Allo Sparky USBridge

[seeteeyou]

https://www.allo.com/marketing/brochures/allo-sparky-brochure.pdf#page=3

Quote

Power: The board uses up to 5 W of power and can be powered from the USB connector, or a separate 3.7 V battery power supply

 

Well, @allo.com confirmed that's actually 5 × 2.7 = 13.5 W on boot so that's way too much for LPS-1 to handle since that's only good for 5.5 W

 

https://uptoneaudio.com/products/ultracap-lps-1

 

I just checked the GPIO pin out below

 

http://sparkyforum.allo.com/index.php?topic=1874.0

 

Is there a way to power Sparky alone with 3.7V battery while feeding 5V / 1.1A to USBridge separately?

 

I hope that we don't have to block / bend pin #2 and #4 for that particular purpose.

[allo.com]

Yes there is a way to feed separately  Sparky and USBridge HAT with different PSUs. We are updating the manual

 

 In involves removing jumpers from USBridge HAT. The capability to feed different PSUs to SBC and USBridge was taken in consideration since the beginning.

[seeteeyou]

On 7/5/2017 at 3:02 AM, mentt said:

 

what problems? I was planning to use USB power bank as power supply. No sure that you can find USB power bank with 5v3A specification...

 

Someone actually tried one with 2.1A and that turned out to work fine so far.

 

Anyways, we might have to go for something with USB Type C output in order to get 3A

 

https://www.ravpower.com/20100mah-external-battery-charger-QC3.0-type-c.html

 

 

And then we might also consider the thickness of the cable, I guess that 18 AWG should be fine for 3A with only 2 wires connected?

 

http://goughlui.com/2014/10/01/usb-cable-resistance-why-your-phonetablet-might-be-charging-slow/

 

[allo.com]

28 minutes ago, seeteeyou said:

https://www.allo.com/marketing/brochures/allo-sparky-brochure.pdf#page=3

 

Well, @allo.com confirmed that's actually 5 × 2.7 = 13.5 W on boot so that's way too much for LPS-1 to handle since that's only good for 5.5 W

 

https://uptoneaudio.com/products/ultracap-lps-1

 

I just checked the GPIO pin out below

 

http://sparkyforum.allo.com/index.php?topic=1874.0

 

Is there a way to power Sparky alone with 3.7V battery while feeding 5V / 1.1A to USBridge separately?

 

I hope that we don't have to block / bend pin #2 and #4 for that particular purpose.

Sparky needs 5V not 3.7V

[seeteeyou]

3 minutes ago, allo.com said:

Sparky needs 5V not 3.7V

 

Many thanks for your prompt replies, that means Sparky alone will get 5V from power bank and USBridge will get 5V from LPS-1 respectively.

 

Let's see if we're able to get away with a single LPS-1 powering both USBridge and ISO REGEN then.

[allo.com]

USBridge by itself take needs very low power.. maybe 100mA . You will have more than enough juice. For Sparky you could get away with 2A

[rikhav]

Hi all

Correct me if i am wrong but is USbridge and Uptone regen work in the same way ?

 

If I am right anyone compared USbridge vs Uptone regen (both connected to a USB out of a Sparky)

 

Why i am keen to hear if there is any comparison is that I am using a lpatop as my transport which connects via USB out to my dac with amber regen connected on the dac side

 

It will help me decide if its worth shifting to Sparky+ Usbridge for transport

 

 

[seeteeyou]

If you guys were planning to work on an update for Boss Player / Vana Player in the future with DSD audio support, please kindly consider adding a single 10 MHz master clock input for all components if that were feasible.

 

We're aware that excellent clocks are already found in the current products, though we've got the potential to elevate the performance to the next level IF we're adding a master clock as mentioned below

 

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-the-sms-200-and-microrendu/?page=82#comment-665658

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-the-sms-200-and-microrendu/?page=97#comment-675524

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-the-sms-200-and-microrendu/?page=98#comment-675789

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-the-sms-200-and-microrendu/?page=104#comment-683194

 

More information below

 

https://www.mutec-net.com/downloads/manuals/MUTEC_REF_10_Infoblatt_E.pdf

It's gonna be a game changer if everything from the transport to reclocker to DAC were synchronized to such an incredible master clock with absolutely astounding performance. There's simply nothing else like this on the market right now and you won't get much (if any?) competition as long as you're willing to hit the jackpot first.

