CS4398 gives squarewave only

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Here is an odd problem that maybe someone has seen before.

I'm working with a Super-Pro DAC board with the CS4398 DAC driven by the CS8416 receiver chip in hardware mode. I've seen dozens of these and never had a problem.

But this one gives me only a squarewave out with any sine input. The square is always the frequency of the input sine but is always square and always about 1V. Like it is always being driven into complete clipping, no matter the input level.

I've never seen this problem before - has anyone else? Dead chip, or is there something else going on? I even wonder if it might be the receiver chip.

FWIW, does not matter if the is an analog stage following the 4398 or not. Both channels the same. This is a new one for me. :scratch:
 
Sounds like what happens with my CS4398-based DAC too

If I have my source volume at minimum and amp at max, upon a power surge the DAC's volume sudden increase to (dunno how high). If I have source at max and amp at minimum, it becomes 100% noise.

Try decreasing the source volume till bare minimum if you can get any music out of it.
 
Another possible culprit: a solder glob (yes, again) on one of the mode setting
pins has changed the right/left justification of the data. So you are getting data
that represents a square wave. Try playing some music through it, like say a
guitar track that normally doesn't have any distortion. 😀
 
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