NEW but FAULTY?! | JBL Flip Essential Bluetooth Speaker | Can I FIX It?

[@StezStixFix]

Stupid "NEW but FAULTY" JBL Flip Essential Bluetooth Speaker Thing

[@unperrier5998]

Thanks for the video. Do you have a link to the 80s music in your videos? Thanks in advance, Steve.

[@MrWhateverfits]

I have a JBL Flip4 that the battery stopped holding a charge, and it wont charge fully anymore either. I was wondering how to open it up cause I didn't want to break it. I don't think I ever will its way out of my league to do.

[@JBBDA]

Missed an oppourtunity to use this as the test track kzbin.info/www/bejne/moLaZapvjMyLmbM , otherwise awesome vid!

[@andyspoo2]

@@MrWhateverfits What about attaching an external USB battery pack to it instead?

[@RadwaneBingo]

My bluetooth IS not march

[@SCorpG22]

The transition of the bluetooth audio track to the video audio track at the end was a stroke of art.

[@TheBatNaz]

A tip for whne trying to glue small parts (from a model/mini builer with shaky hands). Put a blob of glue on a surface and dip a pin in and use the pin to apply it. the point of the pin and your hand being closer to the end gives you far more controll

[@hugegamer5988]

I use toothpicks because they are a bit absorbent, cheap, disposable, and don’t tend to damage the surface.

[@Sun-ut9gr]

Watch oilers are really nice for precision stuff like this too. I used them at work a lot

[@codlinks78]

Thank you for the tip.

[@mikecro1111]

@@codlinks78 A "Very fine" tip indeed.... I'll get my coat.... 😆

[@term_1706]

Just about to write the same msg but you beat me to it :)

[@charlesm5480]

Putting it back together without fully testing it first? This man is truly living life on the edge.

[@kailumgg7736]

There is nothing that can go wrong and they are super easy to tare apart again

[@SureShotSourcing]

lol I seriously cheered when the light came on. This was a fine repair. Dealing with ribbon cables is the worst. It’s hard enough just to plug them in correctly, let alone repair them.

[@zKaltern]

That was a damned impressive fix. Those flat cables are absolutely horrific to deal with, and that is some impressive superglue-fu you showed there. Possibly one of your best repairs yet (for skill).

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks! Yeah, it felt good this one. Not difficult on the face of it, but hard to get the precision required! ☺️

[@IntheBay85]

Definitely, amazing! I never would have been stable enough to do that. I would have had to squirt a little only something, then transfer it with a needle or something. I'm a shaky boi.

[@darren_anscombe]

I came here to make the same comment. Easily the most satisfying and impressive with such shaky hands !

[@paulsengupta971]

I was holding my breath...

[@evilmissf]

Not just a pretty face are ya? Another Epic fix, didn't know whether you were trying to cut that cable or defuse a bomb with the dramatic music over the top lol 😂

[@fraenkiboii]

Again, more tense than any thriller I’ve recently watched. When you started the attempt to fix the ribbon cable I was like “There’s no way, that one line is just gonna break off”. But you pulled it off. Kudos!!! 🔥

[@jay_tesst]

I've never held my breath for a drop of glue before. Well done!

[@diYotamCh]

Great job cutting the ribbon... Your videos and attitude for "stupid" electronics helped me repair XBox controller broken analog stick. And now I can tackle my bluetooth speakers... Keep it up.

[@andyspoo2]

I think scissors might have been easier?

[@Nobe_Oddy]

What an EXCELLENT FIX!!! Albeit such a STOOPID design, with a single thought given to repairs.... These companies are PERFECTLY FINE with something small breaking with their product (like a stoopid ribbon cable)and it just become E-WASTE.... smh 🤦‍♂ And THAT is EXACTLY WHY I support GENIUS people like YOU havin' a go at repairing it and keeping something from becoming e-waste and filling up the landfills!!! GO ON YA MATE!!! BIG UP YO SELF!!!!!

[@dewdideluxe]

For broken tabs, you can take a little bit of pet plastic and mix it with a bit of pure acetone (savers have that) after a while it will melt and make a kind of glue that will stick any pet/pvc/abs plastic together with same flexibility (unlike a superglu junction that would snap if bent too much), it's a kind of permanent hot snot

[@mwk1]

Konkret! 👍

[@dannydaghavarian9185]

my pet plastic ran away :(

[@rimmersbryggeri]

Dont evenneed any pet assuming the plastic you are working on is acetone solluble really. Just dip one end in acetone and put themtogether again before it evaporates. is as good as if it was never even repaired.

[@MadMorgie6318]

Well done! Companies these days are intent on making it as hard as possible to repair things, but you got it it in one; great job!

