tataylino - Tataylino.com

Build this Simple but amazing USB Audio interface for only $5

In case you want to connect your audio mixer or electronic piano or any other line level audio equipments to your computer or laptop for recording, here is a simple USB audio interface circuit that does the job. It is based of PCM29XX IC from TI. This is used in many analog audio mixers with usb interface such as the Behringer Xenyx USB mixer series.

About USB audio interface circuit

This circuit is USB powered. The IC has 16bit delta sigma ADC and DAC and capable of up to 48kHz sampling rate. it has stereo line level input and outputs.The crystal needed is 12MHz.

Quick PCB design

Here is a simple PCB layout that I designed using kicad software.

3D Render

Want to have a copy of the Kicad design? Just like my facebook page and send me a message. thanks for visiting… 🙂

Prototype

Since I needed this circuit for my recording may piano and guitar covers, I built my own using universal PCB. This is what I used on my guitar and piano covers on my youtube channel here.

At first time try, I am having problem with it. Windows shows an error message “Device not recognized” when I plug this to my Laptop’s USB port. Upon hours of troubleshooting, I found out that C13 and C14 is causing this issue. These are the capacitors connected to crystal oscillator. When I tried to removed these capacitors, the issue now gone. I tried to lower the value from 22pf to 15pf but it didn’t solve the issue. I also tried 5pf but same thing happens. For this prototype I just removed C13 and C14. Maybe because there is parasitic capacitance on the board that I used.

There’s no need for drivers, it installs automatically when you plug it in. It has 16bit ADC/DAC with up to 48kHz sampling which is good enough for recording. 16bit/48kHz might not sound great but it is actually good. This chip is used by Behringer on some of their Xenyx USB mixer and also on their cheap usb audio interface. The audio quality is not the best but it is better than those cheap USB sound card on the market. This is good enough for recording for you youtube content.

Video

Here is the actual video of my prototype in action.

Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel. 🙂

USB audio interface Parts list

Ref	Value	Part
C1	1u	16V electrolytic capacitor
C2	0.1u	ceramic capacitor
C3	4.7u	16V electrolytic capacitor
C4	4.7u	16V electrolytic capacitor
C5	1u	16V electrolytic capacitor
C6	1u	16V electrolytic capacitor
C7	1u	16V electrolytic capacitor
C8	1u	16V electrolytic capacitor
C9	1u	16V electrolytic capacitor
C10	1u	16V electrolytic capacitor
C11	4.7u	16V electrolytic capacitor
C12	4.7u	16V electrolytic capacitor
C13	22p	ceramic capacitor
C14	22p	ceramic capacitor
D1	LED	:LED
J1	USB_B	:USB connector
J2	Input	3pin JST connector
J3	output	3pin JST connector
R1	2.2 ohms	Resistor SMD or 1/4W or 1/8W
R2	1M	Resistor SMD or 1/4W or 1/8W
R3	1M	Resistor SMD or 1/4W or 1/8W
R4	1.5k	Resistor SMD or 1/4W or 1/8W
R5	22 ohms	Resistor SMD or 1/4W or 1/8W
R6	22 ohms	Resistor SMD or 1/4W or 1/8W
R7	1M	Resistor SMD or 1/4W or 1/8W
R8	1M	Resistor SMD or 1/4W or 1/8W
R9	1M	Resistor SMD or 1/4W or 1/8W
R10	220 ohms	Resistor SMD or 1/4W or 1/8W
U1	PCM2902C	USB interface IC
X1	CRYSTAL	12MHz Crystal

The parts list does not include input and output connectors, you may opt to use RCA or phone jack connector.

I am planning to build an improve version of this device and sell it online so stay tuned! Subscribe to my youtube channel and facebook page to keep you updated! 🙂

DIY DI Box v3

I just noticed that many of my visitors are searching for DIY DI Box so I decided to make another design project for DI Box. This will be powered by a 9-15V AC/DC adapter or a 9V battery.

About the Circuit

The circuit is basically made up of 2 opamps, 1 is configured as a buffer and the other one is configured as an inverting opamp.