[k-man]

5 hours ago, rikhav said:

Correct me if i am wrong but is USbridge and Uptone regen work in the same way ?

Yes, but USBridge is exclusively connected to Sparky, hence the bundle.

 

5 hours ago, rikhav said:

If I am right anyone compared USbridge vs Uptone regen (both connected to a USB out of a Sparky)

There's a lot more detail and clarity coming through the USBridge compared to Amber Regen+ Beaglebone Black, and microRendu. I'm having to re-write my listening impressions since I believe I have further unlocked USBridge's potential (posted by Allo in the Roon Community forum).

5 hours ago, rikhav said:

Why i am keen to hear if there is any comparison is that I am using a lpatop as my transport which connects via USB out to my dac with amber regen connected on the dac side

It depends on what software you are using on your laptop. If Roon or HQPlayer (and JRiver), then I recommend the laptop as server, and USBridge as endpoint. Any other software like Audirvana that doesn't involve network protocol then I recommend the upgrade from amber to Iso Regen.

 

6 hours ago, rikhav said:

It will help me decide if its worth shifting to Sparky+ Usbridge for transport

By the time you decide, the unit is claimed to be 'plug and play'. I had the privilege of building and installing the software myself, even peeling the double sided acrylic backing 

[k-man]

4 hours ago, seeteeyou said:

If you guys were planning to work on an update for Boss Player / Vana Player in the future with DSD audio support, please kindly consider adding a single 10 MHz master clock input for all components if that were feasible.

I'd like to see an Allo ZMan/Ravenna implemented DAC to see what all the fuss over AOIP is about  

[rikhav]

5 hours ago, k-man said:

I'd like to see an Allo ZMan/Ravenna implemented DAC to see what all the fuss over AOIP is about  

 Count me also in for this

 

I am currently using daphile and for media is either on a drive connected to this laptop (load it in ram before playback) or media is shared via dlna form Logitech media server installed in another pc which is in a different room

 

Is hqplayer NAA software compatible with sparky board ?

 

Also how did you manage to install custom software or can you share more details on what exactly you did

 

I don't understand programming much but just about good enough to follow instructions

 

I think officially volumio works with sparky boards. One thing which I would want in Distros like rune, volumio and moode is ability to load track In ram and then play. They don't have huge ram so even if each track is loaded before playback I am OK with that 

 

[seeteeyou]

Merging DA8P Module = $1,547.00
Merging HAPI Base Unit = $2,349.00
Merging HORUS Base Unit = $5,372.00
Merging NADAC = $10,500.00 for Stereo, $11,500.00 for Multichannel-8

 

Not sure why but somehow they've got SMPS to power something @ that kinda price point, though that's pretty much what we're getting for the vast majority of pro audio gears anyways.

 

One could only speculate how much they're asking for their OEM solution called ZMan.

 

I sincerely hope that Allo could continue to deliver great value with a realistic price tag, although ZMan might not cost THAT much while nobody seemed to figure out the "entrance fee" for an OEM.

 

Anyways it's still good to learn that Merging is partnering with Roon and that's quite exciting, let's see how much ZMan would actually cost then.

[k-man]

2 hours ago, rikhav said:

Also how did you manage to install custom software or can you share more details on what exactly you did.

I don't understand programming much but just about good enough to follow instructions

I chose DietPi over Volume as distro. It seems the DietPi creator is quite keen to get images for Sparky run and continually updated. Its website offers decent tutorials and forum, so following instructions will make you good.

 

2 hours ago, rikhav said:

Is hqplayer NAA software compatible with sparky board ?

Yes.

 

You can also install squeezelite onto Sparky for it to work with your Logitech media server.

[allo.com]

14 hours ago, seeteeyou said:

It's gonna be a game changer if everything from the transport to reclocker to DAC were synchronized to such an incredible master clock with absolutely astounding performance. There's simply nothing else like this on the market right now and you won't get much (if any?) competition as long as you're willing to hit the jackpot first.

