Allo Sparky USBridge

[piripiri82]

Hello everyone! 

I'm a newbie to this forum and just received a USBridge in the mail today and have it set up. I order the DietPi/Allo GUI version and it's working but there's one major stumbling block for me. I was intending to use it as a UPNP renderer like I have in the past with my Moode audio player.

Is there any way to get the player to function in this manner?

[piripiri82]

14 minutes ago, Daniel Knight said:

Hi All,

 

Allo Web GUI v2 is now available!


Please see link below, for instructions on how to update and the full changelog:
http://dietpi.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2317&p=9218#p9218

 

Brilliant! I've installed it and now streaming music from my server as I was before! That's what I call service!

[piripiri82]

Hi there,

I've rebooted my USBridge several times and checked to see if the update was available but to no avail. Is there something wrong with my unit or is there something else I need to do to force the unit to look for the updated software?

Warmest regards,

Nicholas

P.S. Good work guys. The Allo Sparky with USBridge sounds great! I'm powering it with 2 PSUs as suggested and it made a massive difference to the sound. I have an iFi 5v powering the USBridge and the supplied PSU powering the Sparky. 

USBridge-->Chord Mojo--> Rega Brio-R-->Dynaudio Excite X12

 

[piripiri82]

Is anyone else finding that Shairport crashes a lot? It seems to be happening more and more frequently too. I have no issues with DLNA whatsoever, it's as solid as a rock. 

[piripiri82]

You have to uninstall the hotspot by going into the configuration menu via SSH:

SSH root@dietpi
Password = dietpi.

From there type dietpi-software to install/uninstall software.

It is then possible to configure your wifi adapter in dietpi-config.

It took me ages to work this out!

[piripiri82]

Just out of sheer curiosity I am wondering which bus the USBridge uses? I am using a WiFi dongle to connect to the network and have it connected to the USB 3.0 port. Does this port use the same bus as the USBridge? 

[piripiri82]

Way ahead of you!  I was hoping for a case for my currently naked Pi3 and Boss but I figured I could use the top and bottom of the acrylic case for the USBridge in the mean time before a case for it is released. 

I adore the boost in sound quality the USBridge has given me. It's as big a leap in sound quality as I had between owning a gatorized Beresford DAC and a Chord Mojo: I Still own the Mojo and it is this that the USBridge is feeding the signal to. 

The Boss kicks ass also! Anyone on a budget and who is relatively computer savvy or who has a willingness to learn new skills should absolutely seek out the Boss as an audio source. It's as musical as hell (even though this is a cliche now) and, as others have mentioned, has a sweet bottom end which is deep yet still reasonably accurate to the timbre of the recorded instrument. 

Keep it up guys and dolls!

 

[piripiri82]

I've done a fresh install of diet pi to version 6.1 with web GUI v.5 by flashing the EMMC card. All seems to be working aside from the fact that there is no sound coming through the speakers and the ALSA output stream information box is empty. I have a Chord Mojo attached to the USB output of the USBridge and have set the shairport settings to 32 bit to match the DAC.

Edit:

I just checked to see if my DAC was detected by the sparky/USBridge using the USB-devices command but to no avail. I then tried it in another USB port and it was detected and there is sound output. Is there a command to activate the USBridge again or have I miss-aligned the GPIO headers? 

... I will investigate in the meantime...

[piripiri82]

1 hour ago, piripiri82 said:

I've done a fresh install of diet pi to version 6.1 with web GUI v.5 by flashing the EMMC card. All seems to be working aside from the fact that there is no sound coming through the speakers and the ALSA output stream information box is empty. I have a Chord Mojo attached to the USB output of the USBridge and have set the shairport settings to 32 bit to match the DAC.

Edit:

I just checked to see if my DAC was detected by the sparky/USBridge using the USB-devices command but to no avail. I then tried it in another USB port and it was detected and there is sound output. Is there a command to activate the USBridge again or have I miss-aligned the GPIO headers? 

... I will investigate in the meantime...

... on further investigation I found that it looks like the Sparky and USBridge are mated together properly with the correct GPIO pins... It's mysterious to say the least! 

I'm not too keen on rolling back to v159 in the meantime either as I've had to dismantle it several times already to reflash the EMMC...

 

[piripiri82]

37 minutes ago, piripiri82 said:

 

 I have done 2 screenshots with the lsusb and lsusb -t commands, one with DAC and one without for somebody's perusal. I used the USBridge output on both. 

[piripiri82]

On 01/02/2018 at 5:43 PM, piripiri82 said:

I've done a fresh install of diet pi to version 6.1 with web GUI v.5 by flashing the EMMC card. All seems to be working aside from the fact that there is no sound coming through the speakers and the ALSA output stream information box is empty. I have a Chord Mojo attached to the USB output of the USBridge and have set the shairport settings to 32 bit to match the DAC.