R2 and R3 is used as a voltage divider to provide 1/2VCC for the opamp. This is needed for single supply operation of opamp. At single supply, the output of the opamp cannot swing at negative voltage so the output of the opamp is offset to 1/2VCC so the output can swing below 1/2VCC for negative voltage and above 1/2VCC for positive voltage swing. at the output stage, a capacitor is used to remove the DC offset and output only the AC voltage. C5 is used to filter the 1/2VCC from the voltage divider R2 and R3. R1 and C1 is used to filter the supply. This is used to filter out the 60Hz/120Hz line noise on the supply. If you are using a battery, you can just remove R1 instead. Potentiometer value can be 100k to 1M. I used RCA connector simply because I can’t find any Audio phone jack on my library and I don’t have time to search for it.haha

C6 and C7 voltage rating should be at least 50V, this is to protect the cap when phantom power is accidentally turned on. Other capacitors can be rated 16V and above.

Phantom Powered DI Box

If you want it to be powered via Phantom power of mixer, you can check this version of my DI Box here: https://tataylino.com/diy-di-box/
You just need a 1/2W 6.8k resistor and a 15-30V zener.

PCB Design

PCB design is made with KiCad, a free open source software. Designed with 1 layer PCB for easy DIY at home.

3D Render

100W Amplifier Project

Here’s a simple 100W amplifier project that is based on Elliot Sound Products project posted on his website.

Simulation Circuit

For the simulation I used TIP32C and TIP33C for the power transistor because there is no available TIP36C and TIP 35C on simetrix. They are almost the same but the TIP36C and TIP35C is capable of handling more current thus capable of delivering more power.

Simulation Result

Schematic

PCB Design

PCB design is done using kicad software. It is a free software. The PCB is only 1 layer so it will be easy for most DIYers out there.

NOTES:

The size of the 2200uf and 100uf capacitors on the layout are only assumed. Those capacitors comes with different sizes, depending on the manufacturers. Check the actual size first before making the board.
Capacitor voltages are 50V.

3D Render

3D render of the board with kicad built in 3D render.

POWER SUPPLY

You can use 25Vx2 10A transformer for the supply. The diode can be any rectifier diode rated at least 100V and 12A.

DOWNLOADS

you can download the project on my download page below:

Download Page

Cheap Power Supply from china

I recently bought a 12v switch mode power supply(SMPS) from an online store. This claims capable of delivering up to 10A 120W and it only cost around 400 pesos. The brand is Biglite and it is not popular.

But is it really worth it to buy this kind of cheap power supply? Out from the box is a very light weight power supply.

But looking inside gives us a clue why it is so cheap…

It lacks EMI filter which is a must for SMPS. It also lacks fuse and it uses a resistor instead.

It uses an IC Tm5101 for its controller.

Is it worth it? Yes because you get what you pay for. But be careful on using it because it lacks fuse and EMI filter. This is not safe to use in general

Simple 2 way crossover project

Here’s a active 2 way simple crossover project for you.

About the circuit

The Circuit is simple and uses only 3 opamps per channel.

Crossover frequency is set around 234Hz. The cutoff(crossover) frequency can be changed for your requirement. The formula for the crossover frequency indicated below:

C4 is used to block DC voltage at the input. Since the input impedance of the circuit is very low, C4 value can be as low as 0.022uF. But for my final circuit I have used 0.1uF.

R3 and R4 are voltage divider used to provide half VDD voltage for the op amps. This is required because the power supply has no negative voltage. Without this, the output will be clip on negative cycle. C3 is just a filter capacitor to clean the voltage produced by the R3 and R4 divider. R5 is used to set the input of the input buffer to half VDD, 1Meg value is used so it will have little effect on the input impedance.

Simulation

Simulation result

As expected, the crossover frequency is around 234Hz.

PCB

For PCB design, I made it single layer so most of the DIYers can easily make their own PCB. As usual I used KiCad to design the PCB which is a free software. Resistors on the VDD are just jumpers(that is why it has value = 0).

J1 – Right input

J2 – Left input

J4 – Low Right output

J5 – Low Left output

J6 – High Right output

J7 – High Left output

J3 – Power Supply (12V – 24V)

3D Render

3D render using KiCad…

DOWNLOADS:

This project can be downloaded for you own personal use. If you want to use this for commercial use, please contact me on my Facebook page for licensing. 🙂

Please don’t forget to like my facebook page. 🙂

Download page

********************** PLEASE LIKE MY FACEBOOK PAGE 🙂 *****************************

Fixing Presonus Studiolive 16.4.2 Freezing problem

We have encountered an unusual problem on our Presonus Studiolive 16.4.2 that we purchased 2nd hand. The mixer freezes after several minutes of use. The meters will freeze but controls are still functional. There is no sound output when the mixer freezes. I research for this problem and it turns out that I am not alone and this problem is a known issue to this model.

