pi-multifx-pedal/docs/config-audio.md

Audio Configuration — PCM1808+PCM5102 I2S HAT

HAT: Custom PCM1808 ADC + PCM5102 DAC I2S audio HAT
RPi: 4B, Raspberry Pi OS (Bookworm, 64-bit)
Kernel: rpi-6.6.y (upstream Raspberry Pi kernel)
Last updated: 2026-06-07

---

Device Tree Overlay

The PCM1808 ADC has no upstream overlay in the rpi-6.6.y kernel tree. A custom overlay is provided at:

hardware/pcm1808-pcm5102-overlay.dts

Build & Install

# Install device-tree-compiler if not present
sudo apt-get install device-tree-compiler

# Compile overlay
dtc -@ -I dts -O dtb -o pcm1808-pcm5102-overlay.dtbo \
    hardware/pcm1808-pcm5102-overlay.dts

# Copy to boot overlays directory
sudo cp pcm1808-pcm5102-overlay.dtbo /boot/firmware/overlays/
# On older Pi OS: /boot/overlays/

This compiles to /boot/firmware/overlays/pcm1808-pcm5102-overlay.dtbo.

Enable Overlay

Edit /boot/firmware/config.txt (or /boot/config.txt on older installs):

# ── Custom I2S HAT: PCM1808 ADC + PCM5102 DAC ─────────
dtoverlay=pcm1808-pcm5102-overlay

# Disable onboard audio to free I2S pins
dtparam=audio=off

# Optional: force I2S pins if overlay doesn't set them
# dtparam=i2s=on

Verify Overlay Loads

# Check overlay is loaded
dmesg | grep -i "pcm1808\|pcm5102\|i2s"

# Check ALSA sees both devices
aplay -l
arecord -l

# Expected output for playback:
#   card 0: pcm1808pcm5102hat [pcm1808-pcm5102-hat], device 0: ... []
#   Subdevices: 1/1

# Expected output for capture:
#   card 0: pcm1808pcm5102hat [pcm1808-pcm5102-hat], device 0: ... []
#   Subdevices: 1/1

# Check /proc device tree
cat /proc/device-tree/sound/name  # should show "pcm1808-pcm5102-hat"

---

ALSA Configuration

Default Card Setup

Create /etc/asound.conf (system-wide) or ~/.asoundrc (per-user):

# ── PCM1808+PCM5102 I2S HAT ─────────────────────────

# Default playback device
pcm.!default {
    type asym
    playback.pcm {
        type hw
        card 0
        device 0
    }
    capture.pcm {
        type hw
        card 0
        device 0
    }
}

# Hardware device aliases
pcm.i2s_playback {
    type hw
    card 0
    device 0
}

pcm.i2s_capture {
    type hw
    card 0
    device 0
}

# Software volume control (PCM1808/PCM5102 have no HW volume)
pcm.softvol_playback {
    type softvol
    slave.pcm "i2s_playback"
    control {
        name "Master Playback Volume"
        card 0
    }
    min_dB -50.0
    max_dB 0.0
}

# 48kHz upsampler for 44.1kHz sources (like YouTube/Spotify)
pcm.rate_convert {
    type plug
    slave {
        pcm "softvol_playback"
        rate 48000
        format S24_3LE
        channels 2
    }
}

# Default: use rate conversion + softvol
pcm.!default {
    type plug
    slave.pcm "rate_convert"
}

# Control device
ctl.!default {
    type hw
    card 0
}

Test Audio

# --- Playback test ---
# Sine wave at 440Hz (A4)
speaker-test -t sine -f 440 -l 1 -c 2

# Play a WAV file
aplay /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav

# --- Capture test ---
# Record 3 seconds from ADC
arecord -d 3 -f cd -t wav test_record.wav

# Play back the recording
aplay test_record.wav

# --- Full loopback test ---
# Play tone while recording (connect DAC output to ADC input)
# Check latency: <10ms at 48kHz/128 frames
arecord -d 5 -f S24_3LE -r 48000 -c 2 loopback_test.wav &
speaker-test -t sine -f 440 -l 2
wait
aplay loopback_test.wav

