SOtM SMS-200 Primer

[Snoopy8]

7 hours ago, scumbag said:

The Ultra and Micro Rendu's don't need high current. The LPS-1.2 that Uptone recently developed only delivers 1.1A. However, I guess you might be able to use a "Y" DC cable to run more than one device with a beefier PSU.

 

http://docs.sonore.us/ultrarendu/

POWER SPECIFCATIONS 
The Sonore ultraRendu utilizes an optional power supply capable of delivering 6-9 volts at 1 amp min (center +).  Do not exceed these power specifications or damage to the unit will occur. Damage from an unapproved power supplies will void the unit's warranty. 

 

The SMS-200 & Ultra in theory do not need high current. e.g. Ultra specs say max 2A.  However,  @Bilbo in his trials found that higher current gave better AQ.

[Guest scumbag]

4 minutes ago, Snoopy8 said:

The SMS-200 & Ultra in theory do not need high current. e.g. Ultra specs say max 2A.  However,  @Bilbo in his trials found that higher current gave better AQ.

I meant the Ultrarendu and the microrendu don't need high current. The SOTM units definitely do.

[Mike13]

For anyone who has the SMS non ultra version, I bought this stuff for $400 from the classified and I could hear more detail:

 

intona USB galvanic isolation + wyred4sound recovery USB reclocker + teradak u9 linear power supply + uptone uspcb v bus isolator

 

Makes me less inclined to buy an ultra until there is a good deal. Worth adding some of it if you don’t have it (not sure what does what but the main part might be the femto clock in the recovery unit). 

[NKMA]

@Snoopy8, Should SMS200 and the SPS500 be turned off every night or they are meant to be on all the time?  Thanks.

[Snoopy8]

20 minutes ago, Ghost12345 said:

@Snoopy8, Should SMS200 and the SPS500 be turned off every night or they are meant to be on all the time?  Thanks.

I switch mine off.   There continues to be debate on this issue, but I agree with Clay Gieseler, who has lots more expertise and experience on electronics:

 

[Guest scumbag]

Decrease in stability - 3ppm per year for 1st year then 1ppm per year after that. That is presumably 365 days, 24 hours. Not much to worry about as far as your clock chips go. 

http://www.crystek.com/crystal/spec-sheets/clock/CCHD-957.pdf

Your caps will last 10 years. Other parts may wear out faster if left on 24/7.

 

 

[Guest scumbag]

Modern clock chips have good stability over a wide operating range so switching a unit on from cold shouldn't require too long for the unit to get up to a stable temperature. So there is no major issue having a unit off for a period of time. I leave my system to cook for 30 mins after a cold start. That probably has a lot to do with the biasing on my Pass Labs amp' though as it takes a while to get to the correct temperature.

Better to switch it off, and by that I mean, disconnect from the mains when not in use. We had an electrical event earlier this year that destroyed just about everything that was connected to a GPO - including stuff that was switched off! That taught me to be cautious. My whole system gets pulled out of the mains overnight and when I'm not around. If there is a storm of any kind, I generally pull out most of the power cords at home. Paranoid I know but it took us a month to get everything back to normal - no fridge for a week in the middle of Summer.

 

Mark

[NKMA]

13 hours ago, scumbag said:

Modern clock chips have good stability over a wide operating range so switching a unit on from cold shouldn't require too long for the unit to get up to a stable temperature. So there is no major issue having a unit off for a period of time. I leave my system to cook for 30 mins after a cold start. That probably has a lot to do with the biasing on my Pass Labs amp' though as it takes a while to get to the correct temperature.

Better to switch it off, and by that I mean, disconnect from the mains when not in use. We had an electrical event earlier this year that destroyed just about everything that was connected to a GPO - including stuff that was switched off! That taught me to be cautious. My whole system gets pulled out of the mains overnight and when I'm not around. If there is a storm of any kind, I generally pull out most of the power cords at home. Paranoid I know but it took us a month to get everything back to normal - no fridge for a week in the middle of Summer.