Edit:

I just checked to see if my DAC was detected by the sparky/USBridge using the USB-devices command but to no avail. I then tried it in another USB port and it was detected and there is sound output. Is there a command to activate the USBridge again or have I miss-aligned the GPIO headers? 

... I will investigate in the meantime...

Right! This is interesting!! I got the USBridge to recognise and work with my Audioquest Dragonfly! The Chord Mojo still does not work! ... At least I haven't busted the GPIO headers when I put the case back together!!

... That's something at least! 

[piripiri82]

Hi @StareIO

In my experience, to get the best performance out of the USBridge you need to remove the J28 jumper. Power the USBridge with the supplied power supply. The next step is to get 1 (or ideally 2) better quality power supplies: iFi iPower 5v would be a great place to start. I initially powered the USBridge with the iPower and the Sparky with the supplied adapter, which was a step-up from just 1 adapter. Getting 2 better quality power supplies boosts the performance further. If you think it's smooth now you'll be in for a shock!

I can't comment on your network situation as I have no experience of it as I'm running my USBridge with a wireless dongle. Better quality cables should yield better results though.

[piripiri82]

1 hour ago, piripiri82 said:

Right! This is interesting!! I got the USBridge to recognise and work with my Audioquest Dragonfly! The Chord Mojo still does not work! ... At least I haven't busted the GPIO headers when I put the case back together!!

... That's something at least! 

@allo
@danielknight

[piripiri82]

3 hours ago, gareth.davies said:

Is anyone else's USBridge running really hot?  Even when not being used.  Have a new one in the aluminium case.  The one I have in the plastic case doesn't suffer from this.

If anything I would say the USBridge in the Aluminium case is running cooler although it feels hotter to touch as the whole case acts as a heatsink. I didn't note down how hot my Sparky was running before changing the case but I'm fairly sue 57 degrees C rings a bell. It's now running at 42 degrees C... I think it may even sound better as a result but that's probably just wishful thinking!

If you check the web GUI it gives a you a temperature readout. What does it say? 

[piripiri82]

Hello! rahul_kc was in touch regarding my Mojo not being seen by the USBridge. It has now been sorted!

 

This is what I was advised to do:

 

SSH into diet pi and check the uEnv.txt file

 

The command = nano /DietPi/uEnv.txt

 

Check the end of the second line of the text file. I had to scroll along manually to do this. You are looking for “aotg.aotg1_speed value”. The speed value needs to be set to 0 for 32 bit USB 2.0 DACs like my Mojo. If you’re using a dragonfly or other USB 1.1 DACs it should be set to 1. The last line should look like this… $d/systemd aotg.urb_fix=1 aotg.aotg1_speed=0

 

Exit and save the file then reboot the system. You should then be back in business! 
 

[piripiri82]

7 minutes ago, ambre said:

Thanks PunkRiot, 

 

I am a layman in this area and........ I do not really know how this works.  Can you access this also from the Allo GUI ?

 

IMO USB 2.0 is the present standard for USB DAC incl streaming !  Why is this not set by default?

 

Regards, Andreas

It's not possible to access this file from the Allo GUI.

If you have a Mac you can access it via terminal, with a PC you have to install Putty: https://mediatemple.net/community/products/dv/204404604/using-ssh-in-putty-

In your terminal window type:

ssh root@dietpi
Password = dietpi

Once your logged in SSH into diet pi type the command:
nano /DietPi/uEnv.txt

Check the end of the second line of the text file. I had to scroll along manually to do this. You are looking for “aotg.aotg1_speed value”. The speed value needs to be set to 0 for 32 bit USB 2.0 DACs. If you’re using a dragonfly or other USB 1.1 DACs it should be set to 1. The last line should look like this… $d/systemd aotg.urb_fix=1 aotg.aotg1_speed=0 Exit and save the file then reboot the system. You should then be back in business! 

[piripiri82]

7 minutes ago, tboooe said:

Guys, I am interested in getting the Allo to see if it sounds better than my current mini pc acting as NAA in my system.  My current problem is that I have a split USB cable with the data and power legs completely separated (Light Harmonic).  Until I get a new USB cable  I have 2 options:

 

1.  Plug the power leg of the cable into the USB port of the Allo and the data leg into the USBridge

2.  Provide 5vdc power via an external source like an LPS or battery

 

So if I go with option #1, will I be essentially eliminating the benefits of the USBridge by using the noisy 5vdc from the Allo?

IMHO, without having tried it I can only assume that option 1 would be detrimental. Option 2 would be my preferrence. There is another option though. If you have an Audioquest Jitterbug or equivalent lying around you can use this to filter the power coming from the Sparky's USB port lowering the noise floor somewhat. 

I had good results when I used a Jitterbug to filter the power coming from a generic 2.1amp USB power supply so I can't see why this wouldn't work for you and I expect you would get better results as I assume the noise coming from the USB of the Sparky will be relatively lower.

