Music Main board for diyer

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I will develop the project under linux enviroment. So, Can you shar more precious experience? Have same problem on linux ?

Yes, it seems to be feature/bug of the chip.

Are the envy24 chips still available? I though they were only selling out stock. Do not know though.

About two years ago I played with the idea of low-power embedded computer hooked to a quality Envy24-based PCI card. My main concern was no SMPS onboard. I found out there is none on the old Asus WL500B router which features a miniPCI slot.

I set off to make a diy miniPCI - PCI adapter. These exist but are rather expensive. I designed a miniPCI board, de-soldered a PCI slot from an old motherboard, started wiring using the IDE80 cable .. still have about 60 wires to go.

There are numerous inexpensive embedded computers with miniPCI slots - both x86, arm, mipsel based. Most are supported by the modular openwrt.

Here is an idea - how about designing a miniPCI Envy24-based 2-crystal card with external power supply connector and I2S headers for add-on DAC, instead of the whole combo? For x86 we could use alix boards, for mipsel asus routers, there are numerous routerboards, mikrotiks, etc., all featuring miniPCI slots (for wifi cards). But there is not a single miniPCI sound card. I would love that option and I think we could do more with this than with a single CPU-soundcard combo. Thanks for consideration.
 
Thanks for your reply.

I pass the bug issue to IC vendor and waiting they reply. If any news I will let you know first.

Envy 24HT is still availble. I survey other audio control IC with PCI-E interface. But others are not what I want. I aslo ask VIA new IC project but...

I did similar thing with you. I use synology nas arm embbedded broad and VIA PICO embbedded borad hook to PCI and usb SOUND CARD.

You are realy good making your own sound card. A mini PCI card is very good ideal. Let people have chose to MB.

I have inject NRE fee to manufacture this borad.so I have to let it keep going. IF I can know you early. May can save a lot time and money.

Yes, it seems to be feature/bug of the chip.

Are the envy24 chips still available? I though they were only selling out stock. Do not know though.

About two years ago I played with the idea of low-power embedded computer hooked to a quality Envy24-based PCI card. My main concern was no SMPS onboard. I found out there is none on the old Asus WL500B router which features a miniPCI slot.

I set off to make a diy miniPCI - PCI adapter. These exist but are rather expensive. I designed a miniPCI board, de-soldered a PCI slot from an old motherboard, started wiring using the IDE80 cable .. still have about 60 wires to go.

There are numerous inexpensive embedded computers with miniPCI slots - both x86, arm, mipsel based. Most are supported by the modular openwrt.

Here is an idea - how about designing a miniPCI Envy24-based 2-crystal card with external power supply connector and I2S headers for add-on DAC, instead of the whole combo? For x86 we could use alix boards, for mipsel asus routers, there are numerous routerboards, mikrotiks, etc., all featuring miniPCI slots (for wifi cards). But there is not a single miniPCI sound card. I would love that option and I think we could do more with this than with a single CPU-soundcard combo. Thanks for consideration.
 
You are realy good making your own sound card. A mini PCI card is very good ideal. Let people have chose to MB.

Well, that was a plan. Honestly the project is stalled for now.

I have inject NRE fee to manufacture this borad.so I have to let it keep going. IF I can know you early. May can save a lot time and money.

C'est la vie. You will do fine with your combo board.

I would love to realize the real miniPCI card. I am afraid
my miniPCI connector board hooked with the PCI slot via 10cm of IDE80 cable will not work properly due to very long traces. IF I could get it wired correctly. A dedicated PCB with miniPCI connector and Envy24 chip would be MUCH better.

But I have too many unfinished projects to start a new one. But it may come, if the envy24 chip is still available in the future :)

I sent another enquiry to IM 300 , I will see the results.
 
I am interested to your project about envy24HT and would like to know the performance I believe that will be much batter than original . How about the envy24HT DC power supply structure? I will try LT1086 and FELA_AD797 regulator for envy24HT and TCXO.



Well, that was a plan. Honestly the project is stalled for now.



C'est la vie. You will do fine with your combo board.

I would love to realize the real miniPCI card. I am afraid
my miniPCI connector board hooked with the PCI slot via 10cm of IDE80 cable will not work properly due to very long traces. IF I could get it wired correctly. A dedicated PCB with miniPCI connector and Envy24 chip would be MUCH better.

But I have too many unfinished projects to start a new one. But it may come, if the envy24 chip is still available in the future :)

I sent another enquiry to IM 300 , I will see the results.
 
