AutoHotkey Homepage AutoHotkey Community
Let's help each other out
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Possible to detect if headphones are plugged in or not?

 
Reply to topic    AutoHotkey Community Forum Index -> Ask for Help
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
MAX
Guest





PostPosted: Thu May 04, 2006 7:27 pm    Post subject: Possible to detect if headphones are plugged in or not? Reply with quote

I doubt it's possible, but I am wondering if there is a way to detect if headphones are currently plugged into the headphone jack...

It's probably very dependent on the system, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. I work in an elementary school computer lab and sometimes the kids pull the headphones out of the plug and the audio plays really loudly, thus disturbing everything.

If there is a way to detect when this happens, I can have a script mute the sound until the headphones are plugged back in.
Back to top
Greg



Joined: 22 Dec 2005
Posts: 245

PostPosted: Thu May 04, 2006 7:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Perhaps you can just lower the main volume and raise the headphone volume in the volume control window.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
evl



Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 1237

PostPosted: Thu May 04, 2006 10:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Usually there's no seperate slider for headphone volume. I don't think it's possible to know if headphones have been plugged in.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Guest






PostPosted: Thu May 04, 2006 11:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Greg wrote:
Perhaps you can just lower the main volume and raise the headphone volume in the volume control window.


Even if you could raise the headphone volume manually, lowering the main volume would take precedence over that.
Back to top
BoBo
Guest





PostPosted: Fri May 05, 2006 7:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I thought about to detect a signal at this chanel using a frequency analyzer. The other (brainfart) option would be to connect a microphone and if the headphone is disconnected the mic should indicate that the sound level at this environment has changed. Rolling Eyes

Isn't there anything which displays that a headphone is currently dis-/connected ?
Back to top
Antonimo



Joined: 28 Apr 2006
Posts: 55

PostPosted: Fri May 05, 2006 8:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I use a USB headphone (headset with mic) - It is listed in "Sounds and Audio Devices" as a separate device.

I have shortcut in the startup folder to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\SNDVOL32.EXE /D1 which opens the volume control for this device which has the title "Speaker" instead of the normal "Volume Control". The switch /D1 causes this separate device's volume control to open.

When the headset is not plugged in, running this shortcut brings up the default "Volume Control".

The point with this is that I can have quicker access to the volume controls for the headset when I am using it with, for example, Skype instead of having to go through the Control Panel to open the volume control.

I use Volume OSD - updated by Rajat (http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=88)

I would like there to be a similar autohotkey script to control the headset volume controls, but I have no idea how to create it.

Does anybody have any ideas?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
elchapin



Joined: 06 Mar 2007
Posts: 64
Location: Columbus, OH, USA

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I wondered if we could revisit this topic... has anyone figured out how to detect when regular headphones are plugged in or disconnected?

I recently saw this article over at lifehacker... there's a Mac app that does this: http://lifehacker.com/368768/pause-itunes-whenever-you-unplug-your-headphones-with-breakaway
_________________
My startup is Telesaur - a telecommuting job site.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
ggwwtt
Guest





PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When I ran a computer classroom there were no external speakers on the machines. Every machine came with them, there were all in a big box somewhere.

FWIW
Back to top
Ursu
Guest





PostPosted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 8:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am also looking for a solution to having the volume muted when the earphones come out. I thought to use SoundSet to mute the speaker volume then unmute the headphones volume, but that muted everything:

SoundSet 1, speakers, mute
SoundSet 0, headphones, mute

I must be misunderstanding something about the relationship between the sound components.

In theory tho, windows realizes when you plug your headphones in and mutes the speakers, and unmutes them when you pull them out. We just want to be able to do the opposite...

Any ideas?
Back to top
Mustang



Joined: 17 May 2007
Posts: 421
Location: England

PostPosted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 10:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ursu wrote:
In theory tho, windows realizes when you plug your headphones in and mutes the speakers, and unmutes them when you pull them out. We just want to be able to do the opposite...

Actually I think this is a hardware based solution that soundcard manufacturers use and the OS doesn't have any say in it
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
engunneer



Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Posts: 8255
Location: Maywood, IL

PostPosted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 4:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

yes, it is done in hardware. the connector has 5 pins, and when you plug in your headphones, the spring contacts disconnect from the two pins that go to the speakers and are touching the headphones, directing the sound voltage to the headphones. The OS knows nothing about it.

In the case of a USB headphone/microphone, you are technically unplugging the entire soundcard, which the OS does notice.
_________________

(Common Answers)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
evan
Guest





PostPosted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

when i plug in my mp3 headphone into the headphone hole, this happens:

(using Vista, my XP computer doesnt show this message)

Back to top
Mat
Guest





PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 11:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's right, some soundcards detect when you plug something. Maybe this can be used to mute the whole computer when something is unplugged !?
Back to top
weiterbilder



Joined: 30 Oct 2008
Posts: 33

PostPosted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:41 am    Post subject: Re: Possible to detect if headphones are plugged in or not? Reply with quote

MAX wrote:
I doubt it's possible, but I am wondering if there is a way to detect if headphones are currently plugged into the headphone jack...
I don't know how they do it, but my mainboard soundcard driver "Realtek HD Audio Manager" displays exactly that under "Audio - E/A". I guess it is an impedance measurement, so if resistance falls below a special threshold, the software expects a mike or whatever to be plugged in.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    AutoHotkey Community Forum Index -> Ask for Help All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You can post new topics in this forum
You can reply to topics in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group