Realiser A16 over USB not recognized by Ropieee

Audio Gear Talk RoPieee
1

The USB device is recognized as being attached (dmesg output)

[    2.526929] usb 1-1.2: new high-speed USB device number 4 using dwc_otg
[    2.657902] usb 1-1.2: New USB device found, idVendor=0a4a, idProduct=5a16, bcdDevice= 1.00
[    2.662736] usb 1-1.2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[    2.665246] usb 1-1.2: Product: REALISER-A16
[    2.667742] usb 1-1.2: Manufacturer: Ploytec GmbH
[    2.670200] usb 1-1.2: SerialNumber: no serial number

But there is no audio device for it in alsa: (also hifiberry attached so that one is listed)

**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 1: sndrpihifiberry [snd_rpi_hifiberry_dacplus], device 0: HiFiBerry DAC+ Pro HiFi pcm512x-hifi-0 [HiFiBerry DAC+ Pro HiFi pcm512x-hifi-0]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

Feedback id: f73e33e65f67105d

2

Almost seems that the device does not advertise itself as an audio device.
Do you have a Linux system available by any chance other then the Pi?

3

Yes, although via Parallels on a Macbook. Same there (also Arch based).

Anything specific to try?

The usb device listing in /usr/share/hwdata/usb.ids only shows the 0a4a vendor.

The Realiser is a niche product, I cannot find Ploytec Linux driversā€¦

I thought I read somewhere standard USB audio on Linux should be possible, butā€¦

4

How long have you had the A16ā€¦Ive been waiting and waiting so long nowā€¦emailed them and no response. I paid deposit back in 2017 :frowning: first time I have encountered anyone with one in the wild

5

It has nothing to do with the id. Standard USB audio is possible (UAC), but it requires the device to ā€˜behaveā€™ properly and advertise the proper capabilities.

Could be thereā€™s an issue on that side. Do you have the latest device firmware installed?

6

I was one of the last ones that received my unit before the hardware change that was announced in the KS update. Received it just before the lockdown.

They (Smyth) have a lot on their plate. They received an unknown number of ā€œoldā€ units (like mine) back for a retrofit hardware upgrade. They have to process that, finish assumed updates in the firmware, do something about the exchange website and, not to forget, deliver the rest of the KS pledges and an unknown number of pre-orders.

Their communication skills are cough somewhat lacking but the product is delivering.

On the lucky side for you and all others still waiting: you will receive the hardware update as free part of the KS fulfillment.

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7

I have latest firmware available. So I assume this will not work out of the box over USB. Pity.

I did try to use the PI HDMI output to feed sound to the Realiser. I found no way of doing that with Ropieee but did manage to get that working with a DietPi image.

Is HDMI output on the Ropieee backlog somewhere?

8

No, not for the near future.

9

Thanks for your swift and honest reply.

And for an amazing product :+1:

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