Raspberry Pi I2S to SPDIF Hat

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

  1. HumanFly

    HumanFly Acquaintance

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    So...I hope my first post isn`t a dumb list of questions but here goes nothing:
    If one were to be looking for a BNC/coax out into a Gungnir, and basically just that.
    There would be no real point in waiting for the 502dac3 right? As the DAC would not be used on either one nor would the headphone amp on the dac3.
    Or are there more differences that effect SQ? And is the board without the DAC and amp cancelled or will it be introduced later?
    Maybe I skipped a few pages but I saw it mentioned in this thread only to never be spoken of again.
     
  2. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    As my Marine Corps drill instructor would say "There are no stupid questions, just stupid questioners". Then he would hit us!

    Luckily we have a much more forgiving approach to questions! As for your question, the 502DAC is the right choice. The 502AES (when it comes out later this year) would also work, but it will cost a bit more, so waiting doesn't get you any value.

    Cheers,
    Michael
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2017
  3. HumanFly

    HumanFly Acquaintance

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    Just ordered one! Thank you for your time and I`ll post my findings.
     
  4. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    Folks,

    We are about to go live on our Indiegogo campaign for the 502DAC and 502DAC3. The preliminary link is:

    https://www.indiegogo.com/project/preview/1be5b5b2

    Let me know what you think. The campaign video is not done yet so that's just a place holder for now. I'd love your ideas on how we can make it more appealing to folks, both technical and otherwise.

    Also, there are links to the manuals with test results. I'd love it if you could take a look and give me any feedback.

    Cheers,
    Michael
     
  5. pandather

    pandather Acquaintance

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    One thing that I could think of is maybe having a simple setup guide showing Volumio installation/the selection of using an i2s device so people do not decide against getting out of intimidation. Also, I feel like a pre-made plug and play kit (RPi/Volumio/psu) would make it more accessible to others, but I can totally see the reason for not doing so.
     
  6. HumanFly

    HumanFly Acquaintance

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    Hi Michael,

    Maybe add a table with a side by side comparisson between the two dacs? Highlights the fact that they are 2 different hats and makes it easier to spot the differences and chose the one you want. Just my 2 rando cents.
     
  7. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    The 1/4" jack is TRS, not TRRS ;)

    Also, you mention "502DAC2" for the 502DAC story, once (that I could see) and "502DAC" everywhere else.
     
  8. bilboda

    bilboda Florida boomer

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    If it were me without this thread, I might be confused about why I would choose one over the other. My understanding is the the 502dac is best used for connecting to an outboard dac and the 502dac/3 would be more appropriate when connecting to a headphone or preamp. It might be useful to even remove the analog outs from the 502dac. Some here use them but future clients could be steered to the 502dac/3 for that feature. This dac would be clearly the premium one as it is fine standalone or hooked up to an external dac. Or not remove them, just highlight the differences in the analog outs. Pay more for better sound, etc. (and functioning headphone out) Some might like to see output impedances too.
     
  9. haywood

    haywood Friend

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    It might be better to have the higher end model have its own model name (e.g. 503DAC) to emphasize the step up and you could call both the 50xDAC family to save rewriting the copy. Since it has the headphone amp it might make sense to look into a case that'd accommodate a rotary encoder at some point.

    The images also look low-res (blurry) on my phone. Definitely double-check on a high dpi device before you go live.
     
  10. bigbear1997

    bigbear1997 Acquaintance

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    A table with the features would help.
    Also having a remark that why wifi dongle is needed only for Pi2 & below.
     
  11. Xen

    Xen Friend

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    Agree that names "502DAC" and "502DAC3" do not adequately convey the big differences in capabilities and usage between the units. From the pictures, the "502DAC/3" nomenclature is confusing, and the consumer might get the impression that the only difference is headphone out.

    The "Features" highlight is hard to read as the edge of the font sort of blends poorly with the background. Agree that adding a more conventional features table with dots/checks/"x"/info would offer a better comparison.

    Maybe highlight the difference between the PCM5122 vs the PCM1792 more directly. This could be the information inside a highlight box.

    I do like the different pictures showing different usage models. Maybe have 1 picture for the 502DAC and another that states what the 502DAC3 can do IN ADDITION to what the 502DAC can do.
     
  12. haywood

    haywood Friend

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    Or if 502DAC is absolutely needed maybe take a page from Apple's playbook and call it 502DAC Pro.
     
  13. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    Wow! Fantastic feedback guys! I will go over all of these replies and think of a better way to present the boards. I do realize that the naming of the two boards is very bland. But honestly, that's because I'm a very typical, very boring engineer. :eek:

    Anyway, really, really great stuff.

    Cheers,
    Michael
     
  14. bilboda

    bilboda Florida boomer

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    Control by bluetooth? Not sure how that works,,,is that feature of the dacs or would one use bluetooth to control a server and thereby the dac?
     
  15. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    Remember, the Pi is running the player, so you just need a remote (or phone app) that the Pi can interact with. This is a bit outdated, but still accurate:
    http://www.averagemanvsraspberrypi.com/2015/05/7-remote-control-options-for-your.html

    Cheers,
    Michael
     
  16. HumanFly

    HumanFly Acquaintance

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    In the schematic you show a wifi/bluetooth-dongle. Maybe refer to these in the written text as well (And what about LAN? And the pi3 does not need a wifidongle so it gets complicated). Maybe just leave the remote part out completely and advertise the SQ and connectivity features more.Also the external poweroption is noteworthy to me. I understand that you want to advertise the ease of use as well but I also get how that could be confusing to someone not yet running a pi musicplayer. However someone not running a pi would probably not be looking at hats and someone running one will know you have to look closer to get the picture. So you have to figure out who you want to please I guess. But I think your market are the somewhat techsavvy pi-users that are looking for an upgrade. Starters are more likely to buy a hifiberry to see what happens.

    Edit:Just refreshed the page, it seems you are way ahead of me. please dont tell the drill inspector.
     
    Last edited: Aug 16, 2017
  17. damaged-goods

    damaged-goods Acquaintance

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    @Michael Kelly
    I'd like to see the option to get a black case or even a metal case.
     
  18. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    FYI - There will be an FAQ on the campaign page. It will talk about most of these issues regarding wifi, power supplies and more.

    Cheers,
    Michael

    P.S. How's this for a feature table:

    [​IMG]
     
  19. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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  20. GanGreinke

    GanGreinke Friend

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    I feel like you can make the campaign page easier to understand for a casual audio consumer who might stumble upon your campaign while browsing through Indiegogo (the audio enthusiast will either already know about the campaign or will be able to read the features list and know whether it is for them or not). For instance, a lot of people here have been following the progress of the 502DAC hat because it serves as a good alternative to other music streamers/servers that are many times more expensive. A casual consumer may not know this, and you really can emphasize that your products are providing performance that rivals that of equipment that is many times more expensive. Maybe one way of making it clear what you can use the hats for is a "who is the 502DAC for" and a "who is the 502DAC Pro for" put in very simple, every day usage terms to help convey to casual consumers which hat would be best for them.

    We all want to see your hard work pay off with the success of your boards, and I think part of that is making people who aren't so knowledgeable about audio equipment aware of what these hats really can do for them.
     

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