A little headphone help please

[cloudswiper]

Afternoon all.

I am working shifts for the NHS 111 Covid Clinical Advisory Service.

The slightly strange hardware/software set up is a Windows laptop that runs Cisco Webex (for telephony) and Adastra (which allows access to an NHS VPN where all the patient data is).

The Webex is set up so that you contact the patient by dialing out on a software keypad that then rings your mobile which when you answer rings the patient. Yes I know.

Now the NHS laptop was supplied with a nice headphones/microphone that terminates in a male type A USB. Obviously this cannot connect to my iphone (as everybody has fed up back to NHS towers) so I am having to use the original iphone ear buds/microphone. Not great for 4 hour shifts.

I would like to get a female USB to 3.5mm jack to use the provided headphones with my iphone.

I suspect I can't. (? digital signal to analogue input).

Anybody know better?

[Nakatomi]

Ah going from male USB A on the end of a headset to analogue audio into a phone? Nope that ain't gonna be a thing.

You can however quite easily buy a regular office style comms headset with separate 3.5mm jack plugs for mic/ear then plug those into a nifty iPhone TRRS adapter. All available from Amazon etc. I wouldn't be surprised if you can actually buy a headset with a 4 pin 3.5mm jack plug on the end, come to think...

[cloudswiper]

Thanks for that Nakatomi.

It's what I suspected but you have saved me going on a fruitless search.

[Nakatomi]

No problem I thought, then I looked at Amazon & suddenly remembered this kind of stuff is in short supply due to a massive increase in people working from home... Gah!

[DJ Jules]

Headset with 4pin TRRS (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/slredirect/picassoRedirect.html/ref=pa_sp_atf_aps_sr_pg1_2?ie=UTF8&adId=A01026301PUOQNKKMOTKB&url=%2FCancelling-Xintronics-Blackberry-Smartphones-X103-35M1%2Fdp%2FB078S4LBDP%2Fref%3Dsr_1_2_sspa%3Fdchil d%3D1%26keywords%3Diphone%2Bheadset%26qid%3D158832 2818%26sr%3D8-2-spons%26psc%3D1&qualifier=1588322817&id=2599354048732604&widgetName=sp_atf) (delivery promised Sunday).

If you've got a newer iPhone without a headphone socket then one of these will do the job (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lightning-Headphone-Certified-Converter-Supported/dp/B07V7VQFKK/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=iphone+headset+lightning&qid=1588322894&sr=8-7) (3rd party versions (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Headphone-Converter-Connector-Accessories-Compatible/dp/B086MBRLH3/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=iphone+headset+lightning&qid=1588322957&sr=8-9) are available for 1/4 of the cost - including this with power input (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Headphone-Adapter-Splitter-Earphone-Converter/dp/B07YSLZHKL/ref=sr_1_16?dchild=1&keywords=iphone+headset+lightning&qid=1588322957&sr=8-16) as well).

Just a thought - but a lot of bluetooth headsets have mic's built in and will work with an iPhone like this (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluetooth-Wireless-Earpiece-Sweatproof-Cancelling-K6-Black/dp/B07FY14PXL/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=iphone+bluetooth+headset&qid=1588323454&sr=8-7) and this (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-H800-Wireless-Headset-Mac/dp/B005FY619K/ref=sr_1_35?dchild=1&keywords=iphone+bluetooth+headset&qid=1588323454&sr=8-35). The battery life in most of the over-ear versions of these would deal with a full day (10-20hrs) of use.

In terms of delivery timeframes - I've found that Amazon are under-promising and over-delivering on their dates around here (a delivery promised for the 4th May came yesterday!)

Julian