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General discussion

internal speakers of latop do not work anymore!

by iamabanana Oct 7, 2005 7:33AM PDT

For the past year i have mainly been using my 2 year old toshiba laptop at home. When it is on my desk in my room, i connect it (from the line/headphone out) to the auxilary of my stereo system. This is how it is used most of the time for anything involving sound. However, quite recently i noticed that the built-in speakers do not work anymore! I am pretty sure i ran into this problem a while ago as well and kindof shrugged it off, and i am also pretty sure that at that time after a while of plugging and unplugging the line out to auxilary cable a few times it started to work. This is not possible anymore. I ran into the problem this time around as i was taking out the cable that goes to the stereo to plug in headphones, and there was no more sound! Is it possible that the speakers or something in the circuitry just died because it was not used often enough? Does that happen with electronics?

I had a repair done on the line-in input (which is located right beside the headphone out) but that was just because the actual metal contact broke off. Is it possible that they messed something up with the speakers when they were making the repair?

I have checked that everything is turned up with the volume control on the taskbar. Is there anything else that might have shut them off? Will it require repair if i want them to function normally? Even though i do not use them very often, they are still nice to have.

Hopefully this post was clear enough and please help me!

Thank you in advance.

Discussion is locked

5 Posts
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Does the speaker/headphone out jack work?
by Steven Haninger Oct 7, 2005 12:20PM PDT

If so, it might still be the jack as some of these are switches as well that disconnect the internal device at the same time the external is enabled. It's just a spring contact on the jack. Depending on how comfortable with tools, you might be able to repair this yourself. Some support sites (I know IBM/Lenovo does) have manuals on disassembly and replacement of parts on line. You would need a good set of precision screwdrivers and not the cheapies as those wreck the screws. If it's just the mini-jack you could get lucky and find one at Radio Shack but that would be a long shot. What happens is that inserting the plug tends to bend away the internal connection leg of the switch and it deforms enough to not spring back all the way. You could even coax it back into shape a bit but these components are not of high quality and the problem will return with enough use. Good luck.

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I had the same problem
by nino88 Oct 7, 2005 2:51PM PDT

with my cell phone a few times. It's exactly like you said " after a while of plugging and unplugging the line out to auxilary cable a few times it started to work. This is not possible anymore. ". So instead of using the headphone's jack, I ran a toothpick inside the port. The phone speaker work afterward. But the port would get stuck too often and I ended up sent it to service and had them replace the aux. port (whatever it called).

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ill try the toothpick idea, really hope it works
by iamabanana Oct 9, 2005 1:36PM PDT

yeah the line out works fine, i use it alot for listening to music with my stereo's aux. I will try the toothpick idea, as i do not use the built-in speakers very often. I do have an extended warranty with the store i bought from, i just do not like sending stuff away as it takes quite a bit of time and I need the computer. It is not essential, as there is a desktop computer I can use for awhile, but nor is having the internal speakers. But it is a shame to see the warranty THAT I PAID FOR fade away and the problem only get worst. I will think about it, hopefully the toothpick will work.

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Re
by stewart6 Oct 10, 2005 12:25AM PDT

Hi. Steven's response is right on target. It is tricky to work on your existing jack and replacing the jack is an expensive enterprise as it is usually mounted on the main board. I don't know your model but on some there is a line-out jack as well as the phone jack. if you have a line-out you can use it although it may not be as convenient as automatic switching by the plug. Good luck. Stewart

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OOPS
by stewart6 Oct 10, 2005 1:19AM PDT

I just reread your post and realised that the line out jack will do nothing for your internal speakers. Got to pay better attention Happy Stewart

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