 

Mark

 Thanks @scumbag. Better to be safe and would you recommend completely pulling off the cable from sockets or just turning the main power switch off at the wall? I don’t use a power conditioner, so will be a pain to turn the wall switch on and off on a daily basis in the night, as it’s behind the rack..

[Guest scumbag]

This is just my experience and others may disagree but the sparky told us that even if a device is switched off, if it is connected to a GPO, in certain circumstances (rare as they might be), you can still get your gear fried if it is off and still connected to a GPO.

In my case, I believe there was an electric strike up the road that caused the live or neutral and the ground to cross-over (that's the description I got so an EE or sparky can tell me if that sounds like crap!). So, in my limited understanding, that meant that the ground, (which is always connected to a device even when a GPO is in the off position) starts to conduct power and it's bye bye electronics. Our TV, PC, Modem, Fetch box, Fans, water heaters, fridges and even lights went up. I've never seen a light spitting out smoke before, quite a sight. The microwave exploded and shot out flames and the whole switch board and electrical meter had to be totally ripped out and replaced. That was hopefully a once in a lifetime experience but it's made me super cautious!

I have also read that a lightning strike (not like the one that we had, just a strike that runs through the live or neutral) will fry gear even if it is off at the wall and even if you have a power spike protector. The higher the voltage, the further a spark can jump so given the incredibly high voltage (a billion is meant to be the highest possible), a spark will simply work its way around all your protection, jump into the enclosure of your gear and find its way to ground taking your stuff with it.

 

[Eddierukiddingvarese]

High Voltage injection is what it is called, and can be caused by a variety of thing but if high voltage lines fall on LV, you can get a surge before everything blows, that can bridge / jump open contacts like turned off GPO's and fry all and sundry- mind you this sort of thing can blow switch boards of walls and cause fires too everything. So  if you going on holiday and love your gear that you own- suggest you unplug it if you are worried about this......

[Guest scumbag]

4 minutes ago, Eddierukiddingvarese said:

High Voltage injection is what it is called, and can be caused by a variety of thing but if high voltage lines fall on LV, you can get a surge before everything blows, that can bridge / jump open contacts like turned off GPO's and fry all and sundry- mind you this sort of thing can blow switch boards of walls and cause fires too everything. So  if you going on holiday and love your gear that you own- suggest you unplug it if you are worried about this......

what he said.

[Jon Snow]

Hello fellow SoTM SMS 200 users
I’m looking for help with configuring access to my library on the Eunhasu software.

I’ve had my SMS 200 working for 18 months but it stopped and I noticed that the info in library config has been removed.
The music files are on an external hard drive plugged into the sotm device. I can access the music files via my laptop.
The Eunhasu screen connects to the device but I can’t get access to the library on the next screen.

I’ve tried every possible configuration to set up the library access but it is not connecting. I don’t think I’m describing the path correctly

Can someone please let me know the correct formulation of the ‘path’ in the Library Config page.

In my case the file path in windows explorer is Eunhasu/mwdata/music/USB1/MUSIC

I’ve run out of ideas and hoping that another sotm user can describe how the path is worded eg do you show the device IP address or the router IP address or no IP address at all ?

Thank you in advance

[Snoopy8]

49 minutes ago, Jon Snow said:

Hello fellow SoTM SMS 200 users
I’m looking for help with configuring access to my library on the Eunhasu software.

I’ve had my SMS 200 working for 18 months but it stopped and I noticed that the info in library config has been removed.
The music files are on an external hard drive plugged into the sotm device. I can access the music files via my laptop.
The Eunhasu screen connects to the device but I can’t get access to the library on the next screen.

I’ve tried every possible configuration to set up the library access but it is not connecting. I don’t think I’m describing the path correctly

Can someone please let me know the correct formulation of the ‘path’ in the Library Config page.

