No sound from 3.5mm jack

CargoRunner

Hi, I tried to follow the retropie docs guide and I just can't get audio out of the jack socket. Can anyone help?

raspberry pi 3b
official raspberry pi power supply
I downloaded the prebuilt 4.7 image
I last ran the update script 10 days ago
USB keyboard attached
xbox 360 controller

I followed the guide
https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Sound-Issues/#using-the-built-in-35mm-headphone-jack

The guide stated I should change /boot/config.txt to disable HDMI sound

 This line should already be in the file, but if it's not then make sure to add it.
dtparam=audio=on

Pretends no audio formats are supported by HDMI display, forcing all sound out the 3.5mm headphone jack.
May not be needed for all HDMI devices
hdmi_ignore_edid_audio=1

This does not disable HDMI sound. And I still get audio only from the TV

The next step is to select the audio card in emulation station. The guide states

local: (RPi specific) This sets the sound output to the 3.5mm Onboard Audio Card. This is the 2nd most common option for RPi Systems.

There is no option local. When I run the suggested unix command to list the operating system audio options, every option is duplicated and exists for both HDMI and headphones.

pi@arcadecab:~ $ aplay -L
null
    Discard all samples (playback) or generate zero samples (capture)
default:CARD=b1
    bcm2835 HDMI 1, bcm2835 HDMI 1
    Default Audio Device
sysdefault:CARD=b1
    bcm2835 HDMI 1, bcm2835 HDMI 1
    Default Audio Device
dmix:CARD=b1,DEV=0
    bcm2835 HDMI 1, bcm2835 HDMI 1
    Direct sample mixing device
dsnoop:CARD=b1,DEV=0
    bcm2835 HDMI 1, bcm2835 HDMI 1
    Direct sample snooping device
hw:CARD=b1,DEV=0
    bcm2835 HDMI 1, bcm2835 HDMI 1
    Direct hardware device without any conversions
plughw:CARD=b1,DEV=0
    bcm2835 HDMI 1, bcm2835 HDMI 1
    Hardware device with all software conversions
default:CARD=Headphones
    bcm2835 Headphones, bcm2835 Headphones
    Default Audio Device
sysdefault:CARD=Headphones
    bcm2835 Headphones, bcm2835 Headphones
    Default Audio Device
dmix:CARD=Headphones,DEV=0
    bcm2835 Headphones, bcm2835 Headphones
    Direct sample mixing device
dsnoop:CARD=Headphones,DEV=0
    bcm2835 Headphones, bcm2835 Headphones
    Direct sample snooping device
hw:CARD=Headphones,DEV=0
    bcm2835 Headphones, bcm2835 Headphones
    Direct hardware device without any conversions
plughw:CARD=Headphones,DEV=0
    bcm2835 Headphones, bcm2835 Headphones
    Hardware device with all software conversions

Selecting one of the available audio options in Emulation station such as default or sysdefault has no impact on the sound. The sound still comes from the TV only. There is no sound from the jack socket.

Has anybody managed to get audio out of the jack socket? I have seen multple posts from people with the same problem, but there is never a clear solution.

mitu

@CargoRunner said in No sound from 3.5mm jack:

Selecting one of the available audio options in Emulation station such as default or sysdefault has no impact on the sound. The sound still comes from the TV only. There is no sound from the jack socket.

The audio card option is for EmulationStation's audio, not globally for the system. Use the Audio entry in the RetroPie system and set the 3.5mm jack as the default audio output.

CargoRunner

I have been trying to get audio out of the jack socket for about 10 days. Then as soon as I post for help, I find a solution online! So I will leave my question and here is what worked for me just in case it helps anyone else. It is stupidly simple!

In Emulation station scroll left or right to get to the settings page.
select the option "Retropie setup"
select the option " C" which is "Configuration tools"
select the option "195" which is "audio settings"
select the option "1" which is "headphones"
reboot the raspberry pi

This switched off HDMI sound and enabled sound from the jack socket

You can also use this option to return to HDMI sound

CargoRunner

@mitu Thanks! By total chance I just found the same thing. I don't know why that configuration menu is not mentioned in the retropie docs. Hopefully this post will help someone else in the future