“Arduino goes serial with the ESP8266” / quick and dirty tutorial..

so, 😉
in waiting for the new Op-Amp (and looking for the right case + +-15V toroidal transformer), i´ve revived an old WeMoS D1-R2 (ESP8266)for using it with my Arduino-Cambridge-Audio-IR-Remotecontroller substitution (as wifi-/webcontrol)..
quick and dirty tutorial in the forum->http://essabre-90xx-rpi.sfb2.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=89

nothing special, only that i had great problems in using the softwareserial-library on the ESP8266 and that i used “Serial1” instead (via “D4” (GPIO2)-“Serial1.begin(9600)”)
the sketch for the ESP8266 is built around the wonderful, wonderful “autoconnect”-library by “Hieromon”(as posted before)->https://github.com/Hieromon/AutoConnect

more to come, greets for now !! 😉

Op-Amps: Burson V5/V6 – AD797BRZ / ES9038Pro with Burson V5 / Gustard H-10 with V6

so, 😉
after i´ve re-checked my Op-Amp-“collection” 😉 (in testing them on an ES9038Q2M) and reading a lot of op-amp reviews again, i´ve ordered a few days ago some AD797BR(Z) (as described in some posts before)..

The “B“-line has a stricter factory-selection/-fabrication and is mainly considered as the best AD797 for audio..
by that, curiously, i got the most the site-/page-visits here op-amp-wise, means the main interest is also in the op-amp-section/part/reviews..
so i can/will hopefully test them in a few weeks and the next step (op-amp-wise) would be the “Burson V5/-6″-line..


was also clear, as said in the earliest posts..but they cost around 40-50$ (pair)..
(the third set of pictures here are some Burson V5 on an ES9038Pro->https://hallmanlabs.com/2018/01/04/pictures-of-es9038pro-dac-w-burson-audio-v5-opa-and-orange-amplifications-discrete-design/)

some good toroidal transformer (+-15V) cost also about 30-40$ (min.) and so i/u have to check out which will bring the best “tone/sound”-enhancement (or both of course)..

(Link-Aliexpress or from Audiophonics or something)
“Webcontrol”-ESP32-wise its still in development but primary i think i want now to search for the right case, transformer..
many greets from here for now 😉
(some pics of pc/-hifigear with Burson´s + also a pic from a Gustard H-10 with V6s)

New ESS chip out !! -> ES8620 audio-solution (usb-bridge) !! / Gustard U-16

so, 😉
found by chance this new ESS-Baby 😉 in searching for new driver on shenzhenaudio..
Gustard U-16 (ES8620) !!

https://www.shenzhenaudio.com/gustard-u16-es8620-support-pcm32bit-768k-dsd512-dop-and-native-dsd-digital-interface.html(284$)
->”Adopting the latest USB audio interface solution ES8620 from ESS, USA
Supports up to PCM 32bit/768KHz and DSD512, and supports both DoP and Native DSD.
ESS’s USB interface chip design is a completely optimized architecture for high-quality digital audio signal processing. It is not a general-purpose chip with USB digital audio interface code, so it has immediate impact on sound quality improvement;”
“…128MB SDRAM is used as the system buffer and digital audio processing FIFO..”
“..the machine uses up to three FPGAs to implement USB audio interface clock management and external 10M clock part of the audio clock frequency synthesizer..”



first (interesting) review i found is here->https://www.dastereo.ru/t/gustard-u16-debyutnyj-konverter-na-es8620-xmos-amanero-upali-otzhalis/28117

didnt find any real opinions/soundtests against the other ES-chips till now (Update: and i guess i won´t find any at all because it is (unfortunately) only a “usb-bridge” (more or less)->”High performance usb digital audio interface” 😉 )

more to come, greets !! 😉

ESP32 – Bodmer TFT_espi / autoconnect github / Picoreplayer 4.1.0 / Dietpi V6.18

so, 😉
nothing particular new; “audio”-wise its a little bit on “hold” (had first to buy some +-15V toroidal transformer and so on) but i made a little progress/effort “usability-wise”..
i´m now able to get something in the spiffs-fs (ESP32), read it out 😉 and display it via “drawJpeg” from the famous Bodmer TFT-eSPI-library->Link

