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USB Sound Card for LapTop - anyone ever use one

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I bought an old Toshiba Laptop a while back, it's original intent was to be a back up for my DC-MP3 Showtime Director unit. However, the laptop has a sound issue where the sound may work for a while, then it won't work at all, not even from the output jacks.

So I was wondering if anyone has ever used one of these USB Laptop Sound Cards with their a laptop and ran the sound for their show straight from it directly into an FM transmitter directly from it?

I know if you plug in speakers, they would have to be the amplified type, but I use an FM Transmitter and an old FM Stereo for the outdoor speaker set up for walkers or those wanting to get out and listen and watch the display outside their vehicle.

I will also have to keep a small fan blowing on the laptop as it gets excrucitatingly hot and then shuts down after it's been on for about two to three hours, cools off and can be turned back on. But I know if I keep air circulating around it, I can run it for hours or days and not have it shut down automatically, which would be really bad in the middle of a show or sequence.

I've purchased the USB Laptop Sound Card 5.1, got it for $2.10¢ w/free shipping, ordered it today after talking to a tech about the laptop issue and he recommended it, but couldn't tell me how well they really work or if it would be suitable for my intended usage.

So hoping someone has used one of these and can give me their experience with it.

Orville

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Dennis Cherry Member

Dennis Cherry

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Orville wrote:

I bought an old Toshiba Laptop a while back, it's original intent was to be a back up for my DC-MP3 Showtime Director unit. However, the laptop has a sound issue where the sound may work for a while, then it won't work at all, not even from the output jacks.

So I was wondering if anyone has ever used one of these USB Laptop Sound Cards with their a laptop and ran the sound for their show straight from it directly into an FM transmitter directly from it?

I know if you plug in speakers, they would have to be the amplified type, but I use an FM Transmitter and an old FM Stereo for the outdoor speaker set up for walkers or those wanting to get out and listen and watch the display outside their vehicle.

I will also have to keep a small fan blowing on the laptop as it gets excrucitatingly hot and then shuts down after it's been on for about two to three hours, cools off and can be turned back on. But I know if I keep air circulating around it, I can run it for hours or days and not have it shut down automatically, which would be really bad in the middle of a show or sequence.

I've purchased the USB Laptop Sound Card 5.1, got it for $2.10¢ w/free shipping, ordered it today after talking to a tech about the laptop issue and he recommended it, but couldn't tell me how well they really work or if it would be suitable for my intended usage.

So hoping someone has used one of these and can give me their experience with it.

Orville



My laptop has a broken speaker jack, I found a USB audio plug in, it looks like a Jump drive, but has a audio jack. Worked great until one day I dropped the laptop and broke the USB sound unit.

Something like this.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4323590&CatId=4261
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Denis Chaput wrote:

Have you thought of one of these for your laptop or similar

http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=472610


I actually have around 30-40+{I've lost count} computer fans I've salvaged, so I built my own little colling system for it. I have found it much better if the laptop is kept elevated with more open air flow underneath it, than those cooling pads, which are, in my opinion, too close to the bottom of the laptop.

With those it seems the airflow still isn't good enough and it still would overheat and shut down, so I built a 6 fan cooling unit and the laptop sits above the fans. As long as they are running and underneath, I've never had it overheat.

But the overheating issue isn't what affects the built in sound system, to correct that would more than likely, from not only my, but some friends that are computer techs, would require replacing the motherboard and it's not worth the expense.

Not when you can buy a new laptop for $499.99 that barely gets warm to the touch, nor does it shut down and crash either.
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Caleb Linburg wrote:

I used something like this before, i would order 2 usb sound cards if i were you because they break easily.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/External-7-1-Channel-USB-2-0-3D-Virtual-Audio-Sound-Card-Adapter-12Mbps-New-/250953065545?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6df7e449#ht_4439wt_905

This one actually looks better than the one I had.


Thanks Caleb. Just ordered that one. For $1.78¢ and FREE shipping, definitely worth having a 2nd one. Wish I'd seen this one before I ordered the one I paid $2.10¢ for, since that one is 5.1 and this one you posted is 7.1.
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wmilkie Member

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Orville,
I used 2 different ones, this one has adjustable volume so you can set the output level:

U Control UCA222 by Behringer.com, about $30

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA222-U-Control-Ultra-Low-Interface/dp/B0023BYDHK

the other is made by Siig
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829270004&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Sound+Card-_-SIIG++Inc-_-29270004,

hard to find but Turtle Beach makes a similiar one

http://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Beach-Advantage-Digital-Adapter/dp/B0036VO4X4

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