I am interested to your project about envy24HT and would like to know the performance

This is my plan, a long-term one :)

1. I would like to get a professionally made miniPCI-PCI adapter (e.g. the one from interfacemasters is supposed to cost about 80USD which would be OK, IF it is true and they can ship for reasonable surcharge) to eliminate the DIY layer of problems.

2. I would stick the miniPCI adapter to a regular PCI-miniPCI adapter and make a regular PCI card play in a regular linux PC with stock PCI/ice1724 drivers. I think in this stage I would resolve the problems with missing supply voltage levels in the miniPCI interface, simplified IRQ lines, etc.

3. When the PCI -> miniPCI -> PCI -> soundcard combination works ok in x86 linux, I would move the miniPCI solution to a router with openwrt and try to cross-compile the required drivers, hopefully only the snd-ice1724 + dependant modules.

4. Only after having success with the previous steps would I think of designing a separate miniPCI Envy24 card. The working professional miniPCI-PCI adapter would help a lot in this step since it could be taken as a functioning reference design.

Lots of work planned for the foreseeable future :)

How about the envy24HT DC power supply structure? I will try LT1086 and FELA_AD797 regulator for envy24HT and TCXO.

No idea yet :)
 
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This is my plan, a long-term one :)

1. I would like to get a professionally made miniPCI-PCI adapter (e.g. the one from interfacemasters is supposed to cost about 80USD which would be OK, IF it is true and they can ship for reasonable surcharge) to eliminate the DIY layer of problems.

2. I would stick the miniPCI adapter to a regular PCI-miniPCI adapter and make a regular PCI card play in a regular linux PC with stock PCI/ice1724 drivers. I think in this stage I would resolve the problems with missing supply voltage levels in the miniPCI interface, simplified IRQ lines, etc.

3. When the PCI -> miniPCI -> PCI -> soundcard combination works ok in x86 linux, I would move the miniPCI solution to a router with openwrt and try to cross-compile the required drivers, hopefully only the snd-ice1724 + dependant modules.

4. Only after having success with the previous steps would I think of designing a separate miniPCI Envy24 card. The working professional miniPCI-PCI adapter would help a lot in this step since it could be taken as a functioning reference design.

Lots of work planned for the foreseeable future :)



No idea yet :)

Do you consider about PCI-e interface buy useing PCI-E to PCI bridge IC. There are too many devices on PCI host for me. PCI-E is a kind of point to point connection type. I quess it is worth add one more adapter for that.
 
I am also interested in this project. May I have the following suggestions:-

1. AMD Geode LX800
2. Better onboard voltage regulators
3. optional independent power supply for envy24HT audio controller

Of course, Thank you for your inputing ideal.

1. AMD Geode LX 800 is real cool CPU 1.8W, It is a good fanless CPU. I am not fimiliar with this CPU. Wolud you share why it be chosen? I survey low power CPU under 7W for fanless and compatible with linux easy. At first, I choose VIA Nano TM ULV 1.2 GHz, then change to Intel E640, This CPU is special casue it connect DDR ram and PCI-E audio IC together directly, independently. Most of CPU route by way of front bus or PCI host to northbridge . The specific shorten routing architecure between ram,cpu and audio IC, May be helpful for cach latency issue. But I have no hard data to proof that now.

2. For broad stage need 12V 5A input that need user bulid their wone regulator. For chip stage power supply, There are more than 10 rails need be regulated on broad and need manage on/off sequence. I use power manage IC qauilfed by intel. there one or two be qualified. ROHM BD9594MW is specific for E6XX + EG20T

3. The power supply of Audio IC and XO was not from broad. need external power supply. Let user can adjust sound by power.
 
Of course, Thank you for your inputing ideal.

1. AMD Geode LX 800 is real cool CPU 1.8W, It is a good fanless CPU. I am not fimiliar with this CPU. Wolud you share why it be chosen? I survey low power CPU under 7W for fanless and compatible with linux easy. At first, I choose VIA Nano TM ULV 1.2 GHz, then change to Intel E640, This CPU is special casue it connect DDR ram and PCI-E audio IC together directly, independently. Most of CPU route by way of front bus or PCI host to northbridge . The specific shorten routing architecure between ram,cpu and audio IC, May be helpful for cach latency issue. But I have no hard data to proof that now.