Another issue you might face though is a lack of current. How many PSU's are you planning to use on the USBridge/Sparky. 2 is optimal and should give you enough current to power your DAC too, unless it's supremely power hungry.

 

[piripiri82]

I updated with no issues what so ever. Well done guys. Everything including hi-resolution music is working as it should. Thanks for all your work and making a device of such quality accessible to mere mortals like me. 

[piripiri82]

Does anyone know what the raspotify options file command is for setting up a Chord Mojo. I know my DAC name is Mojo but I've tried loads of variations of commands that have worked for other people but to no avail for me such as:

OPTIONS=“—device plughw:dacname”
The most annoying thing is that I had it working with a command I found online several months ago but had to reinstall but forgot to note this down! 

Help!!   

[piripiri82]

19 hours ago, piripiri82 said:

Does anyone know what the raspotify options file command is for setting up a Chord Mojo. I know my DAC name is Mojo but I've tried loads of variations of commands that have worked for other people but to no avail for me such as:

OPTIONS=“—device plughw:dacname”
The most annoying thing is that I had it working with a command I found online several months ago but had to reinstall but forgot to note this down! 

Help!!   

I've sorted it! It turns out I had the correct command all along!! I just needed to reboot the Sparky instead of just restarting Raspotify.

So the my command looks like this:

OPTIONS="--device plughw:Mojo"

Phew!!

[piripiri82]

12 minutes ago, tboooe said:

HQP played from Roon.  Never had a problem.  My wireless is AC so I know network speed is not an issue.  When I play from Roon to my other endpoints like Sonos I also don't have an issue so this is most likely a USBridge problem.

Greater speed is not a guarantee of a stable connection. After having my Sparky/USBridge working well with an older B/G/N router, because of other issues in the house we decided to upgrade to a more modern router. This router certainly had a better reception and faster speeds but it also dropped packets like nobody's business.

If you must run your USBridge from WiFi you could try what I did. Split your network between your faster 5ghz and slower 2.4ghz and use the slower, longer range connection.

This may or may not work for you but it worked well for me.

[piripiri82]

22 hours ago, wakajazz said:

@Allo GUI indicated an update was required (was on 6.9) USBridge is now unresponsive, cannot view the web GUI, cannot see the USBridge in Roon. 

 

How do I get my USBridge back operational?

I'm experiencing the same problem. After the update, I can't access my USBridge through the web GUI or via SSH. I am using a wireless dongle to connect to the network which has worked flawlessly. I have even attempted a wired connection but to no avail. Initially, after the update, I pinged the bridged the USBridge to check whether it was active or not. This resulted in an intermittent packet loss or 100% packet loss.

I'm not really too enamoured in having to dismantle the USBridge again to flash the EMMC

[piripiri82]

6 minutes ago, wakajazz said:

 

I ended up fixing the issue by using the method shown here:

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/KnKc59NZN82daHSprgow9hwk8SQYlBmRps3fD4SeIlt

to successfully re-flash the eMMC to 6.9 and then upgraded to 6.10 without issue.

 

Like you, I did not want to dismantle the USBridge.

 

•  

I was impatient and dismantled it anyway! I'm in the process of updating to 6.10 as I type this! Thanks for your help though!

 

[piripiri82]

8 minutes ago, John A said:

Sad that no one from Allo has posted on this.  This is supposed to be their support forum.   The Allo GUI is bricking units.  If you have not already bricked your unit using the update path from the Allo GUI do not do the update.  

I agree. If I was to give someone advice on how to do it I would tell them to do it via SSH. I noticed when I installed 6.10 there were options that were presented during the installation. I have a feeling this is what caused it to become corrupted as I was unaware with the web GUI install option!

[piripiri82]

5 hours ago, msb1 said:

Hello,

How do I get spotify to play through the Allo USB Bridge? I have had no luck with raspotify. 

 

Raspotify is not very intuitive to set-up... First of all you need to find the name of your dac. Log into the Sparky using SSH and enter the command: aplay -l. This will give you a list of audio devices, one of which should include your DAC. Note it down. For my set-up it is Mojo.

Then you need to enter the raspotify setup file (I don't know what this file's official name is) by entering the command: sudo nano /etc/default/raspotify.

Here you have to delete hashtags to enter commands. There are prompts in this file to give you a clue what you need to enter. I have attached a screenshots of what my set-up looks like.

The important ones are setting the bitrate to 320kbps and also assigning your DAC. The command for the latter will look like this: OPTIONS="--device plughw:Mojo"

I have found that you need to type this in instead of copying and pasting or it won't work. Press control and X to exit then Y to confirm where the file is to be saved. 

restart the USBridge and all should be ticketyboo! ... However it may not work first time and there also might be a bit of trial and error.

good luck!