Topic: coaxial to mini optical?

[chazwars]

I am heading down to a festival in a few weeks and wondered about patching my JB3 out of a coaxial output. As you well know, the JB3 only has a mini optical input. Is there such a cable that can go from coaxial to mini-optical. Or, coaxial to optical, and add the optical to mini optical adapter?  I've searched around the 'net with no luck.

Thanks,
  Charlie

[Roving Sign]

You'll need the Hosa 276 or M-Audio CO2...

[yug du nord]

What's up chaz...  you'd need a converter.  Which in turn you'd need a battery for a converter.  Hosa makes a good one, Midiman I think makes one.  I've been lookin' at a Hosa for a while.  My Hi-MD takes optical, so I've always thought that it'd be good to have a converter for patching situations. 

Hosa ODL-276

http://www.hosatech.com/hosa/products/odl-276.html

You can find em on ebay also...  there's a company in Northern MN that seems to always sell em on ebay.  Might be a few dollars too much, but they're local MN folks!

[chazwars]

Well, I've got a CO3 sitting around collecting dust. It sounds like that might be my best bet. Pain in the rear though to schlep all that gear around just for a conversion but that is the way it is.

Thanks crew.

[rastasean]

My question is along the same lines.

There isn't a way to do male rca to optial for a MD recorder is there? Sounds like this would also need some kind of converter.

[chazwars]

That is the impression I got from the board.

[pigiron]

Just to throw out a cheaper (and smaller) alternative, I've used on of those cheap "generic" converters on a JB3 and it worked fine... can't see why it wouldn't work on a MD either.

It was one of these... http://www.svideo.com/coaxtoslink1.html... they used to sell them all over the place (and I thought for a lower price than that one).

Wired up a small battery pack, and the current draw is so low they run almost forever.

Just for grins, I slapped a o'scope on the waveform... doesn't meet SPDIF amplitude specs, but like I said, it worked. Never tried it with 96K though, since I only needed 44.1 and 48K for the JB3.

Ran a Hosa also... nothing wrong with those... just a little bigger and more expensive.

[yug du nord]

Just to throw out a cheaper (and smaller) alternative, I've used on of those cheap "generic" converters on a JB3 and it worked fine... can't see why it wouldn't work on a MD either.

It was one of these... http://www.svideo.com/coaxtoslink1.html... they used to sell them all over the place (and I thought for a lower price than that one).

Wired up a small battery pack, and the current draw is so low they run almost forever.

Just for grins, I slapped a o'scope on the waveform... doesn't meet SPDIF amplitude specs, but like I said, it worked. Never tried it with 96K though, since I only needed 44.1 and 48K for the JB3.

Ran a Hosa also... nothing wrong with those... just a little bigger and more expensive.

Wow...  never seen one of these...  looks nice and small...  didn't know it existed!!!  +T

[Brian Skalinder]

It was one of these... http://www.svideo.com/coaxtoslink1.html...

That looks like the "grey box" digital format converter included in some testing performed by a member of the JB3 Yahoo group a couple years ago.  If memory serves, the testing revealed it wasn't bit-transparent.  Might check the JB3 Yahoo group, the testing results (an Excel spreadsheet, I think) might still be there.  YMMV.

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

It was one of these... http://www.svideo.com/coaxtoslink1.html...

That looks like the "grey box" digital format converter included in some testing performed by a member of the JB3 Yahoo group a couple years ago.  If memory serves, the testing revealed it wasn't bit-transparent.  Might check the JB3 Yahoo group, the testing results (an Excel spreadsheet, I think) might still be there.  YMMV.

The $10 converter I bought from Rat Shack works well for my TV, but drops bits every once in a while.  This is totally unsuitable for recording.

The M-Audio CO2 I once owned also produced drop-outs...

I also owned a Hosa ODL276.  I worked perfectly, never once having any issues.  It was also proven bit-perfect (or at least the SPDIF > AES version was).

Get a 276, its worth the extra $20 to not have to deal with the aggravation...

Terry

[pigiron]

I totally forgot about the "controversy"

Probably because I never had a problem with the infamous "grey box" after using it at multiple fest'es.

BUT, I sat down one time and traced out the circuit in the little bugger and I can see where it could depend on the rig... it uses TTL logic (hence not really meeting the SPDIF spec)... so if the input doesn't slam down to near ground level, then I'm sure drop-outs are a possibility.

You're right... it could be a $20 gamble and I should have added a "YMMV" clause... but I saw no problems with a MiniMe > "grey box".

[esteyes]

actually, spdif digi conforms to the rs422 specs and using a 422 receiver or transmitter, once the signal has been input to a device it does actually run at TTL (transistor to transistor logic). TTL is 0-5V, spdif is 0-1V, but many dat decks were perfectly happy to receive TTL level signal w/o freaking out - as in when feeding AES-EBU on xlr into a co-ax signal.

anyway, the big issue with marrying co-ax and optical is that the optical device needs external power to drive the LED inside and the co-ax is passive in that the deck creates the signal.

http://www.epanorama.net/documents/audio/spdif.html

good page for building stuff digi spdif
http://www.rockpark.com/d7/

hope this helps
nism

[rowjimmy]

I got the greybox when I first went to the JB3. used it once, threw it away. The results I had were... unlistenable.

Switched to a hosa odl-276a and it's bulletproof. it will also run forever on a cheap 9v rc battery. (I've run it on 6v too, in a pinch.)

[jerryfreak]

i think that was me, but that was like 6 or 7 years ago. i dont even remember what the results were. in the end, i gave up on the jb as a primary recording device, it was jsut too buggy.

i like my bits 100% accurate! thats why i test the shit out of any recorder before taking it in the field.

It was one of these... http://www.svideo.com/coaxtoslink1.html...

That looks like the "grey box" digital format converter included in some testing performed by a member of the JB3 Yahoo group a couple years ago.  If memory serves, the testing revealed it wasn't bit-transparent.  Might check the JB3 Yahoo group, the testing results (an Excel spreadsheet, I think) might still be there.  YMMV.

[rastasean]

What's up chaz...  you'd need a converter.  Which in turn you'd need a battery for a converter.  Hosa makes a good one, Midiman I think makes one.  I've been lookin' at a Hosa for a while.  My Hi-MD takes optical, so I've always thought that it'd be good to have a converter for patching situations. 

Hosa ODL-276

http://www.hosatech.com/hosa/products/odl-276.html

How would you connect, digitally, MD recorder to s soundboard? Would you choose to you this hosa device?