[dba-Tech] No Headphone Output

Jim Lawrence accessd at shaw.ca
Sat Mar 15 13:27:07 CDT 2014


Hi Tina:

Good news...

Jim

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tina Norris Fields" <tinanfields at torchlake.com>
To: "DatabaseAdvisors-Tech" <dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com>
Sent: Saturday, 15 March, 2014 11:05:51 AM
Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] No Headphone Output

Okay, good news.  I got an adapter from Radio Shack - a sort of 
Y-adapter - one jack for mic and one jack for stereo headphones, 
combined to a single 4-pole plug. (Interesting sidebar - the language 
used by the Dell tech, calling the combo plug a 4-ring plug, confused my 
Radio Shack guy, because he correctly understands the black bands to be 
the rings and the metal surfaces to be the poles - which led him to tell 
me he didn't have any 4-ring adapters.  It helps to use the right terms!!!)

I now have sound through my headphones, plugged into the adapter and the 
adapter plugged into the combo jack on the laptop.  Next, I will test 
the external speaker on this adapter.  Then, I will test the 
microphone.  The software GUI still refuses to acknowledge the presence 
of headphones, but I do have sound. Woo-hoo!

TNF

Tina Norris Fields
tinanfields-at-torchlake-dot-com
231-322-2787

On 3/14/2014 4:02 PM, Tina Norris Fields wrote:
> Here's my update:
> I contacted both Radio Shack and Best Buy in Traverse City, and 
> learned that neither one has anything at all in-house with a 4-pole 
> plug or jack.  I found an adapter 3-pole male to 4-pole male on eBay 
> and will have that in hand in another week or so. Meantime, I went 
> into the Dell Community FAQ Laptop Audio forum and found this about 
> the new combo jacks:
>
> http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3517/t/19345854.aspx#six 
>
>
> summary:
> ====
> Dell is now putting "combo" jacks in many of the laptop models. A 
> combo jack combines the function of a mic jack and a headphone jack 
> into a single jack socket. Here is what you can and cannot use with a 
> combo jack.
> > You can use a smart phone type of headset.
> > You can also use conventional headphones that have a 3.5mm 3 segment 
> plug (a TRS plug). A 3 segmented plug looks like this: (followed by a 
> picture just like mine)
>
> > You cannot use the combo jack for stereo line-in recording. It only 
> is capable of mono input.
>
> > You cannot use a conventional computer mic that has a 3.5mm TRS (3 
> segmented) plug. You might be able to use a conventional mic with an 
> adapter cable.
> ====
>
> So, according to the Dell Community FAQ, my 3-pole headphone plug 
> should work just fine in the 4-pole audio jack.  I have sent this very 
> same information to the tech handling my case.  I'm waiting to see 
> what her response will be to my findings.
>
> TNF
>
> Tina Norris Fields
> tinanfields-at-torchlake-dot-com
> 231-322-2787
>
> On 3/14/2014 1:06 PM, Tina Norris Fields wrote:
>> Hi again,
>>
>> Okay, I got an email message from the tech supervising my case, 
>> asking me to test external speakers on the jack, and to send a 
>> picture of the headphone plug I am using.  So, I tried.  No joy with 
>> the external speaker, either.  Both the external speaker and the 
>> headphone are using 3-ring stereo plugs.  The tech has come back to 
>> me, saying that I need a 4-ring plug for this audio card. Hello, this 
>> is news.  I called my friends at Radio Shack to see if I could get a 
>> 4-ring plug - they answered that they didn't have anything in the 
>> shop with 4-rings.  The tech linked me to an article showing a 
>> picture of the kind of plug she said I need. Interestingly enough, 
>> the article is complaining that Windows 8.1 refused to recognize a 
>> 4-ring plug.  Oh dear, now things are not looking right to me.
>>
>> Well, we'll see how things work out.
>>
>> TNF
>>
>> Tina Norris Fields
>> tinanfields-at-torchlake-dot-com
>> 231-322-2787
>>
>> On 3/14/2014 9:47 AM, Tina Norris Fields wrote:
>>> Hi All,
>>>
>>> I'm working with the Dell tech people to try to solve the problem, 
>>> and I'm exploring the online discussions on the same topic, but I 
>>> also want to ask this gang for help.
>>>
>>> I have a new Dell Inspiron 15R, came with Windows 8 (64-bit) - since 
>>> upgraded to Windows 8.1.
>>>
>>> When I plug in headphones, nothing changes - the speakers continue 
>>> to sound and no sound comes through the headphones. The mixer does 
>>> not show headphones, only speakers.  The Sound properties dialog 
>>> does not show headphones, only speakers. All sound tests show the 
>>> speakers working well, and do not recognize headphones at all.
>>>
>>> After a long online chat with a Dell tech, the decision was to 
>>> replace the motherboard.  That was done Wednesday evening. Upon 
>>> completion of the replacement, the initial problem remained exactly 
>>> the same.
>>>
>>> I have done all the driver updating I could find, both through the 
>>> My Dell Drivers support and from the manufacturer Realtek 
>>> Semiconductor website.  Results continue to be exactly the same.
>>>
>>> So far, the online suggestions all point to setting the headphones 
>>> option in the Sound properties dialog to be the default.  My problem 
>>> is that there is NO headphones option in the Sound properties dialog 
>>> box - none at all.  I do have the "Show disabled devices" and "Show 
>>> disconnected devices" check boxes ticked.   I have uninstalled and 
>>> reinstalled several times to no avail.  The first time I 
>>> uninstalled, when I rebooted the system it did claim that no sound 
>>> device was installed.  The last time I uninstalled, when I rebooted 
>>> the system the existing device had already been installed.
>>>
>>> The sound card is called Realtek High Definition Audio.  I'm 
>>> thinking the sound card is defective, or, if it's truly a 
>>> motherboard problem, then the replacement motherboard has the same 
>>> defect as the original mortherboard.
>>>
>>> Any ideas about a solution?  Thanks.
>>>
>>> TNF
>>>
>>
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