Possible solutions to the crapped up audio jack on NP5793!

I thought i'd make a thread for all those sager customers unfortunate enough to get a GJOD like me!!

GJOD = Green Jack Of Death

Its difficult for me to rma it back to Sager so, i guess we can have alternatives to this problem that seems fairly common!!

I think i'll open up my lappy and replace the headphone jack with a new one as Zfactor will be doing!!

I know its an ultra risky job nd can render my notebook useless, but the quest for perfection is driving me to do this!!

Hey Zfactor, pls can u post the pic of the jack u r getting to replace on ur friend's sager!?

Also pls post a tutorial on how to do this and if possible a NP5793 disassembly guide will be greatly appreciated!!


Also as eleron911 said - one can get a ext sound card(usb or express card) nd still get it to work!!

I appreciate the solution but i need the notebook to standalone, without any ext accessories jutting out etc.!!

Prasad and nirvana0001 also recommended that i buy an ext sound card! i'll get one! thanks for the suggestion! but i seriously want to get this thing to work!!

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The current prob! -

My headphone jack seems to be at fault!! especially the 2nd pin on the base of the socket!! it seems that it is being shorted!! and when the headphones are fully inserted they loose contact with that pin!!

As the inner pins are pressed, the notebook gets an impression that the headphones are inserted (turning the ext speakers off!) but since it is not touching the 2nd pin, no sound in the headphones!

When i took out 1/4th of the lead it suddenly made contact with the 2nd pin and the headphones started working!! but the socket itself has become unstable!!

Sometimes when i took out the lead the sound wont switch to ext speakers as the 2nd pin is shorting!! so i touched that pin with a metal safety pin and the ext speakers started working!! but releasing the pressure again made the speakers go silent!!

So, i'm 100% sure replacing the jack with a "Good Quality" one will surely solve this problem

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Anyone else having any other suggestions please post! ur help will be greatly appreciated!!

Also, other ppl having the same prob can seek help here + help others like me!!

I hope our probs get solved at the earliest!
Thanks!

EDIT -

Bought a Creative SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook!! Pics here - http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3452217&postcount=60

 

I don`t think you`ll be able to solder another one there, because it would mean tampering with the mainboard,and that would probably kill your warranty.
I stand by both my sugestions :
-Creative USB Live! 24 bit sound card
-Creative Xtreme fatality express slot sound card.


I understand the need for it to work on a standalone basis,I'm in Europe myself and would have to pay 500$ to RMA it. SO I went the 50$ way with the USB sound card.
I`ll take pictures of it next to the laptop if you want, it`s easy as a feather and not much thicker than a book.

 

You should also know that a professional sound card would also increase gaming performance and also ofcourse provide better sound quality and higher volume. I myself am thinking of getting one before my jack may die!

 

The good thing is a friend of mine in the US has agreed to help me out!!!

I'll be shipping the notebook to him in New York for 75$!! then i guess all the shipping frm ny to sager nd back will be free!!

Btw i'll be getting a X-Fi frm there too!!

someone told me about this soundcard - http://www.amazon.co.uk/CREATIVE-ExpressCard-Blaster-Xtreme-Notebook/dp/B000SAGL7S/ref=pd_sbs_ce_title_1

I've heard it works best in xp and its drivers are not compatible with vista???

Should i go for this one?? or any other suggestions??

 

Hi
Sorry to hear about the problems.it's wiser to send it back to xotic than trying to fix it by urself.

For the sound card it should be cheaper for you to buy it from USA than Amazon UK as the value of pound hasn't changed much.And your friend can put that in the same package.

 

I have the same problem. I'm using the mic jack as suggested in this thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=244094 . But I don't think this will hold up for long even though I'm being more careful now using a lighter phone jack.

I'm a getting a USB soundcard from steelpads (siberia).

