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Macbook Pro: Using the mic port as a second headphone port?
- Thread starter DSchwartz88
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i know the y splitters and stuff but i meant write a program or something even if the audio through the mic port came out as mono, is it possible?
How would you write a program that would rewire the hardware connections inside the Mac?
Curious...
actually i believe you don't need to, just need to change the way the signal goes. if you plug a headphone in the audio out of the mac, you can actually use it as a mic (with poor results).
that's because a mic and a speaker use the same basic principles in construction.
the same way that every electric motor can also be used as a generator.
im not saying rewire the hardware card, but there has go to be some way to write a program to instead of capturing the sound from the mic port to push out the sound, im not saying itll be good quality or even good mono quality but i would imagine its feasable since its all just wires and signals. Now, if the hardware on the card was the one choosing what is a mic sound and vice versa then its a problem because then i would imagine you would need to reflash the sound card firmware to make it work which is wll beyond my limits. Just was wondering.
No, if you plug headphones into the audio IN of a Mac, it will record some very bad low level signal from the miniscule voltage generated by shouting into the headphone speakers and forcing them to vibrate acoustically.
That has nothing to do with swopping the input for the output.
Kind like saying "Hey, let's pump gasoline up the tailpipe of a car and run the motor that way."
Yup. Just change a few wires and signals and your television can be a microwave oven, too.
I'm curious about something that's fundamentally similar to using the mic jack as a headphone one:
I plug my MBP into the wall to charge it. Does that mean there's a simple software hack so that, if the electricity goes out to my house during a storm, my MBP can power it?
I plug my MBP into the wall to charge it. Does that mean there's a simple software hack so that, if the electricity goes out to my house during a storm, my MBP can power it?
Re: Mic jack as headphone out.
Not possible. There is an amplifier chain in the headphone out circuit that allows it to drive headphones. These opamps aren't in the input chain, so it will never drive a heaphone. Sorry, mechanically impossible.
Re: Powering your house from the macbook battery.
Even if you could, you'd destroy the battery and only get a few minutes of power, but don't worry, you can't. Unlike a simple AC transformer, switch-mode power supplies aren't bidirectional, they can't make voltage going 'the wrong way', since they can't act as inverters.
Fun ideas, though.
peace,
sam
Not possible. There is an amplifier chain in the headphone out circuit that allows it to drive headphones. These opamps aren't in the input chain, so it will never drive a heaphone. Sorry, mechanically impossible.
Re: Powering your house from the macbook battery.
Even if you could, you'd destroy the battery and only get a few minutes of power, but don't worry, you can't. Unlike a simple AC transformer, switch-mode power supplies aren't bidirectional, they can't make voltage going 'the wrong way', since they can't act as inverters.
Fun ideas, though.
peace,
sam
Re: Mic jack as headphone out.
Not possible. There is an amplifier chain in the headphone out circuit that allows it to drive headphones. These opamps aren't in the input chain, so it will never drive a heaphone. Sorry, mechanically impossible.
Re: Powering your house from the macbook battery.
Even if you could, you'd destroy the battery and only get a few minutes of power, but don't worry, you can't. Unlike a simple AC transformer, switch-mode power supplies aren't bidirectional, they can't make voltage going 'the wrong way', since they can't act as inverters.
Fun ideas, though.
peace,
sam
very impressive answer.
and I'm proud because my name is Sam as well.
hostility
i dunno what all the hostility and ridiculous sarcasm is all about... if you run linux (sabayon, in particular, if you want to try it out - it can boot live) it actually maps both the audio ports as outputs. worked fine on my MBP... just need someone to map it differently on OSX.
i dunno what all the hostility and ridiculous sarcasm is all about... if you run linux (sabayon, in particular, if you want to try it out - it can boot live) it actually maps both the audio ports as outputs. worked fine on my MBP... just need someone to map it differently on OSX.
i dunno what all the hostility and ridiculous sarcasm is all about... if you run linux (sabayon, in particular, if you want to try it out - it can boot live) it actually maps both the audio ports as outputs. worked fine on my MBP... just need someone to map it differently on OSX.
Although it maps them both as outputs, I'd doubt the mic port would output sound; linux may see them both as outputs but that's a software misconfiguration. You cannot change the physics of the hardware with software.
If you are correct, I'd want proof so I can bang my head off the desk and wonder how the heck it would work
Although it maps them both as outputs, I'd doubt the mic port would output sound; linux may see them both as outputs but that's a software misconfiguration. You cannot change the physics of the hardware with software.
If you are correct, I'd want proof so I can bang my head off the desk and wonder how the heck it would work
I had a Soundblaster with 5.1 and it could switch the inputs and outputs via a peice of software, I cant show proof but I know it can be done on at least a few soundcards.
Interesting...never knew that.
Sound quality exactly the same? How would you switch the input to an output if it was surround sound, would all the sound come out the mic socket?
Could be an experiment for the MBP - would be quite good having 2 headphone sockets.
Sound quality exactly the same? How would you switch the input to an output if it was surround sound, would all the sound come out the mic socket?
Could be an experiment for the MBP - would be quite good having 2 headphone sockets.
Well come to think of it i dont think it was the Soundblaster that did this it was an OEM and I cant remember the brand, it had the rear, front and center outputs and the center output could be swapped for another input. This was on a windows machine.
Ah. Sounds like the centre port is a dual port; I've seen on a few computers there is one 3.5mm jack and is wired so you can either pass audio out of it or collect audio going into it.
Was a specially designed jack.
But saying that, I'm not an expert on this and could be wrong.
Was a specially designed jack.
But saying that, I'm not an expert on this and could be wrong.
Im sorry to say but I dont think anybody is an expert on this. It seems like nobody really knows and we are all guessing.
I will say that on many of the newer soundcards, they will autodetect what type of device is plugged into any individual port, and remap output/input appropriately. Therefore, it is highly probable that the MBP might have this capability, and therefore be able to output through the line-in jack as well.