TrueRTA Oscilliscope help check decks clipping point

[microhaxo 10+ year member]

*Oscilloscope

I have my laptop, one 1' 1/8" jack and a L / R RCA to 1/8" jack. I want to be able to check at what volume my head unit clips.

I have read that i need to use the trueRTA to generate the tone, send the tone into the AUX of the deck and READ that through my mic on the laptop in the program.. Thats kind of a problem for me since i dont have 2 Aux cords. IS there any way i can just burn a 60hz sin wave on a cd play it and use the RCA pre outs on the deck with an adapter for the read in to check clipping? when i tried this all i saw was a goofy flat line that occasionally left the screen and went right back to flat.

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[microhaxo 10+ year member]

I can connect my MP3 player via the AUX to the mic on the laptop while playing a 60hz mp3 on it and get a really nice SINE wave that shows when it clips, but when i take left and right and convert to mono, i get jibberish, nothing that resembles a sine wave, it fluctuates greatly and requires me to go to the SMALLEST scale to see anything readable.

 

[microhaxo 10+ year member]

update: apparently i can also attach it to ANY audio source in my house and get a clean sine signal and see if it is clipping or not. BUT NOT MY DECK..

I dont know what the HELL is going on.

 

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

IDK...Oscilliscope software without a real Oscilliscope...I'd just go out and find a used Oscilliscope...you can snag one for under a couple hundred bucks.

 

[microhaxo 10+ year member]

This has been proven extremely accurate. I think the main point of error comes down to the quality of the sound card. But in any case, i don't have a couple hundred bucks :|

 

[smoka 10+ year member]

*Oscilloscope
I have my laptop, one 1' 1/8" jack and a L / R RCA to 1/8" jack. I want to be able to check at what volume my head unit clips.

I have read that i need to use the trueRTA to generate the tone, send the tone into the AUX of the deck and READ that through my mic on the laptop in the program.. Thats kind of a problem for me since i dont have 2 Aux cords. IS there any way i can just burn a 60hz sin wave on a cd play it and use the RCA pre outs on the deck with an adapter for the read in to check clipping? when i tried this all i saw was a goofy flat line that occasionally left the screen and went right back to flat.

I don't think you'll see any clipping from the rca's since its a low-level output the signal is not really amplified to cause clipping....

If you want to see if the deck is clipping, you would unhook a speaker and connect the wires to your input. The clipping comes not from the audio signal, but from the amplification of that signal...

I've never used a software scope, you can find an older Oscope on ebay for around $75.

 

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

This has been proven extremely accurate. I think the main point of error comes down to the quality of the sound card. But in any case, i don't have a couple hundred bucks :|

I'm sure it may have, but I think by the time you fawk around with it and sound cards, etc. you could have done what I and smoka suggested a spent the same $$$ on a used "O" scope. IMHO. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/cool.gif.3bcaf8f141236c00f8044d07150e34f7.gif

 

[DBfan187 5,000+ posts]

I don't think you'll see any clipping from the rca's since its a low-level output the signal is not really amplified to cause clipping....
If you want to see if the deck is clipping, you would unhook a speaker and connect the wires to your input. The clipping comes not from the audio signal, but from the amplification of that signal...

I've never used a software scope, you can find an older Oscope on ebay for around $75.

RCA's do clip. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[microhaxo 10+ year member]

yea, im pretty certain that the signal going to the amp can be clipped by the deck.

All the rca's i have tested have shown a nice sine wave and clipping at high levels of volume, but not my car :|

I dont know why its different. :|