Raspberry Pi I2S to SPDIF Hat

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by Michael Kelly, Apr 30, 2016.

  1. JustAnotherRando

    JustAnotherRando My other bike is a Ferrari

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    I believe the RPi SOC is throttled at 85 degrees Celcius. I really don't think it's worth worrying about getting to the high 60s.

    Hell, I don't think it's even worth worrying about at all, it's a $35 board that you just slot a MicroSD card into. Unless I already had spare heat sinks and thermal adhesive sitting around, I'd prefer to save my mental energy and dollars for something that was more expensive in setup time and replacement cost.
     
  2. bigbear1997

    bigbear1997 Acquaintance

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    I think so. For sure it helps to reduce the heat.
     
  3. steklo

    steklo New

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    Thanks for the link. I tried to read with google translate but the results were a bit dubious. Would you mind to outline the findings in your forum? I think there were a number of members comparing 502DAC to DigiOne. What was their result?
     
  4. ofilippov

    ofilippov Acquaintance

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    To boil it down, most people prefer 502 if it's combined with any kind of uber-LPS. Many of them not so much like it with ordinary switcher. Nobody is sure which LPS is better. Some of them say that PS doesn't matter.

    Some of them say that it depends on music and they like both of them (502 and digione). And one person says that he strongly prefer Digione after a month or two of warmup :D

    Everyone is sure that BNC-RCA adapter is crap, so as another one.

    The thread's motto is "502 hat brings back the joy from music listening"

    502 vs digione poll at dastereo.ru for 3 May 2018
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: May 3, 2018
  5. steklo

    steklo New

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    Thanks for your summary. Was it preferred to have the uber-LPS feeding 502 exclusively and RPi from a different PSU? Or would it be enough to have an LPS feeding both via 502's power input?
     
  6. ofilippov

    ofilippov Acquaintance

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    Many opinions, it's hard to tell. From what I remember, one experienced member said that 502 is already good even with one SMPS for both devices and suggested to try it that way. But a number of people were happy with the results they obtained by feeding the devices separately with LPSs.

    There were discussions about some exotic HAT sized locally created board (regulator by itself) that fed each Pi bus separately. But it implied desoldering of DC/DC regulator that controls processor power, etc. from Pi . I wouldn't choose this option for my system.

    I guess it depends on resolution of your system and PS design. I would like to try different options. Unfortunately there's no news from Michael Kelly for over a month. And I don't know when I get this board.
     
  7. dastereo.ru

    dastereo.ru New

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  8. megamosk

    megamosk New

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    Hi Michael,
    Thanks for the great 502DAC!
    I can't apply coupon code to my order. :oops:
    Actually it's applied but nothing happened. What's wrong?

    Regards from Russia

    [​IMG]
     
  9. bigbear1997

    bigbear1997 Acquaintance

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    I use a chinese 5V LPS suppied both the rpi3 & 502DAC separately and works just fine.
    It is over-rated at 3.5A and I doubt my combo will be anywhere near 2A (I use a LAN connection to my NAS).

    The LPS has a USB5V out which poweres my rpi3 and a DC jack with a supplied DC cable to power my 502DAC
     
  10. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    Did you try to order a case and 502DAC together? That removes the shipping fee on the case. The only other discount we had was when the case was first offered and many folks had already gotten their 502DAC. But, that discount expired now that you can order them together.

    Michael
     
  11. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    Sorry for the silence. We have shipped a batch of 25 units about 2-3 weeks ago and are building another batch this week. Those will ship out next week and should cover all the back orders.

    As for the supply, I suggest trying with a USB Pi supply. Just make sure it has at least 1A above the PI + any USB devices. To remind folks, the 502DAC has built in LT3042 LDO's, and you are not likely to get any better than that. Having said that, the reason we made it possible to use seperate supplies is that our ears are not your ears! You may hear artifacts that we do not and as such we would never pretend the sound can't be improved by an external LPS.

    Michael
     
  12. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    Can you please tell us what the issue with the BNC to RCA is?

    Michael
     
  13. ofilippov

    ofilippov Acquaintance

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    It was a generalization from that russian forum.

    From my personal experience, I can only say that the adapter is loosing connection if you touch the cable. Sound is interrupting for a moment. If you don't touch it, everything works fine.
     
  14. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    One of the main reasons we went with BNC is that RCA jacks have no positive latching mechanism. They rely on the friction of the outer and inner shells to make a good connection, while BNC has a positive locking ring. Unfortunately what most folks use is RCA, so we are stuck with that issue. Note that most RCA male (such as on the end of a cable) can be slightly compressed mechanically to offer more friction and thus a better connection. Not ideal, but as long as RCA exists they will totally suck!

    Michael
     
  15. haywood

    haywood Friend

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    I think what he’s saying is more that you’d be better off with a bespoke bnc <-> rca cable rather than an adapter plus regular rca <-> rca one.
     
  16. ofilippov

    ofilippov Acquaintance

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    Yeah, it sounds reasonable. It's better to have less connection points in the system. I'm thinking about building such a cable. The only thing stopping me from it is that I can't find decent BNC connector that can be soldered to the cable. And I don't have a crimper for Neutrik. I guess I'll just end up ordering a half-ready cable with Neutrik on one of the sides.
     
  17. ofilippov

    ofilippov Acquaintance

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    I guess choosing BNC was a wise decision. But I believe that decent RCA connectors can be found as well. I could think of Schiit Eitr as an example. People would complain if they had any issues. I hope I will let myself buy a DAC with BNC input someday (especially looking over the shoulder at my wife) :rolleyes:
     
  18. ofilippov

    ofilippov Acquaintance

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  19. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    That looks pretty decent. And the prices are not horrible! If anyone does buy one of these, we would love to hear from you as I am sure the other users would as well.

    Michael
     
  20. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    I've been using a 502DAC with a Pi2, RuneAudio, Pi touchscreen, and an external USB SSD containing my music as a S/PDIF source for various DACs. It works well from a sound point of view, but the RuneAudio touchscreen interface is atrocious for scanning and selecting from my 1300 album collection. What other distros have people used for playing locally-stored music? Positives/negatives?
     

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