Speaker plug...

[Jager336]

I'm not sure where this should go, since it's sound related but it's onboard sound. Anyways, the tip of my speaker plug broke off WHILE PLUGGED INTO THE JACK and now I can't get the damned thing out of there since it "latches" in there or whatever. It's in my onboard sound card on my Gigabyte 7N-400 Pro, the jacks are vertical to the motherboard. I've tried a magnetized screwdriver tip but the only ones that will fit in the jack don't have enough mass to have a strong enough magnetism to pull it out. I've also tried one of those things that are used to pull bolts out of engines (can't think of the name) but once again it was too big. Hell, I've even tried tape on the tip of a screwdriver! I'm desperate here, does anybody have ANY idea how to get this thing out of here?

 

[the_Prisoner]

Maybe a very small drill bit and drill a small hole slighty in and then pull.

the Prisoner

I'm not a number, I'm a free man!

 

[Jager336]

From the backside of the casing? I thought about having someone tap & die (no idea how to say it) it but since it's on board I wasn't sure if it would be safe to do it since the circuitry on the motherboard is so complex. Plus the backside of the plug is pointed and I don't think it would be possible to drill into it like that. But from the back of the audio jack casing I didn't think about, but would that be safe for the motherboard?

 

[the_Prisoner]

Tap and die is to use a tool to make a hole that puts threads in so then you can put a bolt into it. The jack where the plug goes into. So from the back of the case and outside. A Bit smaller then a 1/16". Personally I would take the mobo out and do it. Is any part of the broken plug sticking out?

the Prisoner

I'm not a number, I'm a free man!

 

[Jager336]

I'm not sure what you mean by "is any of it sticking out". In any case I think it's safe to say no, it's the very tip of the plug. You can see what I mean by looking at the bands around the plug, it's right after the second band. Thank you for your responses, I will try that.

 

[Crashman]

Depending on what plug they used, many have a small hole in the back side (inside the case, directly opposite the hole you plug into). With the system unplugged, you could use a stiff wire (like a straightened paper clip) to push it out from the inside.

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[Syndil]

The tool you are thinking of is aptly called an extractor, and is commonly sold along with tap and die sets. They are basically a kind of drill bit that not only grips the material into which you are drilling, but they are also oriented so that they bore into the surface when turning counter-clockwise. This is so that when you drill into a bolt that has had its head broken off, and the extractor begins to grip the bolt, it will unscrew it. Any other drill bit will not grip as it bores, it will simply leave a hole. Also most drill bits bore as they turn clockwise, however this isn't really an issue since your broken speaker plug is not threaded. This means the plug is free to rotate within the jack, so an extractor would be useless.

If you can't poke it through from the inside, as Crashman suggested, then I can suggest a more drastic approach. Straighten a paper clip, put a drop of super glue on the end of it, and glue it to the end of the broken plug so you can pull it free. However I would only try this as a last resort, because if you should get the glue on the receptacle and not just the plug, you could easily end up in a worse situation than you started.

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[Jager336]

Thank you all for your help, I finally managed to get it out, using a hammer to put a hole through the back of the casing for the jacks (yes, you read right, I nailed a hole in the back of the onboard audio jack casing). I got that idea from the tap and die one, we don't have the money for the bit (30 bucks here) and don't have an electric drill, but it did give me the idea of getting to it from the other side. Well, on the plus side, it is out, and I have audio, on the negative side the green thing around the jack broke off while I was poking around in it with a magnetized screwdriver which is supposed to level the plug so it's connecting fully (I think) so I have to hold the plug in a certain way to get stereo, otherwise one side won't play, but a little tape will solve that. Once again, thank you all for your help, this was driving me crazy.