Simple solution for switching audio

[duragezic]

Ok, here's the starting facts. I have a Dell 2005FPW with the composite in connected to the yellow output from a VCR. Thus I can watch cable tv on the monitor. The audio output on the VCR is simply a white composite/RCA jack. I used a Red & White RCA --> headphone-jack size cable (one that comes with a portable CD player) for audio from the VCR to my PC. I have a old SB Live! value which has a line-in input where I plugged the headphone-size jack into. Thus I can even watch TV in PiP mode and be able to hear PC audio as well as the TV audio. My speakers are Altec Lansing ACS54 but not in surround mode cause the surround speakers play ok but not in 4 speaker mode, so its just two channel red & white playing through all 4. So that is all okay, but...


Is there any sort of simple device or converter such that I could plug my speakers either directly into the PC as I have now or bypass the PC and have them play strictly from the audio output from the VCR? I want to do this so that I can watch TV on the monitor and play the sound through the computer speakers without having the computer on. But I would still like to have the functionality of being able to play TV audio as well as PC audio simultaneously when the PC is on.

So ideally I would need some sort of splitter. Now I'm only using the white end of my Red + White -> headphone-jack cable, which is only mono, but what I remember from an EE lab is that the L and R channels are the same and you can just pick one or the other and play that through multiple speakers (I don't care about 2.1 sound when its just from a TV). So I have the right channel/Red plug not plugged in since the VCR only outputs to one audio plug.

Anyone have any ideas on a simple device (building my own even) for cheap that would accomplish what I want to do?



Here's a diagram illustrating my current setup


Perhaps I could use the unused red RCA somehow to plug into the speakers? Problem is, I don't believe that the surround sound/rear input on the subwoofer works properly. Only the front and maybe one of the rear speakers play when Rear is connected to Surround on the sound card and Windows is set to 4 speaker sound. This happens on two different sound cards, its just something fvcked up with the old speakers. So I just use the front, green cable to go from subwoofer to PC, and if I choose just 2 speaker sound, all 4 speakers still play but its not true surround or whatever, but it's the best I can do with the messed up speakers.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Right now when you play stuff from your VCR, does sound only come out the left side of your 4.1 set? If so, doesn't that bother you?

Ok... lets see

first of all an RCA splitter would get you dual mono out of a single mono connection, so then sound would come out in 2.1 (or 4.1 if you speakers mirror stereo input to the rear speakers) rather than 1.1 from the left or 2.1 FL/RL/sub.

So you have "stereo RCA" coming out of your VCR now.

You'll want to split this and send one stereo signal to your line-in and one to an input switch.

A cheap KMV switch might get the job done for you if it has audio switching too. Alternatively something like a AV switcher would allow you to switch between inputs. It would be great if you could find a cheap one that only selects between two sources.

So, depending on the type of switch you get, you'd want to decide where to switch over to 1/8" cables from RCA cables from the VCR.

There's a nice hodge podge of adapter at cablesforless but before you pick anything else out, you should probably dedide on an input switcher.

A cheap alternative to a switch you would buy is manually changing the input cable on the speakers. If you run the front input line from the speakers to your desk and then run an extension cable from your comptuer+vcr and vcr output, then you'd just need to do a quick cable changing when you wanted to just have the VCR input.

If you were going to do this and not buy a switch (that's what I would do if I wanted to keep cost down) I'd do this.

pictar

 

[Zepper]

Radio Shack has audio and or video switch boxes that can be used as multiple input to one output or vice versa (one input switched to several outputs). Or you could get a stereo mixer that can take several inputs and mix (or not - just turn the sliders down on the input(s) you don't want) to one or more outputs.

.bh.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Zepper
Radio Shack has audio and or video switch boxes that can be used as multiple input to one output or vice versa (one input switched to several outputs). Or you could get a stereo mixer that can take several inputs and mix (or not - just turn the sliders down on the input(s) you don't want) to one or more outputs.

.bh.

I haven't looked at radioshack much. Are there switchers or mixers that are better/less expensive than the one I linked to?

 

[neptunefix]

I use a Radioshack A/B switch and it works fine. I've got two computers using the same stereo receiver.

 

[neptunefix]

I would also like to mention that I am using a small IOgear KVM switch, in confuction to the Radioshack A/B audio switch. I just tap the "scroll lock" key twice real fast and it switches my KVM.

I went this route so I could switch audio independently of switching KVM. For instance, if I'm listening to music on one computer and switching back and forth between the other computers, the audio doesnt get interrupted.

 

[duragezic]

Bah, there ain't even a RadioShack around. So even if I went with the simplest route as YoYo illustrated, I'd probably need a RadioShack for those parts. I will probably do that though. I'm a cheap bastard, and if I can save a bunch of money by having to switch it manually (tho as you say, having it on my desk would make it take like 2 seconds), I will probably go that route. Nice picture YoYo, thanks for taking the time of figuring that out and drawing it. Since I would only be switching the cable at most once a day, I can make do with manually switching. I'll probably only need 3 or 4 $1-$2 parts that way, so I'll have to check out a RadioShack next time I go home. KVM would be cool but I don't really wanna spend $20-25 for something so simple, and I don't see myself having two computers anytime soon.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

You can also get all the cables needed at cablesforless.

You might want to check out how much it is for the parts you need from there before heading over to radioshack to see if you're getting ripped off.

 

[duragezic]

Cool yeah I'll at least get a estimate from there. Any big difference and I will just order from them.

And yeah sound from the VCR only comes out from the left channel, so only my front left and rear left play.

So I will pick up the single mono to double mono Y cable, use my current dual to stereo jack cable, pick up a single stereo to dual y-splitter, then the last two male-male and male-female 1/8 cables, which I may have laying around the house.

Nice plan. Probably won't be much more than $5 or 7. Nice!! Thanks again!

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: duragezic
Cool yeah I'll at least get a estimate from there. Any big difference and I will just order from them.

And yeah sound from the VCR only comes out from the left channel, so only my front left and rear left play.

So I will pick up the single mono to double mono Y cable, use my current dual to stereo jack cable, pick up a single stereo to dual y-splitter, then the last two male-male and male-female 1/8 cables, which I may have laying around the house.

Nice plan. Probably won't be much more than $5 or 7. Nice!! Thanks again!

No problem. I hope it works out for you without any issues.