Hardware guide

[juanitoddd]

Hello friends !
First of all, thank you for keep working on this project 🙏

I would like to kindly ask you for guidance on which hardware to buy, to start this project.

I am aware this is based on the ESP32 but what about specific versions/models and also which audio module would be appropriate to make it work.
I have followed posts about the MAX98357 and ma12070p but not sure which to buy. anyone able to share any experience with them ?

Thank you in advance

[velaar]

Mine is running on LyRaT v4.3 boards. 3 boards deployed so far.On Mar 15, 2023, at 9:57 AM, Juan David ***@***.***> wrote: Hello friends ! First of all, thank you for keep working on this project 🙏 I would like to kindly ask you for guidance on which hardware to buy, to start this project. I am aware this is based on the ESP32 but what about specific versions/models and also which audio module would be appropriate to make it work. I have followed posts about the MAX98357 and ma12070p but not sure which to buy. anyone able to share any experience with them ? Thank you in advance —Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe.You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[CarlosDerSeher]

If you have a look at https://github.com/CarlosDerSeher/snapclient/tree/master/components/custom_board you'll find the supported audio codecs there. Also all espressif built devBoards should work.

You can use any esp32 wroom/wrover module based board, but be aware when using wroom based boards you don't have PSRAM available and you will be limited in buffer size (< 750ms) on snapserver.

[Mannshoch]

Sorry to ask. Do you think this is doable for someone that first time work with flashing and soldering ESP?
I got a soldering station and a nice course as birthday present and now I wish to try creating room speaker my self.

From this Discoussion it is not clear to me what Hardware I have to buy and the link is not helpfull.
My goal is to listen different Internet radio per room and use it with Kodi (PVR) in the living room.

Could someone or several please made an example shoping list (from power-suply to speaker and cover)
Either with detailed product ID or links to the product.

[CarlosDerSeher]

First you have to define which output power the audio codec should be able to supply and which impedance the speaker will have. Then have a look at the supported boards and/or DACs and check the datasheets to see if they match your requirements. For small loads you could have a look at MAX98357 and if you need more power maybe TAS5805M. I didn't check all the others.
There are DIY speaker kits you can buy. Just be sure everything will fit inside.

[anabolyc]

Hey @juanitoddd

I'm clearly biased, but I think I'm making the best hardware for this kind of project considering the value for the price :)
I have a range of boards that not only work with snapcast but can be flashed via a web-installer in minutes since I created pre-built bianries to support them.

On the light side of the range there are these three boards:

	HiFi-ESP32	Loud-ESP32	Louder-ESP32
MCU	ESP32-WROVER-N16R8	ESP32-WROVER-N16R8	ESP32-WROVER-N16R8
DAC	PCM5100A 32bit Stereo DAC -100 dB typical noise level	Dual I2S DAC (MAX98357) with built in D-Class amp	Stereo I2S DAC (TAS5805M) with built in D-Class amp
Output (4Ω)	Non-amplified stereo output, 2.1V RMS	2x 5W	2x 32W (4Ω, 1% THD+N)
Output (8Ω)	Non-amplified stereo output	2x 3W	2x 22W (8Ω, 1% THD+N)
PSRAM	8MB PSRAM (4MB usable) over 40MHz SPI	8MB PSRAM (4MB usable) over 40MHz SPI	8MB PSRAM (4MB usable) over 40MHz SPI
Power	5V over USB-C, 2x LP5907 3.3 V Ultra-Low-Noise LDO for analog section	5V (up to 2.5A) from USB-C	Up to 26V from external PSU 5V over USB-C with power limited to 2x5W
Connectivity	WiFi + BT4.2 + BLE W5500 Ethernet (optional module)	WiFi + BT4.2 + BLE W5500 Ethernet (optional module)	WiFi + BT4.2 + BLE W5500 Ethernet (optional module)

On the heavier side of things, there are 3 similar products with a bit more capabilities and a bit more peripheral

	HiFi Esparagus	Loud Esparagus	Louder Esparagus
Image
MCU	ESP32-WROVER-N16R8	ESP32-WROVER-N16R8	ESP32-WROVER-N16R8
DAC	PCM5100A 32bit Stereo DAC -100 dB typical noise level	Dual I2S DAC (MAX98357) with built in D-Class amp	Stereo I2S DAC ( TAS5805M ) with built in D-Class amp
Power	5V over USB-C, 2x LP5907 3.3 V Ultra-Low-Noise LDO for analog section	5V from USB-C	Up to 20V from USB-C PD or Up to 26V from external PSU
Output, 4Ω	Non-amplified stereo output	2x 3W	2x 32W (4Ω, 1% THD+N)
Output, 8Ω	-	2x 5W	2x 22W (8Ω, 1% THD+N)
PSRAM	8MB PSRAM (4MB usable)	8MB PSRAM (4MB usable)	8MB PSRAM (4MB usable)
Peripheral	WS2812B RGB Led SSD1306 128x64 OLED screen (optional)	WS2812B RGB Led SSD1306 128x64 OLED screen (optional)	WS2812B RGB Led SSD1306 128x64 OLED screen (optional)
Size	80 x 50 x 20mm	80 x 50 x 20mm	100 x 80 x 38mm

My persoanl favourite is a TAS5805M based devices, since this DAC has extremely powerful DSP that I'm working on right now to provide a good driver for. I added a few test configurations in my snapcast fork, You can find them on the installer page linked above, but this is just the tip of the iceberg, and I'm working to provide more granular control on the DSP possibilities.

Please don't hesitate to ask any question you might have.

[anabolyc]

SqueeezeAmp uses MA12070 DAC, I was about to test it with Loud-ESP32-Plus (not published yet). If it works, I can add SqueezeAmp config as well, should be only a few pins difference.

[CarlosDerSeher]

There is a driver available called ma120x0 could this be used for this Board?

Edit: the header states // Register interface thrugh I2C for MA12070P and MA12040P

[CarlosDerSeher]

@anabolyc are you sure about DAC the linked repo states TAS575x stereo class-D amplifier

[anabolyc]

AH. Mixed it up with muVox. You're right.
If you give me working config, I can integrate it into web-installer, but no way I can test it.

[CarlosDerSeher]

@juanitoddd are you able to build and test yourself? You'll need the gpio pins to which the DAC is connected. Shouldn't be much of a problem to gather this information though