HELP! Cracked Headphone Jack Sleeve on IBM ThinkPad

The sleeve for the headphone jack on my IBM ThinkPad PC has cracked and therefore will not hold a headphone or speaker plug securely. Might I be able to get a replacement sleeve from some place like Radio Shack, or will I need to take the computer someplace (or ship it to IBM) for repair/replacement of the whole sound card? Any other thoughts on a remedy?

Thanks!

Paul

 

This stuff is built in to the motherboard. Send it back! You don't want to mess with it if it's still under warranty.

 

Unless you know how to safely take a Thinkpad apart and do "board level soldering", you should call IBM for board-level repair.

The 1/8" stereo jack is either a single 3-point mount soldered to the board or a series with 4-6 mounting points, most of which are difficult to remove unless you're skilled with a soldering iron and have taken Thinkpads apart before. Plus, the part IS tough to find, only occasionally you find direct replcements in DigiKey and Mouser.

I've taken about 5 Thinkpads (and about 1,000 #1200 series Presario Notebooks) apart in my life. It's a concentrated situation, because laptops are built quite tight, and screws as well as ribbon cables and tiny parts have to be taken out and put back all IN ORDER.

So for the meek and unexperienced, with all due respect, DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME.

What will happen when you call IBM, they'll order the laptop for a referbished replacement motherboard because they're not going to replace a $6 part off the board, take the laptop apart and fix it for you like an expensive watch.

If this is a vital thing that you must do, back up everything on the PC before you send it out. Motherboard replacements for Intel boards on IBMs go for about $430 and labor might be another $60.

Just ask yourself, is this trip really necessary?

Sorry, Paul. I do this for a living. Laptops aren't fun to repair and the money involved isn't a gentle sum....

OR if it's under warranty, go for it! But backup 1st!