In my case the file path in windows explorer is Eunhasu/mwdata/music/USB1/MUSIC

I’ve run out of ideas and hoping that another sotm user can describe how the path is worded eg do you show the device IP address or the router IP address or no IP address at all ?

Thank you in advance

From memory (no longer have SMS-200), the network definition is for files on a NAS, another computer.  When you put in a USB drive, it should be available to Eunhasu (automatic usb disk mount selected).  Please review this old video which are still relevant

 

 Suggest you try putting a few tracks on a usb stick and see whether it works.  If usb stick does not work, then may have a problem with usb port.  If usb stick works, then need to check usb drive cable, usb drive formatting.  Yes, usb drive is working for Windows, but it does not mean it will work for the SMS-200 which is a Linux based system. 

 

** Are you plugging to the correct usb port on the SMS-200?

Edited June 3, 2019 by Snoopy8
Added **

[Jon Snow]

Thanks for the tips Snoopy. I’ll try loading a couple of music files into a USB stick tonight.
I’m using USB port 1 (bottom one) as I always have, so am sure that port selection is correct.

I’ve studied that video many times over the last few days.
I can see that the user types an up address in the ‘Path’ field of the library config screen - see screen shot from the video.
He has it shown as //192.168.0.240/music

This confuses me. Which IP address do I use ?
I’ve tried IP address for my router , for my SMS 200 and my laptop. I’ve tried no up address.

In the guide notes on the eunhasu screen it says not to type the eunhasu IP address as this creates a recursive pathway.

Can I get your thoughts on IP address specifically ?

[Jon Snow]

Oops I meant IP address not up address...... autocorrect spelling doing its thing

[Snoopy8]

1 hour ago, Jon Snow said:

Thanks for the tips Snoopy. I’ll try loading a couple of music files into a USB stick tonight.
I’m using USB port 1 (bottom one) as I always have, so am sure that port selection is correct.

That screenshot with an IP address is for a NAS, which you can ignore.   I repeat: you do not need an IP address for a usb drive.  The important thing in the screenshot for you is enabling automount of USB. Try disabling it and save. Then enable and save to check that it is working.

 

What version of Eunhasu are you running?  Have you tried creating burning new microSD card image?  (get new microSD card from Officeworks).  What software player are you using?   The previous video was for LMS, this one for MPD.

[Jon Snow]

I’ve tried the following this evening :

1. Removing the NAS
2. Unchecking the Automatic USB Mounting box
3. Saving and then checking that box
4. Swapping the external hard drive with a USB stick loaded with only 2 music files (which are again visible in my network via windows explorer
5. Using MPD player instead of Logitech Squeeze player ( my usual software)

all to no avail.

I’ve taken your advice and upgraded Eunhasu from V0.4.14 to V0.4.17.
This upgrade may take a while , so I’ll post tomorrow as to how I get on.

Thanks for all your help Snoopy.

[Jon Snow]

Ok Eunhasu upgrade completed and still no go.
I did a kernel check and reboot also.

Looks like the last option is firmware update to the sotm device.

I’ll get the SD card tomorrow and give it a go.
Do you know the file size ? It says large on the link. Will a 8GB SD card do the trick ?

Cheers again

[Jon Snow]

Is there a way to tell if an Eunhasu upgrade is effective ?
I upgraded from V 0.4.17 to 18 but it stalled at 90% download and when I rebooted it prompted me to upgrade to V 0.4.19. I did this because but it stalled again , I rebooted and so on an so until V 0.4.22 which like every upgrade before stalled and had to be rebooted.
I think I will have to contact SoTM to get back to V 0.4.17.

In the meantime , I will try upgrading the firmware of the sotm device. I hope this is not an incremental process.

