TOPIC:

Have bought a nanoDIGI and loaded required configurations into 'Config3' and 'Config4' of the 2x8 nanoDIGI Plug-in.

Now trying to upload these with the nanoDIGI - but am not able to achieve a successful Synchronisation.

So I'd be grateful for some suggestions as to how to solve this problem.

I get this error msg:
"Connecting to the system.
Cannot connect to the system. Ist time retry - then 2nd time - then 3rd time retry."
Then "Cannot connect to the DSP, please plug in the board".

Board is plugged into the computer and the blue (power) LED is on.

I noticed that the little window you get, which normally says that the board is connected, flashes up momentarily on the screen ... and then disappears??

As per the instruction on p15 of the User Manual (Item #5 - cannot connect to the board), I have:
1. Reset the board by powercycling the unit, and
2. Confirmed the unit is seen in the Device Manager as a HID device.


Thanks,
Andy

Is this a computer you've used to communicate with other miniDSP devices.......like your 10x10 unit???

Try using the firmware upgrade communication utility to see if you can establish communication that way.

Dave.

dreite wrote:

Is this a computer you've used to communicate with other miniDSP devices.......like your 10x10 unit???

Try using the firmware upgrade communication utility to see if you can establish communication that way.

Dave.

Thanks, Dave - the same PC.

I'll try the firmware upgrade communication utility (if I can figure out how to use it. ).

Andy

Are you using the same USB port on that computer?

Restore, Upgrade Firmware, and the little DSP4YOU utility should pop up.
You might have communication already or you might have to activate boot-loader mode. (However, it would be very unusual to need a manual activation of the boot-loader mode with the nanoDIGI.)

You might also try changing your USB cable. The fact it shows up in Windows Device Manager seems to indicate the cable is probably okay, but you never know.

Dave.

dreite wrote:

Are you using the same USB port on that computer?

Dave.

I think so.

dreite wrote:

You might also try changing your USB cable. The fact it shows up in Windows Device Manager seems to indicate the cable is probably okay, but you never know.

Using a different cable ... it worked! Yay!

Thanks for that suggestion, Dave.

Andy

Put the old cable back and confirm it still doesn't work. If so, then toss that cable in the shit can.

Electronics is weird sometime and you can find yourself off on a tangent.

Dave.

dreite wrote:

Put the old cable back and confirm it still doesn't work. If so, then toss that cable in the shit can.

Dave.

Good suggestion, Dave - will do.

Anyway, the nanoDIGI is now installed in place of my 10x10HD - together with 4x Topping E30s - and is sounding great!

Andy

How are you controlling volume with that setup??

Dave.

dreite wrote:

How are you controlling volume with that setup??

Dave.

The same as I did with the 10x10HD, Dave.

Volume is at maximum running through the miniDSP unit - then the 8 analogue outputs go into a digitally-controlled, 8-channel analogue volume control (the 'Relaixed' kit, from Holland) ... which is followed by a tube buffer on the 4 mid/ribbon channels (all inside the case).

In the below pic, you can see this 'Relaixed/TLP' case on top of a short stand ...with the 4x E30s underneath, on the left, and the nanoDIGI sitting on top of a 'power distribution case', on the right. (The 'power distribution case' takes a 5v Sbooster input, then distributes this to 4 umbilicals which power the 4x E30s. There's a 2200uF cap across each umbilical.)

On the left of the short stand are a 5v Sbooster sitting on top of a 12v Sbooster; on the right of the stand are a 96kHz A2D converter (for my phono stage) plus a 4-way digital source selector. The 12v Sbooster powers these and the nanoDIGI.

Andy

How do you ensure you don't have clipping in the gain structure upstream of your volume control?

Dave.

dreite wrote:

How do you ensure you don't have clipping in the gain structure upstream of your volume control?

Dave.

Yes, good question, Dave.

I believe I can do this by looking at the distortion graph in REW.

A mate (who knows more about REW than I do) came over a few months ago and took some readings - and pointed out that I had a high distortion level below 100Hz.

I later realised that this must've been due to the bass-boost EQ I had set up, below 100Hz. So I used the Digital input screen on the 2x8 Plug-in to set the input signal level to -6dB. Then I did an REW sweep and found that the below-100Hz distortion level had decreased so that it was no higher below 100Hz than anywhere else.

Which said to me that, before I reduced the input signal level by 6dB, I was clipping at LFs. Reducing the input signal by 6dB stopped this clipping from occurring.

So - whilst the new setup sounds great - I will do an REW sweep in the not-too-distant future and examine the distortion graphs.

Andy

Yeah, if you're going to run everything with no attenuation in your source then (theoretically) any boost above 0dbFS in your DSP could cause clipping. You could also experience "clipping" via intersample overs in your program material.
You can monitor by watching the peak indicators on your nanoDIGI GUI. You don't need acoustic measurements via REW to see this.

Example: If you have some sort of boost of +6db programmed in your DSP, then you could attenuate your source level -6db to prevent clipping. However, music is weighted towards the midrange, so if this 6db boost is at the bottom (or top) of the frequency range you might not encounter a problem with normal music playback conditions.

A preferable setup is to utilize a good digital volume control in your source. That would allow you set aside your 8-channel volume control completely. But, I gather, you're one of those people that abhors digital volume controls????

Dave.

dreite wrote:

You can monitor by watching the peak indicators on your nanoDIGI GUI. You don't need acoustic measurements via REW to see this.

Dave.

Aah, OK - I will try this (when I get around to technically investigating what I've done ... rather than just enjoying the sound as I'm doing atm).

Thanks.

dreite wrote:

Example: If you have some sort of boost of +6db programmed in your DSP, then you could attenuate your source level -6db to prevent clipping. However, music is weighted towards the midrange, so if this 6db boost is at the bottom (or top) of the frequency range you might not encounter a problem with normal music playback conditions.

The REW distortion graphs should tell me this?

dreite wrote:

A preferable setup is to utilize a good digital volume control in your source. That would allow you set aside your 8-channel volume control completely. But, I gather, you're one of those people that abhors digital volume controls????

Haha - yes, that was the reason I went down the path I did. But now I'm realising that I was misinformed - however, having built the box and spent the money ... I will probably keep on using it.

Andy

REW test signals are quite different than music, and weighted completely differently.
Regardless, if you monitor the nanoDIGI indicators during either test sweeps in REW or playing music normally, you should have a visual indication of clipping or levels approaching clipping.

Dave.

dreite wrote:

REW test signals are quite different than music, and weighted completely differently.
Regardless, if you monitor the nanoDIGI indicators during either test sweeps in REW or playing music normally, you should have a visual indication of clipping or levels approaching clipping.

Dave.

Thanks, Dave - I will watch the nanoDIGI indicators soon, whilst listening to the radio.

I presume you are referring to the Output Monitors?

Andy