Electronics help

[Vuldari]

Gosh Darnit-all Lupin... Now I want one of those.

I could plug it into my MP3-CD player and have my music playing in every room in my appartment at once with that...or be able to play my music in my friends car who's CD player won't play MP3's...

...or other fun things, like pluging a microphone into it and messing with people by having my voice come out of their radios...

[Lupin]

Gosh Darnit-all Lupin... Now I want one of those.

I could plug it into my MP3-CD player and have my music playing in every room in my appartment at once with that...or be able to play my music in my friends car who's CD player won't play MP3's...

Heh, that's kinda what I use it for. It's hooked up to my laptop, so I can play streaming audio from the internet over my regular radio. I actually bought it on a whim in Vegas, to use between my mp3 player/FM radio and my laptop. My laptop couldn't support a USB connection, so I was stuck with the mp3s on the player.

[Figarou]

Gosh Darnit-all Lupin... Now I want one of those.

I could plug it into my MP3-CD player and have my music playing in every room in my appartment at once with that...or be able to play my music in my friends car who's CD player won't play MP3's...

...or other fun things, like pluging a microphone into it and messing with people by having my voice come out of their radios...

Heh....I used to have "Mr Microphone" when I was a kid.


Sure had fun with that. Thing is...you can't get close to the radio. (Feedback)

[Vuldari]

Gosh Darnit-all Lupin... Now I want one of those.

I could plug it into my MP3-CD player and have my music playing in every room in my appartment at once with that...or be able to play my music in my friends car who's CD player won't play MP3's...

...or other fun things, like pluging a microphone into it and messing with people by having my voice come out of their radios...

Heh....I used to have "Mr Microphone" when I was a kid.


Sure had fun with that. Thing is...you can't get close to the radio. (Feedback)

Yeah...I had one too...

That's what made me think of it.

...ahhh...the memories...

[Figarou]

Gosh Darnit-all Lupin... Now I want one of those.

I could plug it into my MP3-CD player and have my music playing in every room in my appartment at once with that...or be able to play my music in my friends car who's CD player won't play MP3's...

...or other fun things, like pluging a microphone into it and messing with people by having my voice come out of their radios...

Heh....I used to have "Mr Microphone" when I was a kid.


Sure had fun with that. Thing is...you can't get close to the radio. (Feedback)

Yeah...I had one too...

That's what made me think of it.

...ahhh...the memories...

really? I also had Merlin from Parker Brothers.

[Vuldari]

Yeah...I had one too...

That's what made me think of it.

...ahhh...the memories...

really? I also had Merlin from Parker Brothers.

Actually...I don't remember the exact brand of the microphone. The one I had was pretty cheap, whatever it was. ...didn't take me long to break it.

"Merlin"?

*looks up*

Oh...my cousins had one of those. ...never could figure out what to do with it back then. ...which is strange, because I was allready doing "internal maintinence"* on Comodore64 computers at that age. (*meaning, I replaced a broken mechanical part with a part from one of my toys, allowing the floppy drive to operate again...which I was proud of for years afterward, being under the age of 7 at the time.)

[Figarou]

Actually...I don't remember the exact brand of the microphone. The one I had was pretty cheap, whatever it was. ...didn't take me long to break it.

"Merlin"?

*looks up*

Oh...my cousins had one of those. ...never could figure out what to do with it back then. ...which is strange, because I was allready doing "internal maintinence"* on Comodore64 computers at that age. (*meaning, I replaced a broken mechanical part with a part from one of my toys, allowing the floppy drive to operate again...which I was proud of for years afterward, being under the age of 7 at the time.)

I don't remember the brand. All I know is the name. I think it used 1 AA battery. Maybe 2. Mine didn't last long.


As for Merlin, why not play it on your PC.

http://www.monroeworld.com/vmerlin/dload.htm

[Renorei]

Hm...interesting. I think I might just give that FM transmitter thing a try! Thanks guys!

If you think of any other options, let me know.

[wolfbound]

I think, Vuldari got it for ya's. good luck

[wolfbound]

check this bistle out. this is how me and my roomire enjoy home theater experance to the max.

[Vuldari]

Hm...interesting. I think I might just give that FM transmitter thing a try! Thanks guys!

If you think of any other options, let me know.

Well...

I went ahead and bought one of those FM transmitters (the Belkin one), because I thought it was just really cool. (Plus, I had some money left on my BestBuy giftcard)

Here is my review.

