Louder ESP32 (TAS5805M)

[DerPicknicker]

Hi guys,

I am planing to build a device with this great software. But I am not sure if the software supports that specific i2s dac (TAS5805M)... I am planning to buy one of these: https://www.tindie.com/products/sonocotta/louder-esp32/

Another question: The central unit is the LMS. The multiroom-sync is done on the LMS, right? So if I stream to LMS I can select the device inside the webUI, the esp32 is not involved in that right? How long does it take to start the stream in LMS and the esp32 starts playing?

Best regards

[sle118]

Hi guys,

I am planing to build a device with this great software. But I am not sure if the software supports that specific i2s dac (TAS5805M)... I am planning to buy one of these: https://www.tindie.com/products/sonocotta/louder-esp32/
@philippe44 added the ability to send commands to DAC for models that aren't supported or of the box. So it is definitely doable with a bit of configuration. Alternatively, I think @philippe44 still has some SqueezeAmp in stock, which he sells at cost.

Another question: The central unit is the LMS. The multiroom-sync is done on the LMS, right? So if I stream to LMS I can select the device inside the webUI, the esp32 is not involved in that right? How long does it take to start the stream in LMS and the esp32 starts playing?
You are correct. When LMS is used to stream audio, you can either use LMS web UI or one of the excellent control applications for Android or Apple devices. Our firmware boots in under 7 seconds and is ready to playback from there. The delay for playback from LMS is short but depends on your source. Local playback is relatively quick with very little delay. Streaming from Spotify involves a couple more things on the server but not a lot more delay.

It is possible to synchronize several players and LMS sends corrections when needed. Personally, I sync 3 zones on a regular basis, 2 of which are in the same space and you could swear that they are hard wired together.

[DerPicknicker]

Hi @sle118 ...

thank you for the response.. I want to know if I buy one if you would support me to get this thing running.

Do you know how much the SqueezeAmp is?

Do you think I can build a 2.1 System wirelessly? So that I can group a subwoofer, two smaller speakers as one group and the sub is playing the lower frequencies and the other speaker are playing the other frequencies?

@philippe44
Is this board pre-soldered? How much are them and does it have an external antenna?

[DerPicknicker]

@haldi4803 ...

Which one you're using?

[mimk97]

@DerPicknicker
I wrote yesterday with @anabolyc (the Board Designer :)
He think the Problem is the U4.
I desoldered it and use this Step Down Converter to test: https://www.ebay.de/itm/266173357797

[DerPicknicker]

@mimk97 ...

Please give an update here. Would be great.

[haldi4803]

What U4?

[mimk97]

@haldi4803
U4 is the 5V Regulator on the ESPLouder Board

[sle118]

thank you for the response.. I want to know if I buy one if you would support me to get this thing running.

Since we don't have one of these devices, we can't really help, but we can certainly provide some guidance, although the Logitech forums are probably a better place to get some support. Others have configured different DAC themselves.

Do you know how much the SqueezeAmp is?

Can't remember. You should have a read here: https://forums.slimdevices.com/forum/user-forums/3rd-party-hardware/108002-announce-the-squeezeamp-next-generation-squeezeboxen-amplifier-receiver

I think there are some infos towards the end.

Do you think I can build a 2.1 System wirelessly? So that I can group a subwoofer, two smaller speakers as one group and the sub is playing the lower frequencies and the other speaker are playing the other frequencies?

I have not tried that and not sure how cross over would work, but I suspect it's possible. @philippe44?

@philippe44 Is this board pre-soldered? How much are them and does it have an external antenna?

They are pre soldered, yes, but no external antenna. They are also perfect for turning a pair of old speakers into a battery powered portable wireless speakers (I built two of these for my own usage). You can stream Bluetooth, AirPlay and Spotify (in addition to LMS of course)

[DerPicknicker]

I will buy one of the tindy ones.. It's quite cheap and for my usecase it's ideal. Should I create an GitHub issue or post it in the linked forum?

[philippe44]

The SqueezeAMP is fully assembled and comes with a case https://github.com/philippe44/SqueezeAMP

[DerPicknicker]

The SqueezeAMP is fully assembled and comes with a case https://github.com/philippe44/SqueezeAMP

Could you give me a figure how much is anSquerzeAMP? I found a old number in the thread (around 60$) is that still valid?