(!! sorry for the still absolutely “shitty” layout, but i was only happy to get something on the display at all 😉 !! (will change/edit it then; only some “ideas” (for not doing it in this way 😉 ) for u maybe)
was a little bit difficult because u (i) really need the absolutely newest libraries (jpegdecoder.h for example too) from the bodmer-github-repository (some older example jpgs are unreadable by their own decoder-library and so on..)..
have still some problems/the first third of a decoded jpeg is corrupt, but i can now upload some jpegs in the spiffs, list and display them..(and understood how)
the whole sketch (web-gui for filter-selection, HW-volume control via digi-poti, display jpgs etc..) is here->Link and i maybe make a post in the forum->Link..(could be very interesting for some who also want to understand the ESP32 “better”)..


by that it was all build on top of the absolutely fabulous “Autoconnect-library” by Hieromon -> https://github.com/Hieromon/AutoConnect; absolutely super great webserver/wlan access library->absolutely to recommend !!
Picoreplayer is now at V4.1.0 (24.Nov 2018)->https://www.picoreplayer.org/main_downloads.shtml(Pi-Kernel-bump to 4.14.81, squeezelite-update, support for Rpi 3B+ and so on->Link
Dietpi is now also at V6.18 (26/11/18)(some bugfixes+improvements)->https://github.com/Fourdee/DietPi/blob/master/CHANGELOG.txt
that was it for now, more to come, stay tuned, greets 😉

Project 3: read out/write data (over I2C) via the onboard mcu ES9038Q2M/-ES9028Q2M

so folks 😉 ,
essabre-90xx-rpi.sfb2.com needs your help 😉
as i just want to read out some data from the mcu on these boards like data-rate (192khz,384khz and so on), data-format (PCM,DSD) and maybe the HW-Volume for just displaying it on a small 3,5″ display for example (or use it to display it via some app/tool on a raspi/web etc..) “we” have now to find a way to solve this..



as we now have the possibility to access the I2C-bus via the new connection on an ES9038Q2M (they used it also to display/change some values via their hardware) we have to find a way to simple control/change/read-out data over it..
the normal “adresses” on an ES9038Q2M must be/are “hidden” due to some NDA-bla bla, and the real register-adresses are “encrypted”/are only in the mcu..

but how can i/we connect a raspberry/Arduino/ESP32 to it via I2C ?

i think we have now here to make a really long tutorial to get such “experimental setup” to work. how to exactly connect and to which pins, which tools/commands to use (python/i2c-set and so on)..
i will make a new thread in the forum->”Project 3: controlling the onboard mcu on an ES9038Q2M/-9028Q2M
there i will make this tutorial but i first to have to gather all possible informations about it and there u come in !! ;-)
so please post all your informations/experiences concerning this topic in the forum or here in the comment-section !!

a good start for now are these (new) “VinnyLorrin“-repositories at github->https://github.com/VinnyLorrin
->”ES9028Q2M-controller”,”ES9038Q2M-Linux_Driver”,”ES9028-controller-PCB” and so on..very good, first, informations about it…
(many many thx btw. to “eslei” at the diyaudio-forum for getting first infos/an entry->https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-line-level/314935-es9038q2m-board-322.html

thread in the forum->http://essabre-90xx-rpi.sfb2.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=86
greets for now 😉

The OPA627AU arrived – very “warm”- not so much “digital-room/-soundstage”/ Volumio now at V2.502 / dimdim.gr

so 😉 ,
finally the OPA627AU (as dual on one DIP-8) arrived..
and indeed, absolutely more “analogue/tube-sound” (in comparison to the AD797ANZ + LME47910-20s) here..
very “warm”, but with a lot of “body”, more “natural”, not so digitally “harsh” as the AD797ANZ (or the LME47910 of course) by example..


