TX audio problems

[I love my mom]

Hello fellows,

I'm having a queer problem with my TX audio. When I launch play audio with any program (or an alarm goes off etc) I hear nothing through the builtin speaker. However, if I insert a headphone cord in the headphone jack and pull it back out, I hear sound perfectly through the speaker. Anybody have ideas as to what is causing this?

Thanks,
Luke

[cms]

*after many edits, I have no idea*


Try using air-in-a-can and blow the palm out, there must be somthing wrong with the switch (transistor, whatever) that determins wether to send the output to the speaker or the headphones. It could be software related (preform a hard reset and see).

Its not busted, because it works after you insert and remove the headphones. so there must be somthing disrupting it like dirt or corrosion

[sgosnell]

Probably dirt, lint, etc in the jack. Try inserting/removing the headphone plug a few times, and if that doesn't help, put a little WD40 or similar on the plug and repeat.

[MleB]

This is a 'known issue' with the TX.

There is an interrupt switch in the phone jack that is meant to turn off the speaker when the headset is plugged in and this has been found to stick in the 'speaker off' position.

Palm knows of this hardware problem and though they will replace the device if under warranty, they've done nothing to change the hardware itself, so you're just as likely to end up with another TX with (eventually) the same problem. I guess they figure its not worth it for them to look for a better part costing, what, 2¢ more - even if it means inconveniencing their users.

In the meantime I've read about he 'fixes' as noted above, though equally note I've seen that the WD-40 doesn't always work and that you should avoid at all costs blowing air into the TX as the workmanship inside is, well....fragile.

[_Em]

Well, as someone who has had this problem and fixed it, let me add a few things:
1: the TX headphone jack has an optical sensor inside to detect the presence of the headphone plug.
2: If you get dust/powder/dirt/etc. in there, it can cover up the sensor, resulting in the TX always thinking the headphones are present and turning off the internal speaker.
3: I cleaned mine out using a pared-down Q-Tip dipped in rubbing alcohol. Before that, I was "patching" the problem light puffs of compressed air, but it turned out I had a small bit of lint in there that was not coming completely free.

Since I did the clean out with the q-tip, I have had no more problems (although I'm more careful about keeping my pockets lint-free now.

It seems to me that you should be able to steal one of those rubber headset plugs off of some other device to provide a bit more protection if you don't use a headset regularly.

[Gregte]

1: the TX headphone jack has an optical sensor inside to detect the presence of the headphone plug.


I have had 3 TXs apart and none of them had an optical sensor for detecting the plug. Maybe there has been some changes through out the production of the TX but the ones I've had apart all use a simple spring loaded metal to metal contact switch which is built into the jack If you look directly down into the jack from above, the switch 'lever' or 'button' is on the left side of the jack (side towards the SD card slot).

If you take the TX apart you can see that it is brass, or at least appears to be brass or brass coated) and is a simple SPST switch.

If you are very steady handed and have a good light (I use a lighted magnifying glass) you can insert a flat toothpick, with audio playing, and press this little lever/button towards the SD slot and it will turn off the speaker audio. If you release pressure on the toothpick the spring of the switch will push it back and turn the speaker back on. Better yet, take the mother board out of the TX and investigate this switch.

Edit: I have included a picture I had taken of one of my TXs showing the switch. The picture is not zoomed in enough to really show anything other than to indicate what to look at if you take your TX apart to investigate.

[_Em]

Strange; that's what I assumed the TX had until I read otherwise elsewhere -- my first thought when my audio went was that the speaker had gone bad, so I took my TX apart to test it, and it was fine. So then I thought it must be a failed SPST switch, but couldn't find the switch. Then I read about the optical sensor, and after a few hit & miss tries with air, cleaned everything up with IPA, and my problems went away for good.

[sgosnell]

Everything Palm did with the TX was to make it cheap, whatever corners needed to be cut. An optical sensor is far too expensive for this use when a simple switch, identical to what is used in every other headset jack on the planet, is easily and cheaply available. Crud gets between the contacts, and prevents the electrical connection. There are many ways to clean it out, all mechanical. Air might do it, but if the lint or whatever is truly caught between the contacts, it can't be blown out. The contacts have to be separated to get the stuff from between them.