X-Fi Case Front panel Audio Adapter Mod.

[MaXThReAT]

I have come to a point where I require the headphone jack on my case. The X-Fi I/O panel works fine but in order to keep my Buttkicker plugged in I have to leave my case door open. I found an article that shows how-to build your own adapter. The way I understand it, the FP audio header on the motherboard only functions with the on-board audio and as of ZS2 there is no case front panel audio connection on the cards. However there is a proprietary connection you make an adapter for. It would allow you to connect the cable for FP audio directly to your X-Fi. I'm ordering parts from Digikey this week and will start the mod next week. The same thing is possible on the ZS2 but a little different, there's a blog about it somewhere.
Has anyone attempted this before? I'll let you know how it goes.

http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/3968/xfifpmodbq5.th.jpg (http://img482.imageshack.us/my.php?image=xfifpmodbq5.jpg)

[Shpoon]

MaximumPC ftw. I'm sure it'll work out fine for you, but good luck anyways.

[MaXThReAT]

MaximumPC ftw. I'm sure it'll work out fine for you, but good luck anyways.

Yeah, as long as I don't muck anything up, it should be fine. I trust MaximumPC tested this out a bit before print. I thought it would be a good one to post, a freind of mine was also looking for it.

This is the same Mod for the Audigy ZS2. http://audigy2zshowto.blogspot.com/

[MaXThReAT]

Bump, Well I can tell you all the mod when just fine. I finished it up last night and it works like a charm. Now I can keep my door closed and connect the buttkicker to the headphone jack on the side of the case. The parts I used cost less than 3 bucks, why creative doesn’t include some kind of connection is beyond me. I did have to spend near 28 bucks due to minimum quantity requirements and shipping. Had to buy 100 each of the two types of end connectors, 10 white connectors and I just bought 5 black cuz you never know. Maximum PC's directions are 100% correct. Those little tiny end pieces for the white connecter were hard to crimp with my crappie needle nose pliers but we're good to go.

[Diverge]

I just created this cable for my audigy 2zs. I even created a little circuit using 2 resistors and a npn switching transistor to mute the back panel speakers when headphones are plugged in.

The blog you were refering to is here: http://audigy2zshowto.blogspot.com/

I posted some comments on it, along with my circuit if anyone wants to use it/improve on it, ect.



Today I got my parts to make the cable from digikey, and while trying to figure out how i can utilize the mute pins of the SB A2ZS I relized my mistake (when grounded, they mute the backpanel speakers). With the headphone unplugged the R/L_Return is ~46 ohms, close enough to ground the mute. So if we were to connect it to the mute pins (3/5) it would cause the backpanel speakers to mute, w/ no head phones plugged in = no sound. If we plug in the headphones, the R/L_Retern floats (not grounded anymore), so the mute pins (3/5) are no longer grounded - now we have sound on both the headphones and back panel speakers. This is the opposite of what we need... but we have something that toggles when headphones are plugged_in/removed. So i came up with a little circuit from some parts I had laying around in order to invert the signal of the R/L_Return. It uses only 3 components: 2 resistors and a NPN Switching transistor (PN2222A). here's a link to a schematic of my circuit:
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/2338/mutecircuitbx8.jpg
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/2338/mutecircuitbx8.jpg

I just created this in the past hour or so, and so far it is working great. hopefully things stay working great :)

Edit: woops, that should be pins 3/5 for the mute pins in the schematic :P

[smopoim86]

since you had to buy a bunch of the connectors, put some together an sell 'em

[[cTx]Philosophy]

since you had to buy a bunch of the connectors, put some together an sell 'em
I was thinking the same, make some loot back :P :stick:

[古強者死神]

Just saw a cable on ebay last week that did this, sombody is making them and selling them custom made.

I may have to do somthing similar since I have the cheap version of the card without the I/O box and my case does not have headphone jacks on it I actually may make a all in one that goes from the card into a headphone jack.

Hows the amping power from the card directly? I want to hook up some HD595's or also looking into the japanese brand phones that we have some threads about here on the forums.

[audiofreak]

This connector is used in Creative Slix PC. Anyway, I used it in a lot easier manner than the author of the hack posted above.

Because I needed just the output and no muting, I just cut off that small white 4-pin connector from a spare CD-ROM audio cable (the one you usually do not use anyway) leaving enough wire on it for soldering, shuffled its pins to match L, R and GND at J1 and it worked.

It fits perfectly because it has the same spacing and above all it is free. I guess some folks like to do things the hard way instead of trying to notice the obvious. I mean digital calipers, give me a break.

[cooter]

I was wondering if any of those whom did this mod were able to get the mic to work. My headphones work but not the mic. I tried to put a cut off connector in the back of the xfi input but that did not work either.

[dlcmdr]

If anyone knows where yo buy the cable on ebay i would really appreciate.

[ColonelCain]

If anyone knows where yo buy the cable on ebay i would really appreciate.

Same here. Don't need a bunch of connectors that I will never use sitting around (and not to mention I don't want to spend excess)