I am not quite sure how a 10Mhz clock can be used in a DAC ? Frankly I am unsure of the advantage of such "master clock" synchronizing transports , DACs etc.

 

 From a tech point of view...it will not work .

[seeteeyou]

1 hour ago, allo.com said:

I am not quite sure how a 10Mhz clock can be used in a DAC ? Frankly I am unsure of the advantage of such "master clock" synchronizing transports , DACs etc.

 

 From a tech point of view...it will not work .

 

That's such a surprising reply, here are some examples with 10MHz master clock inputs

 

http://www.ratocsystems.com/english/audio/ral/dsdha2/

http://www.phasemation.jp/product/hd-7d192.html

 

Ratoc RAL-DSDHA2 is powered by plain vanilla WM8741 and there's nothing special about that

 

https://www.cirrus.com/products/wm8741/

[steklo]

20 hours ago, allo.com said:

Yes there is a way to feed separately  Sparky and USBridge HAT with different PSUs. We are updating the manual

 

 In involves removing jumpers from USBridge HAT. The capability to feed different PSUs to SBC and USBridge was taken in consideration since the beginning.

Are you considering the possibility to feed DigiOne from a separate PSU in an updated version?

[allo.com]

Frankly speaking... a DC/DC convertor can achieve same levels of noise with proper filtering ..as a LIFEPO4 battery

 

  We will look into the future to make it it more DIY (adding your own PSU for example) but as of now the design has not even been discussed.

[allo.com]

56 minutes ago, seeteeyou said:

 

That's such a surprising reply, here are some examples with 10MHz master clock inputs

 

http://www.ratocsystems.com/english/audio/ral/dsdha2/

http://www.phasemation.jp/product/hd-7d192.html

 

Ratoc RAL-DSDHA2 is powered by plain vanilla WM8741 and there's nothing special about that

 

https://www.cirrus.com/products/wm8741/

I am not even sure where to begin... the audio clocks have very specific frequencies (22/24Mhz clocks are usually used or multiple). Using a 10Mhz clock means that you need some kind of circuit to multiply to specific frequency that you need (2 multipliers) and a way to switch between them. That circuit will introduce (significant) jitter defeating the purpose of such master clock.

[hurka]

want order usbridge ,out of stock.?!!!!

only sparky usb out -powered ultracapacitor better than rpi2?

[allo.com]

USbridge is back in stock (the webmaster will update the page over the weekend)

 

 We are shipping on Monday

[mentt]

Received my USBridge Today. Using it with diet pi and stock power supply. After first listen I am impressed of what allo achieved here. I will post more after couple of days.

[allo.com]

Please open jumper 28...and feed 2 PSUs

 

 One to Sparky ,,about 5v/2A. Second to Usbridge 100mA/5V very clean. You will get a jump in sound quality

[rikhav]

1 hour ago, allo.com said:

Please open jumper 28...and feed 2 PSUs

 

 One to Sparky ,,about 5v/2A. Second to Usbridge 100mA/5V very clean. You will get a jump in sound quality

 

Not seen the actual usbridge board but how do connect a psu separately to it ?

Does it also have a DC in?

 

Also can the dual llc psu can power the sparky board and the usbridge board separately?

 

In terms of clean power is  it the best from what Allo has to offer ?

[k-man]

2 hours ago, allo.com said:

Please open jumper 28...and feed 2 PSUs

 

 One to Sparky ,,about 5v/2A. Second to Usbridge 100mA/5V very clean. You will get a jump in sound quality

This deserves its own thread: 'A novel way to massively improve the SQ of USBridge - at no extra cost'

[allo.com]

On 7/7/2017 at 7:16 PM, rikhav said:

 

Not seen the actual usbridge board but how do connect a psu separately to it ?

Does it also have a DC in?

 

Also can the dual llc psu can power the sparky board and the usbridge board separately?

 

In terms of clean power is  it the best from what Allo has to offer ?

You need 2x 5V psu ..one for Sparky (micro USB ) and second for USBridge (dc jack). Our dual PSU is 19v/5v so not suitable.