ES9018K2M, ES9028Q2M, 9038Q2M DSD/I2S DAC HATs for Raspberry Pi

@Ian

I just wrote down my wishlist, which is a long one, don't be mad please :)


My wishes are:

1- Microprocessor controlled design for active voltage sensing of ultracaps for switching the banks when ultracaps are near their voltage threshold.
2- Possibility for pre-setting voltage thresholds up to 60V for use in driver stages of poweramps, for output stages, and for usage in Class-D amplifiers 
3- Softstart at starting charging ultracap banks for longer lifespan
4- Switching of ultracap banks handled by Mosfets, no switching sound, and lower dc-resistance with better SQ!
5- Completely ON/OFF function to disconnect all ultracap banks, so one can safely tamper around in dac without danger for life 
6- Using a display to see the discharge / charge state of the banks and their voltages.
7- Designing an expandable solution, which means you can add more modules to expand to more different voltage rails when more voltages are needed!
This means there should be a solution to add boards with mosfets and terminals on them for connecting ultracap banks, and output terminals. They all should be controllable from one microprocessor board. This way the solution wouldn’t be that costly if only one or two voltages were needed, but always could be expanded for future purposes 
8- If possible, add a protection circuit just below max amperage of switching capacity of mosfets.



Not sure if I forgot something, I will add to the list if something comes to my mind :)


Cheers!

Alex
 
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Nige, I don't get the meaning of your question.

The noise I am talking about is audible in audio circuitry at playback.
Noise in psu degrades SQ. Absence of noise in voltage rails lead to blacker / darker background, better separation of voices and instruments, better resolution and soundstage. We are trying to get the most out of our audio applications.


Regards,

Alex

So u think ps into supercaps in normal charge discharge circumstances will add substantial noise?
 
Absence of noise in voltage rails lead to blacker / darker background, better separation of voices and instruments, better resolution and soundstage. We are trying to get the most out of our audio applications.

A potentially confounding problem is that turning up playback volume level by as little as 0.1dB will perceptually lead to blacker / darker background, better separation of voices and instruments, better resolution and soundstage.

Another issue is that interconnecting wires, terminals, solder joints, dac chip bond wires, dac internal resistance all have resistances that might easily swap small differences in internal source resistance of batteries or supercaps.

In addition, don't see why charging super caps with a small trickle current would necessarily be any more noisy than the leakage current noise in the caps as they self-discharge. Current is current. How could we know apriori one should be different than the other?
 
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Ian started this thread, "ES9018K2M, ES9028Q2M, 9038Q2M DSD/I2S DAC HATs for Raspberry Pi" looking at a Raspberry-Pi DAC HAT design using the ES9018K2M. Over time he has widened the discussions in the thread to include:

- ES9028Q2M & ES9038Q2M DAC HATs, with boards designed to enable implementation of various configurations and options

- Transformer I/V along with a prototyping board for testing various options, in addition to other more typical I/V setups

- An ESS DAC controller that can be used with his DAC HATs and other ESS-based DACs

- An LT3042-based regulator board

- Use of all of the above on his IsolatorPi board with his DoP to DSD Decoder board

- Using these boards in Sync mode, which his controller enables

- Listening comparisons between many of these options in Ian's system

- A single-board isolator/reclocker, his FifoPi

- Comparisons between the various ESS DAC chip options

- A dual-mono version of his ESS DAC HAT boards

- Various power options for all of the above, starting with LiFePO4 batteries and moving into various Ultracap options

Alex, this is Ian's thread, not yours. AND it is clearly NOT "turned to galvanic isolated ultracaps design, nothing more, nothing less". THAT appears to be what you want to accomplish, not Ian.

I expect that Ian will continue to be very open to discussion of various power supply options in his thread, just as he has with other options on other areas in the past.

If you want a thread dedicated as above, feel free to start one. I'll come visit you there. I do respect ALL of the work you've done and MOST of your comments here, except for the ones where you have presumed to take over Ian's thread and turn it into your own.

