Android Tablet - Want to listen to music through speakers...doable?

ShyStar · #1 05-20-2012, 06:38 AM

I have an Android Tablet running version 3.1.xxx?) with a combo mic/headphone jack input/output.

What I want to do is plug in a portable radio or CD player and listen to it through the tablets speakers and perhaps record it as well.

I can't figure out how to do this or whether or not it's even possible. I can't find any answers searching Google.

Can anyone shine some light on this please?

In case it's important to know, the tablet is a Toshiba AT100

**Lanny** · #2 05-26-2012, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShyStar

I have an Android Tablet running version 3.1.xxx?) with a combo mic/headphone jack input/output.

What I want to do is plug in a portable radio or CD player and listen to it through the tablets speakers and perhaps record it as well.

I can't figure out how to do this or whether or not it's even possible. I can't find any answers searching Google.

Can anyone shine some light on this please?

In case it's important to know, the tablet is a Toshiba AT100

Alright OP, did a little googling. I'm going to run off the iPhone/iPod spec since I have no idea what model you're using and doubt there would be TR(R)S specs for it if I did. If you can use those iPhone mic/headphones with it this will work.

So basically you should have a TRRS connector. Signal is taken from four different points on the connector, the tip, two rings, and the sleeve. These serve the functions of left audio, right audio, ground and microphone respectively. What you want to do is swap one of those audio and mic wires so your feeding the audio output from your CD player or radio or whatever into the microphone input on your tablet. Unfortunately that pretty much means taking a TRRS 3.5 cable, cutting it up, and splicing the wires, which sucks but it's a DIY so there ya go. What I would do is plug your tablet, start recording, and slice the cable. Then test each of your four wires (just touch them to eachother like they hotwire cars in the movies) and when you see something being recorded then you know you've got the right pair. Having found that simply splice up and you're good to go. Then you have to find some app that will play back microphone input over the speakers (probably going to have to amplify the signal or something), but that should be trivial.

Basically it's a total pain in the ass, but w/e. If you do it post back with pics, I'd be interested to see how it turns out.

Psychotogen · #3 05-26-2012, 05:39 AM

think about this before you do it. tablet speakers are not very loud.

**Lanny** · #4 05-26-2012, 10:24 AM

Yeah, but it sounds like a cool project. Do it faggot

ShyStar · #5 05-28-2012, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lanny

Alright OP, did a little googling. I'm going to run off the iPhone/iPod spec since I have no idea what model you're using and doubt there would be TR(R)S specs for it if I did. If you can use those iPhone mic/headphones with it this will work.

So basically you should have a TRRS connector. Signal is taken from four different points on the connector, the tip, two rings, and the sleeve. These serve the functions of left audio, right audio, ground and microphone respectively. What you want to do is swap one of those audio and mic wires so your feeding the audio output from your CD player or radio or whatever into the microphone input on your tablet. Unfortunately that pretty much means taking a TRRS 3.5 cable, cutting it up, and splicing the wires, which sucks but it's a DIY so there ya go. What I would do is plug your tablet, start recording, and slice the cable. Then test each of your four wires (just touch them to eachother like they hotwire cars in the movies) and when you see something being recorded then you know you've got the right pair. Having found that simply splice up and you're good to go. Then you have to find some app that will play back microphone input over the speakers (probably going to have to amplify the signal or something), but that should be trivial.

Basically it's a total pain in the ass, but w/e. If you do it post back with pics, I'd be interested to see how it turns out.

I really don't understand most of that. I have a male to male audio cable that looks like a pair of headphones but each end has the plug - I got it so I could listen to music from my phone through the AUX input of my stereo/car stereo and I've also used it to record cassette tapes to PC using audacity.

When I use the same cable to do the same thing in the tablet nothing happens, the machine simply records from the webcam microphone which is useless for what I want to do :/ I've tried a number of different apps and they do the same thing, and there is no option to choice what input to record from.

The port I plug into is clearly designated as a Microphone input.

**Lanny** · #6 05-28-2012, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShyStar

I really don't understand most of that. I have a male to male audio cable that looks like a pair of headphones but each end has the plug - I got it so I could listen to music from my phone through the AUX input of my stereo/car stereo and I've also used it to record cassette tapes to PC using audacity.

When I use the same cable to do the same thing in the tablet nothing happens, the machine simply records from the webcam microphone which is useless for what I want to do :/ I've tried a number of different apps and they do the same thing, and there is no option to choice what input to record from.

The port I plug into is clearly designated as a Microphone input.

There is no app that will do that for you. Your tablet and your cd player/whatever are both sending signal over your aux cable and neither is listening for signal. You need to feed your output from the CD player into your input on your tablet. While there is one port on each device, that single cable that connects them actually caries four signals. That's why you need to swap your input and output wires, so your tablet can be listening for your CD players output. Also your "aux" cable probably isn't going to connect since it's most likely a TRS cable while you need a TRRS cable.