We lost a post that detailed part numbers for the PC Input cables. Is there anyway to get that back. Or can they be re-posted in this thread.

Trip was trying to help with correct cable P/N's from his stock.

Thanks, Beoaus.

6270302 - DIN to 2x RCA.  May need a ground isolator - PC input can be a bit noisier than PL...

 Best,

Bumble
 

Does that work with left and right channels?

Thanks Beoaus.

bumble:

6270302 - DIN to 2x RCA.  May need a ground isolator - PC input can be a bit noisier than PL...

 Best,

Bumble
 

Are you sure?  I have tried this cable, and I get audio on only one channel.

This thread says the correct cable is a "PC Input Adapter". 

http://forum.beoworld.org/forums/post/89453.aspx

I am trying to track one of these down.

Stan 

This does not work either. Its labeled as a PC Input Adapter.P/N 627316.

Does this 6270828?

Tonnes of confusion on this.

Trip English can you help?

Beoaus.

Looking at the pinout of a PowerLink connector, I would assume that the right channel input is not located at Pin 4, which would be the standard location, because Pin 4 is used for the Speaker-ON-Signal at the PowerLink connector. B&O seems to have "misused" some pins on the PowerLink/PC-connector. May be the right channel must be connected to Pin 7 or Pin 8 or even to Pin 6. This would require a special adapter.

Other users suffered from the same problem (only left channel working) when using the BeoLink Active as external input.

This is only a wild guess but might be worth trying the other pins as mentioned above.

Hagen2000:

Looking at the pinout of a PowerLink connector, I would assume that the right channel input is not located at Pin 4, which would be the standard location, because Pin 4 is used for the Speaker-ON-Signal at the PowerLink connector. B&O seems to have "misused" some pins on the PowerLink/PC-connector. May be the right channel must be connected to Pin 7 or Pin 8 or even to Pin 6. This would require a special adapter.

Other users suffered from the same problem (only left channel working) when using the BeoLink Active as external input.

This is only a wild guess but might be worth trying the other pins as mentioned above.

You've motivated me to look at my cable and some of the the cable diagrams found in the service manuals.

What I have is a AUX-input cable.  It works correctly with my BS9000.  According to BS9000 service manual, the AUX-in port takes input signals on pins 3 and 5, with 2 being ground.  These are the pins that have leads on my cable.

Unfortunately, there is no service manual for the newer style BeoLink Active (with the PC port instead of 2 PL ports).  However, would  B&O really be daft enough to use a different pin-out?  The port's original purpose was to take audio from the computer's sound card to the active box.  Why would you use anything but the AUX input - it would seem to me like this engineering has already been done and can be borrowed from another product. I suppose it's possible, but not logical that a different cable is used (at least to this former engineer's mind).  I thought, maybe DataLink... maybe there was some grand idea of expanding the relationship between PC and BeoLink active and use a near obsolete "protocol", but no, according to the MasterLink configuration guide, Datalink uses the same pins (3,5) for audio input. 

Did they design something totally obscure to stop people from adding non-B&O to their systems?  I did take a peek at the circuit board, but, having not done any EE for 20 years, I cannot say I could really follow.  The circuits leading from pins 3 and 5 (assuming I followed them correctly) did look similar (as one would expect) if they were L and R audio inputs.

I can't see there being a different cable.  I *can* see B&O having 3 or 4 different part numbers for the same cable.

But why then no right audio?  If it was just one box, then I'd say my box is bad.  But with 2 boxes (at least) exhibiting the exact same issue, perhaps it is a manufacturing defect?  I would say the vast majority of active owners have no clue what this port is for and since BeoLink PC Office was such a short lived product, maybe it was never really caught... or was caught, but not publicised (like Apple likes to do).  I also noticed there's a pretty bad hum on the speakers when the volume is turned up with the PC input.  This hum is not there for masterlink sources.