Do you think a wireless 2.1 System is possible? I am still thinking about the Tindie Offer for me the shipment is quite low and the price 20€ incl. esp32 seems fair. Do you have an link where I can check the manual config? I searched here in the GitHub but I found only something for tested hardware... Thank you in advance!

[philippe44]

I just did a batch a few weeks ago. It cost me 58USD per unit, that include a casing. Shipment is usually USD12. It's a non-profit thing, means I'm just passing the cost the PCB assembly house is charging me + taxes. You could do a 2.1 but that needs more one device. The TI chip on SqueezeAMP is not 2.1

[DerPicknicker]

Hi @philippe44 ...

Thank you for the response.. I will think about. For now I will test it first with a cheaper one. I meant that the 2.1 system is controlled by LMS so that LMS sends the Bass-Channel to a different esp32 than the 2 speaker channels.

[DerPicknicker]

@sle118 ..

I found a max98357a in my electronics box. Can I use this for testing it out?

[sle118]

@sle118 ..

I found a max98357a in my electronics box. Can I use this for testing it out?

Most definitely yes. These i2s boards don't have an active i2c communication interface and therefore don't require commands to be sent for them to work. Just hook it up to a WROVER and you're good to go. Since i2s is a one way protocol, you could also probably just wire up these in parallel (e.g. one for speakers and one for sub, although these don't provide much power), but experimenting is the best way to find out

[DerPicknicker]

@sle118 ...

Thank you for your great Response.. I will try that as soon as possible. For now I tested only two x86 Devices (Mac and windows) I am blown away:
Bad Wifi signal but it's still totally in sync. I just had to increase the delay of one player about 6ms... but it's awesome. What a Cool tech.. Now I will never buy Sonos stuff. Its crazy how good that LMS handles that.. Now I am thinking about buying Squeezeboxes lol...

TLDR: I am blown away. Now I can really think about using ESP32... Lets see.

[sle118]

Best advice is to go and scourge the forums as they are a massive pile of unstructured knowledge.

Fun fact is that slimproto, which is at the heart of most features including sync, is close to 20 years old or so, and was so well thought of that it still works wonder today.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slim_Devices

The main reason I started this port of squeezelite to the esp32 with the invaluable contribution of Philippe (seriously, the project wouldn't be closer to half of what it is without him) was that squeezebox devices were hard to find and expensive. So our goal was to come up with a platform that could totally replace original hardware while being accessible by enthusiasts for a low cost.

[DerPicknicker]

Here the Logitech Squeezes are cheap. A touch one cost around 50$ - 80$ and Radio ones starting at 35$...

Only the duet is quite expensive 120$.. This device looks still quite Cool.

@sle118 Just for my understanding the S3 are not part of the official release. Does it have big impacts on the performance? I thought the CPU is basically the same.I have some S3 laying around. But my development setup is already migrated to IDF 5, so would it be possible IF the performance is really improved about the normal esp32 that you can send me a pre-build binary?

[philippe44]

I've made a build for the s3 and all the code currently checked-in works on s3, I have one device working. @wizmo is tweaking it. You need esp-idf 4.4 at minimum. There a BIG improvement in CPU because of the memory and if you chose Octal SPI and Octal SPIRAM, it's 1/3 of the esp32 CPU., but you lose BT.

[DerPicknicker]

@philippe44 ..

I will try to build that. If not I will stay on esp32. My model has 16mb Flash and 8mb ram. Great model and cheap (8$..)

Do you know how long it will take until the S3 is also available as an "official" release?

Is there a way to support the development in a monetary way? I can't support coding, only testing due the small amount of Time...

[haldi4803]

@anabolyc
Reading from Register 113 i get the answer 0x04 which would indicate a Clock fault.

But i have no clue which clock that might be... or if its true.

7.5.3.3.5 Clock Fault
Once there has any Clock error occurs (Clock Halt, SCLK/LRCLK Ratio Error, Pll unlock, FS error) , Register
0x37 and Register 0x39 monitor these errors and real-time report with details, device will enter into Hi-Z mode.
Clock Fault reported in Register 0x71 in Book0/Page0. Once the clock error been removed, device will come
back to play mode automatically. But this bit still keeps 1 unless clear it by Register 0x78 in Book0/Page0 manually.

Would indicate that it's some minor useless issue while booting and nothing to care about?
Setting registry 120 to 0x80 does clear that.

