AudioLinux and NUC Troubleshooting and Tuning

[Middy]

Simple tips also, i have nothing against any geeky tips for those who can, anything that furthers a development should be encouraged.

Id love a custom low latency stock trading server blade.

To me though its as useful as a half built  ikea coffee table..

 

Greenleo's on the fly guide is a great contibution. Always there are many tiered groups in a thread, we have an evil twin thread already to cater for the analysis, debunking and electrical attributes. This should be a great companion  to the main thread.

Thanks @rickca

Good luck..

[Middy]

Have you asked the boss Chris C for OP editing rights..?

[Middy]

Thanks Greenleo, good news.

You convinced to to go for it and just won a second fanless i3 NUC for the server. Still more clueless than fanless..

 

[Middy]

Half man half google really good detail..

???‍?

[Middy]

@rettib2001

@seeteeyou

All with NUCs

My basic advice..

Overheating issues for extreme mode.

I3 i5 i7 will be different on temps. 

Again CPU heatsink principles remain the same...

 

My celeron NUC With the lapped Akasa heatsink idle's at 39 oC. 

Running 100% utilisation 15 hours 51oC.

Artic MX 4 thermal paste.

 

A tip i read was to watch the individual core temps. A variation of 2 to 3 degrees may be because of placement.

IE tilted

Dust/ hair  debris 

Unflat heatsink

Air bubble in paste..

Over clockers redo the HS until they are happy. 

90+ degrees. Seems high?

Metal on metal is the key. Thermal paste should be butter on bread not cream in a cake..

Compressed air blast on both mating faces. Old material removed and clean..

Ultra sonic clean Heatsink if you are able..

 

Slightly bigger than a grain of rice central on CPU for thermal compound.

 

The Flat CPU will only touch on the highest 3 points!. The celeron Nuc CPU  is naked, no copper nickle metal cap. ( IHS ) just a silver oblong exposed.

NUCi3 i5 i7???

 

My NUC AKASA case has 4 screws  to retain the motherboard.

Try loosening all 4 then tighten 1/4 turns in opposites.

Top left them bottom right

Top right bottom left.

Work around until firm not over tighten.

Use your feel and judgement...

I hope this is best practice and helps for extreme mode.

Consider lapping if an issue!

 

Kind regards

Dave

 

 

[Middy]

If you have the time/ inclination. Lapping/ flat is a huge help. All CPU HS are now lapped flat smooth.

It may be just my case ...and case that...was terrible.  Early akasa..

A better paste never hurts. MX4 is non conductive..tick

Is it an independant block of aluminium with 4 screws.?

Both sides flat smooth. shiny doesnt mean flat..

If you do post a picture from angles with flash. So i can advise.

More to see what others are like. They charge a lot so i expect good engineering and quality. 

Extrusion cases should be cheap to make.. laser cut plate holes and plating?

Nice mark up for exclusivity..

 

Good luck my friend. 

Dave

 

 

[Middy]

Apologies all, late night posting on other thread was a bit rambling.

We don't need a high spec Graphics chip to show a GUI. CUBA offloaded excluded. But 4K out ? No

 

If you can overclock in linux you can underclock also. Ie reduce voltage/GPU clock speed. Ie noise and heat.

A lunix expert can google.

'overclock nvidia linux command line.'

And figure out if under clocking adds SQ or makes Extreme mode more viable.

 

A more simple solution....for heat only

8 -12 small thin metal washers.

Remove side covers. 

Place washers on screw holes

Add side plate and refit screws

1-2 mm gap for air flow.

Even bottom cover can be spaced.

Or get the drill out...

 

I hope this helps

 

Dave

 

 

[Middy]

I did it the other way around. I had a spare LPS S booster 13v with a quad cable Ifi DC MOD. Removing the fan made a difference to my ears. Subtle but there...

Power is the main factor and a lovely job you have done with your PSU.

Have you considered adding Linear LDOs on your outputs? Ldovr for example?

Many people seem happy with thier addition of a low noise regulator. Not all of us can afford some of the better LPS's, i wish i could make one Boneman.

