Low cost single channel analog oscilloscope and useful to view SPDIF signals.

[Lawsen]

I am so poor that I use a single channel analog oscilloscope like these:

http://www.electronickits.com/gold/CKOSCOPE10MHZ_Low_Cost_10MHZ_Oscilloscope.htm

I liked them more than the digital storage oscilloscope like the Rigol.

I have both in my bedroom. The PC motherboard is sending out SPDIF digital signals.  I have figured a set up that will convert these to analog signal for my old speakers from a thrift store like condition, a dumpster.  Microsoft and Asus BIOS in China changed my computer to send out only SPDIF digital signals.  I will need a DAC, a circuit that changes SPDIF digital signals to analog by a Philips chip DAC converter.  I am not happy with this, but no choice. I have not changed to Linux, yet.  My analog speakers stopped working, because the Asus BIOS updates changed the audio output to SPDIF digital signals.  Microsoft Vista adapted with the SPDIF driver software and made analog output incompatible.  This computer will be silent for a few weeks, a month, until I figure a way to convert the SPDIF signals to analog and the needed cabling and DAC converter circuit board and steel cabinet to house it and a 6 to 9 V DC power supply.  This came at the worse time, because of the great depression here.

I have decided to add a sound card with a 24 bits digital to analog converter.  I lost the use of a Firewire card, because the P5DV2-MX SE motherboard only has two PCI slots.  It has one PCI Express 1.1, but I cannot afford the high end audio board that goes into that slot.  The sound is restored with a common $30.00 sound card, a PCI card with Creative Labs chip set and surface mounted op amps.  Updating the BIOS caused the motherboard to only output digital SPDIF signals at the audio jack that used to output analog audio.  PCI slots are really important, never know, when I might need them.  I was not impressed with the USB audio device, about as small as a key.  It is too fragile and does not have much audio components in it, but that seem better selling and sound card PCI board.  It is well worth the hassle to install it.  Most computers output digital PCM, pulse code modulation signals at 1 MHz or less, so any analog oscilloscope can show that signal.  I was wondering why my speakers did not work after the BIOS got updated.  Updating the BIOS does not increase the RAM address capacity, that I am ignorant of.  I learned that here.  The board addresses 2.5 GB by experiment.

Lawsen

[Mechatrommer]

find the Asus Driver in the net, maybe it can change back the setting to output analog signal.

[joelby]

Yeah, it'll be a driver setting somewhere.

It is *so* not worth your time to build a DAC. You can buy a USB sound card with stereo analogue outputs for a couple of dollars. A basic PCI sound card won't be a lot more.