Tip of 3.5 mm jack broken off in sound input port

Is there anyway of opening the case up to get at the sound input port? I have the tip of a 3.5 mm jack stuck in the port and I cannot retrieve it. Any tips on a good tool to use to push back the springs AND pull out the broken tip at the same time?

Depending on the model and version of the computer, you may have to
have someone go into the machine and have the piece taken out.
Also, there is a risk of static discharge damage to electronics; so if you
just touch that with a tool and are not grounded properly beforehand,
the computer could suffer other electronic damage to the logic board.
Which iMac do you have? The original iMac G4 is a tedious take-apart
but the plug-in could be carefully made to release the broken-off part
of the jack if access were available. Later iMac G5 and iMac Intel boxes
are also someone different and vary in difficulty in gaining access inside.
That may be the better way to get the part out; through proper partial
disassembly of the case by someone who will take precautionary safe
guards before opening it and while inside. And the power cable should
be disconnected; perhaps all cables, so as to attempt to de-energize
the logic board. Not sure if the battery on the logic board should also
be removed, but if someone would be inside the computer at that level
there should be safeguards, or the problem could become much worse.
Good luck & happy computing!

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Headphone jack broken off inside Macbook--HELP!

My dad recently gave me his MacBook Pro, only problem is the audio is completely broken. This occurred when the computer was on the bed with headphones were plugged into the headphone port, and the dog jumped on the headphone jack, breaking it off inside of the computer.... The piece is totally irretrievable; it's broken off far inside of the headphone port. My father contacted the Apple store and I contacted Mac Mall, and they both said the same thing--it will have to be taken apart, and could cost up to $900 to fix!!!
This is a huge expense that I would like to avoid if possible..... my question is, is there any way to get around this problem? Is there any way I can get audio without having the computer taken apart to get the broken headphone piece out? Are there perhaps external speakers that work through the USB port? Or is there a way to change the settings so the computer doesn't acknowledge that there is something plugged in the headphone port? I really don't know! I'm totally desperate. Anything helps. Thanks!

Yes, easy way around it.
look up a JEWELRY REPAIR place, usually they charge $30 or $40
they drill into the back of the jack, then insert a mini jewelers screw and yank it out. Ive done it myself for a customer long ago.
Many jewelry repair people do such things.

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My earphones are fine, but as i play music through them from my ipod i only get sound through one earphone
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Message was edited by: Rickers

it could be just a bad contact
Consider setting up a mail-in repair for your iPod http://depot.info.apple.com/ipod/
Or visit your local Apple Retail Store http://www.apple.com/retail/
In case your iPod is no longer covered by the warranty and you want to find a second repairing company, you can try iPodResQ or ifixit at your own risk
http://www.ipodresq.com/index.php
http://www.ifixit.com/

How can I safely get a broken-off head phone jack out of the receptacle?

The head phone jack broke off in the iPad. It is too far down to remove with tweezers. Any suggestions on how to get it out safely? I sent it to the company and was told that unless I fixed the dent on the corner and scratches to the charging base at a cost of $255, they could not fix it. So now I am trying to figure out how to get it out myself.
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Use super-glue on the tip of a jeweller screwdriver (tiny screwdriver) to extract the phone jack.

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I own a 13" MBP (May 2010) running Mac OSX [Snow Leopard, updated regularly - two clean installs since issue occurred]. In December, I was trying to capture audio for a presentation through a dated/borrowed microphone. The microphone's jack broke off inside of my Macbook. Since then, I have no longer been able to output audio through my port.
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Tweezers, Toothpick with rubber cement, superglue, dentist pick
Performed by myself AND day supervisor at a Apple Store
Applecare is expired
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So open or have someone open the Macbook and remove the broken piece from the headphone jack. > Mac Repair - iFixit
In all of my 5 years here, I have never seen a script or hack around that part of OS X
Also note: that this is the Desktop iMac section of ASC and that the Macbook section is over in > Notebooks: Apple Support Communities
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Hi guys,
Last night the 3.5mm jack on the end of my headphones snapped off inside the macbook's headphone socket. Its about 4mm inside the port, and so is on the other side of the first set of copper 'bumps' (i think they are copper, they look it)... anyway, is there any way i can get this out without having to take it into a shop and pay for a repair (warrenty expired last september)?
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For those of you out there with this problem, here is my story and solution.
I bought my daughter a brandnew Macbook six months ago. Then about one month ago, her friend tripped over an audio lead from her Macbook and the jack snapped off inside her MacBook audio socket.
The Macbook was under warranty, so she took it to the local Apple repair agent. They told her that because it was her fault, this problem was not covered by the warranty. So she paid the usual horrendous service charge for them to evaluate and find a solution. Two weeks later, the Apple Agent called to say that they could not get the jack out, and because it was built-in to the logic board, the only solution was to replace the logic board at a cost exceeding the cost of the new MacBook. Horrified, my daughter went back to the Mac shop, paid the service charge, and decided to live without the audio. As a parting gesture, the Mac agent also kindly reminded my daughter that the rest of the six month warranty was now totally invalidated because it was her fault (even though Apple were the only ones ever to have serviced the computer).
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Sorry to hear that!
Contact rim first:
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maybe they can refer you to an authorized repair shop
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HT1338 how do I turn off optical digital-out port?

how do I turn off optical digital-out port?

Just want to report that I too, running 10.6.5 on a MacBook Pro, had the mysterious " Audio Out Stuck On Optical Digital-Out Port" problem whereby I was unable to adjust the volume on my built-in speakers and they were permanently "muted" because the operating system was sending the audio signal to a non-existent device that it falsely thought was plugged in to my unused headphone jack hole. I thought at first the problem must necessarily be software-based because the built-in speakers worked fine when playing the start-up chimes. So I uninstalled something called "Soundflower" which does some mysterious shenanigans with commandeering the internal audio signal so that one can make audio recordings of one's computers' sound effects. But uninstalling Soundflower had no effect. So I uninstalled some other audio-related software, also to no avail. Then I zapped the PRAM, to no avail.
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I'm writing this detailed description to help anyone else in the future with a similar problem.

Tip of 3.5 mm jack broken off in sound input port

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