Speakers-to-Headphone Out

joevennix · Post by **joevennix** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 7:27 pm

Okay, just a quick question. I am almost done wiring my p64 and was wondering, if I wired the L and R audio to a headphone jack and then to the speakers, and then plugged in my headphones, would the music stop playing on the speakers and instead play in the headphones? Does this have anything to do with the statement "electricity takes the path of least resistance?"

Also, I wouldn't need an amp circuit or anything for the headphone jack would I?

daguuy · Post by **daguuy** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 7:30 pm

i don't think that would turn it off. portable screens have built in headphone jacks and amp so you wouldn't need to do that

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 7:33 pm

I think your best bet would be to put the audio throug a dpst switch that goes to the speakers and headphone jack.

joevennix · Post by **joevennix** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 8:11 pm

Dave wrote:I think your best bet would be to put the audio throug a dpst switch that goes to the speakers and headphone jack.

Good idea... any idea about AV outputs? Would the built-in screen turn off when the p64 was plugged into the TV/

G-force · Post by **G-force** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 8:26 pm

Most headphone jacks have a SPST switch that disconnects the ground line going to the speakers when a jack is plugged in. That's how a GameBoy headphone jack works at least.

daguuy · Post by **daguuy** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 8:31 pm

joevennix wrote:Good idea... any idea about AV outputs? Would the built-in screen turn off when the p64 was plugged into the TV?

no, they'd both be on at the same time

timmeh87 · Post by **timmeh87** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 11:39 pm

like g-force said, it depends entirely on the kind of headphone jack you are using, and if you have connected it properly. if it one with a built in switching mechanism, the wires from the system and the wires going to the speakers should be wired to different pins. which ones is left for you to find out.

Post by **Skyone** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 2:39 am

Heh, I think about this all the time. I think of it as G-Force said.
2 diagrams of ways to do it:

Code: Select all

  o -a tacticle switch (spst)
/  \
|  |
|  | -the input
 /\
 ||
 || -to earphones

Code: Select all

  _
/  \___ -a spst slanted switch.
|  \___|
|  | -the input
 /\
 ||
 || -to earphones

Seriously, if you make an intercourse joke, consider yourself immature.

G-force · Post by **G-force** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 7:49 am

Nah, I got tire of those jokes after the 100th trip to radio shack. Heh, male and female parts all over the place...

anyways, they do sell jacks like above on digi-key. They sell jacks at radio shack but they don't have an internal switch.

sniper_spike · Post by **sniper_spike** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 8:01 am

I got a wierd one from Active, it's made by Mode electronics. I'm still having trouble figuring out how the switch works. When you push the jack in, it pushes two metal plates outwards, they disconect from two (respective) contact points, and contact with ground. So it seems R audio and L audio are connecting to ground.

usbcd36 · Post by **usbcd36** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 2:25 pm

The jack on the PSone screen is very interesting. When you plug in headphones, it disconnects the left and right audio contacts from the HP_S (headphone switch) contact, which disconnects power from the audio amp. Those signals then go directly to the headphones jack. This solution works well on the PSone screen ('cause it was made for it) or on monaural screens used for stereo portables (since you can have the left/right signal come out of the built-in speakers and the stereo out of your headphones).

joevennix · Post by **joevennix** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 7:22 pm

Okay... So it seems that I can just move the headphone jack to where it should be in my portable. The switch inside the jack is an interesting feature I'd never even thought about.

Anyways, if I use the AV out AND the PSOne LCD at the same time, will there be any loss in signal/distortion? Am I going to have to wire a switch to the LCD too?

At least my soldering has improved greatly over the last few months.