[@Skumertje]

I have a JBL Flip 4 which had the exact same problem a few days after I bought it. sent it back and received a new one. I never understood what was going on with it. Now that I've seen your video, I think I understand Nice one Steve

[@Inugamiz]

Wonder if you could also repair it using aluminum tape or the copper one you used for the calculator with broken traces.

[@heavywave81]

Ive always really enjoyed the music you played while you are fast forwarding through long parts of your fixes and now I can see the artist you like and listen myself. Good taste in music!

[@harz426]

I love when Stephen fixes electronics in an 8.5 magnitude earthquake! So intense!

[@ambrosejeremiah7869]

I was getting sea sick mate

[@WaRn00b85]

Don't mind the haters! Although they're cringe, the little disassembly raps are unique and I get your sense of humor, which makes it fun. Besides, you go above and beyond to make sure people can just skip them, and even include a timer. Keep doing you Mr. Steve! Blessings from Cape Town - South Africa

[@wisher21uk]

Brilliant spot there straight from the factory and obviously not checked at all thanks Steve 😊

[@happilyham6769]

I have been a member of KZbin since before the beginning of time itself. I have watched videos from billions if not trillions of creators. This man is the only one I have encountered that has made a song about his patrons, let alone makes a song about his patrons on every video. Mad respect to you, good sir.

[@t3chn0w1z4rd]

Well done! Awesome editing. Loved the live audio of the song to the digital Person. So clean

[@cheplays2482]

Has to be one of the best patreon raps yet. Also some curved rubber tipped tweezers or even some eyelash pluckers are great for removing and reinserting those flex cables.

[@paulsengupta971]

Eyelash pluckers, is that rhyming slang?

[@TubbyJ420]

i had an older version, the Flip 3. after a few years use, the battery started to fail. the battery bulged, and it was located underneath the power/volume buttons so the buttons no longer would click. i really liked the Flip 3, so i had no problems upgrading the the Charge 4, which i am currently listening to this video with (and a 130" projection screen!)

[@vtidusgr]

I got hyped when the lights came up! Really impressive, marvelous!!

[@tehedx]

Wow, that was a very nice repair. Well done glueing something so small, all under the pressure of nerve breaking music

[@woovs101]

I look forward to every weeks post... was nice to see the unexpected revisit earlier this week

[@stevengailey2884]

The soundtrack to this is incredible!!! 😅😅😅 I don't think any recent blockbuster had me on edge as much as the ribbon docking sequence

[@marlionrussell140]

I honestly love your enthusiasm for electronic repair just like myself! Glad the Essential is up!!!

[@jeinnerabdel]

That intense music when you were applying glue to the cable had me glued to my chair like if it was a movie!

[@paulsengupta971]

Not to mention the cutting music.

[@camptube7621]

I’ve had one of these for about 7 years. They sound amazing and built really well.

[@kailumgg7736]

Yes jbl is the only brand I have had good reliability with

[@michaelthompson7637]

Yo Steve! You're not an idiot buddy! In fact, quite the opposite. Man, when you were gluing that ribbon cable I was on the edge of my seat. I don't know why that was so intense. I felt like I was in the show. Anyway keep the videos coming. I love to watch them. Catch you on the next one.

[@therealchayd]

For a quick bodge for broken flex PCBs, you can fix them by cutting the manky bit off, then using one of those fibreglass abrasive pencils to gently and patiently scrub the plastic insulation off the end. You'll also need to reuse the bit of strain relief plastic and stick that to the end. I got a joblot of four of these Flip Essentials, fixed three and gave them away to friends and family, bloody good little speakers that punch above their weight.

[@ricoamero6400]

Man I’m on the edge of my seat! This is like mission impossible! That glue! Woah!🎉

[@Stonecold724]

You have stepped up your background-music game on this one. Well done.

[@dtharmo]

That was intense, pretty good skills you have !

[@oliverer3]

Don't think I would have tried to repair a cable like that. Then again I also have a lot of different flat flex cables on hand which makes the easy option way more tempting. Good work!

[@caseyjones166]

Fantastic patience and precision. You should have been a surgeon!

[@notdoc]

I will always listen to every wonderful stez rap - because he cares, even if he does snap a clip occasionally.

[@Barry101er]

I have a FLIP, in red. Sounds great-some tracks sound truly stereo-the separation I mean. Not all tracks, but some really shine.

[@wynhughes9072]

Worth watching for the glue pen trick. My wife has used a Bosch glue pen for years for here crafting.and always complained about the glue stick dropping out. Now problem solved👍

[@Mathes75]

Just stubled across this wonderful repair Video. Well done! Just one hint, Steve - the ribbon cable sockets have clips to make it easier to remove and put back those nasty things. Would been easier to put it back after glueing

[@kiphakes]

Perfect! I really think the JBL stuff sounds pretty incredible for the size!

