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Help! One of my headphones broke off inside my Macbook

S

SuperSnake2012

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Part of one of my headphones got stuck in the jack! 😱 Any ideas on how to get it out safely without breaking the entire thing? I'm so scared right now 🙁
 
Ouch, you might want to try ifixit.com guide to remove the card thingy out and then use a tooth pick or something to get the thing out.
 
hey, you're lucky - my headphones once broke off inside my EAR. I had to go to the hospital, was freaking out and thought I was going to die. I (and my work collegues brave enough to go near my ear) could not remove them without pushing them even further in.

This is nothing!
 
SuperSnake2012 said:
Part of one of my headphones got stuck in the jack! 😱 Any ideas on how to get it out safely without breaking the entire thing? I'm so scared right now 🙁
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that... Anyway, have you tried with tweezers? I assume that if you have few millimeters around the thingy then maybe you can get a hold of it with the tweezers and get it out. Hope this helped.


-Victor
 
Victor ch said:
Sorry to hear that... Anyway, have you tried with tweezers? I assume that if you have few millimeters around the thingy then maybe you can get a hold of it with the tweezers and get it out. Hope this helped.


-Victor
Click to expand...

Personally, I would stay away from tweezers. This is just my personal opinion from what had happened to my xbox when i tried to get something out of it.
 
Forgive me for being paranoid, but magnets and magnetic storage medium (hard-drives) doesn't sound like a good combination.
 
You'll never get it out with a magnet. Firstly the chances are it's non-magnetic and secondly there is a switch inside that acts like a clip.
 
I suggest putting the Mac on its side so the headphone jack is facing up. Then get some Krazy Glue and glue something small like a toothpick to the broken headphone part. Wait a while and then pull out.


tremendous said:
hey, you're lucky - my headphones once broke off inside my EAR. I had to go to the hospital, was freaking out and thought I was going to die. I (and my work collegues brave enough to go near my ear) could not remove them without pushing them even further in.

This is nothing!
Click to expand...

WTF? What headphones were you using? I don't see how that's possible.
 
I don't have any Krazy Glue at home, only wood glue... that didn't work out too well 😛 Any other ideas guys? I can't get any sound on my computer with that stupid thing in there... I'm so mad right now 😡
 
If you're REALLY careful and good with repairing electronics, you could try putting a tiny speck of solder on the back and yank it out. be sure to use a heavy gauge wire so it doesn't snap off instead of yanking out the jack. Also, lay the macbook on it's side to avoid hitting the edges of the port.

Also, forget the magnets. Nothing's strong enough to yank a 3.5mm jack out of the port that wouldn't harm your Macbook.

Good luck. Also, if you're still stuck after all these suggestions, perhaps an Apple store visit could be beneficial. 🙂
 
hierobryan said:
I suggest putting the Mac on its side so the headphone jack is facing up. Then get some Krazy Glue and glue something small like a toothpick to the broken headphone part. Wait a while and then pull out.
Click to expand...

Agreed. just make sure you don't use excess glue and get it in the jack, and make sure you don't try to pull it out too early before the glue is completely hard. and wood glue won't work, it's meant for wood because it seeps into the wood and is really good for shear forces. you need tensile strength, so you'll need krazy glue or super glue of some kind. and when you put it on, do 2 applications, one to the faces of the headphone thing and your device, wait for that to dry, and then put another layer around the edge. The biggest problem is going to be that the glue will break before the headphone comes out, so you need a couple applications of a really strong glue.
 
I had the same thing happen to my iMac.
Put some Araldite/Epoxy Resin on the end of a cocktail stick. Like a tiny amount so you don't get it permanently stuck.
I left it the hour or so to set and then it pulled out perfectly.

Give it a try if you aren't too cack-handed. Otherwise don't take the risk and take it to Apple.
 
Try to seat a bit of masking tape over it, then use a small drill bit (1/32") to drill into it a bit, just enough to pull it out by leaving the drill bit in.

And then pray that no shards get into your computer...
 
All of these suggestions scare the hell outta me. Take it to a professional and pay to have it taken out.
 
hierobryan said:
I suggest putting the Mac on its side so the headphone jack is facing up. Then get some Krazy Glue and glue something small like a toothpick to the broken headphone part. Wait a while and then pull out.
Click to expand...

Oh that sounds like a really good idea. Try that.
 
Batt said:
All of these suggestions scare the hell outta me. Take it to a professional and pay to have it taken out.
Click to expand...

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What he said 😛

All of these suggestions sound too risky (well, the glue might work it you only use a teeny tiny itty bit).
 
Cave Man said:
Try to seat a bit of masking tape over it, then use a small drill bit (1/32") to drill into it a bit, just enough to pull it out by leaving the drill bit in.

And then pray that no shards get into your computer...
Click to expand...

-1

I don't think drill bits and laptops belong together. 😛 Just go with the superglue lol.
 
The drill bit is unlikely to work as the jack will twist. As already said I too would be very reluctant to risk swarf getting into the laptop.
 
Cave Man said:
Try to seat a bit of masking tape over it, then use a small drill bit (1/32") to drill into it a bit, just enough to pull it out by leaving the drill bit in.

And then pray that no shards get into your computer...
Click to expand...

This is one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard. This guy's watched too many episodes of Home Improvement.
 
It's not a MBP, just a regular Macbook. If I took it to Apple or mailed it in would they be able to help me? I have Applecare for a few years on this machine...
 
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