instructables

DISMANTLE- EARPHONES

by g.a.m.s

I was always fascinated by how earphones work.
What's there in such a tiny device which beautifully
produces mechanical output from electrical pulses.
But when I finally opened one, I found there's nothing
astonishing but the fundamental of propagation of
sound wave- medium- sound waves travel in a
medium (air). The earphones move the air present
inside according to the highs and lows of the
electrical pulses and the compression and rarefaction
of air produces sound.( We already know that!) So,
here's how it does.

Step 1: Tools Needed

Dismantling an earphone is quite easy. You would just need:-

1). Scissors

2). Paper Cutter

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Step 2: Dismantle Process
It would be easy if you would cut the earbuds and the
jack to separate them first.
Then, using a cutter, start cutting the seal of the
earbud. You don't have to go around it, just cut
persistently at a single spot long enough to break the
seal. The whole front case would pop out
automatically. Now, you can take the diaphragm, coil
and the magnet apart.
The microphone can also be dismantled in the same
way as the earbud.
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The most interesting part of earphones (for me) is the
audio jack. I wanted to see how the connections are
made. So, I peeled off the plastic around the jack. It's
not easy and I would recommend adult supervision if
you're young, 'cause there are two layers. One is the
rubber which you can easily remove using a cutter.
And another one is hard plastic. For this, I used a
candle to heat up my cutter and sliced the plastic
cover. It takes time and though it looks clumsy, but
it's clear enough to understand the connections.
DISMANTLE- EARPHONES: Page 3
Step 3: Parts Inside

1). External case

2). Front case

3). Diaphragm (plastic sheet)

4). Coil- also called 'voice coil'- attached to the diaphragm (forms the winding of electromagnet)

5). Neodymium magnet (smaller circular piece)

6). Core of electromagnet (larger circular piece)

7). Wires

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Step 4: Working- 1). Earbuds
First of all, earphones/ headphones are of two types:-
a). Closed-back- The front casing of earphones
would, obviously, have holes. But if the external back
casing doesn't have any holes, than such earphones
are closed-back ones. These prevent the external
noise from interfering and no sound escapes from it.
b). Open-back- The external back casing has holes.
These are more preferred as they sound better, but
has the drawback of sound escaping outside and the
external noise penetrating inside.
The earphones are miniature loudspeakers, literally
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the only difference between the two is 'size'. The
permanent magnet inside the earphones is the only
stationary part. While the electromagnet (i.e. coil +
iron core) is moving. The electric signals received
from a system are sent to the electromagnet which is
either repelled or attracted by the permanent magnet
according to the magnetic field induced. So, the
electromagnet moves back and forth which also
makes the diaphragm, attached to it, to move
accordingly. If you remove the magnet too from the
earbud, you would see a pole piece. This is used to
concentrate the field generated by the electromagnet.
DISMANTLE- EARPHONES: Page 6
Step 5: Working- 2). Audio Jack

An audio jack comes in various lengths, sizes and
configuration. Mine is a 3.5mm TRRS jack. An audio
jack can have 2,3,4 or 5- conductors (TS, TRS,
TRRS, TRRRS). TRS stand for Tip Ring Sleeve.
In my jack, the tip is connected to the left earbud, first
ring to the right earbud, second ring to the mic and
the sleeve is used for ground connection. As you can
see in the above picture, two wires(one from each
earbud) are connected to the ground, one runs to the
tip and the other to the first ring. This configuration
can vary for different companies. However, you can
check it using a multimeter. For more info, visit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_connector_(aud...
In many audio jacks, the only difference is the
position of mic and ground. They are usually
reversed.
Using a TRS connector for TRRS socket or vice
versa can damage your device. So, please be careful
in choosing an appropriate earphones.

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