[demize]

I have a Lenovo Y50, and I'd like to be able to use its S/PDIF port. I have no idea if it's optical or coaxial though, and I'm having trouble finding any way to determine which it is. It's a regular 3.5mm jack, but the laptop doesn't recognize anything that I have that's plugged in to it (read: it's right next to the headphone jack). There's no visible light coming from it, but the light might only turn on , and I don't have an adapter to try. I'd rather not buy an adapter without knowing it'll work, so is there any way I can figure out which it is?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Call Lenovo support? Laptop PC manufacturers used to bundle the adapters, or have it on the brochure as an add-on accessory, so they can probably tell you what kind of adapter it needs.

 

In any case, when you tested it, you used a regular cable as a coaxial cable? AFAIK it was only with the current crop of portable players that 3.5mm TRS jacks are used for coaxial connections, and the considerations for that were 1) optical cable reliablity on portable rigs and 2) the size of regular RCA jacks and plugs. 3.5mm made a lot of sense when many portable DAC-HPamps also had it. Laptops traditionally used SPDIF because older gear also tended to use optical, like many Sony CDPs and later MiniDisc, on top of receivers.

 

[demize]

It's right next to the headphone jack, so it's more of a case of accidentally plugging the headphones in. There's no response from the computer or the headphones when I do it though, which suggests to me that it is in fact optical.
 
I believe I've also tried it with a 3.5mm to RCA coaxial cable, but I'm not 100% sure. I don't think I got any response from the computer when I did so, though, but I don't have any equipment to test it on anyway. The only response I could expect to get would be the Realtek HD Audio manager indicating that there was a connection, either through a notification or by looking at the main window.

 

[mistersprinkles]

Call the manufacturer. It won't take long. Most PC OEMs these days are eager to take calls without an infinite hold cycle. They're losing too much business to Apple.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  It's right next to the headphone jack, so it's more of a case of accidentally plugging the headphones in. There's no response from the computer or the headphones when I do it though, which suggests to me that it is in fact optical.
 
I believe I've also tried it with a 3.5mm to RCA coaxial cable, but I'm not 100% sure. I don't think I got any response from the computer when I did so, though, but I don't have any equipment to test it on anyway. The only response I could expect to get would be the Realtek HD Audio manager indicating that there was a connection, either through a notification or by looking at the main window.

The manual just say "S/PDIF" and does not list optical or coaxial, but best guess is it's optical.
 
Have you tried updating to the latest audio software drivers for your laptop?
Maybe there is a setting in the audio control panel of enabling the S/PDIF port?

 

[demize]

  The manual just say "S/PDIF" and does not list optical or coaxial, but best guess is it's optical.
 
Have you tried updating to the latest audio software drivers for your laptop?
Maybe there is a setting in the audio control panel of enabling the S/PDIF port?

 
My guess is that it is optical and would be activated if I plugged an adapter into it. I'll probably just see if I can find an inexoensive mini-toslink adapter to plug in. 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

   
My guess is that it is optical and would be activated if I plugged an adapter into it. I'll probably just see if I can find an inexoensive mini-toslink adapter to plug in. 

 
If you ask the manufacturer if they have the adapter or if they recommend one then that will confirm that it is optical or not.