suitcase headphone jack

[Abraham]

Just wondering if this could be found locally, just I don't know what to ask for. Maybe some of you know of a generic parts provider which sells such as components. Please notice this isn't a generic stereo jack socket since it also disconnects power amp whenever something is plugged in

Mine is making a bad connection to the left channel, which may not sound eventually. Of course it only takes to insert a jack and move it around to get it back, but i'm getting tired of this not working properly

[SuitcaseSeventyThree]

Abe,

  It's a Switchcraft 14B, available from many sources.

Here's the "for sure" real thing :

http://www.vintagevibe.com/p-601-headphone-jack.aspx

  Like a lot of components, over the years it may have oxidized, gotten "gummed up", or simply been "knocked about" from use and tinkering.
  With all those wires attached to it (as its mounted in the amp),
it can be a pretty fussy (but plenty do-able) job to replace it.
  So, before you order a new one and swap it out,
get in there and carefully scour the points on it where the 1/4" plug makes contact - the sleeve (inside the main barrel, or cylinder) and the two "arms". Just use a small file, emery cloth (fine sandpaper), or anything that will gently but thoroughly scrape the metal at the point(s) of contact back to its original "shiney" condition. At the same time, a shot of contact cleaner goes a long way to improve your results.
ALSO - look very closely, and make sure that none of the exposed wire ends soldered to the leads are touching and shorting each other. If they are, just gently pry them apart with a small screwdriver or needle-nose pliers. 

[Abraham]

Thank you, I just made a search for "Switchcraft 14B" and found this locally for under $5

I have got around this several times cleaning and scrubbing contacts with no success to date, and its a tedious job to unscrew the whole cabinet+power amp then put it all together just to try out if it worked. I just plan to replace it for a new one and definitely fix it for ever (or else for another 30+ years)

thank you!

[Abraham]

A friend found this and gave it to me for free:


It doesn't look the same (not a problem really as it's hidden inside the power amp) but does the job BETTER than the original part, once you figure out the pin numbering correspondence.

btw... HOW TO FIX A BAD ONE (without replacing):

Once I took apart the original one, I managed to fix it. It had a loose contact on one of the open circuits, preventing it from connecting again properly (causing a single channel not to work at all). After some tweaking I managed to find the best way to fix it. It's simple but it was tricky to come up with this so I'd like to share my findings here for anyone who could benefit: You have to bend both sides of the open circuit WHILE A JACK IS INSERTED into the socket. You have to make sure they're as close as possible WITH A JACK STILL INSERTED.  That way they will make a tight contact when you get this unplugged... makes sense, right?

[blueberryjam]

hi there, does the Switchcraft 14B work as a replacement for the 100w Janus suitcase headphone jack as well?

[sean]

bbjam,

The Switchcraft 14B does not match the schematic for the Janus headphone output.
See the left side of this drawing:  https://www.fenderrhodes.com/org/ch11/fig11-3.jpg
Switchcraft doesn't seem to want to sell this jack as a standard configuration anymore. 

I would order a handful of CUI Devices P/N SJ-63023H (Mouser and DigiKey have them in stock).  However, it is disturbing that these jacks are rated for low voltage, and only 1A.  If the isolated switches can't take 4A (like the fuses), I guess this jack might fail regularly.

Anybody know of a high-current 1/4" jack (like SwitchCraft Z15J) that has two isolated switches?

BTW, you could also use these:
https://www.musikding.de/63mm-Stereo-jack-with-2-SPDT-switches
https://guitarelectronics.com/fender-9-pin-1-4-stereo-jack-for-guitar-w-dpdt-battery-switch/
Of course, I doubt they are anything special. 
If you search amazon for "fender battery jack" or "fender 9-pin" you will find similar/identical jacks.
_____ _____ _____ _____


The earlier Peterson headphone jack was indeed a Switchcraft 14B, as seen on https://www.fenderrhodes.com/org/ch11/fig11-10.jpg
This setup does not completely remove the speakers from the audio path, but they should get significantly quiet when the headphones are plugged in, thanks to the headphones in parallel with the speakers and the 330Ω resistor in series.

Sean

[blueberryjam]

Thanks for your help Sean! The reason I'm asking is because I bought a mark II Janus suitcase whose headphone jack is not an original and has a lot of hissing (a tech told me it was not the right kind of headphone jack). Incidentally one of the power amp module fuses blew twice in the few months I've had the Rhodes. Do you know if the wrong kind of headphone jack could potentially cause the fuses to blow?