Audio Adapter

by audreyobscura in Circuits > Audio

2610 Views, 22 Favorites, 0 Comments

Audio Adapter

13, 11:58 AM.jpg
I built this audio adapter so I could couple my headphones that have a 1/4" plug, to the 1/8" jack of my computer. I have these super sweet headphones that cancel outside noise phenomenally, the problem was is that they require a 1/4" jack - and I just wanted to plug them into my computer so I could listen to sweet tunes. 

I know I could have easily gone to the store and purchased an adapter, but we had the parts lying around the shop, and I knew it would take me less time to make one than it would to go to the store and back. 

Materials & Tools

13, 11:58 AM.jpg
13, 11:58 AM.jpg
13, 11:58 AM.jpg
13, 11:58 AM.jpg
13, 11:58 AM.jpg
13, 11:58 AM.jpg
For this adapter I used the following items:
  • 1/8" plug
  • 1/4" jack
  • wire
  • solder

You will need these tools to re-create this part:
  • soldering station
  • snips
  • wire strippers
  • handy hands (which is my favorite name for a tool, ever.)

The Plug

13, 11:58 AM.jpg
13, 11:58 AM.jpg
13, 11:58 AM.jpg
13, 11:58 AM.jpg
After unscrewing the plug from the metal housing, I was able to solder three short lengths of wire to each terminal of the stereo plug. When all of the solder joints were cool, I made note of which wire was which, and snipped the excess off the through-hole terminals.

It's important to remember which terminal each wire is connected to when you are soldering the other end of the wires to the 1/4" jack.

The Jack

13, 11:58 AM.jpg
13, 11:58 AM.jpg
13, 11:58 AM.jpg
13, 11:58 AM.jpg
13, 11:58 AM.jpg
I slipped the 1/4" jack casing over the 1/8" plug's housing. When the casing was nested over the plug, I took the jack and soldered each wire to the corresponding through-hole terminals on the jack. When the solder joints were cool, I trimmed the excess wire, and screwed down the 1/4" casing on to the threads of the jack.

BAM! Done. Now I could use my ridiculously oversized noise-canceling headphones with my computer, and dance it out while I work. 

This post was made with the Instructables App for iOS!