High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi

HIGH END AUDIO DAC FOR RASPBERRY PI

User Manual

Manual Version 1.0, May 2018

EPS-NR. 160198-91, SKU 18163
Volumio 2.389
 High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi

Table of Contents

Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction, Description and Function .......................................................................................... 4
Safety .............................................................................................................................................. 5
Construction.................................................................................................................................... 6
Putting together the hardware .............................................................................................. 6
Software (Volumio 2.389) ............................................................................................................... 8
Setting it up ............................................................................................................................ 8
Using it.................................................................................................................................... 9
Virtual Keyboard................................................................................................................... 10
Pitfalls ............................................................................................................................................ 13
Technical specifications ................................................................................................................ 14

Thank you for trusting in the quality of our High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi. We have put
in a lot of effort to optimize the hardware design and adapt the software. We wish you happy
listening with this truly high end audio product!
- Elektor Labs

Please read this manual carefully. Any damage arising from not following the instructions will
void any right to replacement hardware. We will not accept liability for any harm resulting from
this.
High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi

Contents

Please check your kit comprises the following items. In case of missing or defective parts, please
contact [email protected].

Kit contents:

- 1 High End Audio DAC module (160198-91)

- 1 3.5” touch screen + CD + stylus pen + 2 PCB stands, 2 screws and 3 nuts
- 1 pre-installed micro SD card (16 GB)
- 8 brass PCB stands + 8 nuts
 High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi

Introduction, Description and Function

The High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi is an add-on board suitable for Raspberry Pi 2 model B
and 3 model B and B+. Together with the touchscreen, the software on the SD card and a
Raspberry Pi (not included) it builds a very high quality audio player with network capabilities. It
plays local data, remote data and on-line streaming services. It can be controlled via
touchscreen or a user friendly web interface, accessible on your laptop, pc, tablet or
smartphone through any available network connection.

The circuit is based on the top-of-the-line PCM1794A DAC from renown audio-IC specialist Burr
Brown and sports a no-nonsense/only-the-best design philosophy to offer the best sound
quality possible. In line with this, a separate power supply is needed in order to avoid quality
degradation otherwise caused by the (heavily polluted) Raspberry Pi supply voltage.

For audio playback and interfacing Volumio (volumio.org) has been chosen and provided
preinstalled on the included SD card. Playback capabilities depend heavily on software and can
be upgraded in newer versions. Please refer to volumio.org for the latest specifications. The
hardware is capable of playing back 32 bit audio up to 192 kHz sampling rate.

If you are interested in the technical background of this circuit, you are invited to visit our Labs
website (www.elektormagazine.com/labs/audio-dac-for-rpi-networked-audio-player-using-
volumio), or read the publication of this project in our magazine Elektor, available from
www.elektormagazine.com/magazine/elektor-201707/40496.
High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi

Safety

This device is powered by a low voltage AC power adapter and operates without any
hazardously high voltage. Nevertheless, a proper housing is advised in order to protect the
electronics from damage and short circuit.

Care must be taken when handling and operating the display in order to avoid cracks and sharp
glass pieces braking off.
 High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi

Construction

Please follow the instructions below in order to properly build your High End Audio DAC.

Putting together the hardware

1. Prepare the PCB stands. On the short stands fully screw on the nuts.

2. Put the long stands on the Raspberry Pi board and secure them with nuts.

1 2

3. Align the pin header of the High End Audio DAC board with the RPi header and press it on
until the board hits the stands.

4. Screw the short stands into place.

3 4
High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi

5. Align the LCD header with the High End Audio DAC header. The LCD header is shorter, so
make sure to start at pin 1. Refer to the photo below. Press the header until the LCD sits tightly
against the stands.

Now your hardware is ready to connect.

 High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi

Software (Volumio 2.389)

The High End Audio DAC comes supplied with an SD card with Volumio (volumio.org) already
installed. Just plug the SD card in the SD card slot on the Raspberry Pi and you are ready to start
setting it up. But first you should hook up your hardware.

Insert the SD card into the RPi SD card slot, connect your ethernet cable and USB media you
may want to use to the RPi and connect a power supply to the High End Audio DAC. Then
connect your audio device to the audio outputs of the High End Audio DAC and connect the RPi
to its power supply. Your RPi should boot into the Volumio environment and start setting up.

Setting it up

Volumio normally boots into a “headless environment”, which means it is accessible via the
network connection on a remote device. We’ve pre-installed the driver for the touchscreen, so
you can use this to set up your device. But it may be more convenient to use a webbrowser to
browse to volumio.local/ on a device connected to the same network. Whichever way you
choose, you’re welcomed by the setup Wizard. Make sure to tell Volumio you have an I2S DAC
in step 3 and select the Generic I2S DAC.

