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Soem OT - Metal clogging earpiece of cell phone...

Jashley73

Titanium
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
Location
Louisville, KY
For those working in the shop - I'm having a rough time with metal chips/dust getting into the earpiece of my cell phone. This is across multiple phones, and quickly renders the earpiece almost useless... Sometimes a quick blast with an air hose will help, but over time the ultra-fines get in so deep that they don't clear out with an air hose any more.

Certainly I can't be the only one having this problem?

How do you all keep this from happening?


FWIW - I tend to buy Motorola phones, and go without a case. I actually don't do a lot of grinding or manual machining. Most of the time the "chips" in the earpiece are tiny metal slivers, or just "dust".



Any real-life tips?
 
Pocket lint in the charging port of the I-phones is a similar issue. About once a month I dig a bit of lint out of the port. If not, it prevents the male charger from fully seating in the opening.
 
I'm guessing grinding dust that is modestly magnetic is being attracted to the magnet in the earpiece speaker, no?

If not kept in an otter box (preferred) what about a piece of scotch tape over the speaker and mic openings (magnets)?
 
Try a piece of cellophane tape over the hole or grill. It typically won't affect the sound much at all, and metal dust can be wiped off. It needs to be the thinner, matte surface tape, not something thick and glossy like packaging tape. You'll have to replace the tape periodically.
 
Pocket lint in the charging port of the I-phones is a similar issue. About once a month I dig a bit of lint out of the port. If not, it prevents the male charger from fully seating in the opening.


Get you a pack of these. Especially if your phone has wireless charging. I have the charging port and the headphone port on my Galaxy S8 plugged with similar plugs. They work great at keeping your charger port from getting dirty/damaged.

https://www.amazon.com/PortPlugs-Co...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
 
I used to have a Motorola phone and struggled with this constantly. I cleared it out periodically with a safety pin which I had cut the point off of. Got the middle pretty clean, but the metal would still pile up in the corners. Eventually, I made the inevitable mistake of poking it too hard, and after that I could only use it like a regular phone when it was on speakerphone.

I lived with it that way for a while, but when I finally replaced it, I got one with a flat speaker grille. Never had any issues since.
 
I've had this problem in the past, but my Cat S60 doesn't have this issue. The holes over the speaker are so fine nothing that I can see has gotten in. It also has a cover for the charging port, is waterproof, and can handle being dropped from chest height onto concrete repeatedly (I've inadvertently tested this!) I have trouble understanding speech when there's background noise, so the fact that it gets louder than other phones is very helpful. As a bonus, it has a built-in infrared camera.
 
What do you mean by this?



Old Phone:

motorola.jpg
New Phone:

AndroidPIT-google-pixel-3a-front-speaker-w782.jpg

Overall, I like the new one pretty well. I'm just bummed that I'm having a harder and harder time finding a phone that is geared towards being a productivity device rather than a social media experience. The google pixel series definitely falls into the latter category.
 
I quit having that problem when I went to using IP67(8) rated cell phones.

Very interesting. I've ruled out Samsung for a while because of bad past experience with build quality. I also just plain don't like the idea of glass-back devices. But I never thought about IP67 ratings for metal - though I guess it is a "dust".
 
I use this phone: KYOCERA Torque X01

It is the only phone I've had that stands up well to the shop environment. The IP ratings ensure that the dust won't get into the electrical parts but the phone still collects particles near magnet areas and that can affect sound quality (hasn't yet on mine).
I know of nothing save the cellophane tape that will keep it out.
 
I occasionally turn my pockets inside out and hit them with an air hose. Blows all the chips and stuff away, shirt pocket is the worst. All my cellphones have been Samsung Galaxy's, still using a S6 and I've never had this issue to where it's a problem. Shirt pocket gets so bad chips will rust in it still no troubles. High pressure air on the earpiece speaker part doesn't seem like a good idea? I don't have a better one unless it'd be maybe a Q-tip? High power suck maybe?

Brent
 
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