SPDIF I/O Not working on A7N8X DLX???

[out4adance]

I wonder if anyone can help me get the SPDIF interface working. I bought the ASUS SPDIF-ALL I/O bracket, plugged it in the motherboard and hooked up a known good DAT recorder. I also downloaded and ran the install of the Nvidia drivers from the ASUS downlaod site - version 1.16. Something comes out of the SPDIF output but the recorder does not sync to it. There does not seem to be a SPDIF control available to be enabled on the Windows mixer for playback. Both the SPDIF output on the back of the motherboard and the output on the bracket do not work. The manual only says you cannot use both outputs at once, and offers no clue to enabling the interface

The hardware hardware manger showed a motherbaord resource (actually 3 of them) with one saying it is a duplicate - I disabled it. Ido not see anything in the Hardware manager mentioning anything about SPDIF. I think all my brivers/BIOS are up to date. Any ideas? Thanks

[out4adance]

I know what the problem is here. The Motherboard expects TTL levels for the SPDIF header. The SPDIF spec says that voltage swing should be much less. It is usually about .8Vpp. So a perfectly good CD player may not put out the swing that the motherboard expects. There is NO amplification on the bracket. There are a few players (Cable boxes, CD PLayers, etc.) that do put out the required 5Vp logic signal and that will worjk with the board (even though both are out of spec.) An "in spec" SDPIF signal will NOT work with the ASUS bracket on an A7N8X board.

You can verify all this by putting sound OUT the SPDIF port (it will come out at 5Vp. and jumper it to the SPDIF input on the motherboard - not on the bracket. When you jumper input to utput on the motherboard everything works fine. The bracket was not designed to support perfectlty good equipment that adheres to the S/PDIF specification. You have to build an adapter for yourseld to get it working (but this is why I bouoght a bracket and the motherboard in the first place). I've complained to ASUS so they should realize that it is a problem (talked to tech support several times). It may help if other people complain. Maybe they will spend the extra twenty five cents (that is about what it costs for an IC to convert the voltage swing) and put out a bracket that works with a true SPDIF signal)


As for the SPDIF output - make sure that dolby is not turned on and it will work with a stereo system.

[csvencer]

Is there any way to adjust the voltage to get what the input needs? Are we stuck with no Spdif input's for now or what?
-Svence

[flukeht]

Good Point. i.e. That's why I bought the mobo and the adapter.... to use the s/pdif connectors.

I must have spent a week trying to figure this out... and all this time, it was a design flaw...?!?

Come on ASUS, deliver the goods as promised.

[Gromit]

See this post...
Looking for ASUS S/PDIF ALL module, substitute, or hack

And out4adance, why do you say:

[take the] sound OUT the SPDIF port ... and jumper it to the SPDIF input on the motherboard - not on the bracket.

What happens when you try to loop back into the IN on the bracket?