Converting Battery Headphones to USB-Powered

R

RogueTadhg

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 14, 2011
Messages
1,527
I go through Batteries like water. Is there a way I can convert battery-powered headphones to USB-Powered and say goodbye to swapping batteries in the future?
 
RogueTadhg said:
I go through Batteries like water. Is there a way I can convert battery-powered headphones to USB-Powered and say goodbye to swapping batteries in the future?
Click to expand...

Why do your headphones need batteries if they're wired? Noise canceling?

You get only 5V out of USB so your task may not be easy.
 
Yeah. They're noise canceling. I don't use the headphone for audio. It takes a single AAA battery, so USB should be able to power them.
 
RogueTadhg said:
Yeah. They're noise canceling. I don't use the headphone for audio. It takes a single AAA battery, so USB should be able to power them.
Click to expand...

You're going to have to DIY a 1,5 volt power supply (down stepping from 5V USB) and then solder leads to the battery terminals. Personally I'd just buy the wireless Bose noise canceling headphones that you can recharge ;)
 
B00nie said:
You're going to have to DIY a 1,5 volt power supply (down stepping from 5V USB) and then solder leads to the battery terminals. Personally I'd just buy the wireless Bose noise canceling headphones that you can recharge ;)
Click to expand...

If it were for just myself, I wouldn't have a problem with spending big bucks.

But this is for a school and spending "Bose" money for 20 headphones isn't in the budget.


Rechargable batteries die after long time use. We use headphones quite a bit and we've had to buy headphones (Not that I was even consulted as to what we would need or should buy). We use them more for the noise canceling part and not for the actual "Audio". Since we seat testers close to each other and the building isn't quiet, noise canceling was out go to solution.

We tend to use them for 8+ hours at a time and when batteries die in the middle of an exam, people tend to immediately expect their headphone to be defective and I immediately get complaints***:
- I can hear all the noises in all of the worlds that ever existed and will ever exist.
- I'm going to fail my exam because of the headset,
- I can hear people talk silently across the building!
- I can hear my dead grandmother from beyond the grave!
- it's your fault because of this headset.
- I can hear people type!
- I can hear people walk!
- My headphones broke, I need a new one. No a new battery doesn't help! A new headphone!

Making them wired would eliminate the possible problems and would be more of a "Set it" and "Forget it". We're currently using rechargeable batteries, so I can speak from experience.


*** = Pick and choose which you think I just made up. The answer will surprise you!
 
Last edited:
Ah well then this makes the situation completely different.

Have you considered using your schools physics department to wrap the class to a huge induction coil so you could run the headphones through wireless charging? :D
 
the only reason I didn't want to do that is there's only 2 outlets per table. both are already used with 1 computer - and the way the table mounts the outlets I'm not a fan of.

Not to mention these are sometimes used with laptops, which aren't always next to an outlet.

USB would be the best solution.
 
Holy shit students expect noise cancelling headphones for exams these days? Anyways yeah pendragon1's solution was what I thought when reading this.
 
B00nie said:
Ah well then this makes the situation completely different.

Have you considered using your schools physics department to wrap the class to a huge induction coil so you could run the headphones through wireless charging? :D
Click to expand...

:D

This is pretty expensive but you can DIY

wardenclyffe.png


Ok I sleep now
 
  • Like
Reactions: N4CR
like this
You can get these dirt cheap buck converters (XL4015 DC-DC buck converter) off ebay, for like $1 shipped from China. Connect USB 5V in the input. Use a multimeter to measure the output as you turn the potentiometer until you get 1.5V or whatever you need. They are very efficient, so no heat worries like a traditional linear LM317. You can also buy USB headers on eBay for dirt cheap too. Look for "USB Header Breakout Board". VCC and GND being the pins of interest.

3858.jpg


s-l300.jpg


s-l300.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top