[@StezStixFix]

Yeah, quite impressed with this little thing. (That's what she said) 😅

[@pashiki5480]

One of your best videos Steve. Great stuff. Love the channel

[@stevvieb]

A Tip for next time when applying glue to small parts, put some glue on some waste plastic then use a pin to pick the glue up and then apply it.

[@phazonclash]

Wow that was tense! I was nervous when the dramatic music started at 10:19 😂 Good job Steve, good repair

[@whitenorthstar]

great video as usual...keep old ribbon cables so that repairs like this can be easier to repair...just cut them to spec when needed for another repair.

[@Vivisions]

This repair was solid. 👍🏻

[@dodgydruid]

For that glue application what you need is a watch oiler, a black superfine will allow you to dab a drop in the most precise of places, as don't forget a little dab will do you as they say and cheap oilers are pennies but great for really tiny blobs if one needs them.

[@Maxel.F]

these are the kind of repairs you wish to find every time, giving you good stuff for a really low price with a easy repair returns to original

[@FrankJCarver]

I've repaired many ribbon cables by scraping away the plastic coating behind the exposed damaged connectors, very gently, with a blade. Leave a bit of plastic coating near the front of them, so that they don't lift. When the coating has been scraped away, to reveal the new connectors, I just cut off the original damaged exposed connectors.

[@vibaek78]

Love the suspenseful music during the struggles

[@MrSquark]

It's like he's disarming a bomb 😂 So epic

[@vibaek78]

exactly - quite thrilling

[@mikepanchaud1]

Great fix and spot! An alternative would have been to solder a piece of wire to replace the faulty connector and cable. I appreciate, in this case access is very difficult.

[@PracticalDadd]

I thought you had to scrape back the coating from the pins to make it work. Was there no coating on the other pins? Or was that connector able to pierce the coating to make contact?

[@knc0512]

Great music choice for this video. It was so intense during the repair and triumphant during reassembly.

[@3DJapan]

I have a laser engraver with a couple of battery powered thermometers. The batteries died and when I went to change them I found that they had put "hot snot" on the battery cover latches. Even with IPA it took me hours to get it open.

[@mrcodez]

Don't you dare ever stop those raps. 😂😂 I usually mute them(but not always) but I still like them and I think it's impressive you keep cranking out original ones for us every week.

[@marcelo_campitelli]

Beautiful fix man!!! Was cheering you on the whole way! That wasn’t an easy fix

[@cerd6292]

What makes this channel different (..and better) IS THE RAP....and Steve...and DAVE. Don't change anything.

[@MythicalIdi0t]

JBL speakers pack a great punch, speaking of great. awesome job Steve 👍👍

[@TheNiteNinja19]

Heartwarming to see that fixed, despite its nearly irreparable design. Otherwise it would've been in a landfill over a micrometer bit of metal.

[@thadofalltrades]

The retro soundtrack on this one was fire, what tracks did you use?

[@ronlevin2339]

still interesting to know how can I reach the charging port, I have mine broken

[@mrabrookes]

The suspense with the glue was brilliant

[@jeffbridges666]

Its a great speaker, ive got one, well worth the effort to fix it .

[@clivesilk3501]

grand job !!!! what music was that you played on it?? great !!!

[@goku445]

Editing has a gone a level up as well! The music transition at the end...smooth.

[@copsee]

This was awesome! I was sitting on the edge of my seat, the tension was real!

[@simonlunt353]

Get in there Steve well done and Steve you are not stupid far from it but I will say this I think a lot of these electrical items today are not for taking apart but are the man for the job 👍😊

[@agilablue]

Quick question why didn’t you use scissors to trim ribbon awesome video 👍👍

[@djijspeakerguy4628]

I actually replaced an entire ribbon cable on a JBL Charge 4 speaker. It was my fault that it broke (because I messed up the cable when looking inside one time) but they happened to sell a a pack of 3 of a cable that was the same width and amount of cables inside, but longer in length, on Amazon. It took forever to ship the part but it actually worked to my surprise! I still use that speaker regularly, and bought a second one. They pair together so you can listen in multiple rooms, but they’re running different firmware editions so they can’t be stereo paired.

[@H0lyman01]

Scissors are a better choice when trying to trim/ modify ribbon cables. You'll have far better control over the cut.

[@OGSERB]

Now this is what I’m talking about. Excellent work!

[@stevedawson5844]

Nice tip on the hot glue. You can make those strings disappear with a hair dryer or your hot air station.

[@SmoothEmJay]

Steve, the luckiest repair man on the internet.

