Repairing a Speaker Amp

Have a speaker amp that needs a new DC jack? Want to save money and reduce e-waste? This instructable will help you to solder on a new jack without having to replace the entire amp!

You will need:

• Soldering iron
• Desoldering wick
• Solder
• Allen wrenches
• Pliers
• New DC jack

The first step is opening the amp so you can access the circuit board on the inside. Unscrew the four corner bolts on the front and back plates. It is important to make sure you keep track of all the screws, so that you can put it back together later on. Locating all of the screws may be challenging. Some are very small and hard to see. Make sure that you take out all of them.

The next step is removing the volume knob. The knob should come off fairly easily, simply by pulling it with pliers. Unscrew the nut holding on the front plate, which will allow you to fully open the amp and grant you access to the circuit board.

Once the front plate had been removed, you can then remove the circuit board. The circuit board should be attached to the back plate. Slide both out of the housing.

The next step is to locate the broken jack. Find the three solder joints holding on the DC jack.

Carefully desolder the three joints. This requires a soldering iron and a desoldering wick. Desoldering the connections is probably the most difficult step in the process. Be sure to take your time and be careful not to damage the circuit board.

Once the old jack has been desoldered, it is time to solder on the new jack. The prongs on the new DC jack must be aligned with the bare prongs on the circuit board. The jack should only fit in one way. Then, each prong must be securely soldered into place. This requires a soldering iron and a solder. Again, be sure to take your time and be carefully not to damage the wires.

Now that the new jack had been soldered on, the circuit board should work! Test the circuit board before putting it back inside the housing to make sure.

Now that we have a working circuit board, it is time to put the amp back together. Slide the circuit board back into the housing. Screw the front plate back on and put the volume knob back on. Finally, replace the four front screws and the four back screws. This requires the wrench set and pliers.

Congratulations! You now having a working speaker amp without having to spend money on a new one. You also reduced e-waste by repairing broken technology instead of throwing it away.