subject: Toslink - The Acronym Of Toshiba Link [print this page] Toslink is an optical fiber connection which is mostly for a consumer audio equipment which will carry digitalized audio streams between the parts such as the CD Players and the MiniDisc. It usually uses inexpensive 1 mm plastic optical fiber which may allow low cost production. It is much more popular than the "copper-based cabling", since the hip surrounding the newer fiber technology. This fiber was created by Toshiba to connect their CD players to their radio receivers. But recently, it was found that the same function is present on all the CD players, irrespective of the manufacturer. To retain, some amount of originality, Toshiba's mechanics are employed to send digital audio stream to MiniDisc recorders.
There are several apects about Toslink which may be confusing for potential customers. There are some points that are listed below which will help resolve all the confusions about this particular brand. Some of those points are listed as below:
Toslink is actually Toshiba-Link- It is the brainchild and registered trademark of the Japanese electronic company, Toshiba. Although Toslink is Toshiba-Link, its generic name is EIAJ optical
Is used for audio equipment- The usual users of this optical cable are pieces of equipment that carry a digital audio streams between components. The audio cable may support different physical standards and media formats. To reduce the electrical noise, this cable was introduced to reduce that.
Is a fiber connection system- the cable is made of either high or inexpensive quality fiber. It may use 1 mm of inexpensive plastic fiber or use expensive, multiple strands of plastic fibers. The usual length of the fiber is limited to a length of 5 meters. In the absence of a signal booster, the transmission can go upto 10 meters.
Is made up of four components- The cable is composed of the transmission module, the optical fiber cable, the optical connectors and the receiving module. The transmission module turns electrical signals into optical signals. The optical fiber cable is the physical transmission line. The optical connector connects the transmission module and the receiving module. The receiving module converts the optical signals back into electrical signals.
Connect a Toslink cable to a Mini-Toslink jack- A mini-Toslink jack may look like a 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack but thats where the similarity ends. The jack is 0.5 mm longer and the tip has a finger connection. It is common amongst Apple computers and minidisc players.
The bandwidth and application have a lot to do with what the cable is made out of. At times, it can be made of quartz glass optical fibers but as mentioned they can usually be made of either very expensive or cheap fibers. Although the old wires could run upto a mere 5 or 10 meter, the newer cables are capable of running upto 100 feet or more. The audio signal from a cable was limited to 48 Khz at 20 bits, but now has been increased to support modern formats. There are a few exceptions, however. They are DTS HD audio streams, Dolby Digital Plus and TrueHD.
