Apple's Reputation
Out of context: Reply #45
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- subversve0
For example, the internal sound on my MBP 17" suddenly stopped working...
jox
(Oct 24 07, 08:20)here's the reason:
http://forums.macosxhints.com/sh…"There's a microswitch inside the port that toggles between analog and digital optical output. With nothing in the port, the switch should go back to the default analog state. If you're seeing that red light, the microswitch is stuck in the digital optical state--and the red light itself is, I presume, an internal terminator of the optical cable (though I haven't actually opened the case to try to verify this).
Sometimes the switch can be reset simply by plugging in and then removing some analog headphones. Sometimes the switch can also be reset by inserting and removing a digital optical cable. The point is that the switch is stuck and the only non-invasive way to attempt to unstick it is by "working" the port a bit by slowly and gently inserting and removing a plug a few times, perhaps best one that you don't usually use in the port. The goal isn't, however, to try to see how far into port you can push the plug, as that may be why the switch is stuck in the digital position in the first place; the goal is to activate/deactivate the switch a few times to try to get it working normally again."
had an issue with it before, too.