Insufficient clearance on TOSLINK, recessed too far

[haydongreenbutton]

Aside from software issues which people are citing I've got a hardware issue with the physical design.

The optical connector is recessed and doesn't have enough clearance for cables with larger plugs. The plugs can't "lock" into place.

[Motz]

Do you have the model that you are using? We tested it with a lot of different connectors though to ensure it worked well.

[jziggity]

I had the same issue as well. I'm not sure what brand exactly my TOSLINK cable is, but it has a fatty grey plug on both ends, to the point that I couldn't get it to click into place. I just rotated mine around 180 degrees and "forced" it in with some gentle pushing. I know that's not the way the geometry of the plug is designed, but I figured it was probably okay since the center pin is completely round, and that's the part that makes the contact to receive the signal anyway. I hope I'm not wrong about that.

[tad]

I had the same problem with one of my cables. It turned out not to matter, though, since I planned to use it to feed a digital to analog converter and the echo can't be forced to PCM (2-channel) mode!

[rcy1]

My first two TOSLINK cables wouldn't work, the third was small enough to fit. The first was from Monoprice and was a "heavy duty" cable - I can buy it not fitting. Even the cable portion was thick. The 2nd one was much more "normal" looking (I think also Monoprice but not sure), but still too large to allow it to properly mate in the recessed opening. I was pretty concerned, since to interface with my living room receiver, I needed the optical out.

Fortunately, I had a third cable, which was a cheapie Phillips. It worked. being smaller diameter than the two Monoprice cables.

[barnabas1969]

Hmmm... I have several optical cables laying around. They all work fine in the Echo.

[barnabas1969]

And... exactly what do you all mean by "recessed"? I just went and looked at my Echo. The optical port is mated flush against the inside of the rear panel. The rear panel is maybe 1-2mm thick. Is that what you're talking about?

[haydongreenbutton]

And... exactly what do you all mean by "recessed"? I just went and looked at my Echo. The optical port is mated flush against the inside of the rear panel. The rear panel is maybe 1-2mm thick. Is that what you're talking about?

Yup, that's exactly what I'm talking about. That little bit of extra case is enough to stop it from mating properly.

All of the other connectors I have on various devices are directly exposed.

[barnabas1969]

And... exactly what do you all mean by "recessed"? I just went and looked at my Echo. The optical port is mated flush against the inside of the rear panel. The rear panel is maybe 1-2mm thick. Is that what you're talking about?

Yup, that's exactly what I'm talking about. That little bit of extra case is enough to stop it from mating properly.

All of the other connectors I have on various devices are directly exposed.

Simple solution... get out an Xacto knife or something similar, and trim off 1-2mm of the connector's "shoulder" (the part that prevents it from inserting fully).

[haydongreenbutton]

Simple solution... get out an Xacto knife or something similar, and trim off 1-2mm of the connector's "shoulder" (the part that prevents it from inserting fully).

Well, it's a metal barrel so I'm not going to be trimming the cable's connector. I could trim the case on the Echo but I'll either just leave it loose, tape it or find a cable that does lock properly.

I'm not bringing this up because it's a serious hardship for me. I'm bringing it up so Ceton can change this in the future. Several others have also already noted this problem. It really should be addressed.

[barnabas1969]

Simple solution... get out an Xacto knife or something similar, and trim off 1-2mm of the connector's "shoulder" (the part that prevents it from inserting fully).

Well, it's a metal barrel so I'm not going to be trimming the cable's connector. I could trim the case on the Echo but I'll either just leave it loose, tape it or find a cable that does lock properly.

I'm not bringing this up because it's a serious hardship for me. I'm bringing it up so Ceton can change this in the future. Several others have also already noted this problem. It really should be addressed.

Understood. All of the optical connectors on the back of my other components have nothing between them and the connector. Also, my optical cables are all about 9 years old. Not sure if anything has changed in the past 9 years regarding the connectors, but I do understand your problem. However, it seems unlikely that the echo design is going to change. Maybe the easier route would be to buy new cables with plastic connectors.

[haydongreenbutton]

After not finding any TOSLINK cable that fit properly... I removed the rear plastic cover that fits over the connectors and hides the screws. The plastic plate was destroyed in the process.

Things fit now. The TOSLINK connector clicks in properly.

Don't know what it does with the warranty though.

[barnabas1969]

After not finding any TOSLINK cable that fit properly... I removed the rear plastic cover that fits over the connectors and hides the screws. The plastic plate was destroyed in the process.

Things fit now. The TOSLINK connector clicks in properly.

Don't know what it does with the warranty though.

Wow... wouldn't it have been simpler to find a cable with a plastic connector and trim the shoulder of the connector with a knife?

[haydongreenbutton]

I had cheap TOSLINK cables lying around... several types. And none of them locked properly.

So no, it wasn't easier for me to find a cheap plastic cable that fit. Didn't harm the Echo in any way, just removed the plastic piece with the connector labels. Although aesthetically pleasing the rear of the case probably shouldn't have been rounded.

I did take the opportunity to open it up. Not too much in there. Processor, RAM, flash, NIC, HDMI chip, etc. The most curious thing is a PCB antenna with some missing components. I'm not sure if that was for Bluetooth or a missing 802.11 radio. If it was for WiFi the radio probably didn't perform to expectations.

[barnabas1969]

My point was that if you trimmed the plastic on the connector until it fit, then you wouldn't have voided the warrantee on your Echo. As I stated earlier, all of my optical cables fit the Echo just fine. I bought mine back in 2003 at Wal Mart or Radio Shack (both within 2 miles of my house, and I can't remember which store I bought them at). But, if my cable didn't fit... I'd modify the cable before modifying the Echo.

[barnabas1969]

My connectors look like the picture below. The arrow points to the shoulder... the part you should trim with a utility knife if it doesn't fit into the Echo correctly.

Toslink.jpg (7.95 KiB) Viewed 1127 times