How do I splice a 3.5mm cable..?

[Trackr]

So, I'm trying to fix a set of headphones who's 3.5mm connector got cut off.

I'm looking at it.. and I'm confused.

There is a blue wire, a red wire and a plain copper wire.

I tried to connect the red to the red, blue to the blue, etc but that did not work.

I can't find any help online.. what do I do..?

 

[tmillszero1]

Red is for positive for one side
Blue positive for the other
Plain copper is ground\negative for both channels.

 

[Arcygenical]

Yep, just use a 1.5v battery to figure out which side (red/blue) is which first, so you don't accidently wire them in reverse stereo.

Bare copper wire is ground (case), I BELIEVE red will be tip, and blue will be ring (look up a 3.5mm connector) but this is very subject to change.

Oh, and also, those red and blue wires are likely wax coated, so you'll have to strip them to solder properly.

 

[Trackr]

Okay, but there is a problem.

At the point where I cut the cable, there is a red/blue/copper cable coming from one side..

But from the other there is only red and copper.. no blue.

How is that possible? I'm stumped right here.

 

[tmillszero1]

red and blue are positives, the copper is the ground\negative. It doesn't matter where or how the wires are routed through your headset. It is just a simple "unbalanced" connection.

Some unbalanced connections will have a sheilded positive and a bare negative wire (or wrapped in paper for each channel (Think RCA wires) and others will have something similar to what you are describing.

Since it is not working, I would trust in what Arcygenical is saying that the positive and negative wires may be encased in wax, this preventing a proper connection. Or it very well could be that there is a short or broken wire someplace else in your headset.

 

[Trackr]

red and blue are positives, the copper is the ground\negative. It doesn't matter where or how the wires are routed through your headset. It is just a simple "unbalanced" connection.

Some unbalanced connections will have a sheilded positive and a bare negative wire (or wrapped in paper for each channel (Think RCA wires) and others will have something similar to what you are describing.

Since it is not working, I would trust in what Arcygenical is saying that the positive and negative wires may be encased in wax, this preventing a proper connection. Or it very well could be that there is a short or broken wire someplace else in your headset.

Usually, that would make sense to me.

But this particular headset seems different.

The red and blue wires appear to be wrapped around some kind of plastic string, almost like an optical cable..

Otherwise, the red and blue seem to touch each other all the way, so I thought.. "Well, maybe the plastic part is the actual line", since it is the one shielded from its companion.

I've attempted to cross the wires together, before soldering, and I get nothing.

I don't know how to remove the wax besides dipping the wires in acid.

 

[npublici]

If you can only see a blue insulated wire on one side of a freshly cut cable,then pulling on the outer sheath while cutting the cable caused the blue wire to recede a ways back into the sheath on one side of the cut.,most likely.Acid will not remove wax.Only heat or solvents will.The center plastic is probably only for strength. You may have to skin your outer sheath a little farther back to find your other blue wire.You will definitely have to clean all insulation off the wires before soldering them.

 

[npublici]

After posting I realized that you might have meant one earphone (left) or the other(right). Probably red/blue /bare, to the first earphone housing,but only red or blue and bare to that earphone.Then,the other color to the other earphone,as shown in Tmillszero1's schematic.Just consider right and left tracings replaced with blue and red.The dark ground tracing is the bare wire.