Sound Card and Front Audio Ports

[XPSlacker]

I never thought this would be a stumper when I thought of it earlier today, but it is turning out to be pretty pathetic to me.

I felt that MSFN would be my last resort, so here I am and my searching the forums has turned up nothing for me. That said, if someone knows that this was answered in another thread, please direct me.

I put together a new system this past Fall and can see that I need an alternative to the onboard sound. The sound is ok but the Microphone sounds pretty bad and I just want to disable it and add something like a SoundBlaster, but there is a catch, which is actually turning into a big snag...

My case has a front headphone and a microphone jack but my systemboard does not have provisions for using them. Because I game and use TeamSpeak, I want to easily plug and unplug my headsets into the front ports, but I am getting the picture that sound card manufacturers could care less. I called Creative Labs but the person I spoke to and the person she questioned there said that they don't make any cards that will connect to and use ports on the front of computer cases.

I called a local computer store and they said that the cards exist but they don't carry any.

Now, maybe I just spoke to some people that are as clueless as I am, but I find it hard to believe that more and more computer cases are offering audio ports in the front for nothing. Can anyone direct me on this? Am I shooting pool with a rope or are there some hidden secrets I have missed?

Thank you very much.

XPSlacker

[nmX.Memnoch]

Creative Labs Live!, Audigy, Audigy2 and X-Fi cards will do it...it's just tricky to make it work right. The white connector along the top edge of the card towards the back of the case is what you want to use. The pin-out can be found via Google searches (I don't recall the site off the top of my head). However...getting the cable to stay on the pin is a completely different matter.

Here's what I've done in my (very) limited testing though and it works. Get yourself a couple of three-pin fan extensions. All you really want is the end with the pins. Stick those into the required slots on the cable that comes from the front-panel connector. You'll need the pin-out for this as well, but that's usually printed on the connector block. Now, you'll need something that'll fit the small pins on the sound card. What I ended up using was a WOL (Wake-On-LAN) connector cable. Cut it in half and then trim the plastic connector until it fits on the sound card pins. Now all you have to do is wire the appropriate cable from the WOL cable to the appropriate cable on the 3-pin fan cable and it should work.

Although...a much easier alternative is something else I've also used in the past. Plantronics makes a switch that you can site between your monitor and keyboard (or anywhere on your desk). You just leave everything plugged in and simply change the switch between speakers and headphones.

http://www.plantronics.com/north_america/e...586/prod3090125

EDIT: I found the pin out. See attachment. The pin out is the same for all SB cards from the Live! up (except maybe the X-Fi as I haven't had a chance to mess with one of them yet). Information was found here in the post by cybadog:

http://www.driverheaven.net/showthread.php...79&page=3&pp=15

Edited February 28, 2006 by nmX.Memnoch

[LiquidSage]

Solder the case front Headphone Jack wires to the mobo's headphone jack in the respective hot and ground points.

Pros: Audio works for front and back (Some mobo's will disable the back if you connect audio ports for the front

Cons: No switch to turn off audio in the back when something is plugged in the front.

Possible damage to the mobo if you do not know how to solder

[MrGuy]

Well if you don't mind spending over one hundred dollars, I'd pick up a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 or 4 with a "breakout box." It's an external box that connects to the back of the sound card and you can place it on your table top. It has a lot of connectors, most importantly, a mic and headphone connector with volume controls at your finger tips. Another bonus is firewire connectors. It's real handy being able to plug a firewire media device to a box on your desk.

[XPSlacker]

Thank you very much MrGuy and LiquidSage for your responses, and especially you nmX.Memnoch for the well researched mod.

I am going to hang on to this info for future use, but I just received a new computer case that will temporarily address the issue with an older SB512 card that I've had in it's anit-static bag. The case has cords that are long enough and have 1/8" mini connectors that go through one of the specially cut rear card covers and then into the mic and one speaker-out jack in the back. I will run the first set of speaker's cable up front and switch back and forth plugging and unplugging the speakers and headphones. The ports are on top of the case so I will not bump the plugged in cords with my feet or knees since the computer sits directly in front of me.

This should get me by for now, but I will have to decide on which of your responses will end up being long term on this system. The computer case that I just gutted is going to have new guts put in it for Win2003 SBS, and if need be, I may need to use this info there too.

Thank you once again for helping me out. I knew that the good folks at MSFN wouldn't disappoint me!

XPSlacker

[MrGuy]

You should pick up a PC Headset switch. Plantronics makes a nice one I've been able to get on ebay for under $20. I've got about 6 of them so far and they're really nice. It connects to your sound card speaker out and mic in, then you plug your speakers into the back of the switch, then your headset plugs into the switch box. There's a button on top to toggle between speakers and headset.

[LiquidSage]

@XPSlacker -

That new case wouldn't by chance be a Tsunami would it?

If the audio connections are made to plug in individually, not in groups for the pins that connect to the mobo in this new case,

doing what nmX.Memnoch suggested would be quite easy. I myself have front audio connected to my SB card using SB's external pin interface. Just google for the diagram and you are set.

Edited March 2, 2006 by LiquidSage

[XPSlacker]

@XPSlacker -

That new case wouldn't by chance be a Tsunami would it?

Negative, it is an Aspire X-Infinity.

Here is a pic of how the cable locks into place on a slot cover and then has room to plug into where I want to plug the mic and headphones in the back audio ports. I already have a CD drive in place, blocking me from getting an inside, lower view of how the cables are molded into and coming out of the enclosed connection block. I will have the case open within the next week. If you want me to pull the drive and get a pic of the cables coming out of the block inside, let me know.

XPSlacker

[nmX.Memnoch]

Yes, get a picture of the actual hookup inside the PC for the cases built in front-panel audio connector.

Hopefully it looks something like the attachment. Note that the attachment shows part of my currently uncompleted mod...