Register 40 SIG_CH_CTRL shows 0000 which should be Auto Mode.
Register 55 FS_MON results 0x09 which would be 48 Khz.
Register 56 BCK_MON results 0x20 but the description doesn't really help there...
These bits indicate the currently detected BCK ratio, the number of BCK clocks in one audio frame. BCK = 32 FS~512 FS
Register 57 CLKDET_STATUS results in 0x08 which is "This bit indicates whether the PLL is locked or not. The PLL will be reported as unlocked when it is disabled" and probably irrelevant.

[anabolyc]

@haldi4803 I'm getting 0x04 reading from 0x71 register on my bear minimum code as well. Not sure if one should be concerned unless it comes back consistently after reset.
For the rest of your findings, looks fine to me. One way to know for sure is to check TI forums or Ask TI themselves. I can post question if you place it here

[DerPicknicker]

@haldi4803 ...

Which power supply are you using.. Did you get WiFi with external power supply?

I am asking because I have some strange behaviour and I want to find out if it comes from a bad power supply.

@philippe44 .. The config @haldi4803 provides works fine. I can confirm that the board works with squeezelite.

If I have some other questions from the technical side. Where should I ask them. Here as an GitHub issue or as a discussion. I tested AirPlay and I got it working but not very stable. How should communicate my issues..?

Thanks to all.

[Extremedaneben]

I use 4 ohm speakers and for me the WiFi signal has the best reception and stability with a 12V power supply.
The WLAN still works with a maximum supply voltage of around 16V, any higher voltage leads to instability and connection drops, at least for me.

[haldi4803]

Which power supply are you using.. Did you get WiFi with external power supply?

Maximum 17V

[DerPicknicker]

Over 17V what happened? Or just not tested?

[sle118]

@haldi4803 ...

Which power supply are you using.. Did you get WiFi with external power supply?

I am asking because I have some strange behaviour and I want to find out if it comes from a bad power supply.

@philippe44 .. The config @haldi4803 provides works fine. I can confirm that the board works with squeezelite.

If I have some other questions from the technical side. Where should I ask them. Here as an GitHub issue or as a discussion. I tested AirPlay and I got it working but not very stable. How should communicate my issues..?

Thanks to all.

I could move this issue to a conversation, which seems more appropriate for the thread content so far. Issues should be opened using the provided template which provides enough info to get started with troubleshooting.

[haldi4803]

As this isn't really an issue but more a hardware config, so no software changes needed, i think this would be better suited in a discussion!

[sle118]

done!

[DerPicknicker]

@sle118 ...

Hi the device works great. So you can add the board to the GUI if you want. I have here some issues with WiFi but I will make my homework. And give you an update here.

What I can say the sync works only good if your WiFi is stable and you're NOT using an Mesh setup. I will Add an Ethernet port.

[haldi4803]

Only issue with Multiroom sync and multiple devices i had was when i manually skipped inside music.
When playing a song from the beginning, or skipping to the next i never had desync issues.

[mimk97]

Hi,
how can i set the 2 Audio Outputs together as Mono?

[DerPicknicker]

@anabolyc ...

This would be epic. I already asked @philippe44 how we can Add two configs for the same board. Because bridge-mode has also a right to exist. Especially if you're using a mono-setup. Where you want to reach maximum loudness.

Edit: see here #357 (reply in thread)

[mimk97]

@anabolyc
how can i send the required i2s command to activate PBTL?
i bridged the Terminals and connect one Speaker (as you show in the Picture)
and selected Mono in Logitech Media Server
But it doesn´t work :(

[pstumpe]

Hey @mimk97
I saw that @anabolyc updated his Readme on Github with info about mono mode:
https://github.com/sonocotta/esp32-audio-dock

[anabolyc]

Thanks @pstumpe . It is just one extra command @mimk97
https://github.com/sonocotta/esp32-tas5805m-dac/blob/adcb70d11d4173be54c811ae03ec490d09856297/tas5805m.cpp#L38

[mimk97]

great. now it works :)

[mimk97]

Is there a 3D housing to print?

[anabolyc]

It is mechanically compatible with Raspberry Pi 3/4 cases, tested with transparent ones.

[Extremedaneben]

I have made a simple printable enclosure for it. Feel free to remix and optimize it.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6326927

[mimk97]

@Extremedaneben
could you design the Enclosure to fit the W5500 SPI Chip?
Perhaps on the Top.