 

@sohail: I use the x-fi expresscard in vista 64 and all the software and drivers work fine

 

yea its the sound blaster external usb card that has vista issues, the express card was designed to work in vista as far as I know.

theriko how do you like its sound quality? I was thinking about getting one but was unsure because of its size (small and possibly not much greater than onboard sound), also the fact that I read it uses 512 megs of ram or something bothered me

 

Sound quality is much better than onboard, and the person who said it uses 512 MB ram is either misreading the specs, blind or stupid. The specs say "Min Requirements - Windows Vista: 512 MB RAM, Windows XP: 256 MB RAM" meaning total system ram, not that the card uses all of that. These are in fact the minimum requirements of the OS itself... CTAudSvc.exe is currently using 148 K ram

 

Yea i guess u r right! i'll see if i can RMA!! btw any of u guys have any experience as to the process involved in RMAing!

and is there a possibility that my laptop gets stuck with sager and they dont return it( i know! but just
calculating the risks as my luck now a days is really- really bad!! )

Hey! thanks for conforming that!! nd thanks for the feedback abt audio quality!! Rep+

Woah!! 512mb of RAM!!! thats gonna kill crysis fps!!

EDIT - my bad, its the min system requirement!!

 

Read above post ^^

And yes, it is normal for your gpu to downclock when it is not running 3d apps - it saves power.

 

Roger! nd edited my post too!! Thanks again!

 

This thing is weird. I would like an official word on this from Justin or Donald(where is Donald btw?) if they can pass along the word to Sager...

 

I think Sager already knows.

They have reps the lurk these forums everyday to get feedback.

 

I wouldn't use exclamation points after every single sentence. It makes your posts difficult to read.

 

He's just a bit jacked up, is all.

:laugh:

 

i have matched up one i think will fit. ordered them today from digikey. i hope to have them tomm since he wants to leave this weekend if possible, when i get them ill post pics..

 

So I'm ordering 5793 really soon, today or tomorrow. Should i get the ExpressCard Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook option from Xotic. That fits in the express card slot that is in the laptop? IF anyone has it how much of it sticks out, is it pretty bulky?

 

@minkang, no it's not bulky at all, the silver rectangle area is where it sticks out. you can get it from somewhere else for $80

 

Thanks man!

pics will be greatly appreciated!

nd @ eleron911 - sure man! this headphone jack prob has me wondering abt the quality of stuff used in Sager notebooks!!!

- Ultra low quality jacks
- who knows what else!!

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btw i'm thinking of putting the RMA on standby for now!(as nirvana0001 said! ) as i'm not sure whether sager will even give it back or not!?

i'll buy a Creative X-Fi Express card for now and when zfactor has a few pics for me, maybe i'll mod my mobo!!

btw i've heard that X-fi doesn't actually have an X-fi chip in it!!

Its actually a re branded audigy2!! (citation needed!)

 

Yup,get it from newegg or something.
Much cheaper, but the quality is unquestionable. A friend has one and I`m just jealous lol.

 

What are you people doing to your notebooks!? I've had mine for some time and my jack is just fine and feels perfectly sturdy.

 

@everyone, no questionable, the sound quality of ExpressCard Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme is top notch compare to Realtek, but X-Fi Xtreme is actually more software than hardware. there are some cards far superior to Creative's offerings. ie: Echo Indigo IO, but it's PCI only lol

 

Thanks eleron!!

@ nirvana0001 - I read somewhere that some ppl have cr@ppy sound due to X-Fi! mostly due to the software!!

But i guess it is the only(express card) choice for my NP5793!!

 

not sure about the express card, but if you don't mind USB sound card, there are tons of them in the market.

 

If only they'd made those logitech vx nano's reciever sizes usb sound cards!!

I'm petty sure its possible except for a slight increase in size to accommodate a jack!!

 

Anyone who was asking what the X-Fi looked like coming out of a 5793, here you go:

These are obviously with the speaker docking module as well (for up to 7.1 analogue surround) but if you want just digital optical in\line in\mic and headphone\line out\digital optical out then you don't need that

 

Hmmm thats about 2.5 cms or 1 inch!! thats quiet a lot if u ask me!!

Thanks ( theriko) for the pics man!!

btw do i have to buy the speaker docking module separately?
btw(2) awesome G9 u got there!!

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and just a heads up!

No matter what happens I'll have to replace the jack cause its interfering with the audio output from onboard speakers!! sometimes there's no sound and when i touch a pin in the headhone jack, suddenly they start working!!!