2. For broad stage need 12V 5A input that need user bulid their wone regulator. For chip stage power supply, There are more than 10 rails need be regulated on broad and need manage on/off sequence. I use power manage IC qauilfed by intel. there one or two be qualified. ROHM BD9594MW is specific for E6XX + EG20T

3. The power supply of Audio IC and XO was not from broad. need external power supply. Let user can adjust sound by power.

AMD Geode is suggestd as it is used in Alix1D MoBo, which is used by Bryston in their Digital Stream Player.
 
I think this platform should be flexible enough to allow 3 ways crossover system.

Thank for your inforamtion. I will study the CPU AMD Geode LX more. I am also interested in crossover transporter. There are 4 pair mutil track I2S output for this function. Have you try 3 way crossover ststem on other platform. Is it worth spend so many DAC, AMP to do that?
 
Thank for your inforamtion. I will study the CPU AMD Geode LX more. I am also interested in crossover transporter. There are 4 pair mutil track I2S output for this function. Have you try 3 way crossover ststem on other platform. Is it worth spend so many DAC, AMP to do that?

CPU Architecture
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
 
Of course, Thank you for your inputing ideal.

1. AMD Geode LX 800 is real cool CPU 1.8W, It is a good fanless CPU. I am not fimiliar with this CPU. Wolud you share why it be chosen? I survey low power CPU under 7W for fanless and compatible with linux easy. At first, I choose VIA Nano TM ULV 1.2 GHz, then change to Intel E640, This CPU is special casue it connect DDR ram and PCI-E audio IC together directly, independently. Most of CPU route by way of front bus or PCI host to northbridge . The specific shorten routing architecure between ram,cpu and audio IC, May be helpful for cach latency issue. But I have no hard data to proof that now.

2. For broad stage need 12V 5A input that need user bulid their wone regulator. For chip stage power supply, There are more than 10 rails need be regulated on broad and need manage on/off sequence. I use power manage IC qauilfed by intel. there one or two be qualified. ROHM BD9594MW is specific for E6XX + EG20T

3. The power supply of Audio IC and XO was not from broad. need external power supply. Let user can adjust sound by power.

My system now uses a sound card but the clock on it is replaced with the flea (????????: ? Shigaclone ??? Clock ??) + tentlab XO (http://www.tentlabs.com/Components/XO/index.html) combo.
I wish to do the same on your board. Therefore, please allow the user to change the clock easily and use their own clock regulator.
 
This is my plan, a long-term one :)

1. I would like to get a professionally made miniPCI-PCI adapter (e.g. the one from interfacemasters is supposed to cost about 80USD which would be OK, IF it is true and they can ship for reasonable surcharge) to eliminate the DIY layer of problems.

2. I would stick the miniPCI adapter to a regular PCI-miniPCI adapter and make a regular PCI card play in a regular linux PC with stock PCI/ice1724 drivers. I think in this stage I would resolve the problems with missing supply voltage levels in the miniPCI interface, simplified IRQ lines, etc.

3. When the PCI -> miniPCI -> PCI -> soundcard combination works ok in x86 linux, I would move the miniPCI solution to a router with openwrt and try to cross-compile the required drivers, hopefully only the snd-ice1724 + dependant modules.

4. Only after having success with the previous steps would I think of designing a separate miniPCI Envy24 card. The working professional miniPCI-PCI adapter would help a lot in this step since it could be taken as a functioning reference design.

Lots of work planned for the foreseeable future :)



No idea yet :)

I thought the adapters were already available
Amfeltec :: Flexible MiniPCI to PCI Adapter

http://www.interfacemasters.com/pdf/im380.pdf
 
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My system now uses a sound card but the clock on it is replaced with the flea (????????: ? Shigaclone ??? Clock ??) + tentlab XO (http://www.tentlabs.com/Components/XO/index.html) combo.
I wish to do the same on your board. Therefore, please allow the user to change the clock easily and use their own clock regulator.

I reserve two kind XO size. TCXO pine spec is 15.24X7.9 mm, Another OCXO 5 pin spec is 19.05 X 19.05 mm. If you have any other suggestion XO brand, Please let me know. XO power supply is excluded, so have to use their own power regulator.
 
Do you know about the undocumented 176.4kHz->88.2kHz bug in SPDIF output of Envy24HT? I think that is the main reason ESI Juli@ and Infrasonic Quartet use additional Xilinx for clock generation and switch the Envy chip to external clock.

I ask the question to the VIA pepole formally. Their reply is "There is no problem for that". I have not enough information deal with this issue now. I will pass it for now. If you have more detail infromation please let me know. Thanks.
 
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