can earbuds fry an mp3 player

[mystmaiden]

Not sure where to put this post, it really has nothing to do with Ubuntu though. I - think- this is all coincidence but... My mp3 player (Phillips GoGear) works on a regular AAA battery and lately its been sucking down the batteries like mad, but I hadn't thought that much about it - just popped in a spare and went on my merry way. Today I bought a cheapo pair of spare earbuds (rca) and decided to see how they worked. Plugged them in and then noticed that the screen on my player had a big burned spot. The on/off switch isn't working now either. What I think happened is that the on/off has been broken for awhile it just stayed on in my purse till it croaked without my realizing it was on the whole time.

Question is - could the earbuds be the culprit at all? I don't want to test them in anything else if its a possibility.

Insight appreciated ;)

mystmaiden

[cariboo]

It is more than likely just a coincidence, but if the earbuds are new, why not return them for a new set just in case.

[ubunterooster]

sounds like an overheating problem; why did you get a new pair may I ask?

[wilee-nilee]

That must be a older version of the gogear I have a 4 gig model and it has internal batteries that are charged from a usb. I think it's probably worn out if the screen is burned, it is hard to tell though from the description if it is working at all.

[mr clark25]

if the new headphones were really cheap, they could have shorted out and fried something in your mp3 player...


does it still work?

[ubunterooster]

if the new headphones were really cheap, they could have shorted out and fried something in your mp3 player...
Not correct, volume adjustment limits output to the headphones so the headphones could not be the cause but my query is what happened to the old headphones

[sandyd]

if the resistance (ohm) of the headphones is out of range of the player, it can possibly fry the player. however, that is highly unlikely because most mp3 players can power monster large headphones...

[lisati]

Rule of thumb: switch it off before plugging in something new. Depending on the type of connector, it's possible to do some mischief.

[ubunterooster]

if the resistance (ohm) of the headphones is out of range of the player, it can possibly fry the player. however, that is highly unlikely because most mp3 players can power monster large headphones...
and because they were "cheap" likely like the ones below. Cheap ones usually do not use that much power.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21u3H0gHiiL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[tgalati4]

Earbuds generally come in two flavors, 32 Ohm and 16 Ohm. The 16 Ohm buds will pull twice as much power from the player (and sound louder) but can also burn out the output transistors. Static electricity is more of a problem. Significant charge can build up between the player and your earbuds causing shorting.

Crushing of the player can damage the screen. Especially at the bottom of my wife's purse.

[ubunterooster]

@ mystmaiden (http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=816260): when is it the last time it rained where you were? It appears highly likely something was behind the screen. Either one: water that got trapped in there; or two: a foreign solid (tiny bits of metal, stone and glass are the most common here) that either completed a circuit or scratched the back of the screen causing arcing. This would explain both the shortened battery life and the burning of the screen

[mystmaiden]

Thanks everyone for the replies!! Now let's see if I can answer everyone! I bought them as a spare, no big reasoning behind the purchase and they do look like the pic that was posted . The player is a bit old. It's been raining here and the poor thing may well have gotten wet when I came in from the store in a downpour. Also - it was rolling around in the bottom of my purse (unusual for me) and its garden season so its been outdoors a lot. Looks to me like I managed to cover all the contingencies. No wonder it gave up the ghost.

It still plays but you can't see anything on the screen so it's impossible to change modes and the on/off button is now just an 'on' button.

I will take the earbuds back, but I wanted to know if this was a common occurrence with earbuds and something to watch for. Judging from what everyone has said, I think its a sure bet though that I simply abused it to death. I can't actually complain it was inexpensive to begin with and I have used it for countless hours for a couple of years or more. I'll really miss it though. Who knew I could get attached to a particular mp3 player!!

thanks again everyone!

[ubunterooster]

Those headphones where the cheapest RCA offers so it seemed likely those were yours. While they are good quality for the price, it is possible that they no longer work due to the shorting out in the player.

I hope you find another player you like. Personally Sansa's Clip and Clip+ players are inexpensive and good players. The Clip+ has a microSD slot for extra memory (or for stones to find an easier way in).

I got very attached to my Sansa players for a good while, it is suprising how players grow on you

[tgalati4]

If you are handy, you can take it apart clean off the corrosion, reseat the display and it may actually continue to function. It's not easy, as most players are disposable, but if you can't find the same player as a replacement, it's worth trying at least one repair attempt.

I had an old sandisk player that I liked because it had faster playback speeds. You can listen to podcasts at double speed. It's display went south and it starting acting strange. I opened it up, cleaned it out and reseated all the connections. I was able to get another year out of it before the flash developed errors and it wouldn't boot properly.

[Chronon]

if the resistance (ohm) of the headphones is out of range of the player, it can possibly fry the player. however, that is highly unlikely because most mp3 players can power monster large headphones...

Monster large headphones present a larger load and would be less likely to draw a large current. Worst case scenario would be a wire connecting L or R to ground.

[mystmaiden]

Thanks for the recommendations, Ubunterooster, I'll check them out!


If you are handy, you can take it apart clean off the corrosion, reseat the display and it may actually continue to function.

I love taking apart older desktops and digging around in them, but I'm pretty sure something as tiny as an mp3 is out of my league as far as actual repairs. I may try it after I have a replacement in hand just to see if I can though.