[Elecraft] Tip, Ring, and Sleeve - External Speaker Jack

[jmeade at telebytebroadband.com]

Tom Hammond has great instructions on the use of Spectrogram to align
filters. He describes how to make a cable to connect the rig to the
soundcard.

When I first got my K2 (used), I had some initial confusion about the
external speaker jack and the tip, ring, and sleeve connections. 

The headphones and paddle input jacks are stereo 1/8".  The external speaker
jack is a mono 1/8" with a switch. I don't believe the diagram for the
external speaker jack is on the schematics. The external speaker jack for an
OHR-100A was a stereo jack - not the same as Elecraft's.

Tip
The outermost connection
Usually the left channel in a stereo system   
Elecraft keyer paddle = dot   
Elecraft external speaker connection = to speaker   
Spectrogram connection = to MIC or LINE soundcard input

Ring
The middle connection
Usually the right channel in a stereo system   
Elecraft keyer paddle = dash   
Not used on the Elecraft external speaker connection   
Not used with the Spectrogram cable  

Sleeve	
Usually the ground connection in a stereo system   
Elecraft keyer paddle = ground   
Elecraft external speaker connection = to speaker (ground)   
Spectrogram connection = to MIC or LINE soundcard input (ground)  

                              Plug

                                 /   \                   
         Tip----------   |     |                  
                                 \   /                    
                             +====+                  
                              |         |---------- Ring    
                              |====|                  
                              |         |             
                              |         |----------Sleeve    
                              |         |                  
                         +=======+
                         |                  |


The "phone plug" was used with old telephone switchboards and we still use
"tip" and "ring" today.  The terms were derived in the early days when
operators manually plugged the line into a cord board (manual switchboard).
In order to see if a particular extension was already in use, the operator
touched the tip of the plug to the outer ring of the extension socket on the
board. Known as "tipping," if static was heard, the line was busy.

The RCA "phono" jack is from the 40's and was designed to connect record
players to radios.