Connecting your portable MD Recorder to a new CD
player via optical will result in the best possible connection, but many of us do not have
a new CD player and must use analog. Yet, if you have a free PCI slot, you can get a
Sound Blaster Live! Value, and then you can record not only Digital CD but MP3's and any
other form of sound from your computer via an optical connection. I have listed the
steps to setting up an optical connection below:
Go out and buy a Sound Blaster Live! Value and
install it in a free PCI slot. Be sure to use digital connections from CD-Roms if
possible...Most drives have digital pin connections, my DVD rom and 32x Panasonic CD-Rom
both do.
Look at page 1-2 "Knowing and Installing Your
Card." Look at the bottom right where there should be a "12-pin SPDIF EXT
connector pin assignments" The pins you will be needing are pin 1(9,11,12 also serve
the same purpose, depending on your board revision and setup, you may have to use one of
these not pin 1) the SPDIF Out signal, Pin 2 GND (5 and 10 are the same thing), and Pin 4
VCC.
Get part Sharp GP1F32T (part num.#8-749-012-69)
...this goes for about 20 bucks...if you want to be safe...connect the VCC to a red
power line in your computer and the GND to a black power line in your computer on the
GP1F32T I want to warn everyone again...be extremely careful making connections,
Today 2/14/99, I fried my SB Live because when I was reconnecting my GP1F32T, I touched
pin 1 and 2...it is now useless...BE CAREFUL!! Also...I said before a GP1F38T would
work...it will not work in any way.
Connect cables as follows (small gauge shielded wire
is best, but other types will work..I guess?):
You're done! Fire up your computer hook up a
toslink cable to your MD Recorder put it into Digital mode...you should see "Din
Unlock" on the display..at the same time you should he sound come though your MD
Recorder. If not, check your connections and try again. ( I take no
responsibility for any problems you may have...If you break your MD recorder your SB Live!
Value (which I did)..or your whole computer for that matter it is your
problem...this is experimental stuff..and I will take no responsibility.)