digital coax help

[nuance]

I've had my computer sound card connected to my reciever through a digital coax for a while now and it works flawlessly. I have another reciever upstairs that I have run another digital coax to in hopes to just use a cheap rca splitter, but when I get it hooked up the only reciever that gets the signal is the one upstairs. What am I doing wrong? Thanks

 

[Adam]

nuance, let me see if I understand how you have it hooked up.

Do you have a cable running from your sound card to an RCA splitter, with one cable connecting the splitter to your original receiver, and another cable connecting the splitter to the receiver upstairs?

If so, have you checked to make sure that both the splitter and cables are all working, and that the original receiver is hooked up the way that it used to be? I'd suggest the following to check things out:

1) Make sure that you hooked the original receiver up correctly.

2) If that's not the problem, switch the two cables on the output of the splitter. This will let you know if one output of the splitter is working and the other is not if the receiver upstairs stops working and the original receiver starts working again.

3) If that doesn't do anything, take the cable that is running to the upstair receiver and run it to the original receiver instead. If the original receiver starts working again, then the cable that you had running to it has a problem.

Let us know if this helps or not, and we can try to troubleshoot it some more if necessary.

Adam

 

[nuance]

both cables are in good working condition, and I have double checked settings on both recievers. The only problem I can see is that Im using an ordinary Y-splitter. the original reciever only works when I unplug the cable going to the upstairs reciever otherwise when they are both connected the upstairs reciver takes over.

 

[Adam]

both cables are in good working condition, and I have double checked settings on both recievers. The only problem I can see is that Im using an ordinary Y-splitter. the original reciever only works when I unplug the cable going to the upstairs reciever otherwise when they are both connected the upstairs reciver takes over.

Did you try swapping the cables on the splitter outputs? I'm interested to know if your original receiver would then work instead of the one upstairs.

 

[MDS]

Where is the splitter? Did you go from soundcard digital out->Y-adapter and then one leg of the splitter to one reciever and the other leg to the other receiver?

 

[nuance]

Did you try swapping the cables on the splitter outputs? I'm interested to know if your original receiver would then work instead of the one upstairs.

No matter what, the upstairs reciver always works. Your theory seems to make sense to me but It doesn't work.

 

[nuance]

Where is the splitter? Did you go from soundcard digital out->Y-adapter and then one leg of the splitter to one reciever and the other leg to the other receiver?

I've got a single lead going from the computer to the first reciever about 20' long...... the y-splitter at the end of that.......... and the a cable going from the splitter to the original reciever..... the about a 30' run from the y-splitter to the upstairs reciever.

 

[Adam]

No matter what, the upstairs reciver always works. Your theory seems to make sense to me but It doesn't work.

Perhaps the upstairs receiver can handle a lower powered signal than the one downstairs. I did a quick search for an amplified RCA splitter, but I didn't find anything. I'll sure bet that they are out there, though. I'll keep looking...

 

[Adam]

This one from Radio Shack is more than you need and probably too pricey, but it's a place to start.

Still looking...

EDIT: I'm not finding anything better, but I know it's gotta be out there. Maybe you'll find something or someone here can hook you up.

Also, maybe you could try splitting the signal closer to the sound card, if only as an experiment. Run a short cable (or just plug the splitter into the card if you can), run a cable to the receiver downstairs, and plug a cable into the other end of the splitter and see if that will work.

 

[nuance]

im gonna try and use a video coax splitter since the cables that I'm using are just tvcoax cables anyways. report back later.......

nadda... this time the origanal reciver never worked at all no matter what, but the upstairs worked flawlessly. Hmmmmmm???

 

[MDS]

I've got a single lead going from the computer to the first reciever about 20' long...... the y-splitter at the end of that.......... and the a cable going from the splitter to the original reciever..... the about a 30' run from the y-splitter to the upstairs reciever.

I'm still a little unclear. The symptom you described previously, where only one receiver at a time works implies that they are wired in series.

You want the single output from the soundcard split two ways. So...a short cable from the soundcard to the y-splitter and then one leg of the splitter to one receiver and the other leg to the other receiver. If the y-splitter is the type with a single male RCA plug on end and two femal RCA jacks on the other end then you could connect the male end to the sound card and two other cables (one to each receiver) to the respective female jacks on the y-splitter.

 

[nuance]

I'm still a little unclear. The symptom you described previously, where only one receiver at a time works implies that they are wired in series.

You want the single output from the soundcard split two ways. So...a short cable from the soundcard to the y-splitter and then one leg of the splitter to one receiver and the other leg to the other receiver. If the y-splitter is the type with a single male RCA plug on end and two femal RCA jacks on the other end then you could connect the male end to the sound card and two other cables (one to each receiver) to the respective female jacks on the y-splitter.

That is exactly how I have it.

 

[nuance]

here is a very,very crude drawing of how it is set up

 

[mtrycrafts]

I've got a single lead going from the computer to the first reciever about 20' long...... the y-splitter at the end of that.......... and the a cable going from the splitter to the original reciever..... the about a 30' run from the y-splitter to the upstairs reciever.

A silly question, but do you have the Y splitter connected correctly?

 

[jimfitz]

Disconnect the wire from the receiver that works and see if the other receiver starts working. If not, disconnect the working receiver at the Y and see if the other one starts working. I'm thinking mayby you're trying to push too much info too far. Maybe the PC sound card can't support that.

 

[nuance]

A silly question, but do you have the Y splitter connected correctly?

is there a wrong way?

 

[Adam]

is there a wrong way?

Yep. The wrong way is to plug one of the receivers into the end of the splitter that only has one plug, while plugging the computer and the other receiver into the end of the splitter that has two plugs.

 

[nuance]

oh yeah. LOL na i've gottem right

 

[Adam]

Disconnect the wire from the receiver that works and see if the other receiver starts working. If not, disconnect the working receiver at the Y and see if the other one starts working. I'm thinking mayby you're trying to push too much info too far. Maybe the PC sound card can't support that.

Yeah, I also think that's the issue, Jim. Good advice, and nuance mentioned that was happening on the first page. I think that trying a different splitter or signal amplifier (some links on the first page) is the next step.

 

[nuance]

Disconnect the wire from the receiver that works and see if the other receiver starts working.

I have done that, and that is exactly what happens. I don't think its a issue of signal being pushed to far because the upstairs reciver is the one that always works. I dunno?????