[slinkelist] Re: digital mute

[Steve Weed]

Danny -

> how do you modify Sony TOSlink outputs to disable
> them when not playing

You have to go inside and make some electronic modifications.
To use optical splicers, power to the TOSlink transmitter
must be shut off when not playing.  If you are using
something like the MSB digital director, it is sufficient to
disable the digital signal.

If you have access to the schematics, find the mute signal
for the analog output, which can be tapped to control the TOSlink.
If you are braver and cheaper, you can probably avoid the overhead
of paying Sony for a service manual by tapping the Pause and Play
LEDs.  These are low active on mine; in other words one side of the
LEDs is connected to +5V and the other side gets pulled
towards ground to light.  You want the TOSlink transmitter disabled
unless the Play LED is lit and the Pause LED is dark so an NPN
transistor can be inserted between the transmitter and ground
and a PNP between the transmitter and +5V:

          pnp                  npn
+5V o----[EBC]---[toslink]----[CBE]---o gnd
           >         |          >
           <       spdif        <
          play                 pause


- Steve Weed