Question How to detect and map input from headphone buttons to windows 10 PC?

[somePeopleKnowThem]

I have a usb to 4-pole headphone interface and these headphones.
https://www.amazon.com/DuKabel-ProSeries-Mic-Supported-Headphone-External/dp/B07RS11M1T

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MA1MJ6H

The headphones and mic works on my PC. The '-' '+' and 'o' buttons do things when it's connected to my android. I want to be able to map these buttons to functions on my pc. How would I do that?

 

[Ralston18]

What do the '-' '+' and 'o' buttons actually do on the Android and what functions do you expect the pc to perform if the buttons are mapped.

Typically those buttons control on/off and volume.

Are you doing coding of some sort?

More information needed.

 

[somePeopleKnowThem]

What do the '-' '+' and 'o' buttons actually do on the Android and what functions do you expect the pc to perform if the buttons are mapped.

Typically those buttons control on/off and volume.

Are you doing coding of some sort?

More information needed.

The - and + clicked once adjust the volume. 'o' clicked once toggles play/pause. There's more mappings it has on the android with double clicks and holds, but as a starting point, I'd want these buttons to have the same functionality (volume adjustment and play/pause) on windows.

Edit: I didn't have to do any coding on android for this, it was plug and play.


Does that answer to your question help you answer my question?

 

[hotaru.hino]

If your computer doesn't have a headset input, then there's zero chance it'll natively support in-line controls. If there is a headset input, it may support in-line controls, but if nothing is happening from it, then there's no support for it.

Basically, either your computer supports it or it doesn't. There's no easy well to tell without simply trying.

 

[somePeopleKnowThem]

If your computer doesn't have a headset input, then there's zero chance it'll natively support in-line controls. If there is a headset input, it may support in-line controls, but if nothing is happening from it, then there's no support for it.

Basically, either your computer supports it or it doesn't. There's no easy well to tell without simply trying.

Like I said in my first post, I have a headset input and the mic does work. The buttons don't do anything while connected to my pc.

But, isn't there some signal being sent when I press my headset buttons?

Is there no desktop software that will read the current state of that signal?

 

[hotaru.hino]

Like I said in my first post, I have a headset input and the mic does work. The buttons don't do anything while connected to my pc.

But, isn't there some signal being sent when I press my headset buttons?

Is there no desktop software that will read the current state of that signal?

See https://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/38492 on how Android does it. iOS is probably the same since I can use Apple's earbuds on my Android phone.

The gist of it is, yes there is a signal, but it comes from the microphone. And if I'm reading the post correctly, a button adds resistance to the microphone bias voltage, something on the audio input measures it, and depending on what voltage is recorded, an action is performed. This doesn't produce something resembling an audio signal as far as the ADC is concerned, so there's nothing to use by say, monitoring what the microphone is getting normally.

So basically, if it doesn't work, your computer doesn't have the hardware to do this and there's nothing you can install software wise to get this working because this would be a driver feature.

 

[somePeopleKnowThem]

So basically, if it doesn't work, your computer doesn't have the hardware to do this and there's nothing you can install software wise to get this working because this would be a driver feature.

I think it's the same 3.5 mm jack as on my android, so I'm skeptical that it's a hardware issue. Also, aren't drivers also software? How did you determine this is a hardware problem that's impossible to solve without new hardware (in which case, what hardware could I get to remedy this?), rather than a softare problem that's solvable?

 

[hotaru.hino]

I think it's the same 3.5 mm jack as on my android, so I'm skeptical that it's a hardware issue. Also, aren't drivers also software? How did you determine this is a hardware problem that's impossible to solve without new hardware (in which case, what hardware could I get to remedy this?), rather than a softare problem that's solvable?

That "same" 3.5mm jack goes into an audio processing chip. If that audio processing chip isn't specifically looking for the shifting levels in the microphone's bias voltage, then it's not going to support in-line remote control. At the same time if there was hardware specifically looking for a shifting bias voltage, the driver, which facilitates communication between the hardware and the OS, would have to implement a means to interpret what the hardware provides when looking at the bias voltage then send the appropriate media control input to the OS.

Basically:

• The hardware has to be looking for the signal
• The driver software has to be able to interpret the hardware responding to the signal

Both of these have to be true for an in-line remote to work.

And again, the reason you can't have something simply look at the microphone input and detecting some sort of change is because changing the bias voltage doesn't generate an audio signal.

 

[somePeopleKnowThem]

That "same" 3.5mm jack goes into an audio processing chip. If that audio processing chip isn't specifically looking for the shifting levels in the microphone's bias voltage, then it's not going to support in-line remote control. At the same time if there was hardware specifically looking for a shifting bias voltage, the driver, which facilitates communication between the hardware and the OS, would have to implement a means to interpret what the hardware provides when looking at the bias voltage then send the appropriate media control input to the OS.

