My latest build has been shared over on the DiyAudio forum in this post. This build features, the latest Ian Canada’s Dual ES9038EQM DAC chip, the newest ReceiverPi DDC, and MonitorPi Pro. Enjoy.
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wao?
can someone say something else?
What? Confused?
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It is meant to mean “Wow”
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I was leaning in that direction, but wasn’t sure. 
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I would really would like to have something like this. Fully meaning of my message.
Look, I have a nice place for placing such beauty
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Honestly I have no technical skills for doing things like this.
And this one looks superb
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Yes! My English got weak when looking at it
Well, no time but the present to learn. Thanks for the compliment. As you can see from my images, most of what I do beyond the design and layout, is modifications to the casework. This involves the design, 3D printing, and fitting all the necessary I/O panels. And, in most instances, may involve having Front Panel Express (FPE) custom cut panels for openings and/or unique shaped cutouts.
From an electronics standpoint, most of what I use are all off-the-shelf modules - either directly DAC related, or other PCBs in support of the entire system. I source many(most) of these board modules, directly from @IanCanada. These are all his handy-work that he offers to the DIY community. You can find more at his store here.
I wish you success if you want to try and tackle on of these projects. With Ian’s modules, you can start with a simple setup, and expand from there with a new future - more expanded - project.
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Very nice indeed. Clean and neat.
Hi Richard.
Beautiful looking build you have there.
Couple of questions. Are you using any of Ian Canada’s Big Ultracapacitors here.
Also, assuming you have a RPi incorporated?
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No, not enough room. Instead I went with two of these, for 5V and 3.3 conditioning. Yes, there is an RPi4 at the bottom of the stack. Check out this link for more pics.
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My latest server build also features two sets of UltraCapacitors (one for the USB card and one for the card’s clock):
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Very nice Adam. Good to see a build using another mini-ITX case. See you’ve got an SSD in there. Assume for OS/boot, and/or music library too? BTW, what enclosure are you using?
Very neat!
Please tell us abput your choice of power supply and what clock and USB cards you utilize? JCAT?
I see the case is a Streacom FC10 though! (i use the same, but for a higher speced serveri
There are two custom, ultra low noise PSUs feeding a bank of UltraCapacitors (each) - one for the Jcat USB card and a another one for the Jcat clock.
There is also a 3rd ULN PSU for the system SSD and 4th ULN PSU feeding the MoBo.
This is a Roon end-point only, so no storage SSD (although it could be fitted - the board uses 4-core, Intel Pentium CPU and can handle Roon ROCK without a sweat).
There is also a Schaffner AC filter (integrated with a fuse holder, a master power switch and IEC inlet) to filter out everything that goes into the server AND out of it. I have picked that idea up from my Wadia DAC (I’m using the exact same part), but others like Aurender also use those. A bit expensive (~$40), and you need to machine the case to fit it, but does make a noticable difference.
The case is a Streacom FC10.
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So it’s a roon end-point, and hosts the roon server? I’ve said before, ROCK is one of the best and solid application implemented in Linux. It simply works! Week in, week out, with barely a hiccup. Mine has been running for 7 yrs with only a couple of down times (for my own maintenance on my server shelf). Impressive.
I do like those Streacom enclosures. Good choice.
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Every Nucleus / ROCK installation acts as Roon end-point by default. No changes neccessary.
I have audiolinux installed, as that allows me to install Roon Brigde (Roon end-point only app).
Roon Brigde is much lighter than a full Roon install like ROCK (doesn’t have Roon Server and all associated features/processes), which means CPU usage is much lower (about 1% running Roon Bridge), which in turn means much less heat dissapation.
Installing Audiolinux is a bit of a pita, as the manual is sketchy, so I do not recommend it for first time Linux users.
I’m aware of the differences between end-points and the ROCK server, just never chose to use my ROCK NUC as an end-point. End-points are easy to implement if you’re into RPis, or any SBC - and then can be used with an external USB DAC, or I2S directly through a DAC HaT. I use both Roon Bridge, and Ropieee as my bridges. The Roon Web Controller (RWC) extension is also handy as well - from a control standpoint. I keep that running as a separate server using a little Dell Wyse 3040 mini-computer. These can be had on eBay for about $40. Here’s another one of my streamer builds using a VIM3 SBC, and the Tone Board 2 DAC in a mini-ITX case.
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Love these cases. I’ve built most of my own streamers but always out of off the shelf Pi parts, been looking to build something more unique and I love the look of this one. Would you mind sharing a pic of the inside? And can you also share how you routed out the case front and mounted the touchscreen?
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