Headphone Jack

Does anyone else have a problem with the headphone jack being really touchy?  On my unit the sound stops except for a repeating “click” if the headphone plug moves much at all.  Twisting the plug in a 360 rotation will cause the sound to stop about every 60 degrees.  Is this a common problem with these units or is mine messed up?

I think you just got a bum one.  I have 2 and they both work great, no static when I touch or rotate the headphones in the jack.

You should try another set of headphones and then return your device if they show the same symptoms.

Go Sansa!

Returned 1st one for same problem.  2nd Fuze is okay.

Return it for another one.

Mine does the exact same thing with my FM transmitter in my truck.  Works perfectly with my headphones in the office.

Oh oh… seems like a real issue, and I have 905 shares SNDK, doh!  Maybe why availability has been so poor.

Not a huge deal, not even sure if I’ll bother to swap it.

after getting the clicking noise i loaded my fuze all up to go back to the store, turns out you have to push with a little force to make surethat the rubber part of the jack is pretty much touching the player…i thought that i would break it if i forced it with as much force as it took but i was wrong,the **bleep** thing wasnt plugged in all the way! this could be other peoples problem too…try this before returning… feltpretty dumb for a minute.

@smartone wrote:

after getting the clicking noise i loaded my fuze all up to go back to the store, turns out you have to push with a little force to make surethat the rubber part of the jack is pretty much touching the player…i thought that i would break it if i forced it with as much force as it took but i was wrong,the **bleep** thing wasnt plugged in all the way! this could be other peoples problem too…try this before returning… feltpretty dumb for a minute.

 

Don’t feel dumb, it’s a common issue.  The headphone jack is very tight at first (a good thing).  Same thing happened to me the first time I connected it to my car stereo.  There have been a lot of posts related to this.  The jack will loosen up a little to a more normal fit after a couple weeks.

Mine also has this problem. In my case, pushing the headphone jack in too far causes the clicking. If I pull it out just a bit, the clicking goes away.

I have same thing - if I put the headphones in all the way - sounds like the music is underwater - pull out a little and works fine

@goneblank wrote:
Mine also has this problem. In my case, pushing the headphone jack in too far causes the clicking. If I pull it out just a bit, the clicking goes away.

Patient: “Doctor, it really hurts when I do this!”

Doctor: “Then DON’T DO THAT! That’ll be $50 please.”

:smileyvery-happy:

A related issue is the need for the headphone jack to be removed when the player is connected to a PC via the data cable. The data cable can be connected when the headphones are connected, but you have to remove the headphone jack to release the data connector. It’s a bit annoying, and it may damage the headphone connection in the long run (I think).

I have come up with a simple solution. It’s a kludge, but it works fine for me. Wrap a string around the data connector to keep the catches released permanently. I don’t think it is necessary with the data connector “catch” when the player in situated flat on the table and not moved around. If needed, it’s very easy to restore the function of the catches, just cut the string…

 

(I tried to attach photo of the modified connector with no luck. Is it not possible without a http-link?)

I am having this problem too.  I guess I’ll ask for an RMA.  My unit is 3 weeks old and I bought it from Sandisk.

I really love it, but it is incredibly picky about headphones.  Some work fine, but others just click, or play music but with loud

clicks stuck in. 

This seems like a design error.  Also – why should a loose connection cause this bizarre intermittent clicking.  It almost seems like

the output drive transistor, and perhaps even the D/A which drives it is sensitive to whether or not it is loaded.  This should be pretty

easy for some electrical engineer on staff to fix.  It isn’t even a problem that is hard to reproduce.   

I have no issues disconnecting my data cable with the headphones connected. I have large hands too… I find i have just enough room to fit the tip if my finger between the headphone jack and data cable. I never disconnect my headphones for data cable use…  George

Chalk up another with this complaint.

After a fellow student stepped on my Fuze, I waited a long time before picking up another. Nothing on the market served my desires, however, and that absence and the Fuze’s addition of Ogg and FLAC made it ripe for a second purchase. :slight_smile:

However, after a couple days of having to push the headphone jack in to avoid clicking on the new unit, I now, like goneblank , have to pull a bit out to avoid clicking. I tried the earbuds that came with the Fuze and the problem could NOT be replicated. That said, I am also absolutely sure it is not a problem with the headphones themselves, but probably in the design of their plug, which causes a conflict with the design of the jack in the Fuze.

That said, I am not willing to trade my preferred headphones with them. I might have to rig something to maintain the optimum distance between the jack and plastic of the plug. (This has been recommended on other forums [yes this has happened to more than us] with things like string and plastic washers.)

Message Edited by Corgan on 01-08-2009 11:09 PM

Message Edited by Corgan on 01-08-2009 11:10 PM

@corgan wrote:
Chalk up another with this complaint.

After a fellow student stepped on my Fuze, I waited a long time before picking up another. Nothing on the market served my desires, however, and that absence and the Fuze’s addition of Ogg and FLAC made it ripe for a second purchase. :slight_smile:

However, after a couple days of having to push the headphone jack in to avoid clicking on the new unit, I now, like goneblank , have to pull a bit out to avoid clicking. I tried the earbuds that came with the Fuze and the problem could NOT be replicated. That said, I am also absolutely sure it is not a problem with the headphones themselves, but probably in the design of their plug, which causes a conflict with the design of the jack in the Fuze.

That said, I am not willing to trade my preferred headphones with them. I might have to rig something to maintain the optimum distance between the jack and plastic of the plug. (This has been recommended on other forums [yes this has happened to more than us] with things like string and plastic washers.)
Message Edited by Corgan on 01-08-2009 11:09 PM

Message Edited by Corgan on 01-08-2009 11:10 PM

Try wrapping some tephlon tape around the base of the jack, not on the whole stem (The part that goes in the fuze), but the bottom of it, like a spacer.

Thanks for tip, Conversionbox.

After doing a lot of tests with tapes, washers, rubber, and string, I settled on the following solution. It is difficult for me to describe without pictures, but I will try:

1.) I found a holiday card made of heavy card stock and placed it, closed, on a surface which had a little give and which I didn’t mind marking up (in my instance, this was a leather portfolio/planner).

2.) I placed the card on this surface and pierced it with the end of a utility knife, lodging it in the leather below.

3.) I pivoted the card around the point I made with the knife for a pretty long time, whittling away the cardstock and creating as clean a hole in the card as I possibly could. The result was a round, but generally sloppy hole, which was but a hair smaller than a standard headphone jack.

4.) I turned the card over, and using my headphone plug, plugged the newly made hole a few times. This cleaned the opening and stretches the paper to fit the plug.

5.) The doubling of the card stock allowed me to create a buffer between the bottom half of the card and the actual knife. This resulted in a cleaner hole in the bottom half than the top. Because of this, I discarded the upper half of the card, and cut the bottom-half’s hole from the remainder of the card.

6.) I then used nail clippers to trim the excess cardstock into a circle around the hole. The result? A paper washer.

This washer is the perfect thickness to space the headphone plug and the jack, and unnoticable. At first, due to some paper remnants and rough edges, the washer was quick to push the plug out of the socket. However, since the paper is relatively inelastic, it flattens and settles and my Sansa now holds a solid connection with no clicking.

Mine does the same thing and I’ve been going crazy.  I’ve tried several different headphones and I was ready to take it for repairs. I’m glad I’m not alone.