Did you every find a source for the Mu Metal shields as I would like to use some as well but have not been able to find anything.

For those who are a little worried about the arduino failing and the volume getting stuck or set to full volume etc I can say you probotblu have nothing to worry about

I think that unless the Arduino wrote new register values to the Buffalo to change the volume while it was failing, this is pretty much impossible.

You could verify this by unplugging the Arduino connection while the Buffalo is running (amps off, of course) and checking the output level.

I have my Arduino Uno ordered along with the 4x20 LCD and rotary encoder. I downloaded the Arduino software and the latest HiFiduino b10b1 code. I'm trying to get my head wrapped around all of it. I'd like to go for that larger display eventually....

So the code becomes the dipswitch settings that you choose with the rotary switch or do you code for the settings you want? I'll have four inputs and a Sidecar for now. I am using a DPST switch to activate the Sidecar and disable the S/PDIF autodetect feature. I removed the Ventus EZ's so I have an LCBPS available now too. I'm sure once I understand it the code you have posted will become very useful to me.

All 8 channels of the DAC are muted during initialization, But if the DAC is powered without Arduino connected or powered it will at full volume. When you start the Arduino, without starting the DAC while it is connected to the DAC the code hangs until you power the DAC also resulting in full volume! So be careful with it! Somehow the first part of the I2C commands do not arrive the DAC chip in this situation. Therefore I suggest using a pre-amp when testing the arduino. Especially when you go fiddle around with it.

I was thinking of having a preamp a while ago, but all my sources are digital. I dont like having two modules doing the same thing (volume). So my take on eventually protecting the system would be to alter the gain, not adding a pre-amp as long as all my sources are all digital. I have not changed the gain on mine and choose to turn off the power amps when I leave the house for a short period and turn if all off when I leave for a longer period. My dog would not like it if the volume went to 100% when I was at the shop...

As far as I know one possible easy way of changing the gain would be to make a couple signal cables with 150ohm resistors (as far as I know this will alter the gain to aprox 4 compared to the stock ivy`s 2).

From what I remember Corpius, you have a proper pre-amp, have you been able to test with and without the pre?

Your welcome, any time! I have neglected my build thread by not posting any further post about the process of building the DAC, but don't worry! I'm setting up a website at the moment where I will publish a very detailed article about my build, but please give me some time to write it

I could give away some details about my build here, which also answers some of SCompRacer his questions. As you (Gwikse) know I have a single dac accompanied with the IVY, 4 channel spdif board, sidecar, teleporter and metronome. The DAC is powered by the Placid, Ivy by the HDBP, Arduino by a simple LM317 based PS and all remaining modules by AMBs Sigma 11. There are another Teleporter and OttoII waiting to join all the moludes. These will be used to get the I2S from the WaveIO, wich is going to be build into a separate chassis because it doesn't fit inside my DAC anymore.

I use Arduino to control it all. With the code i'm able to switch between all filter settings, DPLL settings, Oversampling ON/OFF, spdif or PCM input, Quantizer settings, switch inputs (Yes also sidecar and the ottoII willl also be no problem) and there is even more, but I can't remember what it is right now. So yes, the code becomes the dipswitch settings.
I have a 4x20 LCD display with blue characters and white background, but I just have a new LCD that has white characters and a black background, an so called inverted LCD. This look much better imo. It's radiating a lot less light into my room. But I am able to adjust the backlight by using the Arduino and a digital potentiometer. This is really a nice feature that I like very much.

To switch inputs with the B3 some of the code needs to be added or changed, but this is simple. I thinks that you (SCompRacer) where referring to this. I posted it somewhere in another post. PM me if you need it.

I ordered it from ebay. The seller is in Poland. The LCD arrived withing 3 days! It is this one.
I did manage to control the backlight with arduino. I added a digital potentiometer for this. I used the MCP42010 for this. It has two channels that can be controlled using the SPI compatible serial interface. I only use one channel to control the backlight. I wrote some code to control the pot and also some to create a menu that displays a horizontal bar that expands when you make the backlight shine brighter and smaller when the light is dimmed. Look quite neat! I have not yet found an application for the leftover channel of the digital pot. Any ideas perhaps?


I will do some testing in a few days or so with lower voltages for the 4 channel spdif board. I did not found the time yet.