Sound quality is good... in ideal* conditions.
(*Unit is running on external power, rather than weak battery power. Either AC or Car power. AND, the trasmitter is no further than 5-feet from the radio reciever, with no radio stations competeing for the channel the unit is broadcasting on.)

...however, when operating on battery power, and/or there is alot of ambient interferance in the surrounding aria, or if there are radiostations broadcasting on the same freqency as the transmitter, the sound suffers.

The $50 Belkin model allows you to choose almost any frequency on the FM spectrum, which is a nice bonus. (Cheaper ones only give you 2-4 options), which helps with this.

It is not a perfect option...but it does work.



Suprisingly, I seem to get a much clearer signal from my Car radio (with a broken...well...missing radio antenna) than I do from any radios in my house, including the old BoomBox I formerly used in my Entertainment center.


The $20 dollar ones probably sound just as clear as the "deluxe" one that I got, so I wouldn't bother spending the extra money (unless you really want to).



Bottom line...far from ideal...but functional.


(Note: You will also need extra adapters to make that connection.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a single connector that will do the job on its own, so I think you may need TWO.

One is This one, to convert the two RCA connections to a single headphone jack. However, you would then be left with two "male" ends which need to connect to each other...needing yet another adapter, like This.

...unless someone else can find a different product on the market that would work better.)

[Lupin]

(*Unit is running on external power, rather than weak battery power. Either AC or Car power. AND, the trasmitter is no further than 5-feet from the radio reciever, with no radio stations competeing for the channel the unit is broadcasting on.)

Yeah a lot of it also depends on the radio. I can wander a lot father away with my mp3 player than I can with other radios.

[Renorei]

Hm...interesting. I think I might just give that FM transmitter thing a try! Thanks guys!

If you think of any other options, let me know.

Well...

I went ahead and bought one of those FM transmitters (the Belkin one), because I thought it was just really cool. (Plus, I had some money left on my BestBuy giftcard)

Here is my review.

Sound quality is good... in ideal* conditions.
(*Unit is running on external power, rather than weak battery power. Either AC or Car power. AND, the trasmitter is no further than 5-feet from the radio reciever, with no radio stations competeing for the channel the unit is broadcasting on.)

...however, when operating on battery power, and/or there is alot of ambient interferance in the surrounding aria, or if there are radiostations broadcasting on the same freqency as the transmitter, the sound suffers.

The $50 Belkin model allows you to choose almost any frequency on the FM spectrum, which is a nice bonus. (Cheaper ones only give you 2-4 options), which helps with this.

It is not a perfect option...but it does work.



Suprisingly, I seem to get a much clearer signal from my Car radio (with a broken...well...missing radio antenna) than I do from any radios in my house, including the old BoomBox I formerly used in my Entertainment center.


The $20 dollar ones probably sound just as clear as the "deluxe" one that I got, so I wouldn't bother spending the extra money (unless you really want to).



Bottom line...far from ideal...but functional.


(Note: You will also need extra adapters to make that connection.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a single connector that will do the job on its own, so I think you may need TWO.

One is This one, to convert the two RCA connections to a single headphone jack. However, you would then be left with two "male" ends which need to connect to each other...needing yet another adapter, like This.

...unless someone else can find a different product on the market that would work better.)

Awesomeness. I still have some money left on my Walmart gift card, so if I buy the stuff at walmart I probably won't end up paying too much out of pocket. Thanks!

[Figarou]

(*Unit is running on external power, rather than weak battery power. Either AC or Car power. AND, the trasmitter is no further than 5-feet from the radio reciever, with no radio stations competeing for the channel the unit is broadcasting on.)

Yeah a lot of it also depends on the radio. I can wander a lot father away with my mp3 player than I can with other radios.

Whats odd about radios is that even if you buy an expensive home theater reciever, the radio in it is not that great.


If you want the "BEST" radios and FM transmitters, CC Crane is what you need.

http://www.ccrane.com/

FM Transmitter.

[Vuldari]

By the way, Renorei...


How is your DVD player connected to your TV? If your TV has no audio outputs, then you will need to employ the connections on the back of your DVD player.

Is it connected via the screw-in Coaxial cable (RF), or are you using the Yellow, Red and White connections?

If the red and white connections are being used, you may need yet another adapter to split the signal to go to both the TV and the Transmitter>CD player.


*sigh* ...this really does seem to be frustratingly complicated. ...plus, the more splitters and adapters you put into the mix, the more and more the sound quality is going to suffer.


...after going through a two-way splitter, and then an adapter...followed by another adapter, and finally being transmitted over a weak radio signal to your radio, the sound may be soo poor that it won't even be worth listening to.