After some research I found some people that sharing how they fix the problem. 1 of them said that downgrading the firmware can solve the problem. I have tried this solution even though this means downgrading my MAC OS which is not an easy task and it will take some time to install older MAC OS on my laptop. Unfortunately this solution did not work for me. Other solution is to replace the DSP or Power supply board but this will cost much and shipping to Philippines isn’t cheap so I didn’t tried it.

Finally one shared that the freezing problem was fixed by simply adding fan. This seems an easy to do fix so I gave it a try. I have a small fan installed and tap the power to the external lamp power output of the mixer which is capable of delivering 12V 500mA which is more than enough to power a small fan. This works well and freezing problem was fix with a little issue…. There is an audible fan noise on the output. This is because I have connected the fan to the external Lamp supply of the mixer which is designed to power LEDs. So to fix this problem, I have used a separate power supply for the fan.

The fan with 100 ohms resistor and 1000uf capacitor for additional filter and to decrease the speed of the fan(because the fan is a bit noisy).

12V Power supply of the fan is a simple center tap transformer with 2 diodes and 1000uf capacitor.

Holes made a little bit bigger for the fan.

Now the mixer is working fine. 🙂

Update:
This seems to work for few months only. The problem does appear again after some time. 🙁

Hybrid Solar Power for LED TV and Electric fan

Philippine electricity is the most expensive in south east asia and it is getting more and more expensive every month. With the solar panel getting more and more affordable, is it really worth it to invest into solar power system? How much can you save with your electricity bill with these solar power system? How much will it cost to build your own? Let’s find out!

Types of Solar power

There are basically 2 kinds of solar power system and they are 1. On-grid 2. Off-grid.

On-grid Solar Power system – basically a solar power that is tied to your existing AC power from meralco of whatever your electricity provider is. This is the simplest system since it is only tied to your existing electrical power system. It is sharing power to meralco if the power is not enough to power your house. For example if your devices or home appliance is consuming around 1000W of power in total and your solar power can only produce 600W of power, the other 400W will be supplied by Meralco. This will in turn lower your bill because you will only consume 400W instead of 1000W because your solar power will handle the rest. While if on the other scenario, if your solar power system is generating power more than you need, it will be feed the excess power to the grid and will be bought by Meralco. In this case you will be a power producer to the Meralco instead of a consumer. Meralco will pay you for the power you generated. Take note that the rate at which Meralco will pay for your generated power will be way lower than what you pay for meralco per KWhr you use. Take note also that you will need to apply for net metering so you can be able to selll your excess power to Meralco and the process is not easy. There are many documents and procedures to follow before you can qualify for net metering. If you have no net metering, you might be charged when you are producing more power than you need. This is because normal meters are not designed by bi-directional current flow. So be careful with this kind of solar power system.

image from: http://energyinformative.org

The main disadvantage of On-grid solar power system is that when there is brownout, you also experience it. This is because Electric systems on each house are connected in parallel and you solar power system will overload if it will try so power during brownouts.

Off-grid Solar Power System – by its name suggest, this is not connected to your existing electrical power system. And because it is independent by its nature, it needs a battery for powering at night when there is no sun. And batteries as all we know are not cheap! And most of all, you need to replace it very 2-3 years(depending on type of battery and usage). This makes this system more expensive as compared to On-grid systems. The main advantage of this is that you can build this system anywhere as long as there is sunshine. And the biggest advantage is that you will never experience brownout as long as your battery is in good shape.

Hybrid Solar Power – This kind of solar power is just my idea, I don’t know if someone already thought of it. But because this system is very simple, it is most likely that someone out there might already built this kind of system. Block diagram below:

I call it hybrid because the output is 12V instead of 220V compared to on-grid system and it uses your existing AC power when there is no sun to power your system. I made this system so I won’t be needing expensive battery compared to off-grid systems and won’t be supplying power to the grid compared to on-grid systems.

