Hey all, I’ve been having this issue on-and-off for the last year or so (owned them since 2017), and massaging the band/cable worked as a stop-gap measure until recently. They had a good run, so I thought I’d cut them open and share my findings for future tinkerers.
After cutting away the silicone sheathing, the band consists 2 black spring wires, 2 braided nylon threads, and 8 wires divided into 2 groups of 4. From bottom to top, in standby state (I couldn’t get it to turn on), these are:
# Red, 0.5V
# Yellow, 0V
# Grey, 0V
# Green, 0.5V
# Black, 0V (GND)
# Purple, 3.3V standby, 5V when charging (VCC)
# Copper (right speaker GND)
# Copper w/ red stripes (right speaker signal)
[image|2166280]
[image|2166279]
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Speculating that connecting one of wires 1 or 4 to wires 2 or 3 might approximate a button press, I found neither worked to turn it on, even though it is charged (and still capable of charging). Thinking about it further, the button-side needs to be able to signal at least 5 sates (LED off/red/white, button off/on), so any reductive shorting of these 4 wires wouldn’t suffice – the state must be conveyed digitally
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Speculating that connecting one of wires 1 or 4 to wires 2 or 3 might approximate a button press, I found neither worked to turn it on, even though it is charged (and still capable of charging). Thinking about it further, the button-side needs to be able to signal at least 5 states (LED off/red/white, button off/on), so any reductive shorting of these 4 wires wouldn’t suffice – the state must be conveyed digitally
[image|2166278]
The band’s termination in each housing is recessed and hidden by a white plastic cap. Apple uses a silicone adhesive that 1) is messy and annoying and 2) erodes the wires’ insulation, so I found breaks in the insulation along the entire length of the band. The nylon threads are poorly-adhered by this adhesive and pull out very easily from their housing. The spring wire is also poorly-held by the adhesive, and functionally attaches to the housing via 90º hooks on their ends (the hooks of the spring wires are oriented parallel to one-another); pivot one by 45º in the flat plane of the housing (try one direction, then the other), before pulling straight out. I tried illuminating through the opening this left to see where the signal wires are soldered to the boards, but too much adhesive in the way
Hey all, I’ve been having this issue on-and-off for the last year or so (owned them since 2017), and massaging the band/cable worked as a stop-gap measure until recently. They had a good run, so I thought I’d cut them open and share my findings for future tinkerers.
After cutting away the silicone sheathing, the band consists 2 black spring wires, 2 braided nylon threads, and 8 wires divided into 2 groups of 4. From bottom to top, in standby state (I couldn’t get it to turn on), these are:
# Red, 0.5V
# Yellow, 0V
# Grey, 0V
# Green, 0.5V
# Black, 0V (GND)
# Purple, 3.3V standby, 5V when charging (VCC)
# Copper (right speaker GND)
# Copper w/ red stripes (right speaker signal)
-
[image|2166280]
[image|2166279]
-
Speculating that connecting one of wires 1 or 4 to wires 2 or 3 might approximate a button press, I found neither worked to turn them on, even though it is charged (and still capable of charging). Thinking about it further, the button-side needs to be able to signal at least 5 sates (LED off/red/white, button off/on), so any reductive shorting of these 4 wires wouldn’t suffice – the state must be conveyed digitally
+
Speculating that connecting one of wires 1 or 4 to wires 2 or 3 might approximate a button press, I found neither worked to turn it on, even though it is charged (and still capable of charging). Thinking about it further, the button-side needs to be able to signal at least 5 sates (LED off/red/white, button off/on), so any reductive shorting of these 4 wires wouldn’t suffice – the state must be conveyed digitally
[image|2166278]
The band’s termination in each housing is recessed and hidden by a white plastic cap. Apple uses a silicone adhesive that 1) is messy and annoying and 2) erodes the wires’ insulation, so I found breaks in the insulation along the entire length of the band. The nylon threads are poorly-adhered by this adhesive and pull out very easily from their housing. The spring wire is also poorly-held by the adhesive, and functionally attaches to the housing via 90º hooks on their ends (the hooks of the spring wires are oriented parallel to one-another); pivot one by 45º in the flat plane of the housing (try one direction, then the other), before pulling straight out. I tried illuminating through the opening this left to see where the signal wires are soldered to the boards, but too much adhesive in the way
Hey all, I’ve been having this issue on-and-off for the last year or so (owned them since 2017), and massaging the band/cable worked as a stop-gap measure until recently. They had a good run, so I thought I’d cut them open and share my findings for future tinkerers.
After cutting away the silicone sheathing, the band consists 2 black spring wires, 2 braided nylon threads, and 8 wires divided into 2 groups of 4. From bottom to top, in standby state (I couldn’t get it to turn on), these are:
# Red, 0.5V
# Yellow, 0V
# Grey, 0V
# Green, 0.5V
# Black, 0V (GND)
# Purple, 3.3V standby, 5V when charging (VCC)
# Copper (right speaker GND)
# Copper w/ red stripes (right speaker signal)
[image|2166280]
[image|2166279]
Speculating that connecting one of wires 1 or 4 to wires 2 or 3 might approximate a button press, I found neither worked to turn them on, even though it is charged (and still capable of charging). Thinking about it further, the button-side needs to be able to signal at least 5 sates (LED off/red/white, button off/on), so any reductive shorting of these 4 wires wouldn’t suffice – the state must be conveyed digitally
[image|2166278]
The band’s termination in each housing is recessed and hidden by a white plastic cap. Apple uses a silicone adhesive that 1) is messy and annoying and 2) erodes the wires’ insulation, so I found breaks in the insulation along the entire length of the band. The nylon threads are poorly-adhered by this adhesive and pull out very easily from their housing. The spring wire is also poorly-held by the adhesive, and functionally attaches to the housing via 90º hooks on their ends (the hooks of the spring wires are oriented parallel to one-another); pivot one by 45º in the flat plane of the housing (try one direction, then the other), before pulling straight out. I tried illuminating through the opening this left to see where the signal wires are soldered to the boards, but too much adhesive in the way