I just think I should warn you now, before you spend all this money and time trying to get it to work...

...when all is said and done and you finally get it to work, it may not be worth it in the end. A really fuzzy, crackly hissing sound with the movie sounds just barely audible over it all would be a terribly dissapointing climax after going through all the trouble to put it together.


It WILL work. ...but I really cant say I reccomend it. You will get much better sound out of your TV's built in speakers, as you are hearing it now.

[Renorei]

By the way, Renorei...


How is your DVD player connected to your TV? If your TV has no audio outputs, then you will need to employ the connections on the back of your DVD player.

Is it connected via the screw-in Coaxial cable (RF), or are you using the Yellow, Red and White connections?

If the red and white connections are being used, you may need yet another adapter to split the signal to go to both the TV and the Transmitter>CD player.


*sigh* ...this really does seem to be frustratingly complicated. ...plus, the more splitters and adapters you put into the mix, the more and more the sound quality is going to suffer.


...after going through a two-way splitter, and then an adapter...followed by another adapter, and finally being transmitted over a weak radio signal to your radio, the sound may be soo poor that it won't even be worth listening to.


I just think I should warn you now, before you spend all this money and time trying to get it to work...

...when all is said and done and you finally get it to work, it may not be worth it in the end. A really fuzzy, crackly hissing sound with the movie sounds just barely audible over it all would be a terribly dissapointing climax after going through all the trouble to put it together.


It WILL work. ...but I really cant say I reccomend it. You will get much better sound out of your TV's built in speakers, as you are hearing it now.

Hmm...well, I might wait a bit and see then. I really appreciate your honest recommendations. I'd rather you disappoint me now than me be REALLY disappointed later, when all of my hard work doesn't pay off.

I think there is a place on the internet that makes custom adapters. I might look into that as an alternative.

[Vuldari]

Hmm...well, I might wait a bit and see then. I really appreciate your honest recommendations. I'd rather you disappoint me now than me be REALLY disappointed later, when all of my hard work doesn't pay off.

I think there is a place on the internet that makes custom adapters. I might look into that as an alternative.

I've been putting more thought into this.

I recently remembered that DVD players Never have "Coaxial" outputs built into them as VCR's do, (Unless it is a VCR/DVD combo unit), so the outputs are surely allready in use. ...which means splitters would also be needed. (Unless your dvd player has seperate audio outputs that you have not informed me of yet).

A "cusom-made" adapter sounds expensive.



Do you want my HONEST opinion? ...don't bother...


If you really want to make this work, my best reccomendation would be to sell or return your CD player and buy a new (or used) one which has the proper Inputs. This long string of adapters is going to cost a fair chunk of cash anyway, so I would save that money and combine it with what you can get for selling (or returning, if the store will still take it back) your current CD-BoomBox to get a better one with the features you need.

You would end up spending nearly the same amount of money in the end, but get a much higher quality result by just buying the right parts to begin with, rather than trying to "Adapt".

I really think you will be much more satisfied with the result that way.


If you don't want to take the trouble to do that, then you should probobly just be satified with the sound you get out of your TV for now. ...at least untill you can afford to upgrade.

[Renorei]

In regards to the DVD player:

Having doublechecked, there are two sets of red and white plug-ins that are unused. I assume these are the aforementioned outputs?


Anyway, I'm going to consider returning the CD player. I might not, but if I do decide to attempt this, I will return it and get something with the outputs. I had no idea this would be so complicated. I might just leave everything as is. Time will tell, I suppose.

[Vuldari]

In regards to the DVD player:

Having doublechecked, there are two sets of red and white plug-ins that are unused. I assume these are the aforementioned outputs?

YES. Good...that will make things a little easier.

Anyway, I'm going to consider returning the CD player. I might not, but if I do decide to attempt this, I will return it and get something with the outputs. I had no idea this would be so complicated. I might just leave everything as is. Time will tell, I suppose.

"INputs" It needs to be able to accept audio comming IN from an external source, such as your DVD player.

I am shocked to find that this seems to be the cheapest option available at BestBuy.com,($99), with the options you need.

The IMPORTANT thing is one small option which is almost hidden in the "Product Details" section (scroll down).

Analog/RCA Input Quantity 1

I know there are cheaper CD players available which have this feature...but apparently they don't sell those at BestBuy anymore. (At least Online)


IF you do choose to go this route, the terms you need to look for on the list of features for the player are:

"RCA"

"Input"

and/or "Auxiliary" (or "AUX")

(AKA, these things.)

