Custom SPDIF Out Wiring on the Original Live! Value - I'm Impressed!

SaturnX

Diamond Member
Jul 16, 2000
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Hey,

Well, I decided to figure out the pin out of the EXT_SPDIF connector on my original Live! Value (the first release), and well, I discovered that there are individual pins for both SPDIF In/Out, so I went over to Radio Shack, picked up some simple female RCA jacks, took an old PCI slot cover, drilled out two holes, and mounted the two connectors, wired them, soldered on wires (I used old connectors from an old case for the LED, since they had the two pin connector, just snipped off the LED). I connected the OUT to pins 1 and 2 (2 being ground), and the IN on pins 5 and 6 (5 being ground).

I booted up, started Winamp, and playing some tunes, opened the Surround Mixer, and listend once with analog audio, then switched to digital (selected Digital Output Only), and WOW!!!! :D

The difference is like night and day, little distortion, crisper and cleaner sound, it's honestly amazing. I'm using it with an Altec Lansing ACS 56 speaker setup, and connected my new SPDIF Out from the card to the SPDIF on the speakers, and it's great, I was contemplating buying a Hoontech addon for these connectors, but my own creation worked just as well, and only cost me $4

Well if anyone's interested, I got the information on the Pin out from this site:
Live! Center

Now I have digital in and out, both of which give new life to my old Live! Value

And that's my story,

--Mark
 

ApacheXMD

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
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you want to be careful plugging that ghetto-rigged SPDIF output to anything important or expensive. output off the board is probably TTL level meaning 0-5volts rather than the +-500mv (IIRC) of true coax spdif.

/me reads the article linked.

yep they warn you in the article too. glad it works for you.. but i would still be careful if you connect it to anything else

-patchy
 

SaturnX

Diamond Member
Jul 16, 2000
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Yeah.. I know that it outputs TTL levels, but so far so good... heh, but who knows what could happen later on.... hehe.. but yeah I know.

--Mark
 

Brian48

Diamond Member
Oct 15, 1999
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Were you able to retain true four speaker support with this setup? What I'm saying is, are you able to run the speakers in "gaming" mode with seperate sound coming out of all speakers? Or did you have to switch to "music" mode, where the sound coming from the front and rear speakers are the same?