CF-29 / Gamber-Johnson Mount / External Speaker

Hi guys... I have a question from a customer that I never even thought of... They have their CF-29 mounted in a Gamber-Johnson mount and are having issues with getting a speaker to pipe the sound through. I think he is trying to plug in the speaker directly into the back after he has docked the CF-29. I thought there might be something in the BIOS (enable/disable) but there doesn't appear to be. Is it as simple as turning something on/off... Or does the Gamber-Johnson mount cut off all peripherals once mounted?

Does anyone know for sure?

 

Okay.... Any guesses

 

I don't know about that... Sorry Rick!

 

My guess is that the mount would NOT cut off the peripherals. That would not make sense to me. Perhaps your client is hooking it up wrong? One thing I would check is to see if the laptop speaker itself emits sound when in the mount.

 

I think I now what the problem is/was and am having my customer check it out and report back. I think he is trying to use a regular speaker in the earplug jack. I think that is only good for an earplug and not a large speaker. He would need a powered speaker for that. He says the regular speaker works fine (I knew that already as I just built it for him!) but hen he plugs in the speaker all sound stops. I asked him if it was a regular speaker or a powered speaker... He needs to get back to me. Thanks though...

 

Stupid customers lol

 

Actually the guy is pretty cool... And I'm still not sure that it the problem... Plus he flipped out when he got his Ultimate Toughbook... But then they all do... Modded up, extra hardening, clean and quick.... What's not to love?... Except the speaker thing....

 

Well, for that kind of money, and a supposed "ultimate" toughbook, I would DEMAND the sound to work. If I were him, I would get a refund, plus punitive damages for breaking my heart to not hear sound, and doctor's fees to get my ears checked unnecessarily! Geez, what kind of business are you running pal?

j/k hehe

 

have him plug in regular headphones to test the gamber johnson audio out.

 

Headphones work... and the internal speaker works... external speaker doesn't... He needs a powered speaker...

 

Confirmed. I tried mine with both powered and unpowered speakers. Unpowered speakers do NOT work. This is without the mount though, just through the lappy itself. Hope this helps.

Paul

 

Rick,
If your customer doesn't want to screw with powered speakers in his vehicle he might like these:
http://www.jlabaudio.com/product_info.php?products_id=70
I use them for audio directions with my remote display and gps. I put them over the sun visor with a usb extension cable and they work great! They even do pretty well with music.
CAP

 

I don't think it's an issue of powered vs not powered after all, headphones are not powered and they seem to work. It may be the connector on his speaker is mono and he needs a stereo plug.

 

Hey TB. Not to steal the thread but what is extra hardening?

 

It depends on the model and what the customer will use the laptop for... And I don't do it on every one... It depends on what the customer wants/needs... But I plug all holes, reshape hinges to make sure all port covers fit flush and close more securely, I have a special blend of silicones that I treat the seals with to make sure that NO WATER can get by the seals.... (MY secret sauce!) You'd have to submerge the Toughbook to several feet and leave it there to get an internal leak. I close off the pass-though where the LCD & wifi cables fish down into the bottom and also up into the LCD... Panasonic doesn't do a very good job at this, especially in this area. In some cases I will put in larger seals to make sure that there will be no water ingress in a particular area...

Thise are just a few things... Depending on the mods that I do I may also secure things a little better on the inside to protect against vibration and drops/falls.

 

They also make speakers (my old employee had a pair) that have one plug for the audio jack and another plug - USB for the power.