About the Circuit

The circuit is simple, you have 2 power sources that set at slightly different voltage. The solar panel is connected to a buck converter which reduces the voltage of the solar cell from 19V to 14V. An AC/DC switching power supply is set at around 12.7V to compensate for the diode voltage drop. The output voltage of the solar is set slightly higher so when there is enough solar power, it will pull the output voltage to around 13.3V(-0.7V diode drop), this will reverse bias the diode D2 and will act like an open circuit. If the power from the solar is not enough, both diode will conduct and the output voltage will be just around the voltage output of the AC/DC converter.

Boost converter is used to increase the voltage to 19.5V to power my 32 inch Sony LED TV. I am not sure if most of the LED TV uses 19.5V but if I remember it correctly, my LG LED TV also has 19.5V supply.

What You need

On this project, those materials can be bought from online shopping like lazada or shopee.

12V output AC/DC converter

To make it more reliable, use a type with output current double than what you require. This will reduce heat and will have longer life.

BUCK Converter with adjustable output voltage

Set the output voltage to 14V before installing this. Make sure also that it have higher output current capability than what you require.

Connecting Reverse Camera for Honda Mobilio V or BRV S Philippines

Here’s a simple instruction on how to connect a reverse camera on the honda mobilio V variant and Honda BRV S variant.

You need to tap the trigger to the reverse lights positive. This will trigger the video input of the head unit and power up the camera also.

What You need

1 pin female dupont wires

Female RCA connector

Reversing camera set

All these materials can be easily bought online at lazada or shopee. 🙂

Below is the connection of the reverse camera to the head unit of Mobilio V variant or BRV S variant.

How to remove head unit

Video

Related Post: Connecting TVplus on Honda Mobilio/BR-V

Arduino programmer is not responding problem

Just recently I made a project with arduino nano and used my old working board. To my surprise I got an error that the programmer is not responding. After some debugging I found out that there is no problem on my wires or drivers. It looks like arduino just updated their bootloader with no backward compatibility. There is not option on the board “ATmega328P ( Old Bootloader)” but it doesn’t work.

So I decided to just re-program my arduino nano with the latest bootloader. The bootloader hex file can be found on the directory below:

To program, I used power debugger and connected it like below:

After I programmed the latest bootloader, my arduino is alive again. 🙂

The real problem here is that arduino updated their bootloader with no backward compatibility. The best fix is to program your arduino board with the latest firmware that you can find on the arduino folder on your program files directory. You can use any AVR programmer. You can also use your working arduino to program another arduino here: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/ArduinoISP

Super Bass Tone Control

If you love to pump up the bass then this would be great project for your sound system. This is based on my previous tone control design with some modification to give more deeper and louder bass. It is basically the same with modified component values.

ABOUT THE CIRCUIT

The signal amplifier circuit is composed of R1-R4, C1, C2, C7, and Q1. It is configured as common emitter amplifier. It amplifies the signal because it will be attenuated on the next stage. R4 and C1 is used as low pass filter to filter out the low to high frequency ripple voltage of the power supply. It basically cleans the power supplied to the circuit. C2 and C7 is used to remove DC offset from the transistor bias. They are DC blocking capacitors, it passes AC and blocks DC. R2 is used to bias the base of the transistor to set the voltage of the collector to somewhere around the middle. R1 and R3 sets the gain of the amplifier. To increase the gain, decrease R1 or increase R3. Always check the bias levels after changing the value of R1 and/or R3 as this might result to signal distortion.

CIRCUIT SIMULATION

Simetrix is used in this simulation. A free simulation software for individuals.

Bass Response

The problem with this kind of circuit is that the frequency response is not linear. The graph below is sweep from 10% to 100% bass setting with 10% interval while the treble is set to 50%. As you can see, the response is almost flat around 10% bass setting instead of 50%. It has around 12dB of bass boost at 50% bass setting.

Treble Response

Below is the frequency response of the treble control with the bass set to 50%. There is 12dB bass boost at 50% bass setting. The treble setting start at 10% all the way to 100% at 10% increment.

Adding output buffer

The problem with this circuit is that it changes frequency response with the next stage input impedance. If the amplifier has a volume control, it affect the frequency response.