Bridge II 3.6.86 is ready for updating

I do not keep the Ethernet cable connected. But my volume issue is thus far solved. If it wasn’t solved, I’d try connecting the Ethernet cable to see if that fixes the volume issue.

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Yes, I do. Otherwise, the 50 volume kick in like crazy.

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Yes, but I don’t know how that might interact with the volume resetting issue (I think it would fix it, but I don’t run a bridge so I don’t know for sure.) The bridge is the only daughter card:


If you do take it out and change your mind, be very careful to put it back correctly - there is no keying, it’s easy to get wrong and if you get it wrong you can destroy the DSJ and the card.

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Before you remove the Bridge card I would corner mark the board for direct orientation as well as photograph it installed correctly.

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Many thanks for you thoughts and help @tedsmith.

I will think about it.
If I remove it, does the master FW (Snowmass or new one that you release) make any check? Or is very straight forward: simply the extra card is not there to be seen by the FW.
You already said that you don’t use it, but I’ll ask specifically: apart from the physical handling (and any error putting it back in), and if just the USB input is used, do you advise to remove the bridge for DSj better performance (on top of the volume bug)?

Thanks

I wouldn’t say that I advise removing the Bridge card. It’s an option for the people that are comfortable with “modding” equipment. If someone messes up, it’s can be expensive to fix (sometimes nothing bad happens, it depends on which of the many mistakes could be made.)

If the card isn’t there the FPGA doesn’t care, the control processor just doesn’t get commands from the bridge which is essentially benign. But without the bridge not all of the menu’s can be gotten to, e.g. the pages beyond the bridge setup. That used to be the version screen :slight_smile: I don’t know if that’s changed.

Certainly with the next release and probably with Snowmass if the Ethernet cable isn’t connected the worst of the interference from the bridge doesn’t happen.

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Fair enough.

That was always what I did. But with this update, at least for now, ins’t enough.

Thanks

@soundfever. I couldn’t get the DS Jr to see it from the front panel, but after reading a number of posts on this thread I installed MConnect-Control on my phone and was able to easily upgrade the DS Jr with Bridge 3.6.86. That was easy once you know how. :slightly_smiling_face:

I removed the Bridge from my DSjr. It naturally solves the 50 problem, all the menu options are functional as before. The temperature may have gone down a bit, hard to say because my device sits on top shelf in a cool room.

The sound quality? This one is interesting. I would say if you never intend to use the Bridge or resell your dac and you know what you are doing, go ahead.

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Many thanks @Finin for your feedback.

Today, I’ll give that a go.

How to easily remove the top cover?

Remove the four darker, long screws at the bottom. The shiny top comes off.
There’s another lid under the shiny top, remove all the screws in it. Turn the dac over once more to drop that lid off.

You may have to use a little force when removing the Bridge, not much. Store it in an anti static bag.

It will be very interesting to read comments afterwards.

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Many thanks @Finin

I’ll keep you all posted.

Maybe it will become the ultimate DSj! Who knows… :slight_smile:

No idea why you want to remove it. The bug can be fixed.

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I agree that the bug should be fixed.

But I need to listen to music, and doesn’t make sense to keep the ethernet cable if I only use USB, while PS Audio is trying to give us a patch (hopefully).

But if, with the Bridge removal:

  • Operating temperature decreases
  • If, by any means, the DSj noise floor is reduced (@tedsmith is it plausible?)
  • No more interaction (bugs) between Bridge code and control processor
  • No more volume bug issues with/without ethernet cable (now or in the future)
  • If the “noise” is reduce, and by that you can extract a little more info from the read format
  • And after reading things @tedsmith wrote like:
    • If the card isn’t there the FPGA doesn’t care, the control processor just doesn’t get commands from the bridge which is essentially benign
    • worst of the interference from the bridge
    • The bridge is the single biggest user of current in the DS Jr
  • And knowing that the Bridge wasn’t incorporated in the initial design of the genius (AKA @tedsmith ), and is something for the market trends, as some kind of trade off (nothing against, and I totally understand)

By all this, I guess is well worth it.

Just my 2cents.

But hey, I’m not saying that anyone should do it. :blush:

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Maybe just humming the tunes simplifies things the most.

I think the outcome was a reduction in noise floor.

Very interesting. :slight_smile:

Hopefully this weekend I will do more tests.

I had the drop to 50% volume thing happen to me twice today. I know what I did in each case before it happened. The first time it happened I had just disconnected everything from my switch, and then plugged everything into a new switch. The first song I played on the DSD Sr. (and not even over the bridge 2 card) the volume was at 50%.

The second time it happened I had just pulled the Ethernet cable for the Bridge 2 out of the switch and hooked a Gigafoil in-line to the Bridge 2. Once again the volume of the DSD Sr. dropped to 50%.

Perhaps momentary lapses in Ethernet connectivity is a problem?
Just a thought.

That is exactly what happens. No matter what changes you do upstream ethernet,volume starts to misbehave.
I took bridge2 card out,again.

I just added a borrowed one to mine last week, and the one I bought here just arrived. Hmmmmm.