---

JACK Audio Configuration

The pedal DSP runs under JACK. The existing JACK config in main.py uses hw:1,0 (USB). Swap to hw:0,0 for I2S:

JACK Start

# Kill PulseAudio (conflicts with JACK on RPi)
pulseaudio --kill

# Start JACK at 48kHz/128 frames (recommended target: ~5.3ms buffer)
jackd -R -d alsa \
  -d hw:0,0 \
  -r 48000 \
  -p 128 \
  -n 3

# For low-latency mode (risky, check xruns):
jackd -R -d alsa -d hw:0,0 -r 48000 -p 64 -n 2

Update main.py Config

In /home/oplabs/projects/pi-multifx-pedal/main.py, change:

# FROM (USB Audio):
# config = {
#     "input_device": "hw:1,0",
#     "output_device": "hw:1,0",
# }

# TO (I2S HAT):
config = {
    "input_device": "hw:0,0",       # PCM1808 ADC
    "output_device": "hw:0,0",      # PCM5102 DAC
    "sample_rate": 48000,
    "period_size": 128,              # 2.6ms buffer
    "num_periods": 3,                # triple-buffered
}

---

Integration with NAM DSP

The I2S HAT uses the same block size as the NAM DSP engine (256 samples):

Parameter	Value	Note
Sample rate	48,000 Hz	Both JACK and NAM
Block size	256 frames	NAM internal block
JACK period	128 frames	2 × periods per block
Round-trip (target)	<8ms	128fr × 2 + codec delay + DSP

At 48kHz/128 frames × 3 periods = ~8ms round-trip, well within the 10ms target for NAM DSP. The 256-sample NAM block fits exactly into 2 JACK periods.

---

Troubleshooting

No card 0 detected

# Check if I2S is enabled in pin controller
dmesg | grep -i i2s

# Check loaded overlays
vcgencmd get_config dtov
# Should show: pcm1808-pcm5102-overlay

# Rebuild overlay if kernel was updated
sudo dtc -@ -I dts -O dtb -o /boot/firmware/overlays/pcm1808-pcm5102-overlay.dtbo \
    /home/oplabs/projects/pi-multifx-pedal/hardware/pcm1808-pcm5102-overlay.dts

No capture device

PCM1808 has no upstream overlay — the custom overlay provides the pcm1808 codec binding. If capture isn't showing:

# Verify the overlay node compiled
dtc -I dtb -O dts /boot/firmware/overlays/pcm1808-pcm5102-overlay.dtbo | grep -i pcm1808

# Check I2S pin muxing is correct
raspi-gpio get 18 19 20 21
# Expect: GPIO 18: level=0 func=ALT5 (I2S BCLK)
#          GPIO 19: level=0 func=ALT5 (I2S LRCLK)
#          GPIO 20: level=0 func=ALT5 (I2S DIN)
#          GPIO 21: level=0 func=ALT5 (I2S DOUT)

PCM5102 hiss

• Add 330Ω + 10µF RC filter on DAC output (R5, C10 in BOM)
• Ensure XSMT (pin 17) is pulled to 3.3V, not floating
• Check 3.3V rail noise with oscilloscope (<50mV ripple at audio frequencies)

JACK xruns

• Increase period size: -p 256 (5.3ms, safer)
• Increase num periods: -n 3 (triple buffer)
• Isolate RPi 4B from USB power noise
• Check cat /proc/asound/card0/pcm0p/sub0/status for xrun count

---

Pinout Reference

Signal	BCM GPIO	Physical Pin	ALT Function	Direction
BCLK	GPIO18	Pin 12	ALT5 (I2S)	RPi → HAT
LRCLK	GPIO19	Pin 35	ALT5 (I2S)	RPi → HAT
DIN	GPIO20	Pin 38	ALT5 (I2S)	HAT → RPi
DOUT	GPIO21	Pin 40	ALT5 (I2S)	RPi → HAT
3.3V	—	Pins 1, 17	Power	RPi → HAT
5V	—	Pins 2, 4	Power	RPi → HAT
GND	—	Pins 6, 9, 14, 25, 30, 34, 39	Ground	—

The I2S HAT uses a stacking header (2×20 female socket) to pass through all 40 GPIO pins so footswitches, LEDs, and display are accessible from the top of the HAT.