A friend of mine gave me two identical Bluetooth speakers with exactly the same fault for me to try and fix them. They both had their charging USB ports broken off so I decided to inspect them and try to replace them with generic USB-C breakouts that I purchased online.
I wanted a fix that was cheap, quick, and sturdy. The USB-C connectors I used cost very little, and the best part is that they only need two wires for basic charging. Once I opened the speakers, I could see the damage on the old ports right away, so swapping them out seemed like the best plan.
By the end of the repair, both speakers could charge again. Seeing the tiny LED light up after installing the new USB-C connector felt great. It reminded me that small repairs like this can keep old gear useful instead of ending up in the trash.
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Diagnosing the Charging Problem
The diagnosis on these one was really simple. You could immediately see that the ports were broken of and while one of them was rattling inside the enclosure, the other one was lost and nowhere to be found.
The speakers themselves were fine, the batteries were fine, and the electronics inside were untouched. The only failure was the missing charging ports, so replacing them with new USB C connectors was an easy way to bring the speakers back to life.
Opening the Speaker Housing
To get started, I opened the speaker housing so I could reach the area where the charging port used to be. Removing the covering plate revealed the PCB inside where I could easily see where the port used to be, but I still needed to remove the all screws and gently separate the plastic shell to gain enough access to work on it. I took my time, because the clips inside can snap if I force them apart too quickly.
Once the cover loosened, I lifted it just enough to peek inside and make sure no wires were stuck to the top panel. In projects like this, wires can be short, so I didn’t want to pull anything by accident.
With the housing open, everything was easy to reach. I removed the PCB from inside and I continued to explore the circuit so I can find where to solder the new wires from the breakout port.
Investigate the Circuit
In order for me to figure out where I can solder the wires from the new USB-C connector, I had to inspect the PCB and trace out the pins from the old connector. This was fairly easy as I could immediately see a capacitor on the input that as added to the incoming supply rail.
Since capacitors are placed between the positive and negative rails of the circuit, I decided to solder the positive wire directly to the positive side of the capacitor and I traced the negative side to an inductor that was added before and soldered the negative wire to it.
Installing the New USB C Connector
To install the new connector, I had to drill a hole large enough for its enclosure to pass through. Since these connectors are enclosed in a round plastic shell, this was very easy and it only required a 12mm drill bit.
Once the hole is made, I passed the connector through it and proceeded to solder the wires to the PCB. This is important now since we won't have access to the soldering points later on if we do not attach the port now.
To check my work, I plugged in a USB-C cable. Right away, I could see the tiny LED on the board glow, which told me the battery was starting to charge.
Closing the Enclosure
Now that I knew the charging circuit was working, it was time to close everything up.
I gently tucked all the wires back inside the speaker's enclosure so nothing was pinched. Then I fitted the two halves of the case together and tightened the screws. I made sure the new USB-C port sat snugly in its hole.
After closing it, I gave the whole thing a final check by plugging it in one more time. At just the right angle, I could still see that reassuring LED glow inside, confirming the battery was charging even with the case closed tight.
Repairing the Second Speaker
Once I finished the first one, I proceeded to do exactly the same steps on the second speaker as well. On this one, I had the original USB port inside but it was bend and damaged so I decided once again to replace it with the USB C breakout port instead.
Conclusion
And with that, the repair is done. I now have two fully working speakers that can charge properly again, all thanks to a simple and inexpensive USB-C connector. You can find these connectors online for just a few dollars, and I've linked the ones I use below if you want to try this fix yourself. It's an easy way to add modern, reliable USB-C power to your own projects.
If you enjoyed this kind of practical repair, let me know what you'd like to see next. I post new project guides regularly, so subscribe if you want to see more. Your support on Patreon also helps me create these tutorials.
Thanks for following along, and I'll see you in the next one.
Tools and materials used in the repair
- USB Type C Female Socket - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3boe6cf
- USB Type C Female Socket with data wires - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3JtavKf
- USB C Breakout Board - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c411OeCJ
- Digital Multimeter - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c33LCdlH
- Soldering Station - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c43UY8NZ
- Electronics Repair Set - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3fdOzXv
- Bench Power Supply - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3VU86lp
- Digital Microscope - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3zDd1HN
