Inspiron 1520 No sound from speakers

The jack's shot, most likely, and it's also most likely hardwired to the motherboard.  You could get a Sound Blaster Audigy laptop soundcard and use external speakers, or get speakers that run on USB, but as far as using the laptop's speakers, it's not gonna happen.

If it is still under warranty get Dell to fix it.

If not, you could try replacing the jack daughterboard. The Vostro 1500 and Inspiron 1520 reportedly have a replaceable Audio Jack Daughter Board Service Kit, but I cannot verify that this information is correct. Although I have this info saved in my notes I don't remember how I got it.
 Dell Part# RT882 (refub)

Try this:  In control panel, under sound, go to the jack properties.  It may say digital output, headphone output, or line out.  When you go into the jack properties, you can click on the pull down menu that says enable this device, and click on disable this device.  This may make your speakers work.  I hope it does.  Good luck.

I've got a very similar problem in my Inspiron 1420 . . . and all this has happened just after my warranty got expired . . .dell isnt giving proper repsonse even if am ready to pay for it .. .

I am indeed still following the thread, and I appreciate the update on the daughterboard. The item is only around $25.00, so I'm going to take the chance and order it. Presuming it works out, I'll post back to this thread.

Thanks again - I really appreciate your persistence!

Jim,

I received the daughterboard yesterday, and just finished the installation. Replacing the daughterboard was indeed what was required. Thank you once again for the suggestion!   :emotion-1:    Otherwise I would likely have purchased a replacement system board which would have been a complete waste of money.

Craig

Craig,

Thanks for the feedback ... now I won't hesitate to recommend the daughterboard. Did the installation give you any problems?

Jim,

The disassembly / re-assembly went quite well. I downloaded the service manual (HTML format in a zip file) from the Dell support site, and simply followed the directions. There is a separate section that deals specifically with the audio daughterboard. I was using a separate PC alongside my work area so I could refer to it as I went. The steps are straight-forward; the only challenge is that it is a bit tedious and you have to keep careful track of the different size screws that come out of the various components. I also used a digital camera and took photos of how wires and wiring harnesses ran before I removed them. This helped me insure that everything went back the right way. One thing that I did have to do that was not documented was remove the heat sink. It blocks removal of the daughterboard, at least in the Inspiron 1520 and this is NOT mentioned anywhere. It is quite simple - there are four very obvious screws that secure it. One advantage of doing this was that I was able to clear out a bunch of "fuzzies" that had accumulated in an airflow "radiator".

The one caveat I would provide is that I have disassembled laptops previously, including replacing a system board in an IBM ThinkPad. On the other hand, I don't think there is anything involved that is particularly difficult. Just make sure you have an array of small Phillips screw drivers available, and put sufficient pressure on the screws when you begin to remove them so that you don't strip the "cross" in the head.

My cost for the daughterboard was about $40.00, including shipping and tax, ordered under the "personal / SOHO" option. You can get it for less if you are some type of enterprise customer of Dell.

One other thing I should mention here. I thought this was a fluke failure. However, it turns out that my daughter (it is her laptop) had dropped the laptop with her headphones plugged into the jack. Evidently it fell on the jack and that likely pushed it in further and caused the problem. She didn't want to 'fess up about her handling of the PC. That certainly explains the symptoms I saw when I was troubleshooting.

Thanks again for your help! It was invaluable.

Craig