ALLO USBridge Signature

[Yviena]

@Audio_AlloDoes the usbridge signature support, and use flow control for the ethernet interface? i've tried ethtool -a eth0 and dmesg but there's nothing showing if flow control is enabled or active.

[neukrisz]

The USBridge signature has an USB/Ethernet port inside. So that isn't a real Ethernet port. You have to install the proper Linux driver to use that without any problems.

[Yviena]

How do I do that?

[neukrisz]

25 minutes ago, Yviena said:

How do I do that?

http://3.230.113.73:9011/Allocom/USBridgeSig/info

[Yviena]

Hmm installed the driver but ethtool still doesn't work correctly to check if flow control is enabled,

[avangerx]

If this is was covered somewhere else please forgive me as I did my best to search it... I got an SMSL M500 DAC and using with a Usbridge signature which I have purchased recently. I'm having problems with DSD playback. I'm using Volumio on USbridge and the higest DSD files I can play without any cracks or pops are DSD 128. I was wondering if is this the higest DSD format that USBridge Signature supports standalone with volumio on t? I have tried RPI 4 4gb with volumio installed and  with audioquest jitterbug, iFi ipurifier 3 for better USB performance I was able to play DSD 512 through my SMSL M500 flawlessly without any problems. I know My DAC is capable of playing DSD 512 but I want a clear answer on the USbridge's DSD playback capability.

[chipvn]

On 6/9/2021 at 5:34 PM, avangerx said:

If this is was covered somewhere else please forgive me as I did my best to search it... I got an SMSL M500 DAC and using with a Usbridge signature which I have purchased recently. I'm having problems with DSD playback. I'm using Volumio on USbridge and the higest DSD files I can play without any cracks or pops are DSD 128. I was wondering if is this the higest DSD format that USBridge Signature supports standalone with volumio on t? I have tried RPI 4 4gb with volumio installed and  with audioquest jitterbug, iFi ipurifier 3 for better USB performance I was able to play DSD 512 through my SMSL M500 flawlessly without any problems. I know My DAC is capable of playing DSD 512 but I want a clear answer on the USbridge's DSD playback capability.

Might be you can try the latest RopieeeXL, Moode Audio, or GentooPlayer (need license). I have  tried all of them with good result.

The way USBridge Signature implement Ethernet/USB interface is different than the standard Pi3+. That's the reason why many common package for Pi3+ could not work well with USBridge Signature.

[avangerx]

Well I think I was wrong with my initial post. I was too quick to judge it. Now I can play back DSD 512 without any problems. If you ask me what have I done different trust me I don't know :) I guess it was nood momemnt for me :). I want to experience Ropieee XL with roon soon. Thank you for your reply. 

Cheers!

[WuBai]

On 2/21/2021 at 8:49 AM, Mark Dirac said:

Yes. I have an Allo USBridge Sig which works very well on wifi. One would not expect to hear any difference in sound quality between ethernet and wifi, and indeed on my set-up, I cannot.

 

I use moOde. It seem that some or most wifi dongles will not work with my USBridge - it may be the same with Digione and/or other players. Allo sell two wifi dongles which do work. But for some reason I have never been able to find out, Allo disable their cheaper dongle from working. They do not warn you about this, and it is a (week's) faff to undo their disablement. I bought their ComFast dongle elsewhere, at a much lower price, because I was determined as a matter of principle, never to give any money to Allo ever again.

 

I have discovered another Wifi tweak on the USBridge.  I purchased three of the Ifi iSilencer+ A>A and installed them on the USB ports on the USBridge and plugged my Comfast USB cards into them.  I found that only using a single ifi iSilencer installed on the port that was not the port that Wifi was connected to made a difference alone.  I then installed another iSilencer between the USBridge and Comfast Wifi dongle and this made a further difference.  I then installed the third iSilencer on the non Wifi port, so one for Wifi and two just plugged in and this didn't sound great, got too muffled.  

 

Final configuration for me was two of the iSilencer units between the Comfast dongle and the USBridge and a single iSilencer installed in the other USB port closer to the SD card reader.