[@orosalsero]

Bravo! Fantastic repair job.

[@mattrichardson4351]

Feel like watching Drive again cause of the funky beats .. great fix

[@bradleythornton8639]

Amazing fix 😊 👍

[@mw0lge]

great find and fix ! loved the audio transition at the end of the video. Cheers.

[@jaupau123]

Really nice fix 🎉

[@MisterZealot]

Never underestimate the power of a sewing needle. Specially if you have access to a microscope to guide it. I used to have one of those thongs with wooden tips. I superglued 2 very small sewing needles to each prong to handle those teeny tiny capacitors that like to fly away when you wanna solder them down.

[@benpenguin7382]

Good video. I would have put some solder mask on the repaired bit of ribbon to keep it extra secure and then hot glued it in, instead of putting it all back together I’d have just soldered the speakers back on to test it and then if all good then I’d have reassembled it

[@IamNotANumber]

Nice! Also loving the Retrowave music.

[@RadimentriX]

yeah, those flip speakers sound great. i use my flip 4 for my steam deck when it's docked because i can't use the speaker on the go anymore. the battery is totally dead

[@felixlutticken5694]

Cutting the broken end of the ribbon cable is actually a brlliant idea, I nver thought of that😮 I need to do that on my H/K AV Receiver with a damaged cable

[@Eric_G65]

So Steve, if it connected via Bluetooth before you reassembled it, wouldn't that be confirmation enough to reassemble it without taking much of a risk that it wouldn't work? Also, why use an X-Acto knife instead of precision scissors? Wouldn't scissors be easier and assure a straight cut? Also wonder why you and other repair guys don't use precision rechargeable electric screwdrivers? I bought one of those electric screwdrivers from Aliexpress and it's fantastic. it came with every possible bit and even when things are super tight, you can manually add force to get things unscrewed. It even lights the area where you're unscrewing or screwing and it really helps.

[@danandbaggyshow]

Great video from a fellow engineer

[@krahwinkel9503]

Interestingly I "repaired" 2 JBL speakers today as well - 1 survived, one now has a broken cable to the volume buttons... Changing the battery is difficult when it is bulged..

[@Knappen82]

That was a true thriller! Mission Impossible ain't got nothing on Steve. Watching that glue come out of the miniature nozzle was so satisfying too 😱

[@ernestogarcia2393]

Genius idea on the ribbon cable

[@tjmarx]

Whenever Steve starts self depreciation about if he does this or that it might not work out, I cheat and check how much longer the video has so I know how things turn out.

[@samd3231]

Bravo it's great I'm not a specialist just an amateur the JBL speakers are quite complicated to dismantle a lot of glue and other... again bravo it's great to be able to recover and put back into service a speaker it's less than waste for the planet Bravo c'est top je ne suis pas un spécialiste juste un amateur les enceintes JBL sont assez compliqué à démonter beaucoup de colle et autre... encore bravo c'est génial de pouvoir récupérer et de remettre en service une enceinte ça fait moins de déchets pour la planète

[@UnitedSpotlight]

Id of dippied the tweezers or a pin in the glue to put the tiny piece on the cable, also using scissors is a lot easier for cutting the cable straight and sharp

[@somehighlights2851]

Here's what I don't get: I don't always listen to the "rap". But Stix is decent enough to let us know to what time jump to avoid it. Why do people get angry?

[@perlind393]

In the context of ribbon Cables from the time i was a onsite tech every ribbon cable had a only use x times then replace stated in the manual and some of the time was very low. epic work on the fix not to throw a spanner/hammer or what ever in the machine but some glue are acidic and that might get you one of them "only the tech god knows what's wrong" problems .... and look at that i got negative :) but Hey KEEP UP the GOOD work and PLEASE keep doing this !!!!

[@dannyz2095]

just writing this comment while my commenters fingers where ready, but there is nothing to comment on. great video again ;) greeting from the Netherlands 👌👌👌

[@tim-burrr]

Really digging your raps. That chill vibe at the end of today's selection is very ..aaaahhhh... 😌🚬

[@M0UAW_IO83]

That connector has a release lever which would have made reinserting that cable *so* much easier 🤣 I do love seeing people repair stuff though, so much stuff ends up in landfill that could easily be repaired (if it's even faulty to start with)

[@depositionsandstuff7465]

Your music choices this episode ruled. As well as hearing Dave's voice.

[@heighRick]

Aww man, I left my commenting finger in my other trousers 😉 Thanks Stez, great video, helps a lot!

[@mrmooks]

i love the dramatic superclue sound :D

[@daveashworth5859]

Hi bud what kind of microscope and screen do you use please may buy one.many thanks