OK. I've got two panels done - will need to make some sides out of 3/4" ply and then get the other two panels milled:

20210107_061354108_iOS.jpg

20210107_061453796_iOS.jpg

Note: I'm waiting on the properly-sized nut for the add-on BNC connector and some rubber feet from McMaster-Carr, and the mini-XLR chassis-mount on the right is for the external 5V power for the Isolator II / HiFiBerry Digi+PRO
 
BIG progress, really cool!
I'm trying to decide if I should go cheap & home-made on the sides and simply do 3/4" ply with appropriate threaded inserts for assembling the panels or find someone to machine some Delrin or something similar to spec...
 
I'm trying to decide if I should go cheap & home-made on the sides and simply do 3/4" ply with appropriate threaded inserts for assembling the panels or find someone to machine some Delrin or something similar to spec...
I decided to give TAP Plastics a try and ordered a couple of Teflon panels in the correct dimensions ($10 + shipping). We'll see if I can drill & tap holes without being ham-handed about it.
 
I decided to give TAP Plastics a try and ordered a couple of Teflon panels in the correct dimensions ($10 + shipping). We'll see if I can drill & tap holes without being ham-handed about it.
White or black Teflon? Or are you only divulging that with the big reveal? :chin
 
View attachment 32445

Not sure if I posted this elsewhere already, but this is the completed unit. I've been using it for about 2 weeks now and it's just dandy.
Super cool, that really came out quite nice, that's a family heirloom quality streamer.

Still no CM4 chatter that I've noticed on either the Moode forum, or diyAudio, I think you have a bit of a world exclusive there.
 
Side note: apparently Steven Stone (TAS) has discovered the Raspberry Pi.

How to Build Your Own Low-Cost, High-Performance Streamer - The Absolute Sound
A friend of mine in CA had just mentioned that to me earlier today, as well as a Kal Rubinson review of the Volumio Primo in Stereophile. Apparently the audio press has discovered these low-cost streamers utilizing open source software are of interest to their readership, though the Primo isn't exactly "cheap", and is based on an ASUS Tinkerboard S rather than the Raspberry Pi.

 
A friend of mine in CA had just mentioned that to me earlier today, as well as a Kal Rubinson review of the Volumio Primo in Stereophile. Apparently the audio press has discovered these low-cost streamers utilizing open source software are of interest to their readership, though the Primo isn't exactly "cheap", and is based on an ASUS Tinkerboard rather than the Raspberry Pi.

I just hope this doesn't mean that the price of decent DAC / DIGI-type hats for RPI start climbing in cost. I realize there are some expensive versions out there, but I'm more of a beer-budget guy.
 
Ha, you said it, not me!

Seriously though, you beat Allo by a country mile, and they likely had their hands on a developer kit well prior to the actual RPF product release date.
That is really nice work.
Thank you both. That's high praise. If either of you wish to go down this rabbit hole, I'm happy to share the .FPD files for building the chassis.
 
In late October Allo Audio announced a successor to their popular Boss Player streamer/DAC, to be called the Boss2, and expected availability in late December. Looked pretty cool at $99, bring your own power supply, SD card, and RPi 4B board.

After delays in getting the aluminum cases from China, Allo then posted an assembly video in late January, I had commented at that time the video made assembly appear to be a fiddly pain in the ass to all but a somewhat experienced DIYer.

Apparently Allo agreed, and changed how they offer this unit, at least initially. It is now available under their Plug & Play solutions only, called Boss2 Player, and fully assembled at a price of $146, which makes sense in that the fully assembled version includes a Raspberry Pi 4B 2GB board, where the original $99 kit package did not. So Allo is effectively charging $47 for the RPi board and assembly.

Whether or not they eventually offer it as originally announced in an unassembled kit form, or even just the bare DAC HAT board itself remains to be seen, however based on the success and pedigree of the original Boss, I think this unit looks like a good value assuming the blue/silver aluminum case is an acceptable aesthetic.

I will buy one of these when they come to the shores of N. America, I prefer a domestic seller such as PiShop.us, or Chicago Electronic Distributors, rather than ordering direct from Allo and waiting forever for an expensive shipment from India.

boss2-player front.jpg
boss2-player.jpg
boss2-player rear.jpg
 
Yesterday the Pi 4 arrived with the Argon 1 case, and it went together fairly easily. The Argon is perfect for my application, the power button works well, and should save wear & tear on the USB-C port. Temp reported at 35.4 C which is cooler than the Pi 3B+ I have in a stock Raspberry Pi plastic case. Happy happy.

Argon1 front.jpg

The initial playback with this as an endpoint running Moode 7.1.0 was really promising, powered by the Allo Nirvana. Unfortunately, that was short lived as playback interruptus reared it's ugly head quite quickly. I've been experiencing this with the Pi 3b+ too.

It seems that MPD is hanging, and causes problems. I can kill the process and get it running again but this isn't ideal. It can sometimes play over an hour, or last less than a minute. Sometimes the track that is playing gets truncated and it jumps to the next track. Sometimes music halts abruptly and is replaced by something similar to white noise.

From all the logs I can read I am suspecting this is a connectivity issue. For wireless, one could assume that an external antenna or dongle might be the answer. The Mac Mini connected to the DAC can play wirelessly without issue, however it has good internal antennas. I've ordered a wifi dongle for the Argon, one which should be supported by the Moode kernel. It will be weeks though before that arrives.

I also tried ethernet and the same issue occurs. That really surprised me. The ethernet connection isn't typical, it uses the coaxial cabling in the house together with a MoCA adapter to get into the living room.

The ethernet worked fine when the Mini was connected to the DAC as well. So something in the transmission to the UPnP client (Moode) is problematic if my suspicion is correct. Hard to determine so far if this is an Audirvana issue or Moode issue or just connectivity. Searching hasn't found a solution yet. This morning I will connect my Audirvana on Windows installation and see if that changes anything.

Beyond that troubleshooting may be delayed, as two new goodies arrive today which will need attention (who can resist ?).
 
After several hours of error free playback with the Windows based Audirvana to the Pi 4 endpoint, it is sitting nicely at 35 C in the Argon 1 case. This is a sweet little case, I'm glad I bought it.

The case instructions include commands to install fan control; you can specify when the fan kicks on and at what intensity. In my case it set to run at 25% when it hits 55 C, and higher rates if the temp still climbs. Running nicely at 35 C, I'm nowhere close to having the fan start. Any concerns I had for temps with the Pi 4 are gone now, smooth sailing ahead.

My culprit that caused all the grief above ? It's looking like the Mac Mini. The MRT (Malware Removal Tool) service is crashing multiple times a day and based on some reading this might be it. Off to the sick bay for the Mac Mini.
 
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