TOSLINK

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TOSLINK / EIAJ optical
Image:TOSLINK.jpg TOSLINK connector (JIS F05)
Type	Optical digital audio connector
Production history
Designer	Toshiba
Designed	1983
Manufacturer	Toshiba
Produced	1983 to present
Specifications
Hot pluggable	Yes
External	Yes
Audio signal	Digital audio bitstream. Originally limited to 48 kHz at 20 bits. Extended to support all modern formats, except Dolby Digital Plus, TrueHD and DTS HD audio streams.
	Width	32 bit audio packets
	Bandwidth	Originally 3.1 Mbit/s; Now 125 Mbit/s
	Max devices	1
	Protocol	Serial
Cable	Fibre optic (10 meters max)
Pins	1
Connector	JIS F05 (JIS C5974-1993 F05)

TOSLINK is a standardized optical fiber connection system. Its most common use is in consumer audio equipment (via a "digital optical" socket), where it carries a digital audio stream between components such as MiniDisc and CD players and DAT recorders. TOSLINK may use inexpensive 1 mm plastic optical fiber or it can use higher quality multi-strand plastic optical fibers or even quartz glass optical fibers depending on the desired bandwidth and application.

TOSLINK was originally created by Toshiba to connect their CD players to their receivers for PCM audio streams, but it was soon adopted for most CD players, regardless of manufacturer. Early TOSLINK systems used raw data from the CD player, but the S/PDIF standard has now become fairly universal for audio streams. It can often be found on DVD players and some game consoles to connect the digital audio stream to Dolby Digital/DTS decoders.

TOSLINK has many applications, using several different connector types. However, audio connections using the EIAJ/JEITA RC-5720 (also CP-1201 and JIS C5974-1993 F05) connector are by far the most common.

TOSLINK Signal cables must be limited to below 10 meters or, in many cases, under 5 for reliable transmission unless using a signal booster.

The real benefit to optical fiber for audio is that it is not susceptible to line noise or other electromagnetic phenomena.

TOSLINK is a registered trademark of Toshiba Corporation and hence the origin of the name: TOShiba-LINK. Variations of the name are often seen, such as TOSlink, TosLink, and Tos-link. The generic name for the standard is EIAJ optical.

Occasionally, one may encounter terms for technology similar to TOSLINK, such as ADAT Lightpipe or simply ADAT Optical. This is most often seen in the professional music/audio industry. While the ADAT Lightpipe format utilizes the same JIS F05 connectors as TOSLINK, it should be noted that the ADAT Lightpipe format is NOT compatible with S/PDIF.

Mini-TOSLINK jacks also exist, and are commonly found on Apple computers and portable Minidisk players. These provide the same capabilities, but are almost exactly the same size and shape as the ubiquitous 3.5 mm stereo minijack (they are 0.5mm longer to prevent an analog plug from contacting the LED). Adapters are available to connect a TOSLINK cable to a Mini-TOSLINK jack.

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