loose headphone jack

[ZeroGravity107]

I have an Inspiron 5100 and the headphone jack is loose, causing the laptop speakers to continue to work when headphones or speakers are plugged in. This is very annoying considering the fact that you usually put headphones on so other people don't hear.

I took it to a local computer place, and they told me that they can't fix it. They dont' solder anything except power related things. Where can I go to get it fixed? Best Buy or something? If not, I know an electrician who offered to give it a shot, would that be a good idea? Please just give me some ideas because I would rather not have to purchase a whole new motherboard. Thanks

 

[Law]

Your best luck is with Dell. I don't know for sure if Best Buy has the qualification for something like this, but I doubt they can fix.

 

[Crysalis]

Are you saying the connections are touchy or the actual jack is loose? If its the actual jack, you can't fix it without replacing the whole board or the jack itself. Soldering will NOT fix this problem. NEVER EVER solder for strength. It is ONLY mean to mend connections between the contacts and the wire. It will not hold anything strength wise... ever.

If it is connections, then you can look inside the jack and see if one of the contacts is bent. If there is a plastic box around the internals, try to remove it. If you can't, you're outta luck.

 

[ZeroGravity107]

no basically the whole thing is loose. how would I go about having the jack itself replaced? I honestly would rather not go through Dell. This was supposed to be a relatively cheap project. I bought the laptop from a friend so I can set it up in my car for audio. This is really causing problems :-(

I'm not 100% sure on what you are saying though. I haven't opened up the laptop so could it be loose from the outside (still fixable) or loose from the inside too (not fixable) or once its loose its loose and im effed. thanks for your feedback guys. much appreciated.

 

[ZeroGravity107]

I'm sorry, I'm desperate.

 

[Apokalipse]

what sound card are you using?

usually, sound cards have two pins which short to ground when the headphones are plugged in, telling the sound card to mute the back ports and instead use only the front ports.

 

[Crysalis]

Well... you'll have to buy a new jack that is exactly the same as the one in there. You will have to desolder it from the PC board and then replace it exactly how it was and resolder the board.

If you dont know what i'm talking about, then dont even think about attempting it. Take it to a computer technician (this does not include geek squad, circuit city, etc)... this means a professional technician... particularly one with an electrical engineering degree and much soldering experience.