_Sony SZ possible headphone jack problem?

Hi, the audio is Sigmatel HD which I think sounds great and the onboard speakers are fine but most of the time the sound only comes out of one side when plugging in some headphones. Strange thing is that the computer can be sitting still on a desk with the jack working fine but may go back to only one side when I come back to it a few hours latter. Also, the side of the headphone output that works or fails is random. Does this sound like a hardware or software problem? Ive done reinstalling.

thanks

 

It's most likely the headphone jack that's faulty. Try wiggling the jack around the next time it happens and then you'll know. If your under warranty then send it in for repair, otherwise your looking at a very expensive mobo replacement

 

You have tried another set of headphones haven't you? Sounds more like a loose cable.

Willy S, I'd try repairing it myself. It shouldn't be too difficult to locate the mount points for the headphone jack on the motherboard. The solder may just need some heat to make the contact good again.

 

Thanks Mujja. I also had the same problem as the op and now my headphone jack doesn't work at all Could you go into a little more detail on how to repair it? Do you need a soldering iron to do it?
I have already disassembled my AR51J before for fun so that's no issue

 

I get the same problem with my FS laptop. It's a very common problem for any company out there, not just Sony. Anyhow, it's true that if you wiggle the jack around, you will get it working but after a few months of doing so, you are destroy the jack and eventually, it won't work at all. If you are sending it out to sony for replacement, they will replace the entire sound card which will cost an arm and a leg. I'm waiting for someone with enough tool to make up a tutorial for replacing the jack itself.

 

I got this this problem as well.at first the jack only sounds one side, but now it's both side. This is very strange, I couldn't think anything that would break the jack physically.

Anyone knows how to pry up SZ laptop?

 

I know why it happened on mine. I used to have a special wire that connect from the headset jack to my stereo system. It was a bit bigger than a normal headset plug and that's what destroyed my jack.

 

There is a very good guide on laptoplogic.com for ugrading the HDD. This involved removing the keyboard and palmrest. I don't remember how much of the motherboard is exposed once you have the keyboard out but it's a good starting point.

I'm sure there were links to SZ service manuals posted in this forum. Those would give you step-by-step instruction to access all parts.

 

I'm no expert, I last did soldering of any kind at Uni and that was over 15 yrs ago

I'm only going from what I read on another forum when I had problems with a cable tv receiver. I guess the headpone jack is mounted into the motherboard in the same way chips are, i.e. solder pads, also know as surface mounted devices (SMD). The solder is on the board and placed in an oven and the devices are mounted into place. The solder cools down and hold them in place.

The advice on how to repair the solder was everything from using a hair dryer with narrow nozzle to warm up the solder to using some sort of conductive pen. If you have a soldering iron you could just touch the solder slightly until it melts and settles again.

Like I said I'm no expert. There are lots of guides and even youtube videos showing how to repair the solder. I believe the correct term is "reflow".

If I had the same problem it's something I would try. I trust myself more than some tech in a lab who would probably return my laptop after a month with scratches and a poorly fitting case. This has never happened to me by the way but I have read enough stories

 

Ty mujja. I'll have to have a look at it again some of these days

 

Thanks for all the replies. So what I've gathered so far is that the jack itself is not broken but just loose from the motherboard or cable, is that correct? I've recently opened the computer using the HDD upgrade guide to fix the keyboard which was easy but the region containing the headphone jack looks really complicated as there is metal cage covering it. IF I do find a way to it, is there another way that I can reconnect it to the motherboard? Could I simply use tape to hold it in place?
I've tried external soundcards such as the echo indigo but is it just me or does the Sigmatel HD Audio sound really, really good especially with DVDs? I don't want to loose it.