PC Speakers and Volume Control

[Echo25]

I'm currently using a set of PC Speakers in my cab but I'd like to add a volume control near the cp so I don't have to keep going around the back to adjust the volume.  I don't want to rip apart a set of speakers if this isn't going to work so I'm not sure how the volume control is already wired.  Anyone do this yet?  If this is no good, anyway to adjust volume using an IPAC?

Any help is appreciated.  Thanks.

[tmasman]

Read through this
They also link to Oscar's Instructions

Just do what Oscar did between the PC & the speakers. Set the speakers to a higher setting & use this knob to control the level going to the speakers.
 

[Echo25]

Tmasman - thanks for the reply, I checked out Oscars instructions and the other posts but I have a cold and I'm not thinking too clearly.  Does this sound right - If I had a long enough cable from the sound card to the speakers, just cut it in half, solder them to the pot and then connect the speaker.  Somehow I think I'm missing something.

[Lilwolf]

what I did, and it's kinda hacky but worked well.

I mounted my speaker (actually speaker board... its hacked to the real arcade speakers) up to a whole...

I then took the knob off... put a hard kids straw on it... then put the knob on the end of the straw.  Some fitting and its tight as can be.

cost me all of one happy meal... and got rid of some !@# crap that my kids seem to think needs to stay in our house forever.

[tmasman]

Tmasman - thanks for the reply, I checked out Oscars instructions and the other posts but I have a cold and I'm not thinking too clearly.  Does this sound right - If I had a long enough cable from the sound card to the speakers, just cut it in half, solder them to the pot and then connect the speaker.  Somehow I think I'm missing something.

That should do it. (If you use the right type of POT, just use the same one as Oscar if you can.)

[ItzMR2u]

Let me throw my situation in here.  I'm using an Altec Lansing setup with a subwoofer and 2 satellite speakers.  My volume control in on one of the sats but the sub is what plugs into the computer.  Would I hack into the line from the sub to the sats or the line from the sub to the computer to add an external volume control?

[tmasman]

You would want the new volume control to be between your PC & whatever plugs into the sound card.

The new POT would be the first thing the wires hook up to after the PC.

To set your ideal volume here is what I would do...

Turn the PC sound ALL the way down (sound settings in Windows).
Turn the knob on your speakers to about 3/4. (Almost all the way up)
Turn the new POT all the way up.

Slowly raise the windows sound setting until it is as loud as you would ever want it. Do it very slowly!!!

If you get a lot of white noise from the speakers, you may have to turn them down a little & keep playing with the controls until you get the best sound.

If you do it this way, you shouldn't have to worry about blowing your speakers accidentally because you can't turn them up more than you had previously decided.

[Echo25]

Thanks for the replies, looks like I have this weekends project.  It didn't actually click until I cut the wire to see how to make the connections.