better for high-volumes->thought first “more right/true”->more hi-fi..(but also maybe a little bit “fatiguing/boring” due to the analogue “timbre”)
not so much “digitally room/3D” what i liked the most on the ES Sabre-Chips; very “sweet”..
The OPA627AU and the AD797ANZ are absolutely on a very similar “level”; u absolutely dont go wrong in using the OPA627AU..
but for me, i think i stuck with the AD797ANZ; more “room/clinical”, but thats really an absolutely personal impression/affection/taste..)
i think the speciality on these Sabre-Chips is this digitally room/3D-feeling + also with the great soundstage..
so i stay, as said, with the AD797ANZ (all on this “Blue” ES9038Q2M; the “Green” have a slightly different characteristic as mentioned in an earlier post..)
(Update 2hrs later: i will definitively stuck with the AD797ANZ; for me absolutely the better choice !!)

by that Volumio is now at V2.502, some minor bugfixes + Pi Kernel-bump to 4.14.71; couldnt determine any differences in the overall tune..


by that i want to suggest/introduce you to http://www.dimdim.gr again..
absolutely great site; inventor of the famous “Hifiduino-project”; a lot of very interesting infos/tips there; take a look over there !!


more to come !! 😉

ESP32S + 3.5″ TFT-display (480×320) (par.) ILI9481 Bodmer/TFT_eSPI

yeah, 😉
got it finally to work !!
so, another important step in the way of (building) your own DIY-DAC !! hooray !! (and thats what this site is all about, see “Introduction”) 😉
(YouTube-link->https://youtu.be/zjiCJ8Jtsug)
so II,
after the ESP32S is a much more powerful thing than an Arduino (the main advantage is also the great SPiffs/Flash-Ram of about 4MB(32Mb) for storing little images/icons like DSD64 and so on) and its a little bit difficult to get normal tft-displays on an ESP32S to work (different pin-layout and so on),i´ve bought this second tft (this time 3.5″) and only for ca. 6€->Ebay (Link)


main problem on these “cheap” 3.5″ is that some must be parallel connected (and not via SPI) so u have to find a way to solve this..
i´ve used the famous “Bodmer/TFT_eSPI”-library (works for some displays in parallel mode + on an ESP32)->https://github.com/Bodmer/TFT_eSPI
u only have to change some values in the “User_Setup.h” + “User_Setup_Select.h” to match your needs->other pin-definitions + the right tft-driver-selection (post maybe a link to these 2 files here or in the forum)..
here it works fine with the “ILI9481”-tft-chipset:

so III,
i can now use the ESP32S for the HW-digi-poti, for the filter-settings and so on, all with a very nice gui via wlan..(or bluetooth or via mqtt with an app par example (see all the posts before))..very nice 😉

greets for now 😉

HW-Volume pinlayout – ES9038Q2M + OPA627AU/AD827

so, (another one today) 😉
found by chance a picture of the pin-assignment for the HW-Volume-control on an ES9038Q2M (its from the Audiophonics-site->Link..)(“we” knew it, but so its much “clearer”) 

by that there´s also a wonderful picture from an combined Raspi/ES9038Q2M (its from the diyaudio-forum; hope i can use it here, if not, please e-mail)->Link

(i´m lately thinking also about to include some raspi directly in such a DAC too, because (as said and also in testing here) on a raspi (over I2S) u have an absolutely superior sound comparing to any XMOS-USB-device (over PC by example)->see this post too->http://essabre-90xx-rpi.sfb2.com/2018/05/moode-volumio-on-a-raspberry-pi-vs-samsung-bluray-player-spdif-coax-impressions-src4392-beta-project-2/ and whats all about this site too 😉 ..
third, on some japanese-yahoo-auction-site they also recommend/have the OPA627AU on it; but they use it only in the dual 15V “environment”, they recommend “strong +-15V” 😉 ..in the case of a single rail 15V they recommend the AD827 (JN) (and they made a special layout for both cases)->https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/q238163678

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