Gaming headsets are all the rage these days, integrating good drivers for excellent audio reproduction with a microphone for team discussions during heated battles. Today, we take a close look at the new eDimensional AudioFX Force Feedback Gaming Headset, with its unique amplified bass vibrations. Let's see if they really make a difference! Link : eDimensional AudioFX Force Feedback Gaming Headset Review!
Interesting... The humming when connected to the laptop shouldn't be too hard to explain. Just take a look at the supplied voltage, using an oscilloscope... I guess it's not a stable low voltage but a chopped, or at least varying, voltage. Cheers Olle
Low voltage? But it's a notebook. Power is supplied through the battery. In any case, the AudioFX doesn't appear to be powered through any of the USB ports. A check of the Device Manager showed no current flow. Also, the vibration feature did not work... so my guess would be some kind of incompatibility that's not allowing the AudioFX to be powered by the notebook's USB ports. Incidentally, I also tried running the AudioFX off a notebook cooler's USB ports. Still the same - background hum + no vibrations.
The batteries are typically at a higher voltage than the USB supply, so it has to be reduced somehow. Exactly how the motherboard designers chose to do it I don't know. I wouldn't rely on the DM to measure the AC flow in a supposedly DC outlet. There should be a small DC curent though, if the article is correct. As I've understood the general design of this feature, it's a simple matter of the audio signal going through a LP filter to an amplifier, the output of which drives the magnet. The USB power should thus drive the amplifier. Again, depending on the design of filter and amplifier, it might need a fairly "clean" DC supply, that the notebook doesn't provide. The easiest way to check it out is by using an oscilloscope to study the USB voltage. Cheers Olle
Usually when you plug in a USB device, Device Manager will show the amount of current used. However, with the AudioFX, nothing is shown. I'll double check with the desktop later.
