IRecoil

Introduction: IRecoil - IPhone Retractable Headphones

The iPhone headphones are great, with their built in mic and music control, but everytime I pulled them from my pocket I had a big tangled knot that took a while to undo. I've seen your third party headphones which may have the retracting mechanism, but there wasn't an arrangement available for the iPhone a good few months after it's release. So, while using the rectractable USB cable from my old treo, I designed a retractable iPhone headset. Maybe you will find there's third party one available now, but I haven't checked simply because this works great.

There's still a brief length between your split and the earbuds that doesn't get taken in, but I haven't had issues with that tangling.

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You need:

1. A retractable cable of some kind. There are many different types available, and most will probably work. I used a treo 650 sync cable. The cable is often a flat type, nevertheless the headphone cables fit in there just fine.

NOTE: There are lots of a variety of retracting cable assemblies, and a few may work greater then others, which means this may require some experimentation. Make sure that the headphone cables are small enough to fit with the guides. Also, the entire cable length should be able to fit within the retractor when retracted. Ideally, it will work best salvaging the retractor from the crappy pair of retractable headphones.

2. Tangled rats nest of your iPhone headset / headphones.

3. Small phillips screwdriver.

4. Steady hands and patience.

Step 2: Seperating the Halves

1. Remove the brand sticker, this agreement you will find a screw holding everything together.

2. Unscrew the screw, holding the two halves together to be sure they don't fly apart.

3. Remove the screw side cover. Be Careful not to lose the small ball bearing that acts since the latching mechanism to hold the cable extended. If you lose this, the headphones is not going to stay extended.

4. Put the ball bearing inside a safe location.

Step 3: Taking It Apart

1. The spring under the plastic rotating center hub which the cable is wrapped around is slightly appeared. Be careful to prevent it from shooting out when lifting inside the hub.

2. Take note of the way the old cable was routed over the hub. You will want to route the headphone cables the same way.

3. Remove the old cable through the hub.

4. You should be using some parts that appear to be like the picture.

Step 4: Insert the Headphone Cable in the Hub

1. Fold the cable halfway relating to the audio connector, as well as the Y split. This fold will be the retraction center, which will be placed inside the hub.

2. Insert the headphone cable center to the hub much the same way that the opposite cable was routed.

Step 5: Re-Assemble the Retraction Mechanism

With the headphone wire inside the hub, re-assemble the parts inside the reverse order.

1. The spring needs to go through the slot inside the center axle.

2. I wound the shoot up fairly tightly before placing the wires over the guides, such that I would be assembling it within an extended state.

3. Carefully position the ball bearing within the track.

4. Place the top cover with the screw hole back on.

5. Screw the 2 main halves back together.

6. Test out the retraction to find out how well it functions. It should retract entirely to the audio connector. If not, then you can need to take away the top cover again, and wind it a bit tighter. Although, you need to do want the spring pull to be weak when it's fully retracted.

Step 6: Finished!

Now you will actually be capable of answer calls in time without having to untangle the headphones.

Comments

Hi, has anyone found a location where you can buy just the retractor, I already salvaged one coming from a broken mouse but I have ample small cables that I wish to put a retractor on. So do you have idea where I could get a bunch of them, Buying 10 treo cables just to disassemble them does not sound too smart :( Bye, Emme

The spring inside is often a metal band & I just sliced my finger open :-( Nothing serious but does anyone know best places to buy an authentic retractable iphone headphone, I'd pay for it rather than slicing really my digits :-)

At least inside the retractable device I took apart, in the event you look at the top part of the middle section (the hub in places you inserted the wires to begin with), there appears to become some grooves. When I placed the ball bearing there, it appeared to work... until at some part I lost the ball bearing.

It might be me however the instructions for putting everything together again wasn't clear... What I found works best (after already losing the ball bearing) is usually to wind in the spring tightly using the wires not wrapped round the hub... Then by letting the spring unwind, the wires would naturally end up around the hub. Then I can position the cover (and squeeze ball bearing)...

Where am i allowed to buy retractable USB thingii to make a retractable head phone. This is a cool instructable..i have commented nicely..

Yep. I lost the ball bearing too (FML). I even took it apart in a very bag within the hopes that whenever the spring exploded I would catch the ball. No such luck. Next time the entire thing goes in a very ziplock bag to acquire taken apart.

Has anyone found a DIY replacement ball bearing,

Thanks for writing this! I had a wonky retractable USB cable rather than having seen one before I thought the screw could possibly be too tight to auto retract. So I loosened it. And it fell apart.

I am now going to hunt every inch of floorboard with a huge magnet to find out if I can obtain the ball bearing, but no less than I know how to set it back due to this picture.

Sorry to the annoying comments, but I took ti apart and as soon as I lifted it the spring came shooting out, any idea, there is really a hook towards the end a a swiggle at the beginning.

How did you remove the sticker, I found out my an example may be almost the identical sticker as yours.

My one seems being two halves glued and stuck along with hinges on the ends, I wish i needed a picture. I cant encourage them to seperate.

OMG this can be a great project and it functions perfect only problem my retractable part is small in order that it dosnt retract completely but im fine with all the way it is,,,, thanx

Does anyone possess suggestions for good earbuds, My skullcandy ones are so big.

How does one wind up the spring before installing the wire , I tried it, but the spring uncoils itself when I ease off obviously any good bit of pressure. How do you keep the spring coiled up but leave both your hands free to install the wire ,

Thanks for virtually any tips.

zayyaf90 (author) Reply 2009-12-04

Nice thinking. Thanks to the instructable i'll do one straight away.I have a doubt will it work with mini retractable usb mouse's mechanism,.Please anyone do reply

Really Awesome 'ible! I was capable to get it right the 1st time, and then disassemble it again the wind it down a tiny bit more and lose the bearing inside process...Looking for it we speak. But again, thank you for this instructable, 5's

This would have been a good experiment though=

Ok solution... after trying greater than five times, with different retraction devices, I gave up. Now I just wrap among my headphones around a Tech Deck. Or another way that would solve wire/headphone tangles are these cool things I found on Ebay:

Wow this ingenious :) I rely such as this idea I will get it done my self for my nokia headphones :)

AHH! When I opened mine up, I didn't know there would have been a ball bearing to start with and lost it inside carpet! Any tips on getting a an alternative one without gonna the store again,

Check out They typically have some form of Ultra brand retractable cable cheap. Right now, a two-pack of telephone cables is $.50. Of course, there's shipping, so you'd want to buy a lot of them for all your cables.

but this is not fun.

nosemeat (author) Reply 2008-07-19

Fine work here. This is somewhat inspirational. Question: Do the headphones retract from both sides of the retractor, Must you pull each party of the cord to have it to extend, I'm building a charger box and am searching for a way to retract cords with either side remaining in place.

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