Oh the joys! Plug and play it certainly is not

[Snoopy8]

You should be using image burn, much faster. Ideally use a spare microSD card

http://docs.sotm-audio.com/doku.php?id=en:eunhasu:burn_sdcard_image

It has a link to 4.22

[Jon Snow]

Hi Snoopy
I’ve hit another snag. The upgrade img file is 7GB which exceeds the max file size for FAT32.
I’ve tried reformatting the SD card to ExFat but for some reason this reduces the available space to 6.GB. I’m using a 16 GB SD card.
I’ve downloaded SD Formatter (the recommended utility to reformat SD cards for maximum file size efficiency) but it only formats to FAT 32.
Catch 22 !!!

Do you know if SoTM accepts NTCS formatted SD cards ?

There must be a way through this.
Just not easy the first time!!

Thanks again.

[omara31]

Seeking some advise please regarding USB source on SOTM.  I currently have the SOTM sms-200 with S Booster power supply.  I use Roon and my music library is on a 2 TB Samsung SSD attached to new I7 core Mac Mini (Roon Core).  From there the music file travels via router & Ethernet into another room where a SOTM Cat 7 audiophile Ethernet cable takes over and feeds into sMs-200.  I’m upgrading to a Curious USB cable and also considering the Curious USB storage to PC cable made for USB 3 (Mac Mini).

 

My question to SMS-200 experts is : is it worth considering usIng the USB on the back on the SMS for the music library , especially with an Curious USB storage cable? 

 

 It is hard to A/B because the Curious storage cable will not work on both devices.  Any thoughts please on sonic pros & cons of the direct music library (using Roon) into back of SMS-200 over a network connection.  I shifted from NAS storage to SSD when I upgraded my Mac Mini (Room lightning fast now)

[Snoopy8]

 to the forum

1 hour ago, omara31 said:

My question to SMS-200 experts is : is it worth considering usIng the USB on the back on the SMS for the music library , especially with an Curious USB storage cable? 

 

 It is hard to A/B because the Curious storage cable will not work on both devices.  Any thoughts please on sonic pros & cons of the direct music library (using Roon) into back of SMS-200 over a network connection.  I shifted from NAS storage to SSD when I upgraded my Mac Mini (Room lightning fast now)

 Adding the storage to the SMS-200 creates additional load and likely additional noise.  As well, your path for the music will be more convoluted:

Music Library -> SMS-200 -> Mac Mini (Roon Core) -> SMS-200 (Roon End Point) -> DAC

 

I suspect that adding storage to the SMS-200 will lead to a deterioration in sound quality and do not recommend it.

[omara31]

Ah! Yes of course, thanks Snoop.   I was hoping you would respond.  Now I recall I did ask that question when I purchased the SMS-200 and got the same answer - makes sense.  

 

Thanks.

[Guest gnnett]

On ‎5‎/‎06‎/‎2019 at 8:10 PM, Snoopy8 said:

You should be using image burn, much faster. Ideally use a spare microSD card

http://docs.sotm-audio.com/doku.php?id=en:eunhasu:burn_sdcard_image

It has a link to 4.22

 

On ‎7‎/‎06‎/‎2019 at 2:13 PM, Jon Snow said:

Hi Snoopy
I’ve hit another snag. The upgrade img file is 7GB which exceeds the max file size for FAT32.
I’ve tried reformatting the SD card to ExFat but for some reason this reduces the available space to 6.GB. I’m using a 16 GB SD card.
I’ve downloaded SD Formatter (the recommended utility to reformat SD cards for maximum file size efficiency) but it only formats to FAT 32.
Catch 22 !!!

Do you know if SoTM accepts NTCS formatted SD cards ?

There must be a way through this.
Just not easy the first time!!

Thanks again.

Hi Jon

 

Just wondering if you were able to do this successfully?

 

I am having a crack at the download thing, but have an sD slot on my computer so will not be using a usb drive and not sure if the "run image usb" thing is required, or will work.

 

It is taking ages to download the 6GB file so figure I am a few hours away from finding out if it is required.

 

Cheers

 

Grant