Your Complete Guide to Turning a Wireless Headset Into a Wired One

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Take your wireless headphones to the next level with this fun DIY project

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: May 31, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Preparing the Wire
|
• Taking Apart the Headset
|
• Tips
|
• Things You'll Need

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Are you tired of purchasing countless batteries or spending a ton of time charging your batteries for your headset? Believe it or not, you can turn your wireless gaming headsets into wired ones and avoid the hassle of batteries. The steps below are for a Turtle Beach Earforce X42, but they should also be possible with other headsets.

Things You Should Know

• Make your wireless headset wired by soldering a wire to it.
• This is not a beginner-friendly task, because you need to be able to cut wire carefully and solder.
• With a step-up/step-down module, you can connect the USB cable from your computer to your headphones to make them wired!

Steps

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Preparing the Wire

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1. 
   1
   Buy a DC-DC step-up step-down module. You can find them cheaply online. You'll need a few more tools, too, listed below.
2. 
   2
   Cut the USB cable about 6" - 10" from the end that plugs into your PC or console. This is where we'll connect the step-up step-down module.
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3. 
   3
   Use the utility knife to slice the insulation of the USB cable about an inch down from where you cut it, on both sides. Pull out the tiny wires inside.
4. 
   4
   Cut away the other wires and excess insulation. We only need the red and black wires in the cable.
5. 
   5
   Use your wire cutters to strip about half of each exposed wire. Be careful not to use too much pressure. The wires are very small; too much pressure and you'll cut the wire instead of stripping it.
6. 
   6
   Twist the bare-stranded copper and insert them into the module. The end that goes into the PC/console gets screwed to the "IN" terminals, and the other end for the headset gets screwed to the "OUT" terminals. Red wire is for the positive, and black wire is for the negative.
7. 
   7
   Adjust the voltage output of the module. To do this, plug the USB cable into your PC or console. You'll be using the USB ports on the PC or gaming console as your power source, but you could even plug it into a phone charger and use that as your power source. This particular module can take any input of 3.5-28V and give an output of 1.25V-26V. Once it's plugged in, you'll need to use your 1.4mm screwdriver to adjust the small screw on the module. Using your multimeter to read the voltage, turn the screw until the output of the module reads 3V.
8. 
   8
   Cut the other end of the USB cable off (the end that would plug into a phone or something).
9. 
   9
   Use the utility knife and slice the insulation about 3" - 4" down from the cut. Pull out the wires.
10. 
    10
    Cut away the excess wires and insulation. Strip the ends of the red and black wires. Set the cable aside for now.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Taking Apart the Headset

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1. 
   1
   Remove the ear pad from the side the batteries insert into.
2. 
   2
   Use a small screwdriver (or T6 Torx if you're working on the X42) to remove the screws and reveal the wires insides. Be careful of the part with the speaker in it. It is only connected by two small wires that could pull out of their soldered joint.
3. 
   3
   Take off the battery cover and insert the end of the USB cable through the opening by the spring. Alternatively, you can drill a hole through the side to insert the cable through. Use a bit slightly larger than your USB cable. Use silicone or, more preferably, a hot glue gun to keep the wire in place.
4. 
   4
   Using the soldering iron, solder the red wire to the positive terminal. There should be a speaker wire connected here.
5. 
   5
   Solder the black wire to the negative terminal (the one with spring on the other side). Make sure you solder it to the one with speaker wire as well. Keep in mind you aren't soldering these wires to either of the terminals that have the red wire connecting the positive and negative terminals.
6. 
   6
   Close it back up and put the ear pad back on. You've just turned your wireless headset into a wired headset!

   • Just remember we aren't replacing any receiver, just the batteries, so don't throw it out!
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Tips

• If you have another spare USB cable, you might want to practice stripping the wires inside if you are new to this kind of work. They're very fragile and will cut easily if you use too much pressure. Just use enough pressure to keep the wire from slipping out, and pull up and away with the wire cutters until the insulation breaks away.
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• When using the utility knife, be careful to only cut deep enough to cut through the insulation. Slice too deep and you might nick or slice the insulation of the wires inside, exposing the stranded copper conductor inside.
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• If you're using flux, add a bit of solder to the stranded copper after the wires have been stripped. It makes it easier to work with. Use a little of the flux to coat the stranded copper conductor, add a bit of solder to the solder iron, and then using the iron, tap the end of the stranded copper. The flux will melt and draw the solder down the wire.
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Things You'll Need

• A soldering iron and solder
• Flux (optional; You don't need to use it, but it makes soldering a bit easier)
• Utility knife
• Wire cutters
• 1.4mm precision screwdriver
• A USB cable long enough to accommodate your need
• Multimeter
• The step-up step-down module.
• T6 Torx bit/screwdriver, if needed for your headset screws