[SOLVED] Portable retropie device won't output sound from speakers unless hdmi plugged in at startup

[ahndrooan]

sorry new member here, not sure if my initial post actually made it onto the forum (I can't see it) so sincerest apologies if this is a duplicate post
Hello all, before I explain my issue, here's the setup:
Raspberry Pi 3B+
PSU unsure - 9000mAh
Version 4.5.1
Running on Raspbian gnu/linux 9.1.1

I have a portable retropie device, the 1Up Pi boy that can be found at retrogamepi. It works fine with the exception that it will not output sound unless the hdmi is plugged in at startup. This is an issue for me because as it is a portable device, I do not necessarily need an hdmi cable to be plugged in. Additionally, the device has its own speakers and does not need sound coming through a monitor/TV.
Example Scenarios:
scenario 1 - hdmi plugged in > turn on device > sound works
scenario 2 - hdmi not plugged in > turn on device > no sound
scenario 3 - hdmi not plugged in > turn on device > plug in hdmi > no sound
I've tried adding and removing (trial and error) all the # lines in boot/config.txt but that didn't work. My guess is that when the hdmi is plugged in, retropie boots a setting that it won't do without the hdmi. I just need to force that setting all the time.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated, thanks for your time.

[mitu]

@ahndrooan said in Portable retropie device won't output sound from speakers unless hdmi plugged in at startup:

1Up Pi boy

I think the answer is in their manual:

Default sound output is “Headphones-3.5mm jack” for you.
If you need to connect the TV with HDMI, please change the sound output mode to HDMI output. The Change method
is as follows:
Select the "setup" page, press the "A" key to enter the "ras-config "menu, select the first option "AUDIO", select the
third option "HDMI", press "OK" to exit, the sound can be switched to the HDMI output.
If need Headphone output, please Repeat the above steps and change the sound output to “Headphones-3.5mm jack”.

Use raspi-config from the RetroPie menu and choose the audio output depending on the intended usage - if you're connecting it to a TV, use the HDMI output, otherwise choose the headphone jack.

[ahndrooan]

@mitu Wow I feel stupid, thanks so much for this totally worked! Could you possibly link me to the manual? I have one but it doesn't have that passage, I'm hoping yours can help me with a resolution issue I'm also trying to sort out. Thanks again for helping with the audio though!

[mitu]

@ahndrooan The manual is linked from their product page - that's what I opened.

[ahndrooan]

@mitu hmm I'll take another look, thanks again! do i just edit the topic title with "[solved]" or is there some drop down menu I'm supposed to click?

[mitu]

@ahndrooan You can edit the topic title - there's no 'solved' checkbox :).