Broken headphone jack advice?

[ToobNoob]

Sorry, don't post here often, but have encountered a small problem. I have a small recording set-up in a corner of my living room, and I unplugged my monitoring headphones from my mixer, and plugged it into a boom box, so that I can listen to "Coast To Coast AM", without disturbing everyone else that's sleeping (love that show!). But when I unplugged the headphones from the boom box, the 1/8" to 1/4" adapter tip broke off inside the headphone socket on the boom box (last time I use cheap adapters!). I was able to remove some of it, but there's some piece still stuck inside, which renders the boom box useless (signal to speakers now cut off, and can't plug other headphones in). Needle-nose pliers (at least the ones I have) are too big to get at all of it. It's not the end of the world, but I like to listen to certain programs while I had my breakfast, as well, plus I need my "Coast To Coast AM" fix. Any solutions on how to get the little bugger out of there? Thanks.

P.S. That's a one-QUARTER inch adapter part that's stuck inside there. All my Google searching seems to only give tips for a 1/8" jack broken tip (seems to be a common problem with iPhones, iPods, etc.) and am not sure if a there's a different/better method for a stuck 1/4" jack. Thanks again.

[JazzGuitarGimp]

If the jack has an opening at the other end (even a small hole), you might be able to unwind a paper clip and push the plug remnants out through the front opening. Of course, being a boom box, you might have to do a whole bunch of disassembly to get to the other end of the jack!

Good luck!

[Phil_S]

You might as well dive in and take the box apart so you can expose the whole jack. From there you'll know if you can extract the broken piece or if the jack itself is broken. Doing this sort of thing is easier than it might seem. Just observe rule #1 strictly. If you have to force it, you're doing the wrong thing, so stop that and look for whatever is the real problem.

Keep a digital camera by your side while you work, a note pad, and a few "parts trays." The parts trays can be anything that will hold screw and other fasteners you remove. I like old yoghurt cups. All of these things are your friend when it comes to reassembly. Your brain is the enemy. That's because however you "remember" it will be missing important details. Make notes, and take lots of pictures. Separate parts from different stages of the work. The pictures will get you back home once you are done fixing it.

Oh, and use the right tools for the job, particularly when it comes to screwdrivers. A set of jeweler's screwdrivers is often helpful, or at least #1 and #2 Philips and slotted screw drivers. You might need Torx drivers and you can buy one with 8 bit sizes at a big box store for about $5.

[Structo]

Also when you get in there, inspect the jack(s) for damage where they are soldered to the board.

Frequently these joints fracture or break a trace.

[NickC]

Upon disassembly, you may discover there is room to replace the puny 1/8" jack with a proper (and more robust) 1/4" headphone jack.