Square Pin in Round Hole (which happens to be my iPad headphone jack....

June 10, 2014 12:04 AM

Oh nooooo! Square reader connector pin broke off in my beloved iPad's headphone jack It doesn't protrude, I tried tweezers, needle nose pliers, and as suggested by some:bent thumb tack, hot paperclip, Bic Pen refil, everything but glue. Can't loosen it, I think it is really jammed. Others report apple can't/won't fix. PLEASE HELP, thanks
posted by Lylo to Technology (7 answers total)

a toothpick with very strong glue, allowed to harden on the pin before pulling it out? how about suction (this will probably not work unless there is air behind the pin to provide greater pressure on the backside when you suck). i don't suppose it's magnetic. maybe get a little bit of duct tape stuck on it and pull it out? if you had a really tiny drill bit, you could drill it out.
posted by bruce at 12:24 AM on June 10, 2014

The tiniest drop of 2-part epoxy on the head of a pin. Carefully set and let dry overnight. Pull straight out with needle nose pliers.
posted by artdrectr at 12:30 AM on June 10, 2014 [2 favorites]

Try the glue suggestions but I doubt if they will work. If they don't, find someone who has a machine shop and ask them to use a screw extractor. Basically they will drill a tiny hole into the center of the jack, without touching the socket. Into this hole they can thread an extractor tool that grips the jack from within, and pull it out.
posted by beagle at 4:51 AM on June 10, 2014 [1 favorite]

I am not saying it won't work, but I have a feeling that any attempts to drill the connector out if going to result in the 3.5mm pin spinning.

Judging by pictures I don't know that it would be possible, but you might be able to have someone push the pin out from the back side of the jack. Pictures make it look like it is fully enclosed, but it would be hard to say without having the part in my hand. At the very least, removing the jack might make pin extraction using another method easier.
posted by ohjonboy at 6:45 AM on June 10, 2014

Apple may not fix it for free, but I am sure they can replace your headphone jack. Any place that says they can fix your phone would probably be able to replace the jack, assuming they have one in stock or can order one. I replaced the battery on an iPod myself and it was pretty simple. It was old enough that I was willing to take the chance, but that may not be the case with your iPad. Search for some instructional videos and see how difficult it looks to you. If you order the part online, it should come with some tools to help you open the case. Mine came with a tiny screwdriver and a plastic wedge to separate the screen from the back.
posted by soelo at 7:11 AM on June 10, 2014

I had this happen with the headphone jack on my iMac. Put some epoxy on the part I had left, stuck it to the part stuck inside, waited a minute, and it pulled right out. So I recommend trying the epoxy route.
posted by curious nu at 8:51 AM on June 10, 2014

Response by poster: Thank you everyone! I was terrified to try glue....I am not a very good glue-er even on less sensitive projects! Good news is I went to the Apple store and a wonderful "genuis" extracted the tip using....DENTAL TOOLS! No charge! I wasn't expecting much since I found so many online comments that reported the Apple store folks were unable to remedy this type of mishap. Square users beware the beveled iPad case sold by apple...the angle at which it forces the reader into the jack is problematic when one swipes the card through the reader. Also, the case design makes it harder to plug the square reader all the way in. I never had this problem with my old iPad 1 or the case sold for it....unfortunately square no longer can be used on IOS 5.
posted by Lylo at 10:41 AM on June 10, 2014 [2 favorites]