For my part, I've been pondering the same questions posed by Nige2000... will expound on them at some point in the future.

In the meantime, I'm back to working on another Ian-based project... implementing a couple of Twisted Pear Buffalo-IIIPro DAC setups, one with their ESS9028Pro board, the other with their ESS9038Pro board. Why Ian-based? Because both are preceded by a stack of his original FIFO-isolator-Dual Clock boards (with the FIFO fed from Ian's TPS7A4700 regulator board), will be fed from a Raspberry-Pi stack incorporating Ian's Isolator-Pi and RPi I2S board, and once the appropriate LT3042 packages are back in stock, will see Ian's LT3042 board as an option for the AVCCs.

Ian, thanks for all that you have done and are doing to enable the highest quality DIY audio with some very cost-effective and user-friendly modules. Please keep on doing that AND entertaining various options in your fertile and capable mind, which has led us to these very exciting times!

Greg in Mississippi
 
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<snip>

In the meantime, I'm back to working on another Ian-based project... implementing a couple of Twisted Pear Buffalo-IIIPro DAC setups, one with their ESS9028Pro board, the other with their ESS9038Pro board. Why Ian-based? Because both are preceded by a stack of his original FIFO-isolator-Dual Clock boards (with the FIFO fed from Ian's TPS7A4700 regulator board), will be fed from a Raspberry-Pi stack incorporating Ian's Isolator-Pi and RPi I2S board, and once the appropriate LT3042 packages are back in stock, will see Ian's LT3042 board as an option for the AVCCs.

<snip>

& I forgot to say that I'll be doing my initial testing of the Twisted Pear DACs using one of the transformer output boards I built up to use with Ian's prototype ES9028Q2M. So ANOTHER connection to Ian's work in my current projects.

BTW, I'm big on incremental testing... first trials will be input to the BuffIIIPro board coming directly via an Ian RPi I2S adapter to the DAC board inputs and outputs from the DAC board directly to a passive output board that I already know works. Once I confirm that all works (or get it working), then I can add in the active I/V stage and finally the Ian FIFO/isolator/Dual Clock board.

All of this is after testing all of the various regulator modules separately and then wired into their respective inputs

IF one doesn't do this type of testing, you spend a lot of time in debugging a system where you don't know what is working and what isn't.

It's a GREAT time to be a DIY'er!

Greg in Mississippi

P.S. Thanks moderator Kevin!
 
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@Ian

I assume you are going to try 5V from ultracaps to power your boards with local LDOs.
I think it would be also interesting to try powering AVCC stright from those caps. :) Datasheets says 5% tolerance on AVCC. That gives 0,33V tolerance and with so little power consumption should be doable to stay withing tolerances when using those supercaps.
 
@Ian

I assume you are going to try 5V from ultracaps to power your boards with local LDOs.
I think it would be also interesting to try powering AVCC stright from those caps. :) .


It wil not work,!


Also ,Allo, ( CD games) recoments a smal cap.



You need a smal cap after the big one.
I have done it with a 180uF cap after the ultracap.
Your bas wil be bigger than you ever heard comming from your speakers:eek:
So put a smaler cap after the big one.
 

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@Greg, @Alex

I'm quite excited about the sound quality of ultarcapacitor power supply.

I spent a whole day on weekend listening music with my ESS DAC HAT and the two 350F ultracapacitors. They make me discovering more from the music that I've listened for hundreds of times.

I designed a small ultracapacitor power supply board for RPi. A pair of Maxwell 350F, or 325F can be used as main 3.3V or 5V DC power. Hopefully I'll receive the prototype PCB next week. Maybe I can share some of the PCBs with you guys if you are also interested in trying this new option.

I'll do more test with this ultracapacitor power supply. I'll include it into this project if I'm happy with the result.

