Connecting your portable MD Recorder to a new CD player via optical will result in the best possible connection, but many of us do not have a new CD player and must use analog.  Yet, if you have a free PCI slot, you can get a Sound Blaster Live! Value for under 80 bucks at www.pricewatch.com and then you can record not only Digital CD but MP3's and any other form of sound from your computer via an optical connection.  I have listed the steps to setting up an optical connection below:

1. Go out and buy a Sound Blaster Live! Value and install it in a free PCI slot. Be sure to use digital connections from CD-Roms if possible...Most drives have digital pin connections, my DVD rom and 32x Panasonic CD-Rom both do.

2. Look at page 1-2 "Knowing and Installing Your Card."  Look at the bottom right where there should be a "12-pin SPDIF EXT connector pin assignments" The pins you will be needing are pin 1(9,11,12 also serve the same purpose, depending on your board revision and setup, you may have to use one of these not pin 1) the SPDIF Out signal, Pin 2 GND (5 and 10 are the same thing), and Pin 4 VCC.

3. Get part Sharp GP1F32T (part num.#8-749-012-69) ...this goes for about 20 bucks...if you want to be safe...connect the VCC to a red power line in your computer and the GND to a black power line in your computer on the GP1F32T  I want to warn everyone again...be extremely careful making connections, Today 2/14/99, I fried my SB Live because when I was reconnecting my GP1F32T, I touched pin 1 and 2...it is now useless...BE CAREFUL!!  Also...I said before a GP1F38T would work...it will not work in any way.

4. Connect cables as follows (small gauge shielded wire is best, but other types will work..I guess?):

   

5. You're done!  Fire up your computer hook up a toslink cable to your MD Recorder put it into Digital mode...you should see "Din Unlock" on the display..at the same time you should he sound come though your MD Recorder.  If not, check your connections and try again.  ( I take no responsibility for any problems you may have...If you break your MD recorder your SB Live! Value  (which I did)..or your whole computer for that matter it is your problem...this is experimental stuff..and I will take no responsibility.)

Where to Find Parts:

Alfons Smeets informed me that you can buy an Optical I/O board from http://store.europe.soundblaster.com/detail.asp?pid=995 and save yourself the trouble of buying harder to find parts or possibly breaking something by accident...as I clumsily did...

1. Sound Blaster Live! Value from www.pricewatch.com just type "Sound Blaster Live! Value" in the search window and click search.

2. Toslink converter part GP1F32T from ... I am still looking for a reliable source.

3. Toslink cable for your md recorder...for the MD-MS702 it can be purchased at www.sharpelectronics.com

                                                                                            -John Balint   [email protected]

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