Fried audio input & mic on 667 powerbook?

Jump to First Reply
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
i bought this 667 DVI powerbook used. i did not notice it at purchase time but it seems the audio input is somehow fried both from the internal microphone and the audio in minijack.



it's infuriating. i called the guy who sold it to me and he said he knew absolutely nothing about it {pullsh!t}.



if it were just the internal mic- i would think the mic was damaged. if it was just the audio-in i would suspect the jack. but it's both.



i record something to test it and speak, "testing, 1, 2, 3"

and i play it back and what i hear is, "bzzbz, bz, bz ,bz".



what the heck?

i guess the audio board is fried.

i've never seen a laptop audio board/card.

does anyone have any experience with this?

pricing and feasibility of a cheap fix?



i will probably get a USB mic which i assume will completely bypass this problem.



but man, i am steamed.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    ebbyebby Posts: 3,110member
    Calm down a second. I had something like that happen after I used Video Lan Client on my G5. It may just be a software thing. If the port were actually broken, you would hear: 1) nothing but constant static, 2) Nothing at all, 3) very quiet sound, 4) only one channel (left or right). The fact that the static occurs only when you say something leads me to believe that your hardware is working, bit the computer is not interpreting the signals correctly.



    First, restart. You'll be amazed at how many problems this fixes.



    Second, check all your settings.



    Third, listen to someone else (if I'm first )



    Lastly, try to reinstall. (Only as a last resort) Or seek other means to capture audio. (Like your USB solution)
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 2 of 9
    i've rebooted a bunch of times and still it's the same exact thing.



    as far as settings go; System Prefs > Sound > Input > Input Level

    all seems normal there. what other settings would there be? when i look at the audio monitor level - it looks like it's responding perfectly yo my voice.



    as far as "reinstalling" goes... what should i reinstall? the PB audio card?



    oh, BTW, the auio-OUT works fine and the built-in speakers, while not very loud at all, also seem to work ok.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 9
    ebbyebby Posts: 3,110member
    Try checking out Audio MIDI setup in the Utilities folder in Applications. There are some advanced audio controls in there that may be set improperly.



    Gain should be set to 0db (Value=0.50). Select source (Mic or Line) and anything that looks strange. I have a different system than yours so I have different options.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 4 of 9
    ok. tried all that and got nothing.

    grr.



    thank you.



    do you know anything about Powerbook audio card replacement/?
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 5 of 9
    ebbyebby Posts: 3,110member
    It's the hardest thing in the entire computer to get to. At least for my Pismo. Here is some info.



    Is there any way you could post an audio clip? Maybe I could get a better understanding of what is happening.



    But I would recommend using a USB audio adapter. Better sound anyways.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 6 of 9
    here's the audio for me saying,

    "testing , 1, 2, testing, 1,2

    - testing , 1, 2, testing, 1,2,"

    into the built in mic.



    that link you provided didn't have specific audio card installation info did it? i didn't see it there.





    thanks very much for your help.

    if you've got any input on the audio clip let me know. i'll be back later to check in.



    thanks.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 7 of 9
    ebbyebby Posts: 3,110member
    I assume if you have your computer open and track down THIS cable, it will lead to and from the sound card.



    It still sounds like a digitizing issue to me.



    On a side note, IT STARTED HAILING AT MY HOUSE! I had blue sky all day!

    Maybe a omen that Bush is in power.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 8 of 9
    USB mic bypassed the problem:

    Logitech USB Desktop Microphone;

    17.99 @ thenerds.net



    [by the way their standard shipping price is listed as 9.99$ but they dropped it to 3.99 just by me asking.]



    i'm still interested in figuring out the underlying problems but haven't found a price for a powerbook soundcard anywhere.

    if anyone has powerbook parts info please let me know.



    thanks
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 9 of 9
    I doubt there is a replaceable card. Most likely a soldered in chip. Cheap thing to do is to get something like a Griffin iMic. That will provide audio in and out through a USB port. It provides both line level and mike level inputs.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
Sign In or Register to comment.