How to Convert Optical Digital to a Coaxial Cable (12 Steps)

By David Lipscomb

Coaxial cable allows you to send digital audio throughout your home.
i Coaxial cable image by lefebvre_jonathan from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>

Converting a fiber optic connection to coaxial is a relatively simple process that creates a variety of audio options for your whole house. For basic installations, adapters can eliminate concern over available connection types on surround processors. For larger installations, taking advantage of the coax wiring that typically laces the walls of most homes means that digital audio from a single source can be sent throughout the home with virtually no invasive rewiring. The bi-directional nature of coaxial cable means that once a signal is "injected" into it, any coax outlet can receive it. Additionally, coax offers enormous bandwidth, meaning that a variety of signals can coexist on the wire without interference.

Basic Connections

Step 1

Purchase a fiber optic-to-digital coaxial converter. These are nominally priced and require an AC power source.

Step 2

Plug the fiber optic cable from the source component into the optical receptacle on the adapter.

Step 3

Screw the coaxial-to-RCA adapter into one end of the coaxial cable.

Step 4

Plug this RCA adapter into the digital coaxial end of the converter.

Step 5

Connect the AC adapter to the converter, then plug the power adapter into a nearby AC receptacle.

Step 6

On the opposite end of the coaxial cable, screw in another coaxial-to-RCA adapter (same as in Step 3).

Step 7

Plug the RCA adapter into the receiving coaxial digital-equipped component.

Home Distribution

Step 1

Follow all steps from Section 1, except Steps 6 and 7.

Step 2

Instead of attaching a coaxial-to-RCA adapter to the coaxial cable, attach a high-quality splitter. Connect the coaxial cable to the "INPUT" side of the splitter.

Step 3

On the splitter "OUTPUT," screw in the desired number of coaxial cables.

Step 4

On the opposite end of each coaxial cable, screw in a coaxial-to-RCA adapter.

Step 5

Insert adapters into coaxial digital-equipped components.

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