So... I'd be willing to send this into service to have it checked out, but I still have the blended audio problem (masterlink audio blends with PC audio when there's audio on masterlink).  I don't want to fix one problem and still have the other.  Anybody know anything about this blended audio problem and if there is a software fix?  I have asked my dealer to look into this, but, alas, I'm not hopeful as there's not much of a pot of gold at the end of this journey... maybe he's taking some vacation - yesterday was a holiday here in the States.  When I was looking at the BV8, the calls were returned much faster

I'm getting closer to giving up and buying a pre-amp and running the TV output and PowerLink output into the pre-amp, and then having the pre-amp drive my BL4000s.  The problem with this is that I cannot seem to find a pre-amp with a remote for less than $500... which is twice as much as I'd like to spend on this, hopfully temporary, project at this point (for a non-optimal solution - a BV8-40 would be the optimal solution).  I'm already looking at 2 remotes (1 for the cable box, 1 for the active), why not a 3rd?

Stan

Hi Stan,

what I was looking at, when I wrote down my thoughts, was a BeoLink Active manual which shows two 8-pin DIN sockets, one labeled as "PowerLink" and the second labeled as "PowerLink/PC". Thus the second socket obviously serves two purposes. I´m not aware that there is a "newer style" BeoLink Active. What type of sockets does your BeoLink Active supply?

The hum you mentioned can be produced by the source you connected to the BeoLink Active. PCs normally use switching power supplies which can create hum. Or you created a ground loop (B&O system and audio source connected to different main outlets / phases). What kind of audio source did you use?

Mine has 2 8-pin DIN sockets (in addition to the ML and IR sockets), one labeled as "PowerLink" and the 2nd labeled as "PC".  I had assumed that there was a newer style active because there are 2 different active references on this site.  One that shows 2 PL DINS, the other shows a PL DIN and a PC DIN with the note.

"*The socket marked PC is used in

BeoLink PC setups only. Please

refer to the User’s guide enclosed

with the BeoLink PC kit."

I hadn't considered a dual use port.  I suppose that would be feasible since PL (without data display) only uses 4 pins leaving 1, 6, 7 or 8 as potential the audio in.  I guess this would be easy enough to test by changing my speaker connect to the PC port...  I wonder if this would damage anything...  However, if it were a PL port, I don't understand how any channel would work... given that PL has output on the pins that I am connecting the input to...

"*The socket marked PC is used in

BeoLink PC setups only. Please

refer to the User’s guide enclosed

with the BeoLink PC kit."

I hadn't considered a dual use port.  I suppose that would be feasible since PL (without data display) only uses 4 pins leaving 1, 6, 7 or 8 as potential the audio in.  I guess this would be easy enough to test by changing my speaker connect to the PC port...  I wonder if this would damage anything...  However, if it were a PL port, I don't understand how any channel would work... given that PL has output on the pins that I am connecting the input to...

The fixed audio output of a Toshiba LCD is the audio source.  It is plugged into the same outlet as the active.  I suppose it could just be crappy output from the TV.  I bought the TV primarily because it was cheap.

Stan

Well I am giving up. I'm digging the box out from the wall and taking it to B&O service, which incidently they offered in the first place... I'll mention 3 problems, blended audio, channel issues and humming.

thanks beoaus.

If they fix it, please let us know.

Also, in screwing up my previous post (with the repeated text that would not go away), I now see that I deleted a comment that went something like this:

If this is not the cable, the fact that there's (at least) 2 of us with the same problem points toward this looking more like a manufacturing defect.  Given that the PC port was designed for a very short lived product (BeoLink PC Office), I'm quite sure the vast majority of active owners are not even aware of this port.  I can easily see a problem slipping through (or being found, but not publicised like Apple likes to do).

I wish you luck with your service.

Many thanks, Stan.

Could be - It's in with service now with the cable, all three points noted so I suppose I will find out.

BTW the unit is running software 1.0. is that the only version available?

beoaus.

Unit came back with a big "No faults found". In fact another tested exactly the same. In the meantime I have dug up some information that relates to what the Beolink Active does with ground thru ML to powerlink. PC and Powerlink are joined in the box through it seems the way it is done probably necessitates different powerlink or PC input cables which remain unknown.

Will post something when I get further details.

Beoaus.

Beoaus,

Let me see if I can add a little data to help your discussion and resolution of the problems raised.

