Let me guess – you have lost your earbuds’ charging case and can’t find it. The earbuds are perfectly functional, and you don’t want to throw them away, but how do you charge them now when you don’t have the case. I have good news for you! There is a way to charge your earbuds without the case, but it requires a little bit of DIY-ing.
I have prepared a step-by-step guide explaining how to make your own DIY charger for true wireless earbuds. This project doesn’t require advanced skills, so even an inexperienced DIYer can make it. If you are not a fan of DIY projects, there’s an easy alternative. Keep reading to find out what it is.
Key Takeaways
- The only way to charge true wireless earbuds, according to earbud manufacturers, is through the case. If you lose the case, the case gets broken, or the case doesn’t charge the earbuds, the manufacturer will tell you to buy new earbuds or buy a spare charging case if available.
- You can make a DIY charger for your earbuds from a USB charging cable and a tiny magnet. The tools needed for the project include wire cutters, a utility knife, glue, a soldering kit, and a digital multimeter.
- Cut off the USB connector from an old USB cable and expose the wires. The wires should connect to the charging contacts on your earbuds, but you have to determine positive and negative ends before connecting them (this is crucial).
- When you connect your charger’s wires to the earbuds’ charging contacts and then connect the charger to a powerbank, the earbuds will start charging.
- To make the earbuds perfectly stable when charging, glue a tiny magnet onto the USB connector and put the earbuds onto the magnet.
- If you are not interested in DIY projects, try finding a used charging case for your earbud model on eBay. Some manufacturers may even sell spare charging cases for their earbuds, so check that first if you don’t want to risk it with used charging cases.
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How to Charge Wireless Earbuds?
Every earbud manufacturer will tell you that there is only one way of charging earbuds, and that is through the included charging case. That’s certainly the most convenient way to charge and store your earbuds.
The case can be charged in different ways. You can use the included charging cable and connect it to your PC/laptop, or powerbank, or use your phone’s power adapter. Or, if the charging case supports wireless charging, you can use a Qi charging pad to charge it. You can even use your phone’s port to charge the case if the phone supports reverse charging.
Ways to charge the charging case (and earbuds when they are inside the case).
Unfortunately, earbuds are not as versatile when it comes to charging. You can’t even use a different charging case because every earbud model has a different shape and won’t fit the charging slots.
You can’t charge your earbuds using some other charging case unless it’s the charging case for the same earbud model.
How to Tell If the Earbuds Are Charged?
It depends on the model. Some earbuds have LEDs on them. The color of the LED on each bud will tell you whether the earbuds are charging, fully charged, or need to be charged.
Some earbuds have LEDs on them. With these buds, It’s easy to tell when the earbuds are charging or fully charged based on the LED color.
Some earbuds don’t have LEDs, but there will be a dedicated LED on the case that tells you when the earbuds are charging or fully charged.
Some earbuds come with a charging case with two LEDs – the charging case battery indicator and the earbud battery indicator.
The third group are earbuds with no LEDs and only one LED on the case. This single LED is supposed to give you all the information about your charging case and earbuds.
AirPods have a single LED on the case and no LEDs on the earbuds.
Higher-end earbuds also come with a companion app that can tell you the battery levels for each earbud and the charging case. However, the app won’t give you any info about your earbuds unless the earbuds are turned on and connected to your phone.
High-end earbuds come with a companion app. This app can tell your earbuds’ battery levels.
So, why is all this information important? When using a DIY charger, there will be no way to tell your earbuds’ charging status if the earbuds don’t have LEDs. You won’t be able to tell the battery status until you turn them on. Even then, the only way to tell their battery status is through the app (if they come with a companion app) or through voice prompts (if your earbuds have voice prompts).
Is There a Way to Charge Wireless Earbuds Without the Case?
Actually, there is. But it’s not exactly hassle-free, and it’s not as elegant or convenient as using the charging case.
Is Wireless Qi Charging an Option?
Some charging cases support Qi charging, so you can use a charging pad or your phone to charge them wirelessly. However, the earbuds themselves don’t support wireless Qi charging, even if their charging case supports it.
So, to answer the question, wireless charging is not an option for earbuds. You can’t charge them using a Qi charging pad if you don’t have your charging case.
How to Make Your Own DIY Charger for Wireless Earbuds?
Making a DIY charger from an old USB cable is your only option if you don’t want to throw your earbuds away or buy a used case. The whole project shouldn’t take too long. I believe anyone with the right tools can do it.
You will need the following tools:
- Old USB charging cable (Type-A)
- Tiny magnet
- Wire cutters
- Utility knife
- Glue
- Soldering kit
- Digital Multimeter
Necessary tools
STEP 1 – Take a USB charging cable and cut off the USB connector with just a tiny bit of cable. Use your wire cutters and a utility knife to expose the wires.
You will see multiple wires. Usually, there are 4 wires. Two of these wires carry data (usually green and white), while the other two are used for power (usually red and black). For your DIY charger, you will only need the power wires. Cut off the other two.
