# audio jack trouble



## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

Hello guys,
I have a recurring issue that I keep running into with my audio jacks. I am having trouble with cowlacious sound cards and now the monster guts nerve center. Now let me start by saying it is not the controller or cards but rather the jack connections.I am using a 1/4 to 1/8" adaptor to run through a guitar amp. So, I have the sound card audio out jack, a 1/8" male into that wich is the adaptor with 1/4" on the other end wich plugs into the guitar amp.When i plug the 1/8" adaptor all the way in to the nerve center or the cowlacious sound cards it doesnt make proper connection and the cards wont play, and in the case of the nerve center it actually interrupts the action channel of the prop as well. When I pull the male plug out a bit i can get a connection and the sound is good.It seems as though the male end is not fitting snugly enough into the audio jacks. Does anyone know of a way to solve this issue or anyplace that sells a better adaptor? I currently am using radio shack adaptors.It seemed like the powered computer speakers work fine but they are just not loud enough. I am using the nerve center for my pneumatic zombie and he is so violent i cannot keep the jack half way out.


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## fritz42_male (May 5, 2009)

Rather than mess around with adaptors I soldered up a cable instead.


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## The Watcher (Sep 13, 2008)

You could also just add a 1/8 jack to the amp. I have had simalar trouble with guitar cords in amps before. I would just change the jack in them.


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## hedg12 (Jul 6, 2008)

Sounds to me like you've got a mono 1/8 plug going into a stereo jack. Stereo plugs have 3 connectors - tip,ring, and sleeve. The tip and ring are left and right channels, and the sleeve is common. A mono plug just has the tip and sleeve. When you plug a mono plug into a stereo jack, the sleeve and ring connectors in the jack are shorted together and can produce the results you describe. When you pull it part way out the tip hits the ring connector & it works.


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## stagehand1975 (Feb 22, 2010)

There are also premade cable available without addapters. Radio shack should have one. I got mine from guitar center. Sometime it's the addapter. It just one more point of connection to fail.


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

hedg12 said:


> Sounds to me like you've got a mono 1/8 plug going into a stereo jack. Stereo plugs have 3 connectors - tip,ring, and sleeve. The tip and ring are left and right channels, and the sleeve is common. A mono plug just has the tip and sleeve. When you plug a mono plug into a stereo jack, the sleeve and ring connectors in the jack are shorted together and can produce the results you describe. When you pull it part way out the tip hits the ring connector & it works.


Unless you have a stereo guitar amp...do those even exist? I would agree with hedge. Sounds like you must have a mono cable for guitar amp, thus a mono 1/4" jack with a mono 1/8" adapter. Switch the adapter to a stereo one may not help, as you would still have a problem with a mono 1/4" jack. You need to somehow get an adapter that converts stereo to mono then plug your amp into that. Cheaper than buying a new cable, although I doubt you will find a mono-stereo cable anyways.


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## The Watcher (Sep 13, 2008)

You can run a stereo line to a mono jack. But you need to have a stereo to mono adapter. But I have had jacks sockets go bad and do the same thing you are talking about. Some cords will work in them and some just don't make a good connection.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hosa-GPM-179-Ad...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item518af7fa6d


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## The Watcher (Sep 13, 2008)

Doc, they do make some stereo guitar amps. Most of the time If I am using stereo on my guitar, it is just for some lead runs. So I just let the the guy running my board switch it for me. most of these new Acoustic amps, with the Mic inputs are set up for it.



Dr Morbius said:


> Unless you have a stereo guitar amp...do those even exist? I would agree with hedge. Sounds like you must have a mono cable for guitar amp, thus a mono 1/4" jack with a mono 1/8" adapter. Switch the adapter to a stereo one may not help, as you would still have a problem with a mono 1/4" jack. You need to somehow get an adapter that converts stereo to mono then plug your amp into that. Cheaper than buying a new cable, although I doubt you will find a mono-stereo cable anyways.


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## stagehand1975 (Feb 22, 2010)

The cable I spoke of has the 1/8 stereo Jack on one end and a mono 1/4 on the other. The stereo left and right is just conected to the single tip on the mono Jack. The cable i bought like this from guitar center I use to plug my iPod into a pa system.


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

The Watcher said:


> Doc, they do make some stereo guitar amps. Most of the time If I am using stereo on my guitar, it is just for some lead runs. So I just let the the guy running my board switch it for me. most of these new Acoustic amps, with the Mic inputs are set up for it.


Thanks for the info, i don't play guitar obviously. Useful knowledge if run into a used one I'll probably buy it.


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

stagehand1975 said:


> The cable I spoke of has the 1/8 stereo Jack on one end and a mono 1/4 on the other. The stereo left and right is just conected to the single tip on the mono Jack. The cable i bought like this from guitar center I use to plug my iPod into a pa system.


See above post...lol!


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## hedg12 (Jul 6, 2008)

Dr Morbius said:


> Unless you have a stereo guitar amp...do those even exist? I would agree with hedge. Sounds like you must have a mono cable for guitar amp, thus a mono 1/4" jack with a mono 1/8" adapter. Switch the adapter to a stereo one may not help, as you would still have a problem with a mono 1/4" jack. You need to somehow get an adapter that converts stereo to mono then plug your amp into that. Cheaper than buying a new cable, although I doubt you will find a mono-stereo cable anyways.


I was actually referring to an 1/8 mono plug going in to the stereo jacks in the cowlacious board and nerve center, or in this case (if I read it correctly) it's an adapter.


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

Thank you everyone for the replys, it sounds like the easiest thing for me to do would be to find this cable and try it out. I dont think i could change out the jack, don't want to chance messing up the card or nerve center.


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## The Watcher (Sep 13, 2008)

Hedge is right. I assumed at first you had the correct cords. But you got to have a stereo jack exiting those broads. Because that is the sound source. But with the right adapter you can do, like 2 talking heads and run them through a mono line on a amp.


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