Re: OT Audio Adapter Query

[Rainer Straschill <moinsound@googlemail.com>]

Ok, so the Sonica has a means to determine if there is something plugged 
in and it *may* use that to feed audio to the jack (if that second 
assumption is the case, the whole behaviour would be explained).

There's two ways I know of you can use to determine whether something is 
plugged in:
    a) a mechanical contact
    b) two electrical contacts along the length of the "sleeve" portion 
which measure resistance. Due to how these are places, these sometimes 
detect a TRS (aka stereo) plug as "nothing is plugged in" (this is the 
case with the Boss DD20, btw).

This would explain (if it's case b) why plugging the rucksack into the 
Sonica does not work.
It does NOT explain why using the female stereo 1/8 to male mono 1/8 
adapter does not work, however.

I'm at my wit's end - anyone else got any idea?

             Rainer

looppool@cruzio.com schrieb:
> Thanks, Rainer
> you wrote:
>   
>> just so I'm getting this right:
>> You have:
>>   a) the rucksack with a stereo male 1/8 plug
>>     
>
> Yes and the plug is hard wired into the little plastic battery powered
> amplifier
> with two mono cables going out to the speakers (imbedded in the backpack
> --- very cool!)
>
>   
>>   b) the Sonica with a (mono?) female 1/8 jack
>>     
>
> Yes
>   
>>   c) the cable which goes from stereo female to stereo male (extension
>> cord)
>>     
>
> No, I bought a single piece adapter that goes from female stereo 1/8
> (going to amp)
> to a male mono 1/8 (going directly into the Sonica)
>
> I tried just putting the stereo plug from the Amp straight into the out 
>of
> the Sonica
> but that produces no sound and does NOT cut off the Sonica's internal 
>speaker
>
>   
>>   d) an mp3 player with female 1/8 jack for testing purposes.
>>     
>
> Yes
>
>
>   
>> Now I understand that somehow mp3 player through backpack does work,
>> and Sonica through backpack does not.
>>     
>
> Yes
>
>   
>> Which role does the cable (c) play here? Has it any effect on
>> working/non-working?
>>     
>
> Well, the only cable is the stereo female 1/8 that goes into the amp.
> It works well coming from an mp3 player (nice loud speakers in the back
> back with
> it's magnificent 3 watt amp)
>
>   
>> And another question: you mentioned that the Sonica will switch off
>> its speakers when something is plugged in. Does that happen when you
>> plug in your cable or the rucksack?
>>     
>
> When I plug either the stereo out of the rucksack directly in,  it does
> NOT cut off the internal speaker of the Sonica (and produces no sound 
>from
> the rucksack speakers)
>
> When I use the stereo to mono adaptor and plug it in,  the Sonica sound
> does NOT cut off
> either
>
> However,  when I plug a normal mono male 1/8 into the Sonica and plug it 
>into
> my little lipstic amp (or any guitar amp) it works well and the Sonica
> sound cuts off at it's own speaker.
>
> Okay, that should be enough info.  I hope I'm clear enough.
> My wife seems to think that it may require an active DI with a preamp, 
>but
> it doesn't require one when I use my little battery powered cigarette
> amplifier or my vox battery powered amplifier.  They are both , 
>admittedly
> more powerful amps but in the case of the rucksack amp there is not sound
> whatsoever emanating when plugged into the Sonica the way I have it.
>
>
>   
>>          Rainer
>>
>>     
>
>
>   


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