JayShoe's Pro Audio Boards Bring High-Grade Audio Inputs and Outputs to the Teensy 4 Family
With a two-channel DAC or a four-channel ADC, Jay Shoemaker's add-ons offer quality audio for the Teensy 4 and Teensy 4.1.
Musical technologist Jay Shoemaker has launched a crowdfunding campaign for the JayShoe Pro Audio Series, digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converter (DAC and ADC) add-ons for the Teensy 4 microcontroller family designed to offer pro-quality audio interfaces.
"When setting out to create a pro-audio device using the Teensy Audio Library, I found that existing audio shields using cheap audio codec chips didn't have quite the right specs in terms of features, quality, and layout," Shoemaker explains. "After years of experimentation, I determined that I needed higher quality audio boards that were flexible enough for my project builds. The result is a pair of modules that feature impressive DAC and ADC processing capabilities. The modules were developed to allow for flexible, high performance, and robust audio inputs and outputs for interfacing pro audio equipment with the audio DSP processing capabilities of the Teensy 4 and Teensy 4.1."
The range is comprised of two boards. The first, JayShoe's Pro Audio DAC, offers high-quality stereo balanced and single-ended outputs from a Texas Instruments PCM5242 capable of driving 2.1 VRMS at a 114dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Bundled output boards offer two XLR or RCA outputs ready for panel mounting. The boards are stackable, Shoemaker promises, for projects where two audio channels aren't enough.
The second board, JayShoe's Pro Audio ADC, does the opposite: Based on the TI TLV320ADC5140 ADC, the board adds four balanced or single-ended inputs to a Teensy 4 or 4.1. Each input can be configured as 2.5kΩ, 10kΩ, and 20kΩ impedance, while an analog pre-amp offers up to 42dB of analog gain on top of 27dB of digital gain. The same board can also be used to drive up to eight digital PDM microphones - and, again, the boards are stackable.
"The initial prototypes have been designed and thoroughly tested," Shoemaker claims. "Besides some small modifications for manufacturability, they are working and ready to go. Our goal is to offer a high quality product that is ready to be incorporated into your project with minimal hassle. Our drivers are thoroughly documented and tested. Manufacturing will be done in the same way we've manufactured all of our prototypes."
The project is now available to back on Kickstarter, with rewards starting at $55 for a Pro Audio DAC or Pro Audio ADC, both including dual XLR and RCA input/output boards. Delivery is expected to take place in March this year.