 

I had to purchase an adapter to get everything to fit, so I used one of these from Amazon for the single iSilencer to give it a 90 degree angle and fit flush with the USBridge.  These mods made a huge difference in clarity, and the ifi iPurifier3 on my Topping D90 input made a huge difference as well.  Not trying to sell ifi stuff here, I actually tried their iPower Elite compared to the Shanti and absolutely hated it and returned it.

 

USB 3.0 Adapter 90 Degree Male to Female Coupler Connector Plug Left Angle and Right Angle by Oxsubor

 

 

 

Allen

[caesee]

After lots of tweak , I think maybe here is the first usbridge sig with cm4 and 24m hz ocxo 

[EMW1962]

1 hour ago, caesee said:

After lots of tweak , I think maybe here is the first usbridge sig with cm4 and 24m hz ocxo 

Looks great and sounds very interesting.

Can you give us some more details, what parts you used and how you have done it?

How do you judge the mod in terms of sound improvement?

[seeteeyou]

24MHz SC-cut OCXO

 

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=616020923145

 

PCB for the OCXO

 

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=641823907828

 

CM4 to CM3 Adapter

 

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=650505496201

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=650890897662

 

Pure Copper Heatsink

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002935486960.html

 

BTW, we could also upgrade 54MHz clock on CM4 with something like this

 

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=650821434968

[WuBai]

I have a CM3/CM4 board on order from Gumstix but they are out of stock and it won't ship until September.  I'm already planning on getting an Ian Canada FifoPi for the clocking but I've very interested to hear your impressions of what the CM4 did for the sound.  Did you happen to listen to it before upgrading the clocks and only with the CM4 module and if so, give us some ideas on the changes you heard?

[caesee]

8 hours ago, WuBai said:

I have a CM3/CM4 board on order from Gumstix but they are out of stock and it won't ship until September.  I'm already planning on getting an Ian Canada FifoPi for the clocking but I've very interested to hear your impressions of what the CM4 did for the sound.  Did you happen to listen to it before upgrading the clocks and only with the CM4 module and if so, give us some ideas on the changes you heard?

Still figure out how to install ax88179 driver

[caesee]

8 hours ago, WuBai said:

I have a CM3/CM4 board on order from Gumstix but they are out of stock and it won't ship until September.  I'm already planning on getting an Ian Canada FifoPi for the clocking but I've very interested to hear your impressions of what the CM4 did for the sound.  Did you happen to listen to it before upgrading the clocks and only with the CM4 module and if so, give us some ideas on the changes you heard?

There are lots of crackling, pops now

[jrocker]

Could you be a little more descriptive and complete?

[caesee]

3 hours ago, jrocker said:

Could you be a little more descriptive and complete?

Here is update.

 

After almost two days working on cm4 usbrisge sig .Finally everything is ok. I tried several systems,and gentooplayer save the day.

 

Ropieee is not working ,I think cm4 kernel is lack of ax88179 driver.

 

Dietpi from allo is not working, since lack of cm4.deb

Dietpi from dietpi.com is not working, since lack of ax88179 driver.

 

volumio,moode 7.3,gentooplayer all are working systems with ax88179 driver and cm4.deb,

but volumio can`t install roon bridge or hqplayer naa. the good thing is sounding ok by airplay.

moode audio is ok to install roon bridge and hqplayer naa. but something wrong with alsa driver maybe,there is too much click or noise with music on.

 

At last. Gentooplayer with st kernel is the same with moode audio ,both roon bridge and naa are working,but maybe alsa driver is the same bad. lots of noise,and roon bridge can`t enable dac, my dac is rme adi2.

 

Now Gentooplayer with ck-st kernel and select dac as usb dac.It seems hqplayer naa is nice,both function and voice. i can play dsd 256 smooth.

roon bridge is still broken.

 

I`m not quite good with Linux. I can send the log to anyone interested.