Thanks for posting it here.

Dave ?

 

 

 

[Middy]

@greenleo

 

Hi mate, it is a little brute force but controlled in my case. It was pushing Mobo away left and pulling the case away to the right. Fingers on both hands together 

 

I pushed the mobo back against the where connectors protrudes.

Pull the plastic and metal side away from the mobo. This starts to give some space to tease it out.. 

Take a picture of connectors and ensure they are all undone.

Its really a 3 hand job...  i should have made a little tool. A small piece of wire with a little 'L, so it can go into a mother board screw hole in the pcb to help lift it out.

My board was fiddly, just have a little patients, try and judge reaction. Check try again... 

Good luck  mate hope it helps a little..?

 

@austinpop i saw your case much better the Celeron. It looks machined from solid and anodised in the video.

Space for some little cable mods from stock, shielding probabilities

. Apologies if i worried anyone, i post for the cluless just to give basic advice, As in the main so am i..More as early posts mentioned scary heat from extreme mode.

Just happy you're  happy my friend. That's the main thing on here.

A nice early xmass gift..??????⌨??

[Middy]

@greenleo Sorry details from memory, in bed on phone. 

 

Late here very tired

1.

yes make sure if you have serial vga PORT blue the 2 screws are taken off.. 

If you have them

 

2.no levers be careful. Action is like opening curtains 2 hands... push left pull right. Slow experiment.. take time, learn.

 

3 Yes push towards lan port usb. Leave foam stickers but you may have to push them down a little.

You have to bend the outer case a little. So you can get underneath the pcb too pull out. Old case is not issue with bending, just a little strength controlled..

 

4 yes i had just 2 screws. 

 

5 just check all wires so you do not damage anything.

Picture: so you have reference for fitting fanless case

6. I mentioned before when you have the case off, check for any wires again.

The fan must be removed first. There is hidden screw for heat sink below. 

 

7 methelated spirits or 100% alcohol is good to remove old thermal paste.

8. No metal tools. Use cotton bud / q tip and rub a lot. Small capacitors resistors around cpu.

9. Take time and be careful in all actions.

 

10 clean cpu and heat sink again before new thermal paste.

 

11 small thermal paste center and twist left right a little with mother board.

To spread the paste.

 

12. 4 screws all in. Then little turns opposite sides 1 /4 until firm. 

 

13 complete build, connections, ram. Ect

But first boot check temperatures in bios is ok 30 to 40 Oc 

 

14. I  am no expert Greenleo just a fat man from the internet. Helpful but still fat.. mainly fat.. did i say fat..

 

15 apologies i do forget English is a second language for many.  Being English we are very lazy when using it. 

The Americans even more so...? ?

 

I hope this is helpful.

 

Random internet fat man, NUC support

 

Dave

 

[Middy]

5 hours ago, rickca said:

This stuff also works very well.

https://www.amazon.com/ArctiClean-Thermal-Compound-Remover-Purifier/dp/B001JYQ9TM

@rickca

@greenleo

 

Thanks mate, i have some somewhere and the sensible answer for here. 100 % isopropyl alcohol   was at hand at the time,  my brain is mush with my baby not sleeping..

 

Cheers 

Dave

[Middy]

Deleted

[Middy]

3 hours ago, MrUnderhill said:

 

 

P.S. Middy, thanks for your observations to GL.

 

I used to build aerospace pumps and solder PCBS

My wife takes me apart once a week.. so i have some practice...

 

Just happy it helps, entirely my pleasure honestly.

 

Wait until i get AL, then people wont be so happy...

Whats yogurt for, what flavour do i need for AL.

If i get a server should i get a butler or just a waiter...

[Middy]

A couple of the word docs have been created. Worth posting them minus any private details?

Basis for an AL command glossary?

Or these just settings for individual users and referenced from the AL web site?

[Middy]

Hes very experienced in this sector...

He'll get the boot eventually.....

?

 

[Middy]

@greenleo

Really happy it went well My friend, especially since its the only thing i can help with. Removing the fan did have a positive impact for me.

You  will be hand building blade servers for Google next week. ??‍? 

