Dab radio faulty headphone socket and possible gunk.

[ElectricSpecs]

Hi all, happy holidays!

A few months ago my dab radio (pictured below) suddenly stopped producing any sound. Display and controls worked fine but just no audible output. I tried connecting headphones via the headphone socket and found that the headphone socket is faulty. Gather this is a common problem. I've been ignoring this for a while as found that if I partially insert a 3.5mm jack the sound comes out fine.


Thought i would take apart today to do a proper repair and found what looks to be like some gunk over the PCB. Not sure if theres a capacitor leaking or something?

Maybe having the headphone socket half in half out for an extended period has caused some damage.
Any thoughts on what this might be and best approach?

 

[mainline]

Hi all, happy holidays!

A few months ago my dab radio (pictured below) suddenly stopped producing any sound. Display and controls worked fine but just no audible output. I tried connecting headphones via the headphone socket and found that the headphone socket is faulty. Gather this is a common problem. I've been ignoring this for a while as found that if I partially insert a 3.5mm jack the sound comes out fine.
View attachment 17449

Thought i would take apart today to do a proper repair and found what looks to be like some gunk over the PCB. Not sure if theres a capacitor leaking or something?

Maybe having the headphone socket half in half out for an extended period has caused some damage.
Any thoughts on what this might be and best approach?View attachment 17450



View attachment 17451

The most likely fault is the headphone socket itself.
Try spraying some switch cleaner into it.

 

[binky]

Surgical spirit and some cotton buds should clean that up. Interesting colour gunge though, not sure what that is from

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Looks like beans on toast at first glance..

I cannot see how having the headphone socket in or out or half way in could be the cause of the gunge...
Although the initial fault of no sound from the speaker would be affected if the contact on the socket were faulty.

Alcohol cleaner should help removing the gunge..
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trade-Chem...hol-99-99/dp/B08FJ74J22/ref=asc_df_B08FJ74J22

 

[Graham]

Is the gunge hard or soft?

 

[mainline]

The gunge looks like it could be some sort of conformal coating.

 

[ProDave]

I had a car radio die and it looked like that inside. It was rusty water that had caused it by a failed car radio aerial letting rainwater into the coax which then ran down inside the coax, through the aerial plug and into the radio.

The radio was terminally dead and it needed a new aerial and cable to prevent the same happening to the replacement.

 

[ElectricSpecs]

Firstly apologies for the very very slow response.

I tried electrical contact cleaner on the headphone socket as suggested and the radio is now working without anything in the headphone socket. Thank you!

I did well to get anything out of the electrical contact cleaner spray can as it's 4 years old and nothing seemed to be coming out, eventually managed to get a few drips out of it. Presume it must have a blockage...

I have left the unknown substance on the board for now as if it is a conformal coating it's best left alone and if not its not causing an immediate problem.

I do notice what looks like rust on the solder points of the headphone socket and a few very minor signs of rust on the edge of the steel part of the frame. It's never been wet AFAIK, only ever indoors but maybe its just moisture from the air/time causing it.

 

[ElectricSpecs]

actually just reading reviews on Electrical Contact Cleaner it seems it often runs out of/leaks propellent even when most of the cleaner remains unused
https://www.amazon.co.uk/product-re...r&reviewerType=all_reviews#reviews-filter-bar

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

actually just reading reviews on Electrical Contact Cleaner it seems it often runs out of/leaks propellent even when most of the cleaner remains unused
https://www.amazon.co.uk/product-re...r&reviewerType=all_reviews#reviews-filter-bar

You need the bottle stuff not spray can.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trade-Chem...hol-99-99/dp/B08FJ74J22/ref=asc_df_B08FJ74J22

 

[mainline]

You need the bottle stuff not spray can.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trade-Chem...hol-99-99/dp/B08FJ74J22/ref=asc_df_B08FJ74J22

This is better as a switch cleaner.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/servisol-switch-cleaner/s?k=servisol+switch+cleaner