If you have a loose or frayed wire, you’re probably asking how to fix the cord on a gaming headset. The best gaming headsets come in wired or wireless forms, but even the wireless models come with an auxiliary cord.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Do not try to fix the wire while it is plugged into anything.
- You will need wire strippers, a lighter, a replacement headset plug, a fan, and a glue gun.
- Ensure the wires do not touch once you thread them through the leads.
When this cord frays, you’ll start having trouble with the produced sound, including static or the sound cutting in and out. Read on to find out more about how to fix this. If you are looking to fix the power cable for your headset, check out our article on how to fix the charging port for a gaming headset that is wireless.
How to Repair Gaming Headset Detachable Cables
Whether you have a wired headset with included cables or a wireless headset with detachable cables, you use the same process to fix the cable plug’s issue. During this process, you will need to have several tools on hand, which we’ve listed in the instructions below.
Insider Tip
Keep the wires separated as you work to make things easier on yourself.
Always unplug any electronics before repairing them to protect yourself and others. This method can potentially fix static, one side of the headset not working, and sound that cuts out. If you have trouble with microphone lag, learn how to fix latency in my gaming headset mic.
Replacing the Plug
STEP 1
Cut the cord about 7 cm from the start of the audio jack. To do so, you will need a utility knife or another sharp object to cut the rubber insulation around the wires and the wires themselves. If you have a frayed portion of the internal wire, cut just above the fray to repair this area.
STEP 2
Burn off the enamel coating on the wire. Burning is more straightforward than using wire strippers or sandpaper to remove and decreases the chance of damaging the cable beyond repair. If you choose to use a pair of wire cutters, ensure you don’t cut into the wire within the coating.
STEP 3
Separate your cables and twist the two ground wires. You should see four wires: two gold or copper grounds, one red right channel, and one blue or green left channel wire. The ground wires can be wound together by twisting, but the other two should stay separate. Pull them off to either side to make the process easier.
STEP 4
Unscrew the jack plug housing, which is the part of the piece that goes around the wire. It unscrews from the protruding part of the product. Next, slip the wire through the housing.
STEP 5
Apply a small amount of solder to the end of each wire, making sure that the ground wires are held together. Just a dab of solder should work fine for this process. You just want to make sure that it sticks.
STEP 6
Pull the wires through the designated holes on the lead. Wrap the ground cord through the hole in the middle and back down. The left and right cables go through the holes above the ground wire. The green or blue cable goes through the left, and the red goes through the right.
STEP 7
Apply solder to each lead, covering the hole and wire completely. To avoid the cables touching, you can use hot glue between the leads to secure them.
STEP 8
Remove any extra wires to make it easier to screw the cap on top of the headphone plug. If your cable has a compression element, this step is less important, and you can squish them down.
STEP 1
Screw the housing into the top of the jack plug and test your headset product for noise after plugging it into the audio port. If you can’t hear anything, try adding more solder because you may not have completely secured the cables.
Warning
Working with wires while plugged in is extremely dangerous, so make sure you unplug your cable before starting.
F.A.Q.S
Are exposed headphone wires dangerous?
If you try to use a headphone with a broken wire, the wire can spark. This spark can spread into a fire in the wrong environment. Additionally, the wire may generate extra heat, causing damage to your quality headphones or device.
What do I do with more severely damaged headphone wires?
You can repair severely damaged headphone wires or an audio cable. Send them to an electronics recycling center if you think they are unsalvageable.
Can you replace the cord on a headset?
If you have a removable cord, you can replace it. You can also repair frayed wires on wired headsets or replace the headphone jacks.
STAT: When the cables twist, it weakens the wires, thereby reducing the transmission of electrical signals from the device to the speakers. (source)
