Sonore opticalRendu

[Superdad]

1 hour ago, jabbr said:

Swapping SFP modules could be the new tube rolling 

 

Well we all know you like to have a lot of fiber in your diet Jonathan. 

[Superdad]

40 minutes ago, diecaster said:

It's kind of hard to tell Jesus  "I want both the opticalRendu and opticalModule" until I know what they cost......

 

That's right.  You can tell Jesus.  You must pray to him. 

[Superdad]

1 hour ago, jabbr said:

 

The opticalModule is, in fact, a switch? No?

 

No, it is an FMC.

And the EtherREGEN is far more than a simple switch (but this is not the right forum to discuss it).

[Superdad]

12 minutes ago, rickca said:

Are you saying the LPS-1.2 is not suitable?  It's listed as a recommended power supply on the Sonore website. @Superdad can LPS-1.2 deliver 2A peaks?

 

John Swenson is powering his opticalRendu with an UpTone UltraCap supply just fine.  

[Superdad]

4 hours ago, barrows said:

@Superdad, Alex, are you comfortable with the LPS 1 and LPS 1.2 running at just under 1A continuous at 7 VDC output?  For use with DACs which do not draw any current from the USB bus it is very likely that the LPS supplies from UpTone are entirely adequate.  This week I will be measuring the precise current consumption of the opticalRendu under a few different conditions.  I am expecting it to be about 600-700 mA on its own (estimates based on pre regulator power supply ripple), considering I would want to recommend about 25% current headroom for the power supply, then any supply which is happy delivering 1A should be OK, as long as the DAC is not adding (much) to the current draw.

I will measure both with a DAC which draws no current, and with interfaces like the Amanero running on USB power.

 

Every UpTone Audio UltraCap unit (both original LPS-1 and current generation LPS-1.2) is certified on my bench to be capable of producing a continuous 1.1A (same rating for all its output voltage settings). Most units make it to 1.15A, and some even to 1.2A.  These are hard limits--controlled by firmware--and the UltraCap will trip into over-current protection mode with any load beyond their set point.  Instantaneous load current peaks above those trip points are possible.

 

There is no problem running an UltraCap unit continuously under a constant load at 1A or 1.1A.  The case will become hot, but at no point will the parts inside be at more than half their rated thermal limits.

 

John Swenson has measured the current draw of the opticalRendu.  During boot up it draws 600mA (0.6A), and during normal operation it draws about 400mA (0.4A).  This is without any USB 5VBUS load on its output.  

 

I hope the above information is helpful.

--Alex C.

[Superdad]

I have asked John to remeasure and to clarify.  Perhaps the Chord MOJO Barrows used does draw 5VBUS current after all.  Otherwise very hard to account for a 400mA discrepancy.  

Just chill and let's see what the actual designer of the product has to say.  

[Superdad]

22 minutes ago, barrows said:

The Mojo does not use USB current:

 

That's just what it reports.  Not to be believed.  Try disconnecting 5VBUS to confirm.

The iFi micro iDSD DAC/HA reports requiring just 80mA--all while it is actually drawing 450mA! 

[Superdad]

5 hours ago, vortecjr said:

This weekend I plan to test this StarTech USB to fiber media converter.

 

How would that be different or better than someone using your (less expensive and more optimized) opticalModule FMC—connected to the copper Ethernet port of their computer?

That StarTech unit does not act as a switch or router, so as with any FMC, the computer would still need another network connection—and I recall you are not a fan of people doing the problematic “bridging” dance.

Maybe a USB>fiber converter will be useful for laptops lacking an Ethernet port, but again, that fiber output still needs to go to someplace on the network which will give it an IP address.

 

Am I missing something here my friend? 

—Alex C.

[Superdad]

3 hours ago, k-man said:

@Superdad You need to see this thread to see what this ‘forward thinking’ approach is all about.

This will please the Bridge Gang a lot.

 

The MSB USB>fiber solution functions VASTLY different from the way a common USB>fiber media converter! (such as the StarTech that Jesus mentioned).  The USB of the MSB piece presents as a USB Audio device (driverless for Mac/Linux, drivers for Windows).  Your OS and player s/w sees it as a USB audio device that you stream to.

The StarTech and other USB FMCs are simply turning a computer USB port into an Ethernet port (one that needs to be assigned an IP address by a router on whatever network you connect it to).  Audio is not involved--unless you have s/w and an Ethernet audio endpoint on your network awaiting that.  

VERY different streams! 

[Superdad]

26 minutes ago, jcn3 said:

 

wouldn't it be advantageous to go endpoint > usb to fiber converter > fiber > sfp port on switch?  that would leave out a couple of power supplies at least.

 

Not quite following you, other than that the StarTech USB>fiber converter is powered by computer USB 5VBUS and the Sonore opticalModule FMC (as well as lesser, garden variety FMCs) does require a modest power supply.

Beyond that I'll await Jesus' explanation regarding the rationale for his interest in the StarTech.  I am genuinely curious. 

[Superdad]

2 hours ago, vortecjr said:

The opticalModule is not available yet and this is just another connection scheme. Also, Andrew has a lot of sonicTransporters in the wild and this would be a simple and effective way to convert them to optical output without the need for another power supply. 

 

Ah, makes sense.  Something fun to try. Thanks.  

[And indeed Macs make it easy to share a network connection with other ports/devices.  I've been doing that for years with the Apple Thunderbolt>Ethernet Adapter.]

[Superdad]

2 hours ago, vortecjr said:

No worries...we are on it. We have redesigned the opticalRendu and incorporated the newer technology in the opticalModule which is a cleaner design that also uses less power:) So the opticalModule and the opticalRendu are going to be match made in heaven!  

