IAN CANADA TransportPi AES Flagship Ultra Low Jitter AES EBU S PDIF Transport Interface User Guide

IAN CANADA TransportPi AES Flagship Ultra Low Jitter AES EBU S PDIF

Transport Interface

Product Information

TransportPi AES is an ultra-low jitter AES/EBU S/PDIF transport interface. It is designed to provide high-quality digital audio transmission from a source device to an external DAC. The product features various connectors, including AES/EBU XLR balanced output, RCA S/PDIF coaxial cable output, BNC S/PDIF coaxial cable output, and Toslink S/PDIF optical output. It also includes an external MCLK input for synchronization and power supply jumpers for flexible power options. The product is equipped with LED indicators to display the power status.

Product Usage Instructions

1. Ensure that FifoPi and the rest of the system are properly configured and working.
2. Install the TransportPi AES into the GPIO port of the FifoPi using the provided 13mm standoffs to prevent short circuits between PCBs.
3. Connect the MCLK signal from FifoPi to the J4 connector of TransportPi AES using the supplied U.FL coaxial cables.
4. Choose one of the available output connectors (J6, J5, J8, or U6) on TransportPi AES based on the desired digital audio interface (AES/EBU or S/PDIF).
5. Connect an AES/EBU differential cable, S/PDIF coaxial cable (RCA or BNC), or Toslink optical cable from the selected output connector to the corresponding input of the external DAC.
6. Turn on the power supply and ensure that the POWER LED D1 is lit up.
7. Play your music files as usual and enjoy high-quality digital audio transmission.

Note: You can adjust the MCLK frequency using the jumper switch S2 for advanced settings. Refer to the user manual for specific MCLK frequency settings.

Introduction

• TransportPi AES is a dedicated AES/EBU S/PDIF transport interface board.
• Compared with all other solutions, the first one uses a discrete 50Mbps 1-bit differential driver and dedicated femtosecond clock drivers to achieve the highest signal quality and lowest noise levels for both AES/EBU and S/PDIF outputs.
• It also integrates the well-reputed multi-stages 1-bit discrete secondary re-clockers (similar to a ReClockPi) to ensure the best possible low-jitter performance.
• TransportPi AES is so far the flagship AES/EBU and S/PDIF transport interface board for audiophiles to improve the sound quality of an external DAC to the highest possible level.
• TransportPi AES works in SYNC clock mode so it will need a FifoPiMa, FifoPiQ7, or Q3 to operate.

Highlighted Features and Specifications

• Flagship AES/EBU S/PDIF transport board with isolated AES/EBU, RCA, Toslink optical outputs, and non-isolated BNC output
• Discrete 50Mbps 1-bit differential drive to achieve the best possible AES/EBU signal quality at the lowest noise levels
• Dedicated femtosecond clock drivers for S/PDIF outputs to achieve the best possible signal quality and lowest jitter level
• Built-in the well-reputed 1-bit 3 stages discrete secondary re-clockers
• Enhanced high bandwidth power supply filtering networks
• LDO-free design to make it directly use the 3.3V ultracapacitor or battery power supply for the best power supply performance
• Could be so far the best AES/EBU and S/PDIF streamer transport interface
• Optimized PCB impedance control for the high-speed AES/EBU and S/PDIF signals
• 4 layers PCB design with dedicated shield layers to eliminate EMI noise
• Metal film ultra-low noise resistors to ensure the lowest possible noise level
• Pure sync mode works with FifoPiQ7, FifoPiMa or FifoPiQ3, or other re-clockers.
• Capable of AES/EBU and S/PDIF up to 192KHz. 384KHz is also possible for a qualified receiver
• Upgradable and swappable AES/EBU, S/PDIF transformers
• Supports MCLK frequencies from 5.6448MHz to 98.304MHz
• Supports I2S and DoP format as input

Layout and Dimensions (in mm)

Getting start

1. Make sure you FifoPi and rest of the system are configured well and working properly.
2. Install the TransportPi AES into the GPIO port of the FifoPi. Please use the 13mm standoffs to avoid any possible short circuit between PCBs.
3. Connect the MCLK from FifoPi to the J4 of TransportPi AES by the 4” supplied U.FL coaxial cable.
4. Connect an AES/EBU differential cable or S/PDIF coaxial cable (RCA or BNC) or a Toslink optical cable from the TransportPi AES output connector J6, J5, J8 or U6 to the AES/EBU or the S/PDIF input of the external DAC.
5. Turn on the power supply. Make sure POWER LED D1 is light up. Play the music files as normal. Enjoy the music.

Connectors

J6: AES/EBU XLR balanced output connector

• Impendence: 110 ohms
• Output level: 3V p-p (terminated), 6V p-p (unterminated)
• Transformer isolated

J6: RCA S/PDIF coaxial cable output connector

• Impendence: 75 ohms
• Output level: 0.8V p-p (terminated)
• Transformer isolated

J8: BNC S/PDIF coaxial cable output connector

• Impendence: 75 ohms
• Output level: 0.8V p-p (terminated)
• Direct drive non-isolated (for lower jitter)

J6: Toslink S/PDIF optical output connector

• Optical isolated

J4: External MCLK input (u.fl coaxial cable socket)

• Must connect an external MCLK signal from a FifoPi, FifoPiMa or other re-clocker using a u.fl coaxial cable.

