[Gysztaf]

Hi!
The cable in my Xcapes broke by the jack so I'm trying to solder on a new jack only I have run into a small problem. I have 6 wires inside the cable from my Xcapes. They are:
Red, Green, Blue, Copper, Blue/Copper and Red/Copper and from what I have read it's not supposed to be that many cables so I have no idea how to solder them onto my new 3.5mm jack.
Help appreciated.

//Gysztaf

 

[PretentiousFood]

If you have a multimeter, measure the resistance between each wire. Ground + left should give a resistance of x, ground + right should give x, and left + right should give 2x (where x is the resistance in ohms). Should also be equal to or less than the rated impedance, and less than 200 ohms. The other wires shouldn't be connected, and will saturate the meter when you try to take the resistance.

 

[Gysztaf]

Sorry, I don't have a multimeter so I can't check that. 
Aren't I supposed to only have 4 wires; left, right and 2x ground? What are the last two wires in my cable doing there?

 

[PretentiousFood]

The ground is actually common to both phones, so you should have three wires (that become four after the Y junction on your cable. There might be more because the company that produces them uses the same wiring for other products that have a mic or inline volume control etc.
 
Not really sure what else you can do without risking damage to the phones. Maybe try playing music by connecting the new 3.5mm connector to cables until something works? Remember that the tip of the connector is left, second is right, and the one closes to the base of the connector is ground.
 
If you're soldering, though, you should reaaally look into a multimeter. They're cheap.

 

[goodvibes]

With that many wires, it could be 2+2 down to the plug. If you can open the phone itself and they almost all do somehow, you can see what colors are connected to the driver. Another way to see which wires work is to put the phones near/in your ears and and brush a 1v battery across them. Check to make sure that's not too loud for you first. You can also put the raw unjacketed plug in the player and touch wires to the a couple of the contacts while playing. Don't hold the battery against the terminals as it may be enough sustained DC for trouble. I would tin the wires before starting to make sure to get contact.
 
You'll only need to worry about phase but if one wire works for both sides, it's the ground and you're hime free. Otherwise, it's a 50/50 shot and may take a resolder after listening.
 
As for the wire colors, it could be that 2 colors make one wire so it's actually 3 2 tone wires. I would strip the cable back another 1/2" and check how they're bundled. It may give a clue. Don't tin anything until you do this.

 

[Gysztaf]

Quote:

The ground is actually common to both phones, so you should have three wires (that become four after the Y junction on your cable. There might be more because the company that produces them uses the same wiring for other products that have a mic or inline volume control etc.
 
Not really sure what else you can do without risking damage to the phones. Maybe try playing music by connecting the new 3.5mm connector to cables until something works? Remember that the tip of the connector is left, second is right, and the one closes to the base of the connector is ground.
 
If you're soldering, though, you should reaaally look into a multimeter. They're cheap.

 


Quote:

With that many wires, it could be 2+2 down to the plug. If you can open the phone itself and they almost all do somehow, you can see what colors are connected to the driver. Another way to see which wires work is to put the phones near/in your ears and and brush a 1v battery across them. Check to make sure that's not too loud for you first. You can also put the raw unjacketed plug in the player and touch wires to the a couple of the contacts while playing. Don't hold the battery against the terminals as it may be enough sustained DC for trouble. I would tin the wires before starting to make sure to get contact.
 
You'll only need to worry about phase but if one wire works for both sides, it's the ground and you're hime free. Otherwise, it's a 50/50 shot and may take a resolder after listening.
 
As for the wire colors, it could be that 2 colors make one wire so it's actually 3 2 tone wires. I would strip the cable back another 1/2" and check how they're bundled. It may give a clue. Don't tin anything until you do this.

 
Thanks for the answers, I'll try to start testing some theories I have later in the week, 'cause right now I have school-work that takes priority.
//Gysztaf

 

[Gysztaf]

Bumping with a picture of the wires so it might be easier to understand, any help is appreciated.
//Gysztaf