Basically:

• The hardware has to be looking for the signal
• The driver software has to be able to interpret the hardware responding to the signal

Both of these have to be true for an in-line remote to work.

And again, the reason you can't have something simply look at the microphone input and detecting some sort of change is because changing the bias voltage doesn't generate an audio signal.

So is there any audio jack adapter and its associated drivers that are known to support in-line remote control on windows 10?

 

[hotaru.hino]

So is there any audio jack adapter and its associated drivers that are known to support in-line remote control on windows 10?

The 3.5mm jack has nothing to do with it. It's the audio chip it's connected to that would solve the hardware end.

However I dug around some more and found out that even the TRRS connections aren't the same.

Which explains why my Apple earbuds aren't working in various Dell PCs I've tried it in. This leads me to believe computers use CTIA, mobile uses OMTP.

If you have a "universal headphone jack", you need a OMTP to CTIA converter (https://www.amazon.com/Universal-3-5mm-Earphone-Converter-Adapter/dp/B07Q8GLYW3)
If you don't have a "universal headphone jack", you also need something like https://www.amazon.com/NRG-Tech-Adapter-Designed-compatible/dp/B00O1FH37S

 

[somePeopleKnowThem]

The 3.5mm jack has nothing to do with it. It's the audio chip it's connected to that would solve the hardware end.

However I dug around some more and found out that even the TRRS connections aren't the same.

Which explains why my Apple earbuds aren't working in various Dell PCs I've tried it in. This leads me to believe computers use CTIA, mobile uses OMTP.

If you have a "universal headphone jack", you need a OMTP to CTIA converter (https://www.amazon.com/Universal-3-5mm-Earphone-Converter-Adapter/dp/B07Q8GLYW3)
If you don't have a "universal headphone jack", you also need something like https://www.amazon.com/NRG-Tech-Adapter-Designed-compatible/dp/B00O1FH37S

Like I said in the first post, the microphone works, so I think I have the right adapter. I included the adapter link in my initial post too https://www.amazon.com/DuKabel-ProSeries-Mic-Supported-Headphone-External/dp/B07RS11M1T?th=1

Let me know if you have any success with in-line controls on a dell. Googling has been unfruitful and mostly leads me to people talking about their mic or headset not working. I can't seem to find a product that states that is supports in-line controls for generic headsets on windows either.

Again, let me know if you have any success please.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Like I said in the first post, the microphone works, so I think I have the right adapter. I included the adapter link in my initial post too https://www.amazon.com/DuKabel-ProSeries-Mic-Supported-Headphone-External/dp/B07RS11M1T?th=1

Except this is a CTIA adapter. If your earbuds were meant for phones, you need an OMTP compatible adapter or get a OMTP to CTIA converter.

Let me know if you have any success with in-line controls on a dell. Googling has been unfruitful and mostly leads me to people talking about their mic or headset not working. I can't seem to find a product that states that is supports in-line controls for generic headsets on windows either.

I haven't had any success and I don't plan on buying an adapter to make it work.

 

[Gaberilde]

Except this is a CTIA adapter. If your earbuds were meant for phones, you need an OMTP compatible adapter or get a OMTP to CTIA converter.


I haven't had any success and I don't plan on buying an adapter to make it work.

I know this is a old thread but you seem to know how this works

Its related but kinda a different issue let me explain

So i got some headphone mic adapters so i could record output sound from other devices and listen to it via headphones using my phone or other stuff with a single headphone port

The first one worked perfectly fine on my phone and didn't seem to create any issues it recorded fine and such until the cable got broke and it wouldn't recognise it anymore so i had to buy another

I brought another one (and a 3rd one since i thought the 2nd was defective) and they both have strange behaviour on my phone, when i plug it in its usually fine just to start with with it having so sound from the device i plug in to record, but when i play sound it usually doesn't even pick it up atall usually until i make it quite loud (the device i want to record) and when it picks it up then my phone starts going crazy and controlling itself (play/pause next back volume up/down/google assist etc) and i dont know whats causing its is it the omtp/cia thing that's the reason it could be doing this? its unusable to record while its doing this stuff also and i want to find out why if i can and you can since the first adapter seemed to be competly fine, or is it something else that can be causing this, i would like to know!
Thanks!

 

[Ralston18]

@Gaberilde

This is, indeed an old thread.

Please start a new thread specific to your devices, specs, and the problems being encounted.

Closing this thread to further comment.