Sound card on USB stick?

[George]

I have a Dell Inspiron 5150 notebook on which the sound is gone
(no system sounds, no CD sounds). Machine has built-in speakers.
It happened while I had headphones plugged in. I re-installed the
Sigmatel driver, but no go. Then ran Dell Diagnostics (from F12)
and the Sound test came back with "Failed, Error Code 1B22:61B",
after asking if I could a hear a song, which I could not.

From googling the problem, it appears that it is a motherboard
problem, but since the machine is out of warranty, replacing the
mb at $200-$300 is not an option. I am thinking of looking into a
sound card on a USB stick, but don't know if it would work with
the built-in speakers, or if it would need external speakers?

Thanks in advance for any responses (or any other troubleshooting
tips).

George

 

[Paul]

I have a Dell Inspiron 5150 notebook on which the sound is gone
(no system sounds, no CD sounds). Machine has built-in speakers.
It happened while I had headphones plugged in. I re-installed the
Sigmatel driver, but no go. Then ran Dell Diagnostics (from F12)
and the Sound test came back with "Failed, Error Code 1B22:61B",
after asking if I could a hear a song, which I could not.

From googling the problem, it appears that it is a motherboard
problem, but since the machine is out of warranty, replacing the
mb at $200-$300 is not an option. I am thinking of looking into a
sound card on a USB stick, but don't know if it would work with
the built-in speakers, or if it would need external speakers?

Thanks in advance for any responses (or any other troubleshooting
tips).

George

You can get a CM108 on a USB stick. You'll need separate amplified
speakers, or you can plug in headphones to the CM108 chip.

A CM108 based USB stick for $20.00 - headphone and microphone jacks
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829128002

You can use that with an AC powered set of amplified speakers.
(I used to have my computer connected to the stereo, but the stereo
died, and now I'm using a $20 set of amplified speakers like these.)
The advantage of AC powered speakers, is you can get any power level
of sound output you like.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836116035

You can also get units that combine the two functions. There
are speakers that draw all their power from the USB bus, but
the USB bus has a 2.5W limit. So the sound level may not be
sufficient for some environments. With these, you just plug in
the USB cable to the laptop, and they work. In the reviews,
not everyone is overjoyed.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121011

In terms of channels, you can get more channels over the USB
bus if you want. But then the computer speaker system to
go with that, is a pretty large setup. For example, in the
room I'm in right now, there wouldn't be places to put all
the speakers in a 7.1 setup.

USB device with more channels available on output. $80.
Mainly helps with DVD playback.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829118005

For $300, you can get 500 watts of audio power, and 5.1 channels.
Good for DVD movies with lots of explosions. (One issue in general
with computer speakers, is quality control and lifespan. Check the
reviews carefully before buying. I've already had to fix my current
speakers - good thing I know how to solder.)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121120

All of the above sound solutions are cumbersome, so they're not
a substitute for getting the sound fixed.

Paul

 

[David B.]

Any use of the internal speakers would require disassemble of the laptop and
rewiring, if you get an external audio device you'll need external speakers.

 

[George]

Thanks Paul and David, appreciate the information.

George