Excal 1000 headphone problem on one side

[ROBOCOP]

Just noticed my right side headphone is quiet and I am just hearing sound thru the left headphone speaker. The right side is the one with the main headphone cable going to it.

They are the original blue headphones. While I was on the beach I fiddled with a couple of things and I think when I put a little side pressure on the threshold knob I could get the right headphone to temporarily start working. After a while that quit working and now pressure does not seem to get it to work.

Does it sound like that could be an area of concern or is that just my imagination?

The unit has been modded for a while but a couple of months ago I had the pin point mod redone by Kellyco and the coil wire insulation was bad and I had a connector removed from the coil cable and the coil re hard-wired. So the unit had been opened fairly recently.

I think maybe the small speaker wire connection in the right headphone could be bad? I guess I'm looking for points of corrosion or known trouble areas?

I'm running an RNB 3000 battery for a while so I don't think it's related to that.

Are there any OBN videos that will get me in to the headphone wiring?

Thanks.

 

[dewcon4414]

Pull the cap and attach another pair of phones. If its the connector it should may do the same....but im betting u will have to cut the wire and take a look.

 

[bootyhoundpa]

Sounds like a broken wire somewhere outside of the pod... i had a simular problem. I had a broken wire at the end of the strain relief right by the end cap.. i just cut the wire a little shorter drilled out old faulty wire , resoldered to the 2 wire pigtail inside pod..worked real good for a few months until the wire broke again.. i found the individual wire insulation were all cracked and im going thru same thing right now with my coil cable... ive since replaced the headphones and endcap with mal surfphones.. now I've gotta tackle replacing the coil... the headphone plug inside the pod is only 2 wires so if the problem was internal i dont think you would get any sound. ..

 

[ROBOCOP]

I think I have it isolated to being a problem in the ear cup. When I move the main wire in to the right ear cup I can sometimes get the speaker to work.

How can I easily open that ear cup? Do I pry between the blue and gray plastic? (old blues).

I think I once dropped these headphones and the ear cup opened up on the left side and I just pressed them back together.

I hope the problem is in the ear cup my pin point wiring mod thru the end cap next to the headphone wire makes that connection complicated.

 

[dewcon4414]

If they are wired like the yellows, when the wire first comes in...... it takes like a S turn in there.... kind of a built in strain relief, but thats where i had my issues. Yes ...... i use a pocket knife between the two parts and it pops right open.

 

[bootyhoundpa]

I think you just pinch them or pry them about... google OBNs excal headphone mod video... in the vid he shows how to separate them and it's easy i just forget right this moment. .. if at all possible do not disturb the solder connections on the piezos under the silicone rubber as they are very very fragile and only paper thin..once torn it's over...

 

[ROBOCOP]

I saw his video upgrading the yellows, prying them open and than taking out 4 screws.

I think the old blues are different at least they are tough to pry open even with a knife edge. I'm now a one eared detectorist till I figure it out.

 

[surfman]

They pry right open. Use a small screwdriver or something similar. Never had a problem getting them open. Definitely in the ear cup.

 

[ROBOCOP]

I got it open. I used a small wood chisel and just tapped it with the side of a pair of pliers and the wedge edge worked its way in. Just saw a little bit of sand where the wire goes in to the silicon and a tight tie wrap at the base of the silicon. No obvious sign of corrosion or broken wire. I tried manipulating things to get the speaker to come on but no luck.

It is strange that the crossover wire gets the left speaker to the work so I guess the problem is in the right speaker itself not any where in the wiring?

At this point I guess the best solution is to go with a headphone upgrade probably with a disconnect so I don't have to go into the pod and disturb the pinpoint mod?

Too bad because I liked the old blues.

Any suggestions?

 

[dewcon4414]

Personally, id at least use the shells....... those are pretty comfortable. At this point...... cut the wires long to the bad speaker..... attach a pizzo to it to see if its the wires.

 

[ROBOCOP]

Update. I got them to work.

Maybe someone can explain why what I did made them work?

With the right clamshell opened I pressed on the silicon in the center of the back of the speaker (piezo?) with my finger and the speaker started to work and it sounded normal. Both speakers seemed to be normal.

I thought if I could apply pressure when the clamshell is on they might be usable.

So I took the plastic cap off of a tube of lip balm and used several layers of one inch sq. pieces of double back tape to affix it to the inside of the clamshell trying to get the right amount of pressure with the plastic "finger" when the clamshells are clamped together. Don't laugh but it works and the speakers are pretty loud.

I don't think it was a wire problem and several electronic shops did not want to try and solder the small braided wires anyway. I have the pinpoint mod connection on the same side of the pod as the headphone connector and I did not want to disturb the connection or pay for it with new headphones. I considered a connector setup with new phones but it's money.

I don't know why it works but if this helps somebody, Great!

 

[Rick(ND)]

Could be a bad speaker as I seen this when I did Radio and TV repair back in the 80s. When I pushed a little on the speaker center they would work for a while when I let go of the center than go dead again.
Just a idea as I have seen this happen many times with both radio speakers or even TV speakers and felt it was because of the volume turned too high for what the speaker was made for.



Rick

 

[bootyhoundpa]

Good news.... i hope they hold up for you.... the excal is a great machine and one you certainly do not want to be without but boy they sure can cost alot just to maintain. I bought mine used and within the last 6 months put 75% of the money i paid for it back into it....