I've been trying to find a 3.5mm stereo audio/mini-Toslink combination jack for my laptop with no luck. If anyone knows where to get these from it would be appreciated.
In the next day or two I'm going to take my laptop apart and see if I can find any markings on the jack that can aid in my search. If I'm unsuccessful in finding one then I'll try to find a regular 3.5mm stereo jack without the optical component that's around the same dimensions. I don't use optical anyway, so this wouldn't be a big deal to me.
Long story short: 1 1/2 year old curious kids don't mix well with laptops that have wires sticking out of them... My younger boy likes to unplug/plug in the audio cable on my laptop repeatedly when he gets the chance to (when I'm not looking). Well, 2 of those times he tried to unplug the cable by pulling it sideways instead of straight out. He got frustrated that he couldn't pull it out, so he just pulled harder. The first time he broke off the outer plastic ring. The second time he broke off a piece of the plastic inside the jack.
It still barely works. The plug has to be held towards the back of the laptop (the weight of the cable is enough to hold it) in order for the plug to make a connection with the more-than-likely bent pins inside the jack.
The only good thing about this ordeal is that I've found out that Neutrik TRS connectors can withstand the wrath of a 1 1/2 year old!
).
