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PNutts

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 24, 2008
4,874
357
Pacific Northwest, US
I noticed my iPod earbuds have three conacts and the iPhone earbuds have four contacts. I've been using the iPod earbuds for both and they work, but I'm curious about the extra contact on the iPhone. Any thoughts? Thx.
 
:eek: I was looking through the forum (since my search didn't pull up anything) and saw that the iPhone earbuds have a microphone. I didn't unwrap them because I was using the iPod earbuds. Duh!

Thanks everyone for the replies.
 
my iPhone ones have 4 actually (the contacts are the number of metal bits - not the separating plastc bands)

No ****. And a large part of the jack is not wired for usage. Why the hell do you think there's such a large space when only two connectors for a regular headphone plug? Because there's TWO channels - left and right. Could there be four on the iPhone headphones? Yes, but I doubt it.

Edit: In fact, I'm sure they don't. It has to have a ground. Look here:

800px-Jack_plug.png

1: ground.
2: right channel
3: left channel
4: insulating rings.

Odds are the iPhone goes like so:
tip: left channel
next section: right channel
next section: microphone/button
last section: ground
 
I have looked at my iPod earbuds and they definitely have 3 metal sections with 2 separators. I don't have my iPhone earbuds with me but I would assume it would have a 4th metal section. I'll have to pull them out of my box at home and see.
 
I have looked at my iPod earbuds and they definitely have 3 metal sections with 2 separators. I don't have my iPhone earbuds with me but I would assume it would have a 4th metal section. I'll have to pull them out of my box at home and see.

Which the one is the ground. No signal passes through it.
 
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