Hot Swapping To Onboard Sound Card

  • Thread starter Thread starter Heinz
  • Start date Start date
H

Heinz

Hello,

I was hoping that someone can help me out on this one. I play online video
games and in order to make use of my headset sound/mic I have to hook it
into my onboard sound built onto my mobo. I have been doing this by
removing my line in (goes to my stereo receiver) and replacing the
input/mic jac with my headset. Im wondering if its safe to do this while
the computer is turned on? Do you think I have a chance of frying my mobo
while doing this procedure while my computer is turned on? Any advice would
be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
 
If you are only using the jacks at the rear of the sound card, this is not
dangerous at all. You are only dealing with line level audio, as like on any
amplifier.

You cannot open the cover of the machine, and start changing boards and
devices on the mother board with the power on. This will destroy the machine
instantly. It is also not recommended to change any external devices on any
of the ports such as the serial, parallel, and PS2 ports, except for the
USB, FireWire, or the NIC (network card).

--

Jerry G.
==========================


Hello,

I was hoping that someone can help me out on this one. I play online video
games and in order to make use of my headset sound/mic I have to hook it
into my onboard sound built onto my mobo. I have been doing this by
removing my line in (goes to my stereo receiver) and replacing the
input/mic jac with my headset. Im wondering if its safe to do this while
the computer is turned on? Do you think I have a chance of frying my mobo
while doing this procedure while my computer is turned on? Any advice would
be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
 
Hello,

I was hoping that someone can help me out on this one. I play online video
games and in order to make use of my headset sound/mic I have to hook it
into my onboard sound built onto my mobo.
Click to expand...

Anything particularly unique about this headset/mic or just
typical analog dual 'phone jacks? Is it amplified, uses
external power supply or battery?
I have been doing this by
removing my line in (goes to my stereo receiver) and replacing the
input/mic jac with my headset. Im wondering if its safe to do this while
the computer is turned on? Do you think I have a chance of frying my mobo
while doing this procedure while my computer is turned on? Any advice would
be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

A non-amp'd headset shouldn't fry anything, i plug one in
all the time with no problems yet.
 
Well the headset I use has a little box thing on the cord powered with 2
triple A batteries which allows for a bass boost and to control the volume.
I have the switch turned off because I don't need the bass boost but I do
use the volume control on it from time to time.

DaveW mentioned this is not a safe procedure by doing this with the comptuer
turned on. Does anyone know have any other opinions? Its just so much of a
pain to shutdown the computer, hook in, than reboot.

Thank you
 
Well the headset I use has a little box thing on the cord powered with 2
triple A batteries which allows for a bass boost and to control the volume.
I have the switch turned off because I don't need the bass boost but I do
use the volume control on it from time to time.

DaveW mentioned this is not a safe procedure by doing this with the comptuer
turned on. Does anyone know have any other opinions? Its just so much of a
pain to shutdown the computer, hook in, than reboot.
Click to expand...

LOL, on some days DaveW thinks NOTHING can be done.
 
Heinz, from my experience with my current computer, I don't hot swap my audio outputs,
because I have crashed the computer by doing this (full lock up, requires PSU
retoggle). Not everytime I've done it, but it still happens.

If I were you I would probably hot swap until you run into trouble, then don't hot
swap anymore; it's your call as to the level of risk you are willing to assume. :)

Jon
 
Hello,

I was hoping that someone can help me out on this one. I play online video
games and in order to make use of my headset sound/mic I have to hook it
into my onboard sound built onto my mobo. I have been doing this by
removing my line in (goes to my stereo receiver) and replacing the
input/mic jac with my headset. Im wondering if its safe to do this while
the computer is turned on? Do you think I have a chance of frying my mobo
while doing this procedure while my computer is turned on? Any advice would
be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that a sound card can be had for relatively
cheap, if you were to cause any damage, which I don't think
you will.

Also consider that many motherboards have audio front-panel
jacks that facilitate what you're wanting to do, except as a
bezel, front audio jack.... OEMs do it too, and apparently
they feel confident that it's not going to cause a problem.
 
Heinz said:
hmmmm,,

Mixed theorys,,,,,I just wish I knew the correct answer
Click to expand...
As others have pointed out, there shouldn't be any danger under normal
circumstances. However, if we were to consider all theoretical
possibilities and abnormal conditions, it's never possible to be
100.00% sure. But that, IMHO, would be paranoid and akin to being
afraid to get out of bed in the morning.

When you connect the input/output jacks on your sound card to anything
it's supposed to be connected to, there might be a slight momentary
current/voltage surge while voltage levels are stabilised. This
depends on the design of the circuits involved, but should in any case
be well within safe limits. The internal circuits on your sound card
should have enough series impedance impedance to limit currents to
safe values even if the full 3-volt supply of your headphones were
somehow applied to the jacks.

Even static electricity from your body should be safely bypassed by
the relatively low impedance to ground at these terminals. In short,
although there's always a remote mathematical possibility, there's a
higher probability of breaking a leg by slipping on the bathroom floor
in the morning. And as Kony said, you could always buy a cheap sound
card.

- Zotin
 
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