 

That’s great.  So I assume you will be removing from the opticalRendu page the contra-indication regarding use of the UltraCap supplies.  

[Superdad]

9 hours ago, Matias said:

I, and I assume many other owners, will be very grateful if the opticalRendu works with the Uptone LPS-1.

 

Don't worry Matias.  I'm not in the least. 

[Superdad]

35 minutes ago, sahmen said:

Can I use my Uptone Ultracap LPS 1.2 unit to power the Opticalrendu in this particular set up (Opticalrendu to Schiit Yggy A2 via USB)?

 

Long day, so I'll let others answer the rest of your Qs (this is not my forum anyway ).  But basically the UltraCap LPS-1.2 can power the opticalRendu so long as the USB DAC/DDC device it feeds (the Yggy in your case) does not draw more than 100mA of 5VBUS current from the USB port.

[The official stance by Sonore, which I respect, is to say that our UltraCap units are fine as long as the DAC/DDC does not draw ANY 5VBUS current.  It's a reasonable position for them to take from a support standpoint, though there are many DACs that either just use a little VBUS for handshake or stay under 100mA.]

Hope that helps.

 

So glad to read that people are at last receiving their opticalRendus.  The whole Sonore team (and John of course) have been working hard on this product for a long time.  Congratulations to them and to the lucky first users!

[Superdad]

7 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

Emergency heat sink

 

Really Andreas?  Did you have to post that big, ugly, off-topic picture right in the middle of the happy day opticalRendu thread? 

I think there is still time for you to edit your post and delete that...

[Superdad]

2 hours ago, incus said:

Is this even a thing? [Low-current versions of UltraCap LPS-1.2.]

 

No, that is definitely NOT a thing!

ALL UltraCap units are personally certified by me--using a programable electronic load--to be capable of producing a continuous 1.1 amps.  The software code that the boards are flashed with do not allow the units to go past 1.2 amps.  Most boards "trip" into software-defined over-current mode (five red flashes, one green flash to recheck load, then five red flashes repeating) at between 1.12 to 1.16 amps.  Owing to parts tolerances, a few units make it to 1.17 to 1.19 amps.  We are only speaking of a few tens of milliamps difference.

[Superdad]

43 minutes ago, MagnusH said:

If chip fail to completely reclock a digital transmission, so that old clocks is still within the transmission, would not a simple buffering get rid of them? For example, write one package to a memory as soon as its received, and have another chip read the package and clock it from scratch before sending.

 

Please re-read what John wrote.  This is about the impact--of imperfect timing--on the ground plane of the power networks.

This is where our sophisticated EtherREGEN will come in--with isolated power/data/clock domains using ultra-low jitter differential flip-flops and isolators.

[Superdad]

3 hours ago, Metnoc said:

Please don't try to convince me that optical ethernet makes my stereo sound as it should, in no way shape or for is that true. It just has some advantages over copper ethernet, but the reverse is true as well.
I trust my own ears, not some guy trying to explain that he has solved this or that issue.

 

Okay, so then just use and enjoy your opticalRendu with the copper SFP module as you have.  There are a number of elements of the opticalRendu which are advancements over the ultraRendu, so there really is nothing to complain about there. Right? 

[Superdad]

49 minutes ago, vortecjr said:

Just look how much fun we will have exploring all the various wavelength optical SFPs:)

 

That does not sound like fun to me! 

[Superdad]

10 hours ago, Kevin Nguyen said:

Yes, this might be in my timeline for next update, just hold me back cause it costs US$198 to ship to Australia plus ~20% custom tax and service fees (not counting the tax from US side already included in the product price).

 

Unlike Europe, USA manufacturers do not include any tax in the product price. Just sayin'. 

[Superdad]

Just now, Kevin Nguyen said:

I just googled it and found maybe max 7% in some states

 

That is a state sales tax--not a national one.  It varies by state--and counties in some states add a couple percent to the statewide rate. It is charged only to buyers residing in those locations--never to overseas buyers (unless you ask a manufacturer to drop-ship into a US state where the have to charge sales tax).

[Superdad]

3 hours ago, Musikfan said:

I wonder if there are any OR and OM users that may weigh in on whether they see any perceived benefits to adding an etherREGEN to their systems.

There are several users who own all three of these fine Swenson-engineered devices and have reported their experiences over in the EtherREGEN Listening Impressions thread. I think one of them even has the Chord MScaler as you do. 

[Superdad]

3 hours ago, cat6man said:

can you share any observations re: sound quality differences between eR and oM in your system?

 

@lxgreen and @cat6man: Out of courtesy, please do not discuss UpTone products in Sonore sponsored area threads.  Thank you.

[Superdad]

15 minutes ago, sgb said:

Thats strange. So if I am using a Sonore product in conjunction with a UpTone product I am not supposed to discusse it here. Where shall I discusse it then? 

You are welcome to in any of the active threads in UpTone's sponsored area.

But this is the opticalRendu thread and the person I replied to was asking about differences between the Sonore opticalModule and the UpTone EtherREGEN.  There are a number of owners of both (actually all three) products posting in the EtherREGEN Listening Impressions thread.

[Superdad]

6 minutes ago, simon_pepper said:

Hi, Is there way these improvements can be retro fitted to a regular UltraRendu?

 

No, that is impossible.  Leaving aside all specifics of the design changes, anytime a circuit board receives a series of parts and circuit changes a new set of board files (called Gerbers) are created. So an entirely new PCB (4~6 layers in the case of John's designs) is made. Rarely are any changes simply a matter of a parts change--with parts that fit with identical pin assignments--to the prior PCB layout. And it is all tiny surface-mount parts--not giant through-hole parts of yesteryear. So an update would be a swap to entirely new circuit board. (Not that one even exists or is planned for the ultraRendu).