1/4 Headphone Jack Wiring

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I need a circuit on how to wire a simple 1/4 headphone jack. I have one I made now but sound only comes out one side. I'm using a mono jack and know I should be using a stereo jack for a headphone jack but am not sure how wire it up. My signal is mono and needs to be sent to this headphone jack and out both left and right of the headphones. Any help, pics, diagrams are appreciated.
 
Lsharptec1, thanks for the link with the excellent info, I'm now using s stereo 1/4 jack/socket with 3 connection: tip, ring, ground: but I still cant get things to work out. I'm trying to get a mono signal into a stereo signal, using this 1/4 stereo jack, to use as a stereo headphone out. This is a standard simple connection I'm sure but it's killing me. I ran two wires off my mono signal to use on my stereo jack for the tip and ring connections, but this doesn't give me my stereo signal out to the phones.
 
If anyone can draw a simple pictorial diagram (not a schematic) of a headphone jack wired to a mono source I would appreciate it. I realize you can't get a stereo signal from a mono source but you can get two mono sources from the one mono source. A fake stereo signal. I just want my signal in both headphones. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
 
dude, if you've got a mono amp just tie left and right headphone speaker together in parallel and connect that to the amp output. in other words, tie the tip and the middle of the plug together and ground the sleeve, then stick it in. soundstage may be lacking, i recommend you upgrade to stereo.
 
Lsharptec1, thanks for the link, it helps a bit.

Let me explain more what I'm working with. I have a guitar amplifier attenuator. Very basic and simple design. A variable resistor with a mono 1/4 jack infront of it for the input and a mono 1/4 jack after this resistor for the output. The amps signal just goes through this resistor and I control the level of the amp with it. This signal from the guitar amp is mono. I want to use headphones in this output on the attenuator and have the sound in both speakers on the phones and also function as the attenuator should and I assume I need a stereo 1/4 jack. I wired this but it's not working correctly. I want to be able to use this for both as an attenuator for the guitar amp and with headphones (not at the same time but seperately). Using headphones I need the fake stereo signal and for the amp I need the original mono signal. I'm taking an electronics course but I'm just not this far yet to work it out.

Does this make sense?
 
couple options:

- replace the jacks in the attenuator/amp with stereo headphone jacks, then connect the left and right channels on the jacks together to make one mono channel. this way, when you stick in stereo phono plug, both the headphone speakers will be connected to the output.

- wire a switch in the line going to the headphones that shorts the left and right channels (red and white wires) together. thus you would have a "stereo/mono" selector switch for the headphones.

- a down and dirty hack is to simply stick the stereo plug in not quite all the way into the mono female. you will have to play around a little, but you should be able to find a position where both the + contacts (left and right channels) of the stereo male are making contact with the single positive pin in the mono female. do this at a very low listening level until you have it right.
 
Thanks for the options GAIN. I'll replace both the IN and OUT mono jacks with stereo jacks and try that. I tried inserting the stereo plug only half way. It did work but not consistently, the connection wasen't tight enough to hold the plug in place.

I'll let you know if I can get it wired.
 
All-purpose headphone jack -- for mono or stereo headphones from a MONO source

You just need to wire a standard stereo headphone jack from the mono output of your gear to the TIP and RING connections of the jack, and don't connect anything to the ground terminal. If your have to mount the jack on the chassis, ie: grounded, then you would have to insulate it from the chassis by using insulating washers on the front and back of the jack (most music stores have these), or mount it on a piece of sturdy wood, plastic, or other non-metallic material.

Here's the wiring:

Stereo output Headphone Jack

Signal Tip
Ground Ring
-- Sleeve - no connection

This configuration will work with either stereo OR mono headphones, giving you a mono signal on both sides, regardless of which type you use.

Good luck, hope that helps! If you need help, email me at rogerdoger_57@yahoo.com

Tim

P.S. I attached a pic of the connections...
 

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