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0 pointsadrianmonk3mo ago0 comments

I wish Mini-TOSLINK[1] had been more successful. It's allows you to put an optical and electrical audio output on the same 3.5mm connector (i.e. headphone port), which is helpful for saving space on crowded panels.

The trick is that your 3.5mm connector only needs to connect on the sides, so the end of the jack can be open for light to be transmitted.

This was seen pretty frequently on laptops for a while, but I think two things doomed it. One, most people just don't use optical. Two, there's nothing to advertise its existence. If you do have one of these ports, you probably don't even know you could plug an optical connector in there.

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSLINK#Mini-TOSLINK

0 comments

johnwalkr3mo ago

I remember when all MacBooks had it. "What is this red light for?" used to be a common post on forums.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 pointsadrianmonk3mo ago0 comments

The trick is that your 3.5mm connector only needs to connect on the sides, so the end of the jack can be open for light to be transmitted.

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSLINK#Mini-TOSLINK