Those sponges are the type of thing Holland shielding  uses for thier enclosure's.

Looking forward to your impressions.

Good luck

Dave

[Middy]

The start of my very very basic questions... pre AL

Do i need a network switch for my celeron and I3 NUCs. I hoped it would be just an Ethernet cable between them.

Aiming for local files on I3 only.  No tidal Qubuz ect. 

Bleeding easy over bleeding edge...

My CV lacks: was data manager at Google deep mind....☹

 

[Middy]

Thanks Leo, ive been reading the complications of connection especially people buying expensive aquavox box's and additional power supplies to avoid more noise in the chain.

With people holding out for Uptones ether regen. tm

I hoped 1 Audioquest pearl 1m ethernet cable would connect both. Cheap and simple as i dont require an internet connection for streaming .

Just load my PCM flacs onto a usb and copy them to the 'NUC server i3'  Wifi looks very complicated as does most of this.

Very clever knowledgeable people are doing good work.

I want roon on 2 boxes.

Al running on both hopefully in RAM

A simple request when writing but the fear of God in me.

Plus i want to be as near as possible completed before troubling our Italian AL expert. 

A cheap router suggestion would be welcome as i think i can manage to plug it in...?

I do really know nothing and need baby steps. So i am asking the basics, think grand mother than grand master..

 

 

[Middy]

Thanks Leo, ive been reading the complications of connection especially people buying expensive aquavox box's and additional power supplies to avoid more noise in the chain.

With people holding out for Uptones ether regen. tm

I hoped 1 Audioquest pearl 1m ethernet cable would connect both. Cheap and simple as i dont require an internet connection for streaming .

Just load my PCM flacs onto a usb and copy them to the 'NUC server i3'  Wifi looks very complicated as does most of this.

Very clever knowledgeable people are doing good work.

I want roon on 2 boxes.

Al running on both hopefully in RAM

A simple request when writing but the fear of God in me.

Plus i want to be as near as possible completed before troubling our Italian AL expert. 

A cheap router suggestion would be welcome as i think i can manage to plug it in...?

I do really know nothing and need baby steps. So i am asking the basics, think grand mother than grand master..

 

 

[Middy]

Have i ordered the wrong version?

Wasn't the GUI version included in headless as mentioned here? 

I just got headless 0.7 version and finally got on memory stick. 

Got it to boot but nothing in boot options and within menu?

 

 

 

[Middy]

@hifi25nl

 

Hi have i purchased the wrong version Piero.?

 

I just bought 0.7 headless as it was mentioned it has LXQT GUI to help set up AL before going headless later.?

 

I have no knowledge of Linux other whats been spoken of here. 

I plan to use 2 NUCS with roon later.

Server end point..

 

Can you advise if i have made a mistake...

 

Booting and typing menu is all i have managed so far.. But no LXQT option..

 

 

 

[Middy]

Going back to basics..old but new to me...

As there are going to be some unused ports and i am sure these are in the draws of a few people. Has or is anyone using these in the NUCs.

I use IFI for post PC filtering into the ISO R. Jitter bugs as mentioned below, these were used for noise on the bus internally as well as the direct chain. 

 

Side note: what is on your chain now. Added or removed. ?

 

Looking for a stocking filler that doesn't mean a divorce...

 

 

 

[Middy]

Jitter bug wise it was only for an unused USB port. This device i assumed affects the motherboard circuit, not just the 5v data+- out.

Lps1 Iso + intona does my data transfer.

LPS1.2 seems the way to go power in.

Stripping out all hardware improves things. Does JB quiet thing down even more.  Was just a thought going over whats been used before. 

Other than better power i cant find anything to filter the motherboard itself.

+cheap ?

 

I hoped @lmitche as he was active on JB had some to try one in a stripped down NUC on an unused usb port.

 

As Austinpop mentioned all other things still apply with improving Computer audio SQ. With the NUC and its unique stripped down application have people revisited thier chain with the NUC AL set up.  

Sorry i am new to this with a million questions in my head. SQ improvements are addictive...

Merry xmas

Dave