[corycorycory]

So the rubber casing on my MDR-V6 headphones had split, leaving the cable exposed.
 
I decided to attempt to follow this tutorial:
http://www.wikihow.com/Repair-Dodgy-or-Broken-Headphones
 
Basically, I cut the cable, with the plan of stripping the wires inside, and splicing them...
 
However, the wires inside were not like any wires I've ever seen. I was expecting copper wires coated in rubber...
 
No. The cables inside were basically thin metal wires wrapped around what looked like white strands of fabric... I've never seen a wire like this.
 
Here is what the outside of the wires looks like:
http://i.imgur.com/3r5QjKL.jpg
 
And the inside is just thing white strands.
 
I tried combining and soldering the white strands anyway, but that didn't work. Then I cut the wire and tried combining the outside green/red/brown wires with each other... still no luck.
 
 
Anyone know what kind of wire this is, and how to repair it?

 

[vixr]

It's lacquer on the wires to cut down on the insulation needed...just use a razor blade and carefully scrape it off to bare copper...the white fibers will just melt out of the way when you start soldering.

 

[Mad Max]

Cables often use enamel-coated wires. You need to crank up the heat on you iron to tin them or burn the enamel off first with a lighter. If you overdo the lighter action, you will oxidize that part of the wire and render it useless.

You can just ignore the fabric strands, they won't do anything.

 

[tomb]

  It's lacquer on the wires to cut down on the insulation needed...just use a razor blade and carefully scrape it off to bare copper...the white fibers will just melt out of the way when you start soldering.

Agreed.  Or - use some emory cloth or fine-grade sandpaper.
 
With respect to the other poster: turning up the heat on a soldering iron, or worse, using a lighter to burn off a lacquer finish insulation - is a recipe for disaster.

 

[corycorycory]

  It's lacquer on the wires to cut down on the insulation needed...just use a razor blade and carefully scrape it off to bare copper...the white fibers will just melt out of the way when you start soldering.

 
 

Cables often use enamel-coated wires. You need to crank up the heat on you iron to tin them or burn the enamel off first with a lighter. If you overdo the lighter action, you will oxidize that part of the wire and render it useless.

You can just ignore the fabric strands, they won't do anything.

 
 

  Agreed.  Or - use some emory cloth or fine-grade sandpaper.
 
With respect to the other poster: turning up the heat on a soldering iron, or worse, using a lighter to burn off a lacquer finish insulation - is a recipe for disaster.

 
 
Thanks for the advice all. Glad to hear they aren't worthless at least . I'll give the sandpaper a try.

 

[corycorycory]

I took Tomb's advice of sanding the cables down. After sanding, I twirled each wire together in a pigtail splice. I then took a small dot of solder and made a little blob of it on screw of my iron. Then I slowly drug each splice back and forth through the blob. This must have removed the rest of the enamel, because now they work fantastic!
 
Looked like this:http://i.imgur.com/42Vuvqv.jpg
 
wrapped the wires in electrical tabe, did a heat tube, and now they are perfect! I actually like shorter cord! http://imgur.com/o6zVU1n
 
Just need to get some new earpads now
 
Thanks everyone!