Is it Possible: To Use Mic Jack as Headphone Jack?

bmn187 · 11-18-2007, 04:58 AM

I have a laptop on which the headphone jack is messed up. So I'm wondering, since it's one sound card, and headphone and mic jacks are identical, is it possible to alter the drivers, to switch the output/inputs and use the mic jack as the headphone jack?

[-0MEGA-] · 11-18-2007, 05:02 AM

The jacks themselves are the same, however I believe that they are physically connected differently on the card itself, and isn't something that the driver depicts how to use.

paratwa · 11-18-2007, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [-0MEGA-]

The jacks themselves are the same, however I believe that they are physically connected differently on the card itself, and isn't something that the driver depicts how to use.

Correct. They are hard wired to each function.

epidemik · 11-18-2007, 07:31 PM

So i guess you could rewire them

But i would also guess that'd be extremely difficult.

[-0MEGA-] · 11-18-2007, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by epidemik

So i guess you could rewire them

But i would also guess that'd be extremely difficult.

Well seeing as they are soldered to the board and other components, I don't think it would even be possible.

addle_brains · 11-18-2007, 08:49 PM

Some cards allow remapping of input sockets. I had a Gigabyte mobo with some kind of integrated soundcard (forget which) that you plugged something into and it would ask you what it was, so you could plug any sound device into anything.

epidemik · 11-18-2007, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [-0MEGA-]

Well seeing as they are soldered to the board and other components, I don't think it would even be possible.

Hmm i guess youre right.
but...im sure someone in the world could do it...
Never say never.

**The_Other_One** · 11-18-2007, 10:44 PM

Back when the ATX layout was more standardized and most all machines used basically an identical layout, most onboard sound cards only had 3 audio ports. As surround sound became more popular, many of these allowed the ports to serve different purposes. The Line-In may be Rear out. However, most all sound cards have enough ports now of days where they don't need to double up.

What kind of soundcard are we talking about here. Could you possibly use a rear output as another headphone jack?

bmn187 · 11-18-2007, 11:59 PM

oh man

its a sony vaio laptop, and has only jacks in the front.

The headphone jack is messed up and needs to be fixed, by either soldering the joints inside or just replacing the soundcard (Realtek).

I was hoping i could use software to use the mic jack as the headphone jack, cuz i didnt want to actually mess with the board itself...

what are my options to get a decent sound out of this laptop?

oscaryu1 · 11-19-2007, 12:34 AM

Buy a USB sound card or PCMCIA sound card

11-18-2007, 04:58 AM	#1 (permalink)
bmn187 New Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 5	Is it Possible: To Use Mic Jack as Headphone Jack? I have a laptop on which the headphone jack is messed up. So I'm wondering, since it's one sound card, and headphone and mic jacks are identical, is it possible to alter the drivers, to switch the output/inputs and use the mic jack as the headphone jack?

11-18-2007, 05:02 AM	#2 (permalink)
[-0MEGA-] Diamond Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Concord, NH Age: 19 Posts: 26,397	The jacks themselves are the same, however I believe that they are physically connected differently on the card itself, and isn't something that the driver depicts how to use. __________________ Core 2 Duo E8400 @ 3.83GHz Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L ATI HD 3870 GDDR4 @ (840/2332) 4GB (2x 2GB) DDR2-850 500GB SATAII HD w/16MB SilverStone 750W +12V@60A 3DMark06: 11593

11-18-2007, 07:31 PM	#4 (permalink)
epidemik Diamond Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Ashland Oregon Age: 16 Posts: 2,246	So i guess you could rewire them But i would also guess that'd be extremely difficult. __________________ Current PC (New one coming late July) Athlon 2000 nVidia 6200 1 GB RAM 19 + 40 GB HD CD Reader last.fm : Steam Profile CF xFire Group: Click Here Then PM Me If You Apply

11-18-2007, 08:49 PM	#6 (permalink)
addle_brains Gold Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Highfields, QLD, Australia Posts: 304	Some cards allow remapping of input sockets. I had a Gigabyte mobo with some kind of integrated soundcard (forget which) that you plugged something into and it would ask you what it was, so you could plug any sound device into anything. __________________ ASUS P5K Deluxe /Wifi API Intel Core2 Duo E6750@3.37GHz 2 x 1Gig 667 RAM Inno3D iChill Nvidia 8600GTS XStriker3 2 x Seagate 250Gig SATA HD Samsung DVD-RAM Thermaltake Beetle CPU cooler Thermaltake 850watt Toughpower CoolerMaster Mystique Silver Aluminium Case

11-18-2007, 10:44 PM	#8 (permalink)
The_Other_One Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lexington, NC Age: 23 Posts: 12,307	Back when the ATX layout was more standardized and most all machines used basically an identical layout, most onboard sound cards only had 3 audio ports. As surround sound became more popular, many of these allowed the ports to serve different purposes. The Line-In may be Rear out. However, most all sound cards have enough ports now of days where they don't need to double up. What kind of soundcard are we talking about here. Could you possibly use a rear output as another headphone jack? __________________ Urban De-Development * Athlon X2 4200 \| 2048M RAM \| 160G HD \| 7600GT * C2D T5250 \| 2048M RAM \| 160G HD \| Intel x3100 * G4 1.33GHz \| 512M RAM \| 40G HD \| Radeon 9200

11-18-2007, 11:59 PM	#9 (permalink)
bmn187 New Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 5	oh man its a sony vaio laptop, and has only jacks in the front. The headphone jack is messed up and needs to be fixed, by either soldering the joints inside or just replacing the soundcard (Realtek). I was hoping i could use software to use the mic jack as the headphone jack, cuz i didnt want to actually mess with the board itself... what are my options to get a decent sound out of this laptop?

11-19-2007, 12:34 AM	#10 (permalink)
oscaryu1 VIP Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Houston, Texas Age: 13 Posts: 9,819	Buy a USB sound card or PCMCIA sound card __________________ Core 2 Duo E2140 1.6GHz @ 3.04GHz GA-P31-DS3L pqi Turbo CL4 DDR2-800 2GB Sapphire HD3850 256MB Sony Writemaster DVD Burner EIDE Seagate Barracuda 80GB 7200.9 8MB SATII

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