Raspberry Pi I2S to SPDIF Hat

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

  1. hifiandrun

    hifiandrun Almost "Made"

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    Agree, I'd prefer BNC output. BNC connectors with BNC cable sounded better than RCA.
     
  2. HumanFly

    HumanFly Acquaintance

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    I have a BNC cable from the 502 hooked to my Gungnir BNC-in and I think it`s the way to go.
    I am not a fan of adaptors becuase they complicate troubleshooting.
     
  3. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    Same here, 502>BNC>dac1541
     
  4. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    Guys,

    Tell all your friends that have just put another batch of 502DAC's for pre-order in the web store. They sell quick, but hopefully everyone can get one. We are building 40 this batch and another 60 after that.

    Regards,
    Michael
     
  5. lehmanhill

    lehmanhill Almost "Made"

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    Sorry to be late to the party. Off travelling.

    I am like Humanfly and will be using a BNC to BNC for my Gungnir MB. I hope to use the 502DAC for 2 other systems, both of which will have RCA inputs to the DACs. However, I will do as Haywood suggests and build a BNC to RCA cable to get the best connection and avoid adapters. In the meantime, it's nice to have the BNC + adapter for experimentation. You know how we love to play. :cool:
     
  6. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    Something like this maybe:

    https://www.amazon.com/RG59U-Braid-...&keywords=CableWholesale+6+Feet+RG59U+Coaxial

    or this:

    https://www.amazon.com/Wyvern-Male-...pID=31FchKmCZKL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
     
  7. Scott Kramer

    Scott Kramer Friend

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    Last edited: Aug 24, 2018
  8. haywood

    haywood Friend

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  9. bigbear1997

    bigbear1997 Acquaintance

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    Last edited: Aug 24, 2018
  10. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    Yes, with the 6.35mm to XLR adapter we included with then unit. Our adapter presents a male interface so you need an XLR cable with a female on one end and whatever is required for your DAC on the other end.

    Michael

    P.S. Sorry for the late reply. For some reason SBAF does not always send me a notification that someone has posted to the thread.
     
  11. lehmanhill

    lehmanhill Almost "Made"

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    Or.
    Since we are talking about custom cables, you could avoid the adapter by getting a cable with 1/4" (6.35 mm) TRS or big phono jack on one end and an XLR for your dac on the other end.

    Actually, the AES3 adapter is more robust than the BNC/RCA because both connections in the adapter have locks.
     
  12. bigbear1997

    bigbear1997 Acquaintance

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    Yes, but a normal AES3 cable has a better chance to be re-used in the future.
    I have since moved to iodata soundgenic in my home office which is the "hot" thing at the moment in Hong Kong.
    Going to move the 502DAC to my bedroom.
     
  13. HumanFly

    HumanFly Acquaintance

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    Could someone remind me which one the outputvoltage jumper on the older 502boards was. It`s the one that says in-out bnc-coax right? I noticed it is still mentioned in the new manuals texts but removed from the pictures. Also....with the jumper on its`s 1V and with the jumper off it`s 0,5V? I just want to make absolutely sure I don`t ruin stuff!
    I knew I should have printed that manual :)
     
  14. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    Jumper in is ~.6V and Jumper out is about 1.1V. I would always put the jumper in as that seems to work with everything, while the lower voltage is a bit more hit and miss.

    Michael
     
  15. HumanFly

    HumanFly Acquaintance

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    Thanks Michael!
    Jumper on the board is 1V, gotcha :)
    Very big chance it will just stay on there by the way, asked the guys who made the DAC what they prefer too.
     
  16. Greg121986

    Greg121986 Almost "Made"

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    Do you have any more info on this? Any pics or posts where you may have detailed the build? Functionally, is it "pleasurable" to utilize every day? I spend most of my money and time with headphones at work. I am on a work PC and network connection with Tidal and a 6TB USB drive that plugs directly into my work laptop. Eventually, I would like to bypass this and have a RPI based touchscreen player so that my music system is entirely stand alone from my work devices. I've been mulling this idea for years, but nothing that I come up with ever seems to satisfy my desire for responsiveness, design, and generally being designated by me as a cool project. I'd be interested to see and hear a bit more about how yours has turned out.
     
  17. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    Here's what I wrote on my blog:

    https://www.earningmyturns.org/2018/06/building-small-standalone-digital-music.html
    https://www.earningmyturns.org/2018/06/photos-of-my-work-office-small-music.html

    I'm powering the Pi+touchscreen+502DAC(+SSD USB drive) with this LPS

    https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/hifi...er-supply-usb-115v-to-5v-2a-25va-p-12581.html

    The LPS's voltage adjustment screw needs to be turned to a somewhat higher voltage to stop Pi complaints about low voltage (lightning bolt icon). If you use a beefier USB drive, like the one you mention, it will draw too much power for this to be workable. It's hard to find LPSs that put out more than 2-3A @ 5V. Instead, use a powered USB hub to connect the drive to the Pi.

    After I had gone this route, I discovered the Audiophonics RaspTouch, which does the whole thing without any tinkering, with an Allo DigiOne board rather than with the 502DAC. Seems like an interesting option.
     
  18. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    FYI, the 502DAC has balanced AES digital as well as the PCM5122 analog output. Not top shelf analog, but as good as the Allo Boss DAC. So one card does both functions as well as balanced digital out.

    Just sayin! ;)

    Michael
     
  19. haywood

    haywood Friend

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    I’m still happy with the 502dac but I wonder if the presence of the analog out is almost seen as a negative in marketing, like people assume a similarly priced dedicated product must be better because it puts all its efforts towards one thing whereas a product that does both might be seen to have to make compromises a la the old jack of all trades master of none saw.
     
  20. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    Quick question: I'm using a high-quality BNC coax to connect the 502DAC to my Soekris dac1541. I didn't realize I could do AES, how would I do it and would it matter?

    I've not tried the 502DAC as a DAC, as I had the dac1541 already and I have a thing for R2R DACs :D But for someone starting to build a stand-alone system, the 502DAC is a great one-hat solution, for sure. When I have a bit more time, I'll assemble a full bill of materials and assembly instructions (what I can recall, that is) for my work system. It was a lot of fun to put together hardware and software, and the 502DAC has performed flawlessly all along, tolerating my poor manual coordination and lack of proper anti-static precautions.
     

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