[Realtek ALC259] External mic not available on Asus P42F notebook with combo jack

[JLK]

Some Asus P42F notebooks (the 14" ones) have a combo jack connector for headphone output AND microphone input. The microphone input doesn't work in standard Ubuntu 10.10 installation and there is no option to activate it in the sound menu. Only internal microphone is available in the sound menu.

Asus User Manual for this notebook reads: "This combo jack (1/8 inch) can be used to connect the Notebook PC’s audio out signal to amplified speakers or headphones, or can be used to connect an external microphone or output signals from audio devices. Select the connecting device type in the dialog box and switches the jack function.". This of course refers to Windows.

Thanks for your help...

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
Package: alsa-base 1.0.23+dfsg-1ubuntu4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-25.44-generic 2.6.35.10
Uname: Linux 2.6.35-25-generic x86_64
AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.23.
Architecture: amd64
ArecordDevices:
 **** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
 card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: ALC259 Analog [ALC259 Analog]
   Subdevices: 0/1
   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: jack 1783 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/pcmC0D0c: jack 1783 F...m pulseaudio
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xf7c00000 irq 49'
   Mixer name : 'Intel IbexPeak HDMI'
   Components : 'HDA:10ec0269,10431313,00100100 HDA:80862804,80860101,00100000'
   Controls : 18
   Simple ctrls : 8
CheckboxSubmission: 2a97ac1f66e1e6c418633749f62b328b
CheckboxSystem: b8f3ec504801f13fc208edb5c785b099
Date: Fri Feb 4 10:22:29 2011
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release amd64 (20101007)
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=fr_FR.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SelectedCard: 0 Intel HDA-Intel - HDA Intel
SourcePackage: alsa-driver
Symptom: audio
Title: [Realtek ALC259] Recording problem
dmi.bios.date: 12/08/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 208
dmi.board.asset.tag: ATN12345678901234567
dmi.board.name: P42F
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
dmi.board.version: 1.0
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Tag
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: 1.0
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr208:bd12/08/2010:svnASUSTeKComputerInc.:pnP42F:pvr1.0:rvnASUSTeKComputerInc.:rnP42F:rvr1.0:cvnASUSTeKComputerInc.:ct10:cvr1.0:
dmi.product.name: P42F
dmi.product.version: 1.0
dmi.sys.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

[Jeremy Foshee (jeremyfoshee)]

Hi Jacques-Louis,

If you could also please test the latest upstream kernel available that would be great. It will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please remove the 'needs-upstream-testing' tag. This can be done by clicking on the yellow pencil icon next to the tag located at the bottom of the bug description and deleting the 'needs-upstream-testing' text. Please let us know your results.

Thanks in advance.

    [This is an automated message. Apologies if it has reached you inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]

[JLK (jlk)]

Tested with latest upstream kernel: 2.6.38-020638rc3-generic #201102010912 SMP Tue Feb 1 09:14:19 UTC 2011 x86_64 GNU/Linux with no success (no changes in the sound options (alsamixer), external mic still not available).

[JLK (jlk)]

Hi there, I did what you advised me to do (test with the latest kernel from upstream) with no success. What is the next step ?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for linux (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Avery (docaltmed)]

Still not fixed on 11.04

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This bug is missing log files that will aid in dianosing the problem. From a terminal window please run:

apport-collect 712961

and then change the status of the bug back to 'New'.

If, due to the nature of the issue you have encountered, you are unable to run this command, please add a comment stating that fact and change the bug status to 'Confirmed'.

This change has been made by an automated script, maintained by the Ubuntu Kernel Team.

[madbiologist (me-again)]

If this is still not working on Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal", there is a patch upstream in the recently released kernel 3.1-rc1 which might help:

commit b68785714b67079385188323631b05a8f9093675
Author: Kailang Yang
Date: Wed Jul 6 09:51:29 2011 +0200

    ALSA: hda - Add Realtek ALC269VC codec support

    Add the support of ALC269VC codec.
    Also delete the unnecessary codec_variant type enum list:
    now only three variants (ALC269VA ALC269VB ALC269VC) are needed.

    In addition, added some aliases:
     - Add ALC269VB alias name ALC277
     - Add ALC269VC alias name ALC259 ALC281X
     - Add ALC269VC for Lenovo device 0x21f3 name ALC3202

    Signed-off-by: Kailang Yang
    Signed-off-by: Takashi Iwai

Note the alias name ALC259.

A PPA of this kernel is available at http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for linux (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]