You can remove all the insulation protecting the wires. Then, use a soldering kit to solder the exposed wires. This will make them sturdier and allow them to firmly connect to the charging contacts on your earbuds.
Finally, glue a tiny magnet to the top of the USB connector. This magnet will allow your earbuds to stay still while charging. The earbuds already have magnets in them. These magnets keep them in place when they are inside the case.
Cut off the USB connector, expose wires, and solder them. Bend the wires upward, make sure the wire length is equal, and glue the magnet to the USB connector.
STEP 2 – Congrats! You have just made a DIY charger for your wireless earbuds. However, you can’t try it immediately. If you connect wires to the wrong charging contacts, you may damage the earbuds.
First, you need to determine which charging contact on your earbud is positive and which one is negative. There are two charging contacts on your earbuds – positive and negative. They look the same.
Charging contacts
To determine which contact is positive and which one is negative, you should use a multimeter. Turn it on and set it to DC voltage in mV. Touch the charging contacts on the earbuds with red and black probes.
If the reading on the display is positive, the red probe is touching the positive contact (+), while the black probe is touching the negative contact (-). If the value is negative, the red probe is touching the negative charging contact (-), while the black probe is touching the positive contact (+).
The DIY charger you made has two wires. The red one is usually positive, while the black wire is negative. You can also use the multimeter to check the wire polarity.
Once you are certain which contact is positive and which one is negative, you can put the earbud on a charger and connect the wires to the charging contacts. The positive wire (red) should touch the positive charging contact on the earbud, while the negative (black) wire should touch the negative contact.
The positive wire (red) connects to the positive charging contact. The negative wire (black) connects to the negative charging contact.
Connect your DIY charger to a USB port on your PC or powerbank. If the earbud has an LED, it should light up.
When you connect your charger to a powerbank, the earbud should start charging.
If your earbuds don’t have LEDs, there will be no way to know whether they are charging. Your only option is to leave them charging for 10 minutes. Then, try to turn them on.
Making a DIY Charger for True Wireless Earbuds – Step-by-Step Instructions
Buy a Replacement Charging Case for Your Earbuds?
If you’re not into DIY projects, you can buy a new or used case. Some manufacturers, like Skullcandy, sell replacement parts for their earbuds, so if you lose or break your charging case, you can buy a new one.
Unfortunately, not all manufacturers are as generous and helpful as Skullcandy. Most manufacturers will simply tell you to buy new earbuds. At best, they will offer you a discount for the next purchase.
If you are trying to save money, your best option is to look for a fully functional used charging case on eBay.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Question: What if I lost my earbuds’ charging case?
- Answer: First, contact the manufacturer and see if they sell charging cases. If not, you have two options. You could either try to make a DIY charger for your earbuds or look for a used charging case on eBay.
- Question: How do you charge earbuds with your phone?
- Answer: You can charge earbuds with your phone if your charging case and your phone support wireless charging. Once you enable this feature, put the earbuds in the case, and put the case on your phone. The case (and the earbuds inside) should start charging immediately.
- If your phone supports wired reverse charging, you could also use a USB cable to supply power from your phone to the charging case.
- Question: Can you keep earbuds in the charging case?
- Answer: Yes, you can. It is actually recommended to store earbuds in their charging case. Don’t worry, the earbuds won’t get damaged. Their batteries have overcharge protection.
- Question: Is it OK to charge earbuds with a phone charger?
- Answer: Yes, it is perfectly fine. Most people use their phone chargers to charge their earbuds.
- Question: Do earbuds drain the battery when not in case?
- Answer: Yes, they do. If they are not in use and turned off, the battery will drain slowly, but it will eventually drain out.
- Question: How do you know when your earbuds are charged?
- Answer: It depends on the model. Some earbuds have LED battery indicators on them, so you can just look at those LED indicators, and the color of the LED will tell you whether they are charged or not. If the earbuds don’t have an LED indicator, the LED on the case will tell you their charging status.
- Question: Can I charge one earbud at a time?
- Answer: Yes, you can. If you want to use one earbud while the other earbud is charging, you can. Note that some earbuds don’t support single-earbud use (they don’t support mono mode).
- Question: What is an alternative way to charge earbuds?
- Answer: The best and most convenient way to charge earbuds is through their charging case. The case itself can be charged using a USB cable or wirelessly (if the case supports wireless charging). The charging case can be connected to various power sources – your PC, power adapter, powerbank, speaker, gaming console, etc.
- If you want to charge your earbuds without the case, the only option is to make your own charger.
- Question: Why do earbuds have short battery life?
- Answer: Because they are tiny. You can’t install a bigger battery inside such a small device.
- Question: How long does it take to charge earbuds in case?
- Answer: It depends on the size of the battery and charging speed. On average, it takes 1-2 hours to charge earbuds.
Conclusion
As long as you have the charging case, you can easily charge your earbuds. But when you lose or damage the case, or when the case malfunctions, charging your earbuds becomes an issue.
I hope this guide helped you understand your options and learn to charge earbuds without the charging case.