It is recommended to use the WiFi connection for streaming audio instead of the Ethernet
connection (see here: https://volumio.org/raspberry-pi-3-b-plus-audio-review/). Set it up in
step 4.

Step 5 allows you to add music to your library. After you’re done, Volumio will ask for a reset
and will reboot with the new settings. You may have to refresh the page in your browser to
access Volumio’s control panel again.
High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi

Using it
You’ll find Volumio isn’t very complicated to use and just clicking around learns you a lot about
its functionalities. When fiddling with its settings, keep in mind the PCM1794A is a bit twitchy
when it comes to playing back 16- and 24-bit audio. If in doubt, try upsampling the signal to 32-
bit.
 High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi

Virtual Keyboard

You may find it useful to install a virtual keyboard for the LCD interface. Here’s how to do it.

In your webbrowser enter Volumio.local/dev in the address bar (followed by “Enter”) and under
“SSH” click the ENABLE button (there will be no feedback). This enables the SSH server so that
you can access the Volumio OS via SSH. Using a program like PuTTY for Windows
(www.putty.org) or Terminal in Mac OS X, open a connection to the Raspberry Pi. To find out
the IP address to open, open the settings menu in Volumio and choose the Network option.

The username to use is volumio with password volumio. In Windows (PuTTY) it looks like this:
High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi

In Mac OS X it looks like this:

Now enter the following command (same for Windows & Mac):

sudo apt-get install matchbox-window-manager matchbox-keyboard

When It asks you if you want to continue, type y (follow by “enter”). Some code will slide by,
that’s fine. When it’s done, we need to enable the keyboard. Type the command

sudo nano /opt/volumiokiosk.sh

The Linux text editor “nano” will open and allow you to edit the file. Make the contents look
like this:
 High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi

Now make sure to hit Ctrl+O to save the file (don’t change the filename). Then press Ctrl+X to
exit nano.

Restart Volumio to apply all changes and your virtual keyboard will appear automatically when
you need it from now on.
High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi

Pitfalls

To get the touchscreen display to work with the standard version of Volumio takes some effort.
The SD card we provide incorporates the necessary drivers, but if you update Volumio with an
image from their website, it is all but impossible to lose the touchscreen functionality and
interface altogether. In this case this website may help you recover its function:
https://www.waveshare.com/wiki/3.5inch_RPi_LCD_(A)#Driver.

Be sure to select 24 bit or higher for play rate. The DAC doesn't accept 16 bit and will not
output any audio.

Make sure to power both boards adequately (the Elektor DAC board requires 7 to 8 volts DC
with about 200 mA).

Make sure the jumpers on K1 and K2 are set correctly, i.e. connecting the center pin to the ↑
pin, not the ﬩ pin.

Make sure the DIP switch is set correctly (all switches on, except switch 7).

Make sure the headers line up correctly.

 High End Audio DAC for Raspberry Pi

Technical specifications

24 and 32 bit audio data compatible

Digital Audio Input format: Standard, I²S (32 bit format only, see article) and Left – Justified
8x Oversampling filter: Stop-Band Attenuation 130 dB
Digital filter: Sharp or Slow Rolloff
Sampling frequency: anything from 32 kHz to 200 kHz
Digital De-Emphasis
Soft Mute
Mono mode
No data indication
Power indication
Power supply with polarity protection
Power supply 7 to 8 V preferred, 12 V max.
Bandwidth analog filter 64.5 kHz
Maximum sine wave 1.06 V
Stereo output: RCA phono jacks
Additional connections for volume control in output
Option to connect separate symmetrical power supply for analog output stage (see article)
THD+N
Sampling frequency 48 kHz 96 kHz 192 kHz
1 kHz B = 22 kHz 0.0008 % 0.0009 % 0.0013 %
B = 80 kHz 0.0028 % 0.0012 % 0.0014 %
7 kHz B = 22 kHz 0.00095 % 0.0011 % 0.0013 %
B = 80 kHz 0.003 % 0.0014 % 0.0016 %
IMD
50 Hz: 7 kHz = 4 : 1 0.0014 % 0.002 % 0.0036 %

Supply
no data 120 mA
current
32 kHz 127.5 mA
44.1 kHz 131.7 mA
48 kHz 133 mA
96 kHz 149.5 mA
192 kHz 182.1 mA