Question Finding 3.5mm Headphones Chassis Jack To Repair HD Audio on Front Panel

[Chris N]

The PC Headphones and Mic input chassis jack plugs can easily be broken with continued use and sometimes need to be replaced. A standard 3.5 mm chassis jack with 5 pins/feet is easy to find at an electronics store. However there is a catch. The standard variety use 2 pins for the switch. The switch is closed (on) without the Jack and is open (off) when a jack is inserted. However for HD audio the switch should work the other way around. The switch should be open (off) and close (on) when a jack plug is inserted. This then triggers the HD audio window to open to ask what you have just plugged in (eg. headphones or speaker out). Using the wrong kind of plug still works but the pop up HD audio window will not work and you need to manually configure the microphone in or headphones out with other software.

Does anyone know where to find a replacement 3.5 m chassis jack socket suitable for HD audio? The only solution I have found so far is to remove an HD audio plug from a new or used board. But there must be a supplier somewhere just for the chassis socket components. Your advice would be appreciated.

Kind regards
Chris

 

[Lutfij]

Are you looking for this
https://www.moddiy.com/products/3.5...onnector-5-Pin-DIP-Stereo-Headphone-Jack.html
?

What is the make and model of your chassis? Perhaps you could get an entire replacement harness with ports from the cases' store? Cooler Master, Fractal-Design and Corsair have a replacement section in their store, mind you.

 

[Chris N]

Thank you for your reply. Basically I am looking for the kind of 5 pin connector in your link but with an important difference. Three pins are for the earth, left and right channel. The other 2 pins are for the switch. The link shows a standard connector. The switch is on when there is no jack inserted and is off when the jack is inserted. It would work fine for the older AC97 front panel audio.

The HD connector I am looking for looks exactly the same on the outside. It also has 5 pins. But the switch inside works the other way round. It's off when no jack is inserted and comes on when a jack is inserted. This is why they are so difficult to find. Nobody sells them on E bay. I suppose since the back of the connector is open it might be possible to use a hack to make the switch work the other way round.

What you say about contacting the manufacturer makes sense. I have a Thermaltake Versa H22 chassis. I did contact the European supplier and they promised to send me a replacement front panel board but never did. I also e mailed the local supplier with no joy. I am willing to pay for a new original front board but cannot find one.

https://www.thermaltake.com/C_00002300.htm?id=C_00002300

In the end, I ordered a similar front panel board from E bay for about $10-15 and removed the connectors. They were bigger than the originals but after a lot of improvising I got them to work.

But sooner or later, one of them will break again, so I was hoping to find a source of the proper HD connectors. If possible, I want to avoid having to pay$15 to to buy a board to cannibalise parts.

Kind regards
Chris