Apple Airpods Max Ultimate Repair GUIDE!

Apple Airpods Max’s fail in the same way after between a year and 3 it seems. They fail because the connections between the cups on each side fail. They fail in two ways, the sockets the headband plugs into get moisture inside them and they corrode and also the tiny ribbon inside that facilitates the sideways movement of the cups degrades and fails. Symptoms from this failure are varied due to the fact any one of these wires fail or become intermittent but typically include unexpected noises, drop outs of connection and not being able to connect to your iDevice. The permanent robust solution is to hard-wire the cups directly to each other with tiny but highly flexible silicon wires, eliminating the troublesome connections that fail completely.

To avoid the ribbons inside becoming damaged (if yours still function) try not to turn the cups (ie so that they lay flat on the table) or use the case that comes with the headphones. Every time you twist the cups, the ribbons inside flex and they eventually it degrade. I recommend that if yours still function fine (and to avoid having to do this repair that I am proposing here) using a stand that will charge the headphones without the cups having to be twisted to lay flat. There is one out there called the Max Stand (https://www.themaxstand.com/), it works great. It prevents damage to these ribbons and also to the charging socket. Also, to prevent damage from condensation that forms on the cold metal headband running into the tiny delicate copper connections where they enter the cups, put some dielectric grease in the cups before issues occur.

However if yours have broken then follow this guide to repair them!

You will need,

1 to refer to the ifixit guide for more help on dismantling the cups

2 the four tools pictured to dismantle them (i have a tool kit i bought from ifixit)

3 fluxed solder

4 30AWG gauge super flexible silicone wires off amazon or a 3mm OD 4 in one cable from ali express (much tidier)

5 a hot glue gun

6 a 2mm and a 2.5mm drill bit, ideally a pillar drill to make sure you drill the hole straight (although, as the original wires were embedded in a nylon potting compound, the drill bit should take the route of lowest resistance)

7 lots of patience!

What we need to do is cut off the ends of the headband where the connectors are, then drill a hole through the end tubes. I used a dremel with cut off disk to remove the connector spade off the ends. To remove the end part of the headband, simply unscrew the wide chrome band shown. Then cut the wire that holds the ends to the main headband. Then drill the holes, i drilled a 2mm and then a 2.5mm hole. This will allow 4 silicone covered wires through into the main headband. Take it slowly, and ideally use a pillar drill so you dont break your bits. You need to drill in about half an inch to be sure to get the wires through.

Because the main part of the headband that goes over the head does not have a way for the wires to go across we need to make a hole each side. Not may not look very tidy but it’s functional. I used the grinding bit on my die grinder in my garage, im sure it can be done tidier but this will be all hidden in the end anyway. (Please ignore the condition of my headband, my puppy got hold of them but they still function!)

Next, thread the 4 wires through from the end pieces to the the side. To do this, i had to strip back the 4 wires at different lengths, twist them together and tin them to give them some stiffness, in order to be able to guide them through the headband ends and into the cups. I put silicon grease in the end cup sockets, to help prevent any future moisture ingress.

And finaly, solder to the original wires inside the cups. There are 4 and they are very fine. After soldering each one, i used a hot glue gun to insulate each connection and afterwards another larger one to glue the whole lot to the side inside so as not to move around.

Fixxed! As good as new! Well, actually more robust then original and will now provide years of use. The only thing to do now is buy a silicon headband cover to cover and protect the wires that go over the top! My autistic son can now use them for all day without fail again! I fitted silicone covers off amazon and they cover the wires really well!

PS: congratulations on reading this far, as a reward, im offering to repair your max’s for free! You only need to ship them to me in france, and pay for the shipping back when they are done. This is a short time offer, i will repair 10 for free and post pictures here of how the repair evolves.