[mimk97]

@Extremedaneben
i made a Remix with Wallmount and W5500
This is my first Design :)
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6333131

[Extremedaneben]

@mimk97
I don't have a W5500 lying around, but tried to modify the case with some W5500 model.
You can check it out if you want.

[IstotaZycia]

Hey all,
I would like to test this board, as I have it in my hands.
is there a way that you can add this board to the config, that I can install it without building it by myself manually?

Thanks in advance!

[sle118]

@haldi4803 I didn't get a chance to add the new configuration, as most of my limited spare time right now is spent on writing some protocol buffer plugins to support the new development branch.

To answer your question, you can save your NVS file and only keep the values that matter for the hardware. Then you can share the file here. Loading the file from the web UI will merge the values with yours and keep any other values that you didn't leave in.

[haldi4803]

@sle118 no Problem.
You said you'd want it tested by 2-3 other people before to make sure it works flawless anyway!

So editing the nvs file....
That would Only leave:

{
  "dac_config": "model=I2S,bck=26,ws=25,do=22,sda=21,scl=27,i2c=45",
  "dac_controlset": "{\"init\":[{\"reg\":3,\"val\":2},{\"reg\":3,\"val\":3}],\"poweron\":[{\"reg\":3,\"val\":3}],\"poweroff\":[{\"reg\":3,\"val\":0}]}",
  "i2c_config": "scl=27,sda=21,speed=400000,port=1",
  "set_GPIO": "33=vcc"
}

Okay... @IstotaZycia you can try to load this:
nvs_config_TAS5805M_ESP-louder_json.txt

config file in NVS Settings Tab (Needs to be activated in Credits tab first!)

[IstotaZycia]

@haldi4803 thanks!!!!
I will try it next week and give you an update

[anabolyc]

Hey, I tested above config with Louder ESP and it works great. I put step-by-step instruction into my readme to make it easier for others.

[Extremedaneben]

The config works for me without any problems.

If anyone is interested, i have designed a printable case for this nice hardware. It's not the best but the openings are a great fit.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6326927

[mimk97]

i´ve done it this Way with W5500 and Step Down Converter (MP1584, cause XL1509 Board was too high) as U4 Replacement.
U4 desoldered. Then hot glue the MP1584 5V Regulator (for sure, you must calibrate the Output to 5V first with the Pot) and soldered DC In and 5V Output

[mimk97]

No, U4 is the small IC next to the Coil
and yes, i soldered the 5V left to the Coil :)

[haldi4803]

Got it!
Works perfectly now with 20V input.
But I don't really see any difference to my devices that run with the regulator in front of the input and 17V.

[mimk97]

what do you mean with "regulator in front of the input" ?

[anabolyc]

Just FYI, I replaced MP2315 step-down with XL1509 starting from Rev D. Thanks for your feedback @DerPicknicker @mimk97, I'm able to adress issues that are not trivial to reproduce.

[DerPicknicker]

@anabolyc .. Cool! If all problems are resolved on the software side I will order a new batch!

[pstumpe]

Hi everyone!
Not quite sure if it's right to post this here or as a bug or in LMS forums.

Nevertheless, I just got my LouderESP on Friday and it's some really smart and nice addition to my LMS home streaming in the kitchen.

There's one problem and I'm not sure what's the cause:
The unit sometimes suddenly stops while just playing a playlist without doing any interaction.
Today I just let it play a long Deezer playlist and had the Squeezelite-ESP32 interface open displaying the status page (having loglevel set to "all=debug").

And now after about an hour the playback stopped and the LMS player loops between zero and one second.

The players status page shows that there were some timeouts (even thought playing fine at those times) and there was a reboot for whatever reason.

The device is powered by an adjustable PSU set to 17 volts current and connected by WIFI to my network.
I also disabled Bluetooth, Spotify and Airplay.
Yesterday I already enabled proxying HTTP(S) in LMS because I thought it could be some timing issue.
But now that doesn't seem to be the case.

Does anyone of you have a clue what could cause this or where I could get more detailed logging?

[pstumpe]

Actually I've neither another stepdown converter nor an ESP32 mini available.
Currently looking at various ebay offerings to see what's suitable ...

[sle118]

Detailed logging from the serial port is not a luxury when troubleshooting these things

[pstumpe]

Just for reference:
I got a new ESP32 and the alternative stepdown module @mimk97 mentioned.
First I tried changing only the ESP32 and that behaved exactly the same as before.
The I replaced the stepdown converted as per instructions and now everything works as expected (at least for the last few hours).
Thanks all and most of all @mimk97 for his tinkering with the power supply.

