Louder-ESP32 combines ubiquitous ESP32 with an I2S DAC with built-in D-class amplifier capable of driving full-size speakers. This combination provides your compact ESP32 module with the necessary memory and RAM capabilities to develop Hi-Fi products.
Remark: 3D printed case is not included.
I spent the last few years developing different solutions based on ESP devices. It all started with ESP8266, where CPU power is not really sufficient to do real-time decoding, so you're limited to a rather simple ding-dong business. Then ESP32 came, bringing two much more capable cores, so you have a powerhouse to handle communication and decoding at the same time. Perhaps most importantly it also came with SPIRAM, so you can do decent buffering (essential for streamed content). Now new ESP32 C-Series and S-Series chips are entering the market, and their potential is mostly unrealized as of today.
I created ESP32 Audio docks and subsequently development boards, to be able to quickly prototype for the whole range of ESP8266 and ESP32 chips, starting with the simplest finger-sized toys and going all the way up to full-sized speakers.
Recently I went a rabbit hole of Home Assistant integrations and discovered different ways ESP32 with a decent DAC can be integrated into complex Home setups.
HiFi-ESP32 | Loud-ESP32 (coming soon) | Louder-ESP32 | |
---|---|---|---|
Work in progress, coming soon... | |||
MCU | ESP32-WROVER-N16R8 | ESP32-WROVER-N16R8 | ESP32-WROVER-N16R8 |
DAC | PCM5100A 32bit Stereo DAC -100 dB typical noise level | Dual I2S DAC (MAX98357) with built-in D-Class amp | Stereo I2S DAC (TAS5805M) with built-in D-Class amp |
Output (4Ω) | Non-amplified stereo output, 2.1V RMS | 2x 5W | 2x 32W (4Ω, 1% THD+N) |
Output (8Ω) | Non-amplified stereo output | 2x 3W | 2x 22W (8Ω, 1% THD+N) |
PSRAM | 8MB PSRAM (4MB usable) over 40MHz SPI | 8MB PSRAM (4MB usable) over 40MHz SPI | 8MB PSRAM (4MB usable) over 40MHz SPI |
Power | 5V over USB-C, 2x LP5907 3.3 V Ultra-Low-Noise LDO for analog section | 5V (up to 2.5A) from USB-C | Up to 26V from external PSU 5V over USB-C with power limited to 2x5W |
Connectivity | WiFi + BT4.2 + BLE W5500 Ethernet (optional module) | WiFi + BT4.2 + BLE W5500 Ethernet (optional module) | WiFi + BT4.2 + BLE W5500 Ethernet (optional module) |
Audio streaming requires proper buffering to work, even with ESP32 500K of RAM it is a challenging task. For that reason, most of the projects will require WROVER modules that have onboard PSRAM chips. All ESP32 Audio boards have an 8MB PSRAM chip onboard, connected via a high-speed interface. Any code using PSRAM with just work out-of-the box.
I2S CLK | I2S DATA | I2S WS | PSRAM RESERVED | |
---|---|---|---|---|
ESP32 | 26 | 22 | 25 | 16, 17 |
ESP32-S3 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 35, 36, 37 |
SPI CLK | SPI MOSI | SPI MISO | SPI CS | SPI HOST/SPEED | ETH INT | ETH RST | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ESP32 | 18 | 23 | 19 | 05 | 2/20MHz | 35 | 14 |
ESP32-S3 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 10 | SPI2/20MHz | 6 | 5 |
IR IN | RGB OUT | OLED SPI HOST/SPEED | OLED SPI CLK | OLED SPI MOSI | OLED SPI MISO | OLED SPI CS | OLED SPI DC | OLED RST | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ESP32 | 39 | 12 | 2/20MHz | 18 | 23 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 32 |
ESP32-S3 | 7 | 9 | SPI2/20MHz | 12 | 11 | 13 | 39 | (37) | 38 |
In the software section two firmware examples are provided.
All samples are provided as Plarformio IDE projects. After installing it, open the sample project. Select the proper environment based on your dock. Run the Build
and Upload
commands to install necessary tools and libraries, and build and upload the project to the board. Communication and proper upload method selection will be handled by IDE automatically.
Follow the ESP8266Audio library guide. Default settings will work out of the box with ESP8266 and ESP32 boards. For ESP32C3 and ESP32S2 board please adjust the pinout according to the above section
Being an ESP32-based device, you can easily integrate it into your Home Assistant using ESPHome. Please find details instructions in the linked repo
Squeezelite-ESP32 is a multimedia software suite, that started as a renderer (or player) of LMS (Logitech Media Server). Now it is extended with
And LMS itself
All ESP32-based boards are tested with Squeezelite-ESP32 software, which can be flashed using nothing but a web browser. You can use Squeezelite-ESP32 installer for that purpose. more details and setup instructions can be found here
Hardware
Please visit the hardware section for board schematics and PCB designs. Note that PCBs are shared as multi-layer PDFs.
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Every board has a header that allows soldering in the W5500 SPI Ethernet module that is very easy to find. The only downside is that with the module installed board will not fit the case unless it is cut to accommodate extra height.
HiFi-ESP32(S3), Loud-ESP32(S3) and Louder-ESP32(S3) are mechanically compatible with Raspberry Pi 3/4 cases, tested with transparent ones. Also, community members created a few 3-D printable designs that can be found here and here