult to get everything to line up with the hole in the case.

I'm not really prepared to go as far as opening up the case and fixing a small fault. It's what you get when you buy old technology.

It's what you get when you buy used and abused...not old.

actually, I brought it new last year. It was not abused or used at all and I haven't abused it much since (apart from destroying the pc card slot lid, lol).

Yet another update...

Jornada speakers and headphones no longer working at all. Might want to open it up to check connections, and to fix the pcmcia slots' hatch.