We are looking for a straight cable converter that would take a 3.5mm
4 pole jack that would typically connect a headset into a Playstation or X-Box but split it out into a 3.5mm 'stereo' jack (headphones) and a 2.5mm (mono?) jack for the mic?
It seems you can easily find them the other way round (two female jacks into one male 4 pole plug) so I was wondering if there was a technical reason why what we want to do isn't possible?
I think some PC mics were / are 'electret' (is it, 'powered') and so require a 'stereo' plug (sig, power, gnd) so maybe that's something to do with it?
I've always used the format <diameter>, <poles>, 'Jack' <gender>
eg: 3.5mm, stereo (so 3 connections), Jack plug.
1/4" mono Jack chassis socket?
Where the 'Jack' bit describes a tubular type connector.
What type of 'plug' though? ;-)
Ah, a 'jack socket'. ;-)
I think that's exactly the thing I was thinking about mate (cheers) but confusing with the 2.5mm's as used on the Mic for PMR / Walkie Talkie stuff. I blame the cold ... <sniff> ;-(
Yeah, but the bit that rarely seems clear with most of these ads is if the socket part is 4 pole or not?
Given the sleeve is one connector, a 4 pole headset would be L/R/M/Gnd (not in that particular order etc). Given that then split into 2 x 3 pole where one connector on each plug is ground (so 5 individual connections), what happens to the 'extra / missing' connection?
Daughter had her first online OU tutorial for her Open Degree tonight and had picked up a headset that was supposed to work with 'PC's' but only if they came with a suitable 4 pole connector or you buy the extra converter. 'Luckily', few if any used the mic function so little was lost. ;-)
I'll pick up a splitter for her ready for next time tho. Thanks.
USB headsets are pretty cheap and avoid most audio interfacing problems. I picked up a Plantronics Blackwire 5220 USB one £10 in the Cancer Research shop recently. I haven't got it to work with Dragon Dictate yet though.
Ah, but the 'accepted use' may have moved on since that nice Mr A G Bell wrote that. ;-)
(Or since I had to completely re-wire a PABX for my BT apprenticeship). ;-)
Possibly not so flexible re using them on an old TV or radio but could be a good solution for daughter in this case. I nearly suggested a basic USB audio dongle but didn't for the above reason.
Sounds like a result.
And that's the whole KISS thing isn't it.
I've recently used a couple of Shuttle slimline PC's on big TV's for the likes of Netflix and Youtube (more flexible than those old Smart TVs) and the default default output seems to be the std audio connections, requiring you to go into the audio settings and point it towards the HDMI.
Did I describe it correctly above? 'Dolls eye exchange', Jacks on weighted cords with toggle switches and a operator position with rotary dial and headset?
My 1 x 5 is still online here. ;-)
Were they new OOI?
I think daughter bought an over-the-ear headset in the hope it blocked out a bit more of the background noise?
That would be a PMBX - manual exchange. Unless it was a PABX with a cord board like a PABX2
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I assume not, as not in boxes etc. Works fine for talk and listen, just haveb't got the driver to talk to Dragon yet. Which may be Dragon's fault of course as it is about 10 years old.
"1953 W. MacLanachan Television & Radar Encycl. 103/2 Jack and Jack plug, a socket with two or more contacts..into which a jack plug with corresponding contacts can be inserted"
And the way telephone lines are terminated with a line jack unit.
From memory it was more like the one on the right here:
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I also think I remember it opening up sideways with the main loom running up / down the lhs.
After training you on all the repair and adjustment of all the components it used (inc the 'Dolls eye indicators'), they handed you cabinet that had been wired by a previous tech and then the loom cut though. You had to de-solder everything, make up a wiring nail-board from the diagram and cabinet measurements and then draw up a wiring list. You would lay out the wiring on said board, lace and release from the board. You would then wire the cabinet, test and once happy, submit for test and examination. Once passed you got your score and they cut though the main loom again ready for the next trainee. ;-(
Ok.
My first foray into voice recognition was DD and probably on a 386. ;-)
And that all may be so, but isn't necessarily taking into account the UK usage of the term in general usage (not just telephones, where a round plug hasn't been used (domestically) for *years* (if ever?)).
"In the UK, the terms jack plug and jack socket are commonly used for the respective male and female phone connectors."
In contrast with:
"In the US, a stationary (more fixed) electrical connector is called a jack.[3][4] The terms phone plug and phone jack are sometimes used to refer to different genders of phone connectors,"
You seem now to be claiming that a "jack" refers only to /round/ sockets and plugs. And that we don't have line jacks on phone lines. On that please read on.
Since you seem to think a couple of entries from CPC carry more weight than the OED please have a look at
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and the others at
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And BTW it's not just the OED.
"a female fitting in an electric circuit used with a plug to make a connection with another circuit"
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"a hole into which a wire connected to a piece of electrical equipment can be plugged so that the equipment can operate: "
Only if you can only consider things in black and white?
I am suggesting that the convention around the sort of things this post was about (headphones etc) use a 'jack plug / socket' in the way most people would consider the use of the term.
Again, only if you are taking my offerings out of context.
Yup, specifics around telephony and probably historic from the days of A G Bell. ;-)
<snip>
As well you might (when seen in context). ;-)
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When BT or any of the BB customer service personnel are talking a domestic subscriber though a phone fault / issue do you think they refer to 'jacks' or 'plugs and sockets', when getting the person to 'unplug' say a filter and plug a phone back in directly?
How a BT engineer (or someone trapped in the 1800's <g>) might talk to another is a different matter because they will often be using historic terms and / or terms specific to their trade.
To be clear, I'm not suggesting for one second that some people don't refer to some connectors in ways that most people don't (and that doing so is wrong). Just that most people don't and especially in this country. ;-)
For 'most people' a plug is the male part (eg. 13A plug) and the socket the receptacle it plugs into. This is very obvious with things like the std UK 13A plug as it has very obvious prongs that suggest the 'male' part or 'plug'.
However, there are many connectors that may have a physical male electrical part that is contained in a female mechanical part, that can lead to some confusion.
Then you have the 'genderless' (hermaphroditic) connectors, like the Anderson Powerpole range.
You cited a couple of CPC entries in support of your claim. Now you dismiss a plethora of counter-examples. I see no point in further comment, save that I am reminded some think "jack" (meaning "socket") was the source of "jacksie" (as in "talking out of his jacksie").
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