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[22:09:18] <silver_hook> Hullo. My brother is planning to create create a USB plug for his headsets and we wonder if the Olimex DAC is a good choice as a component (and what else would be missing that we might get on the webshop)
[22:09:25] <silver_hook> https://www.olimex.com/Products/FPGA/iCE40/iCE40-DAC/open-source-hardware
[22:16:29] <lukas2511> silver_hook: what exactly are you planning to do? for connection an audio headset to a computer via usb i'd just buy one of those cheap(ish) usb audio adapters
[22:17:01] <silver_hook> Yea, that thing, but he’d rather build it himself. Preferably in a better way than the cheap(ish) ones.
[22:18:44] <silver_hook> lukas2511: Ah, no, sorry, got corrected by my dear brother
[22:19:03] <lukas2511> uh well, you need something that speaks usb and can run programs and ideally has some hardware for audio processing, a good (min.) 2-channel DAC and for microphone also a good ADC, stereo amplifier, something as frontend for the microphone, not sure, uuh
[22:19:51] <silver_hook> What he’s trying to do is build a case around his keyboard, where he’d build in two analogue speakers and have an audio jack, so he can either use those speakers or the headset.
[22:20:55] <lukas2511> then i'd build a usb hub into the keyboard, connect keyboard and a little usb audio adapter to it, and take on of those 3.5mm stereo jacks with switches inside and wire it up so that it interrupts audio to speakers when something is plugged in
[22:21:28] <silver_hook> Yea, his OTOH list sounded similar. The question is whether the Olimex DAC is good enough for something like that and whether we could get more needed (preferably OSHW) stuff from the same store, and if not where.
[22:22:43] <lukas2511> i think that DAC is way overpowered, i'd rather look for a DAC designed for audio applications, ideally with internal (pre-)amplifier
[22:23:24] <lukas2511> would suggest looking for something that can be connected via I2S
[22:24:05] <silver_hook> Hm, OK.
[22:24:57] <lukas2511> something like the hifiberry
[22:25:02] <silver_hook> lukas2511: With “overpowered” you mean “naah, you don’t need that” or “egad, it’ll blow everything into your face”?
[22:25:46] <lukas2511> it's faster than you'd need for audio, way more complicated to control and quite expensive (considering you also probably want two of them for stereo sound + amplifier circuit etc.)
[22:26:03] <silver_hook> Hmmm, but in that case, shouldn’t also an Arduino be enough?
[22:26:40] <lukas2511> no, arduino doesn't even have any DAC on it
[22:27:08] <lukas2511> and the cpu would also be to slow for controlling I2S devices and USB at the same time
[22:27:38] <lukas2511> i'd go looking for an stm32f4 board and an I2S board with headphone amplifier already on board
[22:28:05] <lukas2511> you'd still need to write the firmware which will probably be quite complicated
[22:28:37] <silver_hook> …which you avoid if you go for the HifiBerry?
[22:28:57] <lukas2511> no
[22:29:08] <lukas2511> you'd avoid designing audio circuit if you go with hifiberry
[22:29:12] <lukas2511> you still need to control it
[22:29:28] <lukas2511> if you want to avoid work you'll have to go with a pre-built usb audio adapter
[22:29:33] <lukas2511> diy it will be a lot of work
[22:31:13] <silver_hook> OK, makes sense :)
[23:25:57] <silver_hook> lukas2511: Sorry to bother you again, and doubly so, because I think you answered this question for me a few months ago and I can’t find your answer anymore – for a home-use web (maybe VOIP) server, is the LIME2 the best option (also in the forseable future)?
IRC #olimex 2016-07-18
[10:18:45] <leon-anavi> morning[22:09:18] <silver_hook> Hullo. My brother is planning to create create a USB plug for his headsets and we wonder if the Olimex DAC is a good choice as a component (and what else would be missing that we might get on the webshop)
[22:09:25] <silver_hook> https://www.olimex.com/Products/FPGA/iCE40/iCE40-DAC/open-source-hardware
[22:16:29] <lukas2511> silver_hook: what exactly are you planning to do? for connection an audio headset to a computer via usb i'd just buy one of those cheap(ish) usb audio adapters
[22:17:01] <silver_hook> Yea, that thing, but he’d rather build it himself. Preferably in a better way than the cheap(ish) ones.
[22:18:44] <silver_hook> lukas2511: Ah, no, sorry, got corrected by my dear brother
[22:19:03] <lukas2511> uh well, you need something that speaks usb and can run programs and ideally has some hardware for audio processing, a good (min.) 2-channel DAC and for microphone also a good ADC, stereo amplifier, something as frontend for the microphone, not sure, uuh
[22:19:51] <silver_hook> What he’s trying to do is build a case around his keyboard, where he’d build in two analogue speakers and have an audio jack, so he can either use those speakers or the headset.
[22:20:55] <lukas2511> then i'd build a usb hub into the keyboard, connect keyboard and a little usb audio adapter to it, and take on of those 3.5mm stereo jacks with switches inside and wire it up so that it interrupts audio to speakers when something is plugged in
[22:21:28] <silver_hook> Yea, his OTOH list sounded similar. The question is whether the Olimex DAC is good enough for something like that and whether we could get more needed (preferably OSHW) stuff from the same store, and if not where.
[22:22:43] <lukas2511> i think that DAC is way overpowered, i'd rather look for a DAC designed for audio applications, ideally with internal (pre-)amplifier
[22:23:24] <lukas2511> would suggest looking for something that can be connected via I2S
[22:24:05] <silver_hook> Hm, OK.
[22:24:57] <lukas2511> something like the hifiberry
[22:25:02] <silver_hook> lukas2511: With “overpowered” you mean “naah, you don’t need that” or “egad, it’ll blow everything into your face”?
[22:25:46] <lukas2511> it's faster than you'd need for audio, way more complicated to control and quite expensive (considering you also probably want two of them for stereo sound + amplifier circuit etc.)
[22:26:03] <silver_hook> Hmmm, but in that case, shouldn’t also an Arduino be enough?
[22:26:40] <lukas2511> no, arduino doesn't even have any DAC on it
[22:27:08] <lukas2511> and the cpu would also be to slow for controlling I2S devices and USB at the same time
[22:27:38] <lukas2511> i'd go looking for an stm32f4 board and an I2S board with headphone amplifier already on board
[22:28:05] <lukas2511> you'd still need to write the firmware which will probably be quite complicated
[22:28:37] <silver_hook> …which you avoid if you go for the HifiBerry?
[22:28:57] <lukas2511> no
[22:29:08] <lukas2511> you'd avoid designing audio circuit if you go with hifiberry
[22:29:12] <lukas2511> you still need to control it
[22:29:28] <lukas2511> if you want to avoid work you'll have to go with a pre-built usb audio adapter
[22:29:33] <lukas2511> diy it will be a lot of work
[22:31:13] <silver_hook> OK, makes sense :)
[23:25:57] <silver_hook> lukas2511: Sorry to bother you again, and doubly so, because I think you answered this question for me a few months ago and I can’t find your answer anymore – for a home-use web (maybe VOIP) server, is the LIME2 the best option (also in the forseable future)?
