audigy/front panel connection/hack help

[andelero]

First build. My case is an Antec P150 and I'm using an old Audigy (SB0090) card. My mission is to connect the front panel mic and lineout jacks to the Audigy.

After some research, I concluded that using the front panel connectors as-is isn't going to work. The only promising connector on the card is AUD_EXT, but the pin assignments (via Creative Support KB Solution ID SID3026) and various posts indicate those are digital only.

So my thought now is to route the front panel cable along the interior perimeter of the case and out through one of the intake vent holes above the expansion slot for the Audigy, using the external mic and lineout jacks on the card.

Again looking at SID3026, it shows the mic jack has power, signal, and ground connections. The lineout jack has left, right, and ground connections. I haven't done a lot of soldering, but I figure I can terminate the front panel cable with appropriate plugs and some help from Radio Shack.

Now, on the front panel cable are seven pigtails labeled mic, mic bias, gnd, fpout-l, ret-l, fpout-r, ret-r. I'm just guessing about how these match up. Can someone confirm that:

(front panel -> mic plug)
mic -> signal
mic bias -> power
gnd -> ground

(front panel -> lineout plug)
fpout-l -> left
fpout-r -> right
ret-r -> ground
ret-l -> ground

Assuming that's correct, are there any other issues to consider here? I will be using a Y-adapter on the lineout jack on the Audigy so that I can have one jack for the speaker system and another for the front panel headphones.

Lastly, in a related task, I'm trying to connect the four-pin PC_SPK header on the motherboard to the corresponding 2-pin header on the Audigy. According to the pin assignments on the motherboard, the two inside pins on the 4-pin header are ground. I'll only be connecting the +5V and SPK_OUT pins to the Audigy. Should I leave the ground pins on the motherboard alone, or do I need to do something with them?

Thanks!

 

[Mister X]

This part is wrong----->

(front panel -> lineout plug)
fpout-l -> left
fpout-r -> right
ret-r -> ground
ret-l -> ground

The rest is ok.



The front panel headphone jack has a pair of rudimentary switches in it that serve to turn the speaker output off when you plug something into it.
(it's called a closed circuit jack)
If you don't plan on using this switching feature then you don't need to connect anything to the ret-r and ret-l leads.
The mic ground and the headphone jack ground are one and the same so if you are wondering about that.............

 

[andelero]

Thanks Mister X, I appreciate it. The switching feature sounds worthwhile. Is it possible to enable that on the Audigy by connecting those leads somewhere?

Also, do you know of a source for those tiny single-pin connectors on the pigtails? Even better already wired in various lengths with a connector on both ends. And is there a preferred method for splitting that ground wire on the front panel into two for the mic and headphone plugs?

 

[eastvillager]

Some games don't know how to use anything besides MIC1, and will actually switch you to MIC1 even if you have MIC2 set in the mixer.

One example: BF2.

Which means you have to use the rear panel for your mic input sometimes instead of the far more convenient front jack.

 

[Mister X]

The switching feature sounds worthwhile. Is it possible to enable that on the Audigy by connecting those leads somewhere?

Just connect the ret-r and ret-L wires to another jack (that you would later plug the speakers into) and away you go.

you would end up with something that looks like this diagram--------->

Also, do you know of a source for those tiny single-pin connectors on the pigtails?

I am not real big on the idea of using those because the cable that runs inside the case should be sheilded but WTF.


I think this is what you are after:
Crimp Pins---->
http://www.mouser.com/index.cfm?han...uctid=363699&e_categoryid=606&e_pcodeid=53816

You can find wire to wire crimp housings on Page 1071:

http://www.mouser.com/catalog/625/1071.pdf

Even better already wired in various lengths with a connector on both ends.

Good luck with that one.

Err.....actualy you know there is premade version of my little diagram available from above from Frontx dot com
http://www.frontx.com/cpx090.html

And is there a preferred method for splitting that ground wire on the front panel into two for the mic and headphone plugs?

I would run a seperate ground from the plug to eack jack but it really doesn't matter much cause it will ground to the case anyhow.