Raspberry Pi I2S to SPDIF Hat

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

  1. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    The pin out of the RJ45 is the same as in your photo, 1 to 1, no crossover.

    Michael
     
  2. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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  3. Ksaurav402

    Ksaurav402 Friend

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  4. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    It would require a cut out on the back plate. Or you could simply leave the back plate off and assemble the rest of the case.

    Michael
     
  5. weaver

    weaver New

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  6. lehmanhill

    lehmanhill Almost "Made"

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    I was just able to pick up a used Pavane L3. Very nice, by the way. This unit was built with the USB module instead of the i2s module, so I checked the Metrum website and found that the i2s module is $139. That's not awful, but then you realize that Metrum uses i2s inside the DAC feeding the FGPA. Looking at the module, there are few if any active components on the board. It looks like they have some capacitors and resistors, perhaps for managing impedance, but they apparently don't do much other than pass the i2s signal through to the main DAC board.

    I guess the irony here is that it is very much like the Pi2AES-RJ board in components and complexity, but Michael is charging $25. Not suggesting a price increase, you understand. Just noticing the difference between the high end market and those of us willing to play with the nuts and bolts of the system. :D

    Opps! I might be wrong. I think I spotted an active device, probably an op amp on the Metrum i2s board. Still.
     
  7. RobS

    RobS RobS? More like RobDiarrhea.

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    Hey Scott, I don't quite understand how this is useful for those who have the Convert-2. Why would one use the MasterClock on the 502dac when the Convert-2 has a master clock itself? Could I just skip this entirely and just get a Pi2AES?

    Michael, or anyone, sorry for being so dense, I'm not familiar at all with Raspberry Pi, but do I still need to purchase a RPi4 separately along with the Pi2AES? Or can I just get the Pi2AES, case and power supply?

    If I do need a RPi4, you guys use an external HDD connected to USB for music storage?

    This all looks kinda convoluted to me or I'm overthinking it.
     
  8. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    It says at the very bottom of the page that the raspberry pi is not included.

    As for music storage, I use a 2TB external hard drive plugged into my router via USB 3.0 and set up as a network share folder for music. Then I have moOde audio installed on my raspberry pi, which can read the files from the network drive and play them using my phone or PC as a remote.
     
  9. RobS

    RobS RobS? More like RobDiarrhea.

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    I saw on the page it was compatible with RPi4, but didn't see it was a requirment to have. I thought buying the Pi2AES alone would be enough.

    So it looks like from the pictures you slot the RPi4 board on the bottom and then with risers the Pi2AES board on top?
     
  10. HudsonsBay

    HudsonsBay New

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    Correct, the PI2AES is a HAT or “Hardware attached on top” of a Raspberry Pi. There are HATs for all kinds of applications, but for audio, the PI2AES is of interest.
     
  11. Ksaurav402

    Ksaurav402 Friend

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    I found this post very helpful to start with if you want to set up Pi2AES
    https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...pi-i2s-to-spdif-hat.1990/page-101#post-268222
     
  12. weaver

    weaver New

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    Happy New Year Michael. RJ45 board has arrived thanks but no joy getting it to work with the Onyx as yet. Two images: my current setup and with the new board installed; the ethernet cable from each female socket to the DAC is then exactly the same and the distance is therefore shorter overall with the new board. From this is there anything obvious to check. I’m assuming the jumper on the RJ45 board stays in place?
    The error/no signal light on the Onyx either stays lit or flashes (possibly dependant on the bit rate of the source - 44.1 seems to indicate some data getting through, with 48 kHz none though I haven’t tested this in depth).
    [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
  13. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    are you using a straight cable?

    Michael
     
  14. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Friend

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    Hey Rob, fellow DM-2 user here, and I feed it from a Pi2AES and am absolutely thrilled with the results. From memory, I'm slaving the DM-2 to both the Pi2AES as well as my CD Transport. My transport has an upgraded word clock, and I've not heard any sonic detriment to using the clock in the Pi2AES, so this arrangement creates the least fuss when it comes to switching around sample rates and such. Everything "just works." To be fair, I haven't critically evaluated the JetPLL clock in the DM-2 against the Pi2AES clock, but like I said, I honestly don't feel like anything is missing, so I just really don't feel all that compelled to do so.

    I hope this helps.
     
  15. weaver

    weaver New

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    Yes, standard patch cable. I do have a cross over cable here as well, might that be worth a try?
     
  16. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    I ran into a different issue with my Pi2AES: I get a lot of distortion when using i2s HDMI output to my DirectStream Jr.
    There is sound, but it's buried in noise. I tried 3 different HDMI cables, one of which I bought specifically for this purpose a while back.

    Anybody else tried the i2s HDMI?
     
  17. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    it’s worth a try. The big drawback I have right now is I had no way to test this, and I verified, but maybe there’s more to it than that? It seems clear that the signals themselves are OK because you were able to use it with the a wired up adapter. Can you verify that you did a one to one connection with that adapter?The schematic for our adapter is on our website so if you could take a look at it maybe your eyeballs can see something I missed.

    Michael
     
  18. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    Can you take a picture of the backside of the screw terminal.

    Michael
     
  19. weaver

    weaver New

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    Yes will do. Have been looking at your schematic and am a little confused so just trying to pull things together. In the PI2AES manual the pin out for the header is this:[​IMG] the Metrum module is this:
    [​IMG]
    so pin 1 Metrum goes to pin 8 PI2AES, pin 3 to pin 9, pin 5 to 10, pin 6 (gnd) to 11, and 7 to 12.
    On the RJ45:
    [​IMG]
    you appear to have renumbered from the other end of the header with SDO on 8 and MCLK on 4 and *PSW on 2 whereas in the original manual *PSW is 14, ie. the opposite end.
    I had assumed this all made sense from your side but, for example the power jumper is at the opposite side on the RJ45 from where it is on the i2s header. Am I confusing myself needlessly?
     
  20. weaver

    weaver New

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    Here you go, both ways up:
    [​IMG] [​IMG]
     

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