Whistle Rock Audio - Store is CLOSED

[mikefatom]

Hi all,

I hope you are having a great holiday season!
For those of you who have been waiting for the ML2520 discrete op-amps to come back in stock, the wait is over.
There's now plenty in stock for everyone.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[mikefatom]

Hi all,

I worked on something fun over the holidays and decided to make a kit out of it with the parts I have kicking around.  If there is interest, I will get more kits together after this batch.

Here is a blurb from the webstore (shameless copy/paste ):

New product for 2013:  USB-DAC! 

"As its name suggest, the Whistle Rock Audio USB-DAC is a simple and compact USB audio DAC.  It is the easiest way to add a quality audio output to your MAC or PC (no drivers needed!).  Whether it's to replace your average built-in audio sound card or add an extra stereo output to your computer, the USB-DAC will fit the bill.

Connectivity on the USB-DAC is straight forward: a Mini-B USB connector on one end and a standard 3.5mm audio output jack on the other.  The USB connection interfaces with the host computer and provides power to the device.  The audio output jack lets the DAC drive headphones (down to 32 ohms) directly or feed a line level input with the necessary adapters.  An optional SPDIF digital output is also available on a two-pin header.

The heart of the USB-DAC is the Texas Instruments PCM2704C, a wonder chip which can deliver up to 16bit/48KHz audio quality and can sound better than many 24bit/96KHz internal sound cards (the kind built-in to the computer's motherboard and ridden with high-frequency electrical noise!).  The PCM2704C is USB 2.0 compliant and implements TI's SpAct™ which recovers the audio sampling clock from the USB packets and utilizes an on-chip analog PLL to minimize clock jitter during playback.  The TI chip also provides a minimal HID interface that allows the USB-DAC to control the playback volume and sound mute functions at the host OS mixer level.  Three on-board tactile switches provide access to these functions for the user's convenience.

Small and light, the USB-DAC is also ideal for mobile use.  The surface mount parts keep it compact while saving PCB real-estate.  In fact, the finished module only measures 2.575" x 1" with a overall height of 0.325"."

This kit is great for those looking to get into SMT DIY projects.  It's simple and useful.  Especially the on-board media controls!  Super handy

Click here to learn more about the USB-DAC.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[Rochey]

nice.

Well done Mike.

 

[mikefatom]

nice.

Well done Mike.

Thanks Rochey!

I was (still am) working on an unrelated project and felt the need to create something fun on the side to take a break from it from time to time.

I like this little guy.  I've been using it exclusively for a couple of weeks now and it's great!

 

[abechap024]

Mike! Congrats on the USB a/d! Thats perfect for me because I like to "master" (make sure doesn't suck too much) songs on my laptop after the studio so this is great!
Thanks again.

 

[mikefatom]

Mike! Congrats on the USB a/d! Thats perfect for me because I like to "master" (make sure doesn't suck too much) songs on my laptop after the studio so this is great!
Thanks again.

Thank Abe!  Let us know your thoughts about the USB-DAC once you're done building it. 

Cheers,

Mike

 

[wave]

Hi Mike,
I have a client who is interested in the USB-DAC and he was asking me about putting it in a case. Do you have a recommendations for a case for this?

Also, how difficult would it be to create a 4 channel version of this?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[mikefatom]

Hi Mike,
I have a client who is interested in the USB-DAC and he was asking me about putting it in a case. Do you have a recommendations for a case for this?

Also, how difficult would it be to create a 4 channel version of this?

Thanks,
Dave

Hi Dave,

I haven't designed the PCB for any specific case but there's got to be something from Hammond that will work.  Check the dimensions from the documentation provided on the product page.

For a 4 channel version,  I would stick the USB connections through a small hub and see what that yields.  There isn't any special circuitry for expansion on-board.  To me, a four-channel version of this DAC would simply be four of them connected to the host PC.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[wave]

Hi Mike,
Thanks for the info. So are you saying that this is a single channel device? I thought that the info said it could drive headphones so I was assuming it was a two channel DAC.

Dave

 

[mikefatom]

Hi Mike,
Thanks for the info. So are you saying that this is a single channel device? I thought that the info said it could drive headphones so I was assuming it was a two channel DAC.

Dave

Hey Dave,

Sorry for the confusion.  The USB-DAC is a stereo device, i.e. two mono channels.  When I used the word "channel", I was thinking about a stereo channel.  I thought you meant the same thing, hence my reply about using four USB-DACs.

I apologize again for the confusion.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[Nick Franklin]

My preamp boards and parts arrived safely today. Thanks!

 

[mikefatom]

Thanks Nick!  Have fun with the build.

 

[Nick Franklin]

Any plans to stock the PSU kit again?

 

[mikefatom]

Any plans to stock the PSU kit again?

Not immediately no.  The PCBs have always been more popular. 

 

[mikefatom]

Ok guys, for those of you who have been sending me emails about it:  The ML2520 kits are back in stock! 

Thanks,

Mike

 

[eftime]

Hi Mick,
How much total will cost a full kit for ML12?
No PSU, no enclosure.

Thanks

Eftim

 

[mikefatom]

Hi Eftim,

I have not offered full kits for the ML12 in the past.  I am looking into the feasibility of it at the moment.
I will post here if/when I have the kit(s) listed on the web store.

Thanks,

Mike

Hi Mick,
How much total will cost a full kit for ML12?
No PSU, no enclosure.

Thanks

Eftim

 

[abechap024]

Just got to say I built one of the USB-DAC kits, it was my first SMD kit and was a really great experience (SMD can be DIY!)! Mike did a great job of putting it together, everything clearly labeled. I was impressed!

I did spend about 4 hours troubleshooting, thought I fried the chip...went back and forth from the bench to my laptop...and each time I figured there was a solder bridge or something I couldn't see, because it would always say "unrecognized usb device!" I was pretty discouraged...I finally gave up figuring there was no hope and shelved the project. Anyway there is a happy ending! A couple weeks after that, I found a different usb cable and figured I would try it again with the slim chance of the first usb cable being broken (how often does that happen??) So I did and it worked! So stoked! Sounds great!! Thanks again Mike!

 

[mikefatom]

Thanks Abe.

Glad you enjoyed the build.  I built a couple recently for a customer and it was a great stress reliever! 
Although the soldering can be done exclusively with a soldering iron, I recommend using a hot-air station with solder paste if you have access to one.  Makes life a lot easier.

I have never had a problem with faulty USB cables myself but I know some people who have (not with the USB-DAC though).
Something to keep in mind when troubleshooting a USB device.

Cheers,

Mike

Just got to say I built one of the USB-DAC kits, it was my first SMD kit and was a really great experience (SMD can be DIY!)! Mike did a great job of putting it together, everything clearly labeled. I was impressed!

I did spend about 4 hours troubleshooting, thought I fried the chip...went back and forth from the bench to my laptop...and each time I figured there was a solder bridge or something I couldn't see, because it would always say "unrecognized usb device!" I was pretty discouraged...I finally gave up figuring there was no hope and shelved the project. Anyway there is a happy ending! A couple weeks after that, I found a different usb cable and figured I would try it again with the slim chance of the first usb cable being broken (how often does that happen??) So I did and it worked! So stoked! Sounds great!! Thanks again Mike!

 

[Nick Franklin]

Hey Mike,

Just wanted to say I just finished some of your 312's and I'm super happy with them. Thanks so much.

There are some photos here: http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=53097.msg677725#new

Nick.