[Renorei]

In regards to the DVD player:

Having doublechecked, there are two sets of red and white plug-ins that are unused. I assume these are the aforementioned outputs?

YES. Good...that will make things a little easier.

Anyway, I'm going to consider returning the CD player. I might not, but if I do decide to attempt this, I will return it and get something with the outputs. I had no idea this would be so complicated. I might just leave everything as is. Time will tell, I suppose.

"INputs" It needs to be able to accept audio comming IN from an external source, such as your DVD player.

I am shocked to find that this seems to be the cheapest option available at BestBuy.com,($99), with the options you need.

The IMPORTANT thing is one small option which is almost hidden in the "Product Details" section (scroll down).

Analog/RCA Input Quantity 1

I know there are cheaper CD players available which have this feature...but apparently they don't sell those at BestBuy anymore. (At least Online)


IF you do choose to go this route, the terms you need to look for on the list of features for the player are:

"RCA"

"Input"

and/or "Auxiliary" (or "AUX")

(AKA, these things.)

Cool! Thanks for all the awesome information and help.

So...if I have a CD player with inputs, I simply connect the red and white things on the CD player to the red and white things on the DVD player? Using cables that I most likely already have?

If this is the case...fantastic.

[Vuldari]

Cool! Thanks for all the awesome information and help.

You're welcome.

I Love this stuff. I am usually the one to wire my parents, sisters and freinds entertainment centers together, so all of this is second nature to me.

(Don't even Ask me how MY entertainment center is wired. I have so many criss-crossing, redundant connections that it even gives ME a headache...)

So...if I have a CD player with inputs, I simply connect the red and white things on the CD player to the red and white things on the DVD player? Using cables that I most likely already have?

If this is the case...fantastic.

Yup...

If your DVD player has Red and White Outputs, and the CD player has Red and White Inputs, then all you need to do is string a wire between them and you're done.


(..So much easier than messing with adapters and radio trasnmitters and MORE adapters...)

[Figarou]

In regards to the DVD player:

Having doublechecked, there are two sets of red and white plug-ins that are unused. I assume these are the aforementioned outputs?


Anyway, I'm going to consider returning the CD player. I might not, but if I do decide to attempt this, I will return it and get something with the outputs. I had no idea this would be so complicated. I might just leave everything as is. Time will tell, I suppose.

Be carefull. There are some systems that has "outputs." You don't want that. Thats for an external amp/tape deck. You need "AUX inputs" like Vuldari said.

Hmmm....Why not get a HTiaB? (Home Theater in a Box) If you can afford one, you'll have surround sound. Wal-Mart has a few good models to choose from.


Anyways, expect to pay more for a boombox with AUX inputs.


Oh!!! What ever you do...DO NOT place the speakers next to or near the TV set. It'll ruin the picture tube. Speakers on a boom box are not magnetically shielded. Magnets is what messes up the TV tube.

[Renorei]

Oh!!! What ever you do...DO NOT place the speakers next to or near the TV set. It'll ruin the picture tube. Speakers on a boom box are not magnetically shielded. Magnets is what messes up the TV tube.

So noted. Thanks for the warning!

[Vuldari]

Oh!!! What ever you do...DO NOT place the speakers next to or near the TV set. It'll ruin the picture tube. Speakers on a boom box are not magnetically shielded. Magnets is what messes up the TV tube.

So noted. Thanks for the warning!

Yes...good advice Figarou.

I did that once, (when I had my entertainment center set up exactly the way we are describing now), and I was really mad when my BRAND NEW TV started getting a warped picture with psycoldelic colors on the sides, and it took me a full day to realise it was my speakers that I had set up dirrectly on either side of my screen.

...Thankfully, after removing them, the screen returned to normal after another 24hours or so, and my $500 tube (which I'm still using) did not suffer any permanent ill effects. Extended exposure to unshielded magnets CAN fully destroy a TV set however...so caution is definately in order.


As for "HomeTheater In-A-Box" systems, that would be a slightly better option if it is within the budget.

{NOTE: Some cheaper DVD players don't even support 5.1 surround sound. That requires either "Digital Coaxial" (an orange connection like the RED and WHITE ones), "Optical" (a tiny black plug), or a reciever with a Dolby "Pro-Logic" or "Pro-Logic II" decoder built in, which can simulate true surround sound through regular Red and White connectors. (which the cheapest "HT I-A-B" sets sometimes don't have.) }