Have a good weekend
Ian
 
& I forgot to say that I'll be doing my initial testing of the Twisted Pear DACs using one of the transformer output boards I built up to use with Ian's prototype ES9028Q2M. So ANOTHER connection to Ian's work in my current projects.

BTW, I'm big on incremental testing... first trials will be input to the BuffIIIPro board coming directly via an Ian RPi I2S adapter to the DAC board inputs and outputs from the DAC board directly to a passive output board that I already know works. Once I confirm that all works (or get it working), then I can add in the active I/V stage and finally the Ian FIFO/isolator/Dual Clock board.

All of this is after testing all of the various regulator modules separately and then wired into their respective inputs

IF one doesn't do this type of testing, you spend a lot of time in debugging a system where you don't know what is working and what isn't.

It's a GREAT time to be a DIY'er!

Greg in Mississippi

P.S. Thanks moderator Kevin!

@ Greg,

Adapter PCB to twisted pear I/V was finished. So, you will have more option with Buffalo I/V stage for your test. I hope, by the end of next week.

So many things come from this project, just like a big party:).

Me too, enjoy very much the great time as an DIY'er!

Ian
 
@Ian

I assume you are going to try 5V from ultracaps to power your boards with local LDOs.
I think it would be also interesting to try powering AVCC stright from those caps. :) Datasheets says 5% tolerance on AVCC. That gives 0,33V tolerance and with so little power consumption should be doable to stay withing tolerances when using those supercaps.

Any local LDO will degrade the sound quality of ultracapacitor power supply(confirmed by real listening test). The reason I've talked many times which is the feedback of LDO. So, I'll never use that option. However local bypassing networks for different rail will be great help when works with ultracapacitor.

Ian
 
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It wil not work,!


Also ,Allo, ( CD games) recoments a smal cap.



You need a smal cap after the big one.
I have done it with a 180uF cap after the ultracap.
Your bas wil be bigger than you ever heard comming from your speakers:eek:
So put a smaler cap after the big one.

Hymn, but do you power whole board with ultracaps, or you power it with regular PSU and just have local ultracaps at AVCC?
 
@Greg, @Alex

I'm quite excited about the sound quality of ultarcapacitor power supply.

I spent a whole day on weekend listening music with my ESS DAC HAT and the two 350F ultracapacitors. They make me discovering more from the music that I've listened for hundreds of times.

I designed a small ultracapacitor power supply board for RPi. A pair of Maxwell 350F, or 325F can be used as main 3.3V or 5V DC power. Hopefully I'll receive the prototype PCB next week. Maybe I can share some of the PCBs with you guys if you are also interested in trying this new option.

I'll do more test with this ultracapacitor power supply. I'll include it into this project if I'm happy with the result.

Have a good weekend
Ian


Ian you can do some photo of your ultracapacitor power supply board for RPi prototype please,

TioFrancotirador did you compare ultracapacitor power supply with Reflektor and SSLV 1.3 BIB,or it is not necessary because superior quality of the ultracapacitor power supply is obvious.
 
TioFrancotirador did you compare ultracapacitor power supply with Reflektor and SSLV 1.3 BIB,or it is not necessary because superior quality of the ultracapacitor power supply is obvious.

I did not compare it yet, since I am still waiting for both of them. It is a matter of weeks. I will do compare and report it ... I did not even try 3.3V supercap and I already think how would it be to have supercap psu -/+15V PSU to power I/V stage and then some beefy -/+35V to power my modulus-86 amp :D ...
 
Got it. Thanks. So it only make sens to power circuit with 3.3V straight from the caps.
BTW with so much energy maybe power hungry OCXO could be considered :) as an upgrade option to your boards.

I already confirmed on my clock board, ultracapacitor power improved sound quality over LifePO4 battery.

The most significant thing of an ultracapacitor or a battery is that they are pure passive components, the dynamic performance is much better than any regulator with feedback. Not only the noise.

Ian