Bought one of these a while back. Not this exact model but its the closest I can find

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=35241

But i can't for the life of me get it to work. It has one I/O input (which i assume goes to my surround sound receiver, and 3 inputs. So I have connected my ps3 and Sky+ box to inputs one and two. However it just does not give out any sound for either device. Ive tried swapping cables, inputs etc but its completely dead every time?

Any ideas?

Turn it over and peel off the rubber feet. beneath these you'll find the screws holding it together. take them all out and carefully separate the device in two. check that everthing is seated in properly and rebuild.

failing that check that your amp is assigned correctly to the optical input.