 

[antonellocaroli]

3 hours ago, caesee said:

roon bridge is still broken.

to make RoonBridge work, you can't keep Hqplayer open, or at least you can't keep it open on the same audio output...

 

Quote

cm4.deb

what is cm4.deb? 
gentooplayer has its own cm4 and does not use any cm4.deb, which are packages for debian and derivatives...

[jrocker]

Thank you , that is very helpful.  Was there a sonic improvement with the CM4 module?

[caesee]

15 hours ago, jrocker said:

Thank you , that is very helpful.  Was there a sonic improvement with the CM4 module?

I think it is .

 

At least, dsd 256 is smoothly than cm3 module

[chipvn]

On 7/26/2021 at 1:51 PM, caesee said:

Here is update.

 

After almost two days working on cm4 usbrisge sig .Finally everything is ok. I tried several systems,and gentooplayer save the day.

 

Ropieee is not working ,I think cm4 kernel is lack of ax88179 driver.

 

Dietpi from allo is not working, since lack of cm4.deb

Dietpi from dietpi.com is not working, since lack of ax88179 driver.

 

volumio,moode 7.3,gentooplayer all are working systems with ax88179 driver and cm4.deb,

but volumio can`t install roon bridge or hqplayer naa. the good thing is sounding ok by airplay.

moode audio is ok to install roon bridge and hqplayer naa. but something wrong with alsa driver maybe,there is too much click or noise with music on.

 

At last. Gentooplayer with st kernel is the same with moode audio ,both roon bridge and naa are working,but maybe alsa driver is the same bad. lots of noise,and roon bridge can`t enable dac, my dac is rme adi2.

 

Now Gentooplayer with ck-st kernel and select dac as usb dac.It seems hqplayer naa is nice,both function and voice. i can play dsd 256 smooth.

roon bridge is still broken.

 

I`m not quite good with Linux. I can send the log to anyone interested.

 

Thank you for the sharing. Do you need to use the RPI4 version of GentooPlayer or the RPI3+ version?

Have you tried GentooPlayer RT kernel with your CM4 modified USBridge Signature with DSD256 yet?

[caesee]

5 hours ago, chipvn said:

Thank you for the sharing. Do you need to use the RPI4 version of GentooPlayer or the RPI3+ version?

Have you tried GentooPlayer RT kernel with your CM4 modified USBridge Signature with DSD256 yet?

Yes, It should be RPI 4 version. I won't try rt kernel with DSD 256,but CK version is Ok

 

[Zauurx]

17 hours ago, caesee said:

Yes, It should be RPI 4 version. I won't try rt kernel with DSD 256,but CK version is Ok

 

No problem for me with the latest kernel and kernel CK for the original version (CM3) of the USBridge.
I listen to DSD 256 from HQP and I even tested PCM 1.412 (DAC Musician Pegasus)... it's fine.
I have micro clicks and pops when loading music or without music with the Pegasus, previously no problem with my RME ADI-2.
I'm going to look for it but it might be related to the R2R configuration.

[chipvn]

I also had no issue playing DSD256 via HQPlayer NAA on CM3+ of the original USBridge Signatue with CK kernel.

Just curious if with the modified CM4, the USBridge Signature can use RT kernel or not.

[metronet]

The CM4 to CM3 board uses a noisy digital circuit that's based on ETA1096 boost converter and a 2.2uf inductor.

 

I don't really know the reason for this cuircuit since the CM4 only needs one single 5V input (comparing the CM4 and the CM3 datasheets). I would love to hear from the designer of this board or people who knows the boost circuit.

 

After bypassing it is dead silent again, as it should be with the USBridge Signature :)

 

 

The second issue is the under voltage. This may be due to the eMMC version I have instead of Lite (which mechanically has no connection to the SD slot according to the schematic).

 

Powering it from the GPIO 5V to the (now bypassed) ETA1096 pin #7 OUT maybe a good solution, the yellow thunderbolt warning goes away.

 

Everything works great running my custom Linux kernel with native DSD256 support for savitech SA9227 based USB DACs.