Speaker advice

[in4]

I have a great pair of little speakers that I used to use with my Sony c510 phone. Now that my phone has died I'd like to continue using the speakers with a different phone. Is it possible to take the proprietary sony 'plug' off and put a mini-jack on instead?

[Danneaux]

Is it possible to take the proprietary sony 'plug' off and put a mini-jack on instead?

Hi Ian!

Yes.

Beyond the proprietary Sony plug, the speakers should be conventionally wired.

See: http://www.wikihow.com/Solder-Stereo-Mini-Plugs

8-step photo tut and a video at the bottom of the page.

All the best,

Dan. (...who likes to see good stuff reused)

[jags]

Is there anything this man doesn't know

[in4]

The Sage of Oregon has spoken  Many thanks Dan. I thought it was possible. Just a case of reconnecting stereo L&R to the micro jack terminals. Great speakers for touring with I think, plus I have a nifty case for them too! Happy Days 

[jags]

have you got a link to those speakers,would they work with my ipod.

jags.

[in4]

They are called Sony MPS 70 but I doubt if they are still available' everything is bluetooth speaker-wise these days. Perhaps on ebay?

[Danneaux]

Perhaps on ebay?

Yes,where they're going for wonderfully affordable prices. See the custom search here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XSony+MPS+70&_nkw=Sony+MPS+70&_sacat=0&_from=R40

A couple examples here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SONY-ERICSSON-Portable-Speakers-MPS-70-Brand-new-/141227690051?pt=UK_MP3_Player_Accessories_AudioDocks_Speakers&hash=item20e1d38843
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-ericsson-portable-speakers-MPS-60-with-phone-pouch-MMC-70music-cable-in-box-/111296381657?pt=UK_Audio_Docks_Speakers&hash=item19e9c802d9

Best,

Dan.

[jags]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doIEwzc6k_k&noredirect=1.
do worse that to listen to these sounds when touring.



jags.
whos just an old folkie at heart.

[in4]

This seems a good explanation if you want USB with them as well as a microjack. Oh!? I wonder if you need both?

http://www.allreadable.com/vid/change-ericsson-mps-70-into-usb-speakers-43461.html

[Danneaux]

I wonder if you need both?

You could have both, Ian! What I would do is terminate the speaker cord in a 1/8"stereo plug. Then, I'd get an inline female jack and solder that to one end of a salvaged male USB-A cord, making a small USB-to-1/8"mini pigtail adapter.

Presto! Direct plug-in to your phone or any 1/8" jack, and the ability to plug in via USB to your PC if needed.

If you do USB, observe the usual precautions about which lines supply power and which are for data, as shown in the link you provided.

All the best,

Dan. (...who can almost smell the solder melting now)

[rualexander]

This seems a good explanation if you want USB with them as well as a microjack. Oh!? I wonder if you need both?

http://www.allreadable.com/vid/change-ericsson-mps-70-into-usb-speakers-43461.html

I think the guy in the video is using the usb for power and the 3,5mm jack for the audio signal, so presumably these speakers require a power voltage for amplification as well as the audio signal?
So just connecting your phone's audio output may not work.
Presumably the Sony phone provided the amplification voltage through the proprietary connector.
All the portable speakers I have seen or used have a built in battery or use replaceable batteries to provide the amplification power.

[Danneaux]

All the portable speakers I have seen or used have a built in battery or use replaceable batteries to provide the amplification power.

Hi Rual!

This has been my experience as well...and I suspect you've hit it spot-on in this case, too. I did find a YouTube video that seems to confirm the USB connection supplying power, and the jack for output from the device (phone, MP3 player): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OcA9CGNSJM

Looking at the description and reviews here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Ericsson-MPS-70-Portable-Speakers/dp/B000Q5MXB8 it appears they are intended for specific phone models and are not only tuned to give good sound for that phone, the cord serves as an antenna *and* the supplies power from the phone.

From all this, it sure does look as if they need to draw power from somewhere, and that is where the USB connector would come in -- to supply the power from a computer. If so, this means they wouldn't be compatible with Ian's new phone with just a plug and no power.

Ian! Best hold on cutting off the proprietary end till we can dig a bit deeper. Good catch by Rual; thanks!

Best,

Dan.

[Danneaux]

Okay, back again. Going into the Sony Ericcson K800 and w810i developer files (these phones apparently worked with these speakers initially), it appears the phone supplies the power -- about 5vdc output across the bus. Input voltage from the charger is listed as "5,6volts" according to service specs.

This absolutely confirms Rual's assumption that the speakers need power. They originally got it from the phone and can -- with modification -- can also get it from a USB source or batteries.

The fact the phones work on USB indicates some tolerance in the circuitry. According to USB 2.0 standards, power output is 5vdc ± 5%, so 4.25vdc will meet USB2.0 requirements, so three AA cells in a holder should also power the speakers. You could make a little plug-in  adapter from the jack on the other end of a USB male-A to female-A cable ( http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-A-Male-A-Female-Extension-Meters/dp/B001TH7GUU )to substitute for a computer's USB port and power the speakers that way.

I did find one report of someone doing this with only 2-AA cells: http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B000Q5MXB8/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_2?ie=UTF8&pageNumber=2&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=byRankDescending

I had one pair for a while and recently decided to cinvert them to USB/2xAA Battery powered laptop/phone speakers with standard 3,5 mm jack. The result was beyod my expectations

I hope this helps.

Best,

Dan.

[in4]

Many, many thanks and my apologies for opening what turns out to be a bigger can of worms than I expected. That said I'm still going to give it a go as the project remains feasible; its not beyond my capabilities; the speakers are really rather good and worth the effort. Plus,  I hate throwing stuff away when it can be recycled without too much trouble. Incidentally I bought mine from Play.com for £5.00 inc' shipping. Bargain! I can hear it now "John Cougar Mellencamp' singing 'What if I came knocking' at full blast down an English country bridleway. 

[Danneaux]

No worries, Ian; looking forward to hearing you've once again got Tunes while riding!

Best,

Dan.