J1, J2: 40-pin GPIO connectors

pin number| J2

40 PIN GPIO connector to the board below (Raspberry Pi, IsolatorPi I/II, FiFoPi, or similar)

| J1

Optional 40 PIN GPIO connector to HAT on top

---|---|---
1,17| 3.3V from the preceding board| 3.3V from the preceding board
2,4| 5V or 3.3V from the preceding board| 5V or 3.3V from the preceding board
6,9,14,20,

25,30,34,

39

| GND| GND
12| SCK input| SCK from the preceding board
35| LRCK/DL input| LRCK/DL PIN from the preceding board
40| DATA/DR input| DATA/DR PIN from the preceding board
All other pins| same pin from the preceding board| same pin from the preceding board

40-pin GPIO connector note: All input/output signals are LVTTL (3.3V) logic level except power and ground.

J3: Optional 3.3V DC power supply input

By default, TransportPi AES takes a 3.3V power supply from FifoPi clean side through GPIO. If you want an independent power supply for TransportPi AES, you can connect a 3.3V (100mA or higher) power supply to the 2-pin 5.0mm terminal J3. MAINTAINING CORRECT POLARITY!!! J7 jumpers must be kept open in this case. Low noise linear 3.3V power supply will be good for TransportPi AES. 3.3V ultracapacitor or LifePO4 battery power supplies are great and highly recommended.

J7: Power supply jumpers

Takes 3.3V power supply from J3

3-4

Jumper switch S2 for MCLK frequency settings

Digital Transformer sockets

• T1: Digital transformer for the AES/EBU output
• T2 : Digital transformer for the RCA output
• The default transformers are PE65652. For the possible upgrade to the sound quality, they can be replaced with the higher-grade transformers by just plugging into the sockets.

LED indicator

• D1: Power indicator, Light up to indicate that the 3.3V power supply is applied.

AES/EBU signal quality

• The eye pattern measurement of the TransportPi AES’s AES/EBU 192 KHz digital output signal after 6 feet XLR balanced cable.
• 110 ohms terminated, Bandwidth: 1GHz, Sampling rate: 8GS/s

Application examples

Compact size Ultra-low jitter Raspberry Pi AES/EBU AND S/PDIF transport

Components

1. TransportPi AES
2. FifiPi Q7 (or FifoPi Q3, or FifoPi Ma)
3. MonitorPi (optional)
4. Raspberry Pi Power supply PurePi

Connections

1. Connect the MCLK from FifoPi to J4 of TransportPi AES
2. Connect the 3.3V pure battery output from J2 of PurePi to the 3.3V clean side DC input of FifoPi

Full function Ultra-low jitter Raspberry Pi AES/EBU, S/PDIF I2S/DSD over HDMI transport

Components

1. TransportPi AES
2. HdmiPi Pro
3. FifiPi Q7 (or FifoPi Q3, or FifoPi Ma)
4. MonitorPi (optional)
5. Raspberry Pi Power supply PurePi

Connections

1. Connect the MCLK from FifoPi to J4 of TransportPi AES
2. Connect another MCLK from FifoPi to J4 of HdmiPi Pro
3. Connect the 3.3V pure battery output from J2 of PurePi to the 3.3V clean side DC input of FifoPi

Flagship AES/EBU, S/PDIF and I2S/DSD over HDMI transport

Components

1. TransportPi AES
2. HdmiPi Pro (optional)
3. FifiPi Q7 or FifoPi Q3
4. StationPi Pro
5. GEN4-ULCD-24PT Touch screen
6. Raspberry Pi
7. Amanero Combo384 or compatible-size USB streamer (optional).

Power supply

1. LinearPi 5V + UcConditioner 5V
2. LifePO4 Mini + UcConditioner 3.3V
3. Hammond 1182N6 transformer

Connections

1. Connect the MCLK from FifoPi to J4 of TransportPi AES
2. Connect another MCLK from FifoPi to J4 of the HdmiPi Pro (optional)
3. Connect the 3.3V output from UcConditioner 3.3V to the 3.3V clean side DC input of FifoPi
4. Connect the 5V output from UcConditioner 5V to the 5V input of StationPi Pro.
5. Keep both jumpers at J9 on StationPi Pro short to share 5V with the FifoPi Pi side
6. Connect the control cable from FifoPi to StationPi Pro

© 2023 IanCanada. The firmware code embedded in the TransportPi AES is the property of Ian Jin. You are granted a non-exclusive, non-transferable, non- sublicensable, royalty-free right to use the TransportPi AES board solely for your own, non-commercial purposes. You may not distribute, sell, lease, transfer, modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, prepare derivative works of, decompile, or disassemble the software provided. All rights reserved [email protected]

Documents / Resources

| IAN CANADA TransportPi AES Flagship Ultra Low Jitter AES EBU S PDIF Transport Interface [pdf] User Guide
TransportPi AES Flagship Ultra Low Jitter AES EBU S PDIF Transport Interface, TransportPi AES, Flagship Ultra Low Jitter AES EBU S PDIF Transport Interface, PDIF Transport Interface, Transport Interface, Interface
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