Firstly, there are/were two versions of Beolink Active. The early version without the Beolink PC socket were Type 1616 depending on country and the mark 2 version was Type number 163X

The latest software version for the Type 1616 was 1.3 and the following problems were resolved when taking the software from 1.1 which almost everyone purchased to 1.3:-

• Listen-in when using the volume up and down buttons
• Option 5; to be used if the product is placed in the same room as a non-linkable B&O TV (not connected to the BeoLink)
• Option 6; to be used if the product is placed in the same room as a TV of another brand

The software 1.3 was introduced from serial no 94109567 for Type 1616 only

It should also be noted that with some speakers there was a hum when connected to BeoLink Active. The problem was that Pin 7 (data ground) on the powerlink socket has no connection and was teh same problem on early versions of PC2/Beoport as well.

When looking at the PC socket on the Mark II Beolink Active which still uses the standard 8 pin powerlink socket the details are somewhat misleading. These are the facts which I have been able to establish:-

• The part number of the cable from the PC socket which is intented for Beolink PC Office is 6270759

The connections of this cable which certainly do NOT conform to the standard powerlink wiring.

Comments made previously about only one channel working may be because pin 5 (right channel) is the same as the Powerlink, but the left channel appears to be on pin 2 which is ground on a standard powerlink. Surprisingly, pin 6 appears to be ground and it would normally be "Datalink"

If my review of the circuit is correct, then don't even think of plugging a Powerlink speaker into this PC socket which you could physically do because they are the same socket type.

Thanks Keith.  Perhaps, I will see if my dealer can order this new part number for me.

I never thought the PC connector had anything to do with PowerLink as PowerLink is output and this port is input.  With pin 5 as R audio in and 2 as ground, so far, its the same as the AUX port... please tell me if pin 3 is L audio in... and do you see any "monkey business" with the other pins.

Stan

Keith,

Thanks for the reply. I didn't connect a powerlink cable to the PC connection, just the PC input adapter.I didn't actually mean the PC connector was for a powerlink cable it was just meant as a description of the socket. ....this comes about when you try to explain something that you are struggling with in order to get some help.....

Does the adapter (PC Office) you mention work with a PC input cable of sorts, one with RCA connectors?

Thanks, beoaus.

Mmmm.

Can type 163x be upgraded to software 1.3 or is it just type 1616?

Thanks Beoaus.

Solution found.

B&O America have a cable 0898126. I have this cable now and can testify that it works. All problems listed above, including the single channel, humming, listen in, etc are just symptoms of the wrong cable being used.

You simply press PC on the Beo4 and the local sound source comes through the speakers, whether it's line in, variable volume, a TV with line out, an IPod (use it on full volume) etc.. work in a linked setup or stand alone.

If you have specific questions please go ahead and ask....

beoaus.

beoaus:

Solution found.

B&O America have a cable 0898126. I have this cable now and can testify that it works. All problems listed above, including the single channel, humming, listen in, etc are just symptoms of the wrong cable being used.

You simply press PC on the Beo4 and the local sound source comes through the speakers, whether it's line in, variable volume, a TV with line out, an IPod (use it on full volume) etc.. work in a linked setup or stand alone.

If you have specific questions please go ahead and ask....

beoaus.

beoaus.....good news...

 finally, I suppose that this cable is a DIN cable with  :

pin5 - right in channel

pin2 - left in channel

pin6 - ground

Could you please validate this information about PC input on Beolink Active with us?

thanks in advance..

beoaus:

Solution found.

B&O America have a cable 0898126. I have this cable now and can testify that it works. All problems listed above, including the single channel, humming, listen in, etc are just symptoms of the wrong cable being used.

You simply press PC on the Beo4 and the local sound source comes through the speakers, whether it's line in, variable volume, a TV with line out, an IPod (use it on full volume) etc.. work in a linked setup or stand alone.

If you have specific questions please go ahead and ask....

beoaus.

beoaus.....good news...

 finally, I suppose that this cable is a DIN cable with  :

pin5 - right in channel

pin2 - left in channel

pin6 - ground

Could you please validate this information about PC input on Beolink Active with us?

thanks in advance..

Hi,

Excuse me for my ignorance but what can be achieved with this solution? As I read it I can connect som third-party equipment to the Beolink Active. Can the audio for this source then be distributed on the Masterlink?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Anders

Thanks Beoaus! 

I will be placing my order tomorrow

Stan