[DerPicknicker]

@anabolyc already fixes this issue. Later revisions won't have this problem. So for me esplouder is still a great board with an excellent amplifier.

[pstumpe]

Yeah, I'm totally aware of the upcoming revisions.
And I'm really happy with the device. Already spread the word amongst my friends.
For me it was important to get the current device working because my wife uses it in the kitchen ...

[mimk97]

someone tested with 24V?
I'm guessing that the cooling will be a problem, right?

[mimk97]

i´ve tested now with 24V and 8 Ohm Speaker.
It´s running fine :)
I also tested it with a 6 ohm speaker.
Then it gets very hot within a few minutes and the sound no longer comes out
But web interface still works

[LeoSum8]

Hi all,
I just received two Louder ESP32 from @anabolyc (REV D with MH-ET LIVE, ESP32 MiniKIT v2.0 included, squeezelite 1652 preflashed). At first glance they are working out of the box and I love the sound and power it has to drive my JBL-Control One boxes.

I am powering with 15V 3A, but I also tried using an adustable source and set it to 12V. Same issues.

I don't use LMS but only Spotify and Bluetooth.

After using it a bit, I recognize a few problems:

1. Sometime when wanting to play music via spotify, the connect device is not available. After some time it will show up again and in the webui I can see that it has recently rebooted. So something is hanging there. After that it will work again. I have never experienced a reboot during playback thus far. It seems to only happen when idle.
2. Bluetooth is not really working. When connecting via android phone I can hear some stuttering bits of the music playing but it is so rough that you can't even tell it is music.

I already tried updating one of the boards to 1662, but that didn't change anything.

Are these problems known to any of you?
Is there maybe an older squeezelite release that I should try?
Can this be power source related? I read about the stepup converter issues that occurred on older revisions, but that should be sorted with my rev D, shouldn't it?
Is there different firmware other than squeezelite, that I could try to see if this is firmware-related? I found Euphonium, but it won't fit the 4MB flash of the installed ESP.

[LeoSum8]

It's the precompiled binary, flashed via the webtool.

But I wanna try reflashing manually and fully erasing the flash first when I find the time. To mee it looks like there are files missing, doesn't it?

Is there a way to print the file system on the flash?

[sle118]

There is no file system on the flash on this version on the firmware (there will be in the upcoming refactored code). If you recompiled yourself, then some kconfig options could cause cspot from being ignored during the build, thereby stripping cspot altogher from the binary

[LeoSum8]

OK, I understand. So since its the precompiled binary, something must be missing then due to uncompleted flashing or something like that?

I'll have a look at how to flash manually and report back. But it will be two weeks until I will be able to play with it again.

Thank you for looking into this!!

[philippe44]

I tried the stock version and it works for me

[Extremedaneben]

for me the problem still persists with some new cheap "Mini D1 ESP32" and the esp louder revision E board.

[anabolyc]

Hey guys. Just letting you know that I'm starting Crowd Supply campaign for the upgraded version of the Louder ESP (and a family). I is accumulated your feedback, for which I can be only grateful

• it has onboard Wroover module and external antenna (to address connectivity issues)
• It has ethernet onboard (alternative to WiFi), not on the image yet ;)
• It is powered via USB power delivery (and will be shipped with one)
• It is cased in Aluminum case, and I'm planning to thermocouple it with DAC, so you should be able to get maximum power out of it without overheating
• It has onboard IR reader
• It has mono mode via jumper

It would help if you subscribe to the campaign, so we can better understand the demand and the end cost of the unit.

[mo-g]

Hi @anabolyc

I've bought two of the Rev H Louder-ESP32's and added Ethernet modules on them, but I don't seem to be able to configure the ethernet. Is there something I'm missing, or is this still missing from the image? :)

Thanks!

[anabolyc]

Hi @anabolyc

I've bought two of the Rev H Louder-ESP32's and added Ethernet modules on them, but I don't seem to be able to configure the ethernet. Is there something I'm missing, or is this still missing from the image? :)

Thanks!

Hey @mo-g

Pls try these config settings (you can do it in the NVS settings via recovery)
eth_config: model=w5500,cs=5,speed=20000000,intr=35,rst=14
spi_config: mosi=23,clk=18,host=2,miso=19

[mo-g]

I'll take a look!