Sometimes i've heard shorting and that causes 'bzzt' noise in the sound playing frm ext speakers!!

It isn't fully dead thats causing some extra probs!!

 

hey if you take you finger and press the green jack up and down a bit do the external speakers come on and off.. try and see... im trying to see what the common issue is here. if its simply bad soldering or the plug

 

Yea!!!

Actually there was no sound! then i pressed the green jack downwards nd the ext speakers suddenly fired up!!

Also, the headphones started working fine now!! but when i plug them out no sound frm ext speakers!!
then i have to press the green jack downwards to get the sound from ext speakers back!!!

Headphones work w/o any jack adjustments now!!!

So what seems to be the prob??

EDIT - chance that the headphones will work next time - 45-50%

 

if that is the case ill bet money you could open it up and simply fix the solder where the legs go through the board.. that was the same issue i had with this one but with this one the leg actually broke off the connector hence the reason for needing a new one..so unless yours did the same ill bet it can be simply re-heated and a bit of solder added to be fixed..

 

sounds like wire problem

 

^^^ no there are small legs that go through the board and get soldered.. no wires on there

 

Hey! thanks man!! i'll open her up as soon as i get some free time today!!

Yay! i guess we're closer to a solution!!

btw can u point me to a NP5793(M570RU-U) disassembly guide?!
it would be really appreciated!!

 

i never found one myself. i just simply took my time and carefully took her apart.. i am swamped for the next couple days but ill try to find some time to write something up

 

yeah the only other thing that can do that is if its a bad connection inside the plug itself which would need a new plug, or a broken leg like this one has

 

see where the cover says pull up look just in front of the hdd ... thats the area where they are..

 

K! thanks a lot man!! i really appreciate ur help!!

I really hope its due to a loose solder!

EDIT - Yea! i opener her up! but i can barely see the pins on that jack!! i guess i need to take out the mobo!

 

yeah no way to re-solder them without pulling the mobo imo..

 

The link to the guide is in the m57ru owners lounge i beleive....

 

I have a brand new ExpressCard Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme which I no longer need as I sold my x80r. Used it for 1 day.

Paid £60 from Amazon UK. Will accept £30 + postage (anywhere in the world).

It is the full retail version including all packaging, as new.

PM me if interested.

 

Wow, you guys are really going through this...
I`m curios about the results.

 

Any ideas where i can find this express card the cheapest!???

Newegg, Tigerdirect don't have em!!
Amazon has it for like $92!!

Though Dell has it for $66! - http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?sku=A1164635&cs=19&c=us&l=en&dgc=SS&cid=30322&lid=680413

Where else can i get it the cheapest?
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btw i'll be resoldering the headphone jack after i come across a M570RU-U Disassembly guide!! Just to be on the safer side!

Thanks zfactor

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btw micloi stuff in the UK is more expensive due to the taxes and ultra high currency conversion rates!! I guess maybe eleron911 can help u with that!!

 

aren't you living in India? those companies don't even ship international.
to your answer, ebay?

 

Lol! i have my ways!!

btw! the lappy wasn't shipped internationally to me!! since thats too expensive!!

I can get anything from any site in US!!

 

That`s dirt cheap dude, post it here http://forum.notebookreview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18
And specify in the title that you`re from the UK.

 

Will do, thanks

EDIT: Done!
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=3388973#post3388973

 

Yay!!! i finally made my headphone jack work!!!

I had noticed that when i press the jack downwards, the ext speakers work + headphones too!

but, pressing further downwards - Headphones stopped working!!

So, i put a ultra small piece of paper folded once on itself, carefully using surgery forceps on the top of the jack after pushing it down a little!! and voila!! it worked!!! !!

Now my ext speakers work + the headphones, when plugged in! yay!!

I know this ain't a permanent solution but it worked for me and the piece of paper also isn't visible externally!!

Though anyways, i'm also getting the ' Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Laptop/Notebook' (huge name! lol! )

I hope this helps other ppl!

 

congrats. good to see you got it all figured out.

 

Hey! Thanks man!!