Speaker jack stuck in headphone port - Remove logic board and fix?

[krossav1]

The speaker jack from an external computer speaker set snapped off inside the headphone jack of my macbook pro 13" 2010. Apple told me I would need to replace the logic board, which I refuse to do. Tekserve took a look and said they couldn't help me get the jack out.

My attempts to fix it myself

I read all the tricks online on how to remove the jack and tried a few of them myself. Most of 'em didn't help at all. But using a pair of tweezers I was able to get some grip on the jack, though when I pulled it out the force broke the jack into its separate components, and I only extracted a few pieces from the jack -- one of the metal rings and two of the plastic parts. The tip-end of the jack is still stuck and deeply wedged in the port. All that said, I've given up on manually removing the jack from the outside.

Proposal from a local repair shop

I brought the computer to a local repair shop. (A few months ago this same shop had repaired the wiring in the speaker cable -- the same one that's jack is now stuck in my macbook pro.) The guy there said he thinks if he removed the logic board he could potentially push the jack out of the port from the inside. If not, he said he could try removing the headphone jack entirely. He's willing to do to the work for free since the jack itself came from his shop.

Now, I'm fine if the work results in the headphone jack being unusable. The goal would be to convince the computer that headphones are no longer in the jack, so I could use the internal speakers again. (I can always buy a usb headphone jack.)

My questions

My question is, with this model of Macbook is it possible to remove the logic board AND get access to push the jack out of the port from the inside? Or, if that's not feasible, is it actually possible to remove the headphone jack entirely AND not do damage to the rest of the logic board? 'Cause neither Apple nor Tekserve mentioned this, and I haven't found anything along these lines in my online research.

I'm pretty desperate here but I also don't want to risk doing more damage to the computer.

Two photos here:

- the jack stuck in the port

- the logic board - the headphone port is where the light brown rectangle is

 

[mattspace]

you could possibly use a dremel or a variable speed power drill to put a tiny tap hole a few mm into the piece that's stuck, then drive a slightly larger self-tapping screw into the hole so you've got something to grip onto.

 

[theitsage]

The proper way to go about this is to desolder the headphone port from the logic board then solder on a replacement one. You can't push it from the back unfortunately.

You can try and mattspace's suggestion first for sure.

 

[sebseb]

Grab a match or a thin piece of wood and put a bit of superglue on it and stick it to the surface of the headphone jack and try to pull out without bending, meaning pull out really straight.

 

[krossav1]

you could possibly use a dremel or a variable speed power drill to put a tiny tap hole a few mm into the piece that's stuck, then drive a slightly larger self-tapping screw into the hole so you've got something to grip onto.

I don't own a power drill. I thought of going by the local hardware store to borrow one. Still, the thought of having someone drill into the area makes me nervous. For every time this approach works, I wonder how often it does more damage.

About desoldering the headphone port from the board, how advanced is this work? I found a step-by-step guide to removing/replacing the logic board online, and that in itself seems feasible. The repairman who volunteered to help specializes in PCs. I don't get a sense he's done anything quite like this on a macbook before. That also makes me a little nervous...

 

[Fishrrman]

A friend of mine had the same problem with his son's 2010 MacBook Pro.

He literally took a larger diameter drill bit (by "larger", I mean somewhat larger than the hole for the headphone plug) and DRILLED INTO the side of the MacBook's aluminum case.

This created a larger, "beveled" opening into the headphone jack.

He removed enough of the aluminum casing to then grab the remains of the headphone plug and pull it out.

The jack now works normally again, and surprisingly, the large "beveled opening" that is left behind doesn't really look bad. It works.

Having written that, if you're not willing to do this, and are unsure about trusting the computer to a "non-Apple" repair guy, you might consider Apple's $300+/- "flat rate repair" if you -really- want it "repaired to spec".

Aside:
Can't you just hook up a USB-to-analog connector, change the settings in the sound control panel, and have headphone output that way?

 

[blueroom]

Rather than risk the MacBook consider USB or Bluetooth headphones.

 

[krossav1]

OP here. Right, Whether or not I get the plug out, I plan to get a usb interface to connect headphones and external speakers. I was told to get the griffin imic but I'm open to other recommendations. Any suggestions?

 

[Apple OC]

Bluetooth speaker if all else fails.

 

[poiihy]

How bout you desolder the output jack, and if you cant get the crap out of it, then desolder the input jack and use that for the output instead.

Nvm, 13-inchers dont have an input port


Found images of 13-inch 2010 MBP logic board. Audio jack in lower left corner of first one, and lower right corner of second one.
Looks like a rather simple soldering project, but it is quite small and may need an experienced solderer.

 

[duffyanneal]

At this point I would go with replacing the jack. You should be able to find an exact replacement from a third party like Digikey or Mouser or maybe look for a dead logic board on eBay. A local tech with good soldering skills should be able to swap it in a few minutes. Good luck.