How to convert RJ11 to RCA

1

We have a Marantz sound system. We also have an Asterisk PBX. Now, I want to have Asterisk play a bell tone for a schedule over the sound system.

So I've set up a Cisco SPA112 Port Adapter (basically a Digital-to-Analog convertor) and assigned it an ipaddress on the network. I've also set up Asterisk to know what to do. So I am able to send the sounds to the Port Adapter, but I need now to get the sound from the Adapter box into the Marantz.

We have done something similar with our PA system. Asterisk broadcasts to a Port Adapter which in turn allows the signal to pass as analog to our Viking ZPI-4 Paging Interface. Asterisk plays the "5" tone and the Viking allows the sound to play.

But the trick here is to do the same thing through the sound system attached to the Marantz.

The Adapter has an RJ11 output, and the Marantz has an RCA input.

The circuit is only one-way. We would only send FROM the Port Adapter TO the RCA input.

So it looks like I need an RJ11 to RCA convertor. But I would like to make one instead of buy one, which means I need to know how the wires should map to the pins. I can't find the answer in a google search, so I was hoping some of the knoweledgeable folks here might be able to help me out.

[conclusions]

The wiring diagram is actually what I was looking for here, and Spiff supplied exactly the solution I sought, so I am marking the answer.

However, I realize I haven't solved the underlying issue. Another solution I am looking at (in case anyone is following this) is [sending the sound transmission directly to the Marantz]3. Another approach to the underlying issue is to see whether Asterisk can transmit to the line without waiting for an answer.

bgmCoder

Posted 2014-03-14T19:03:15.730

Reputation: 1 771

Question was closed 2014-03-20T06:15:10.023

Answers

1

[This doesn't solve all of @BGM's unique requirements, but if someone comes here with simpler requirements, this might be an answer for them, so I'm going to post it anyway.]

If it weren't for the problem of dealing with the ring signal (90VAC 20Hz with enough power to physically ring metal bells on old-school telephones), and dealing with auto-answer (can't send audio down a phone line unless someone completes the circuit by going off-hook), it's actually pretty simple to electrically connect a phone line to a line-level audio cable. You just need a transformer of the kind that were always built into analog modems. So if you have an old analog modem lying around unused, you can just unsolder the transformer from it, and connect it between a phone line and an RCA connector like this:

Telco                         Phone
T---------------------------------T
                                         <-- phone line
R----------+      +---------------R
           |      |
           uuuuuuuu
           ========    <-- Transformer from analog dial-up modem
           nnnnnnnn        (Do you like my ASCII-art transformer symbol? ;-)
           |      |
Center ----+      |
                  |    <-- RCA connector
Shield -----------+
/Ground

See also: Telephone line audio tap (YouTube link)

Spiff

Posted 2014-03-14T19:03:15.730

Reputation: 84 656

Thanks for the diagram and the link. This is what I was looking for. I'll test this with my Asterisk system and see if I can figure out how to get it to work. I'm marking this solved, but I'll provide details once I test. – bgmCoder – 2014-03-14T20:59:32.710

Nooo! Like I said, this isn't a full solution for you. First, it doesn't complete the circuit on the phone line. You still need something that does auto-answer. If you don't have something that can detect the ring signal and go off-hook (i.e. "answer the phone", "complete the circuit"), you won't have a circuit that the Cisco box can send audio onto. Also, I'm not really an electrical/electronics engineer, so I don't know enough to predict how the 90VAC ring signal might affect this. It's possible it could physically destroy your audio equipment, for all I know. – Spiff – 2014-03-14T21:16:05.880

I am actually going to try the Rolls box which has a transformer in it(http://www.rolls.com/product.php?pid=PI9) -I marked your question because it was the answer I was looking for with regards to the wiring diagram. You have a point about the device needing to be able to close the circuit, and I am wondering if there isn't some configuration in Asterisk that will let me send the signal through the circuit directly without waiting for an answer. Also, I wonder if maybe I can send the sounds directly to the Morantz.

– bgmCoder – 2014-03-14T21:38:16.673

@BGM The problem is that the "answer" is what actually completes the circuit. Electricity, including analog audio on phone lines, requires complete circuits to flow through. Without answering, the "red" and "green" (a.k.a. "tip" and "ring" from the old phono-plug-based naming) lines of the phone cord are just two unconnected wires, not a circuit. As you can see from the diagram, the transformer doesn't complete the circuit either. You still need something to complete the circuit (a.k.a. "answer the phone", "take the receiver off of the hook switch", "go off-hook"). – Spiff – 2014-03-14T21:52:48.957

I know you are right about the circuit. I'm torn between making sure my question is resolved (I hate leaving unresolved questions) and not actually finding the real solution, of which I don't really see one. – bgmCoder – 2014-03-14T22:22:08.617

2

Telephone lines carry power to drive the telephone. RCA is a low voltage, unamplified signal. You can't just wire one into the other. In addition, telephones have the concept of on/off hook, and ringing. You have to present the correct impedance to convince the adapter that the "phone" is on or off the hook, and it's going to want to see it on the hook, then deliver a high power ( 48v ) ring signal to ring the bell until you take the phone off hook. That would blow out any RCA gear.

psusi

Posted 2014-03-14T19:03:15.730

Reputation: 7 195

I blew a RCA input on a receiver once doing this very thing many years ago. – Keltari – 2014-03-14T19:15:18.173

But I'm sending from the phone TO the RCA. No problem of overload. This is only one way. – bgmCoder – 2014-03-14T19:17:38.127

I can send the "5" tone using Asterisk to alert the Port Adapter that a transmission is commensing. – bgmCoder – 2014-03-14T19:19:26.667

@BGM, the direction does not matter; the VoiP telephone adapter outputs high power because it expects to be connected to a telephone, not stereo equipment. Only RCA connections are single direction; telephone lines are bidirectional. – psusi – 2014-03-14T19:23:12.333

Ah, I got you now - it's a matter of the power. So, looking at the Morantz, isn't there any way to get my sound into it from Port Adapter? – bgmCoder – 2014-03-14T19:25:10.897

But I thought analog phones were low-power. And, if even though telephone is bidirectional, what if we only pinned two of the 4 pins to the RCA jack? Or do you mean that the Morantz won't take that input because the power isn't high enough? – bgmCoder – 2014-03-14T19:29:27.557

@BGM, that looks like what you need. A telephone line is only two wires. An RJ11 contains two lines: one on the inner pair of pins, and line two is the outer pair of pins. As for low power, "low" is relative. RCA is something like 3v and telephone voice is like 12v, and that 48v ringing voltage is what would really kill it. – psusi – 2014-03-14T19:41:59.983

1@BGM That Rolls Phone Patch is almost what you need, except you need one that does auto-answer. The one you linked to has a manual slider switch on the face for when you want to go off-hook to answer a call. If you left it off-hook all the time, your Cisco port adapter would probably send it an error tone all the time, and it (the Cisco box) probably wouldn't accept any VoIP calls, because it would consider its analog line to be busy. – Spiff – 2014-03-14T19:45:17.223