rune 0.5 on raspberry pi3 now with low volume only

tsawyer

I just upgraded to the new version this morning and one thing I noticed pretty quickly is it's not as loud as the 0.4 version. I am using the analog out into shelf stereo. yesterday I played something and could hear it while in a different room easily. I used to keep the sw volume at 75 and the stereo at a decent level. I pretty much could hear it in most of the house. now I have the stereo and the sw volume at full blast and it's ok for 1 room. the same songs I listened to yesterday are much lower in volume. is there a limiter or something that is pulling back the volume?

I did not add the debug output into the post. it seemed pretty long for a post and when I attempted to attach a file I got errors on all attempted file extensions

janui

Hi tsawyer,

tsawyer wrote...are much lower in volume. is there a limiter or something that is pulling back the volume?...

There is nothing built in which would reduce the volume. However, I have never tested the Pi audio out. What you can do is start up the ALSA Mixer WebUI with this url:

http://runeaudio.local:8080

You may need to do a screen refresh and modify the pull-down menu top right. This will display the current payback settings. It is also possible to modify the ALSA volume level. I am not sure that the settings are saved after a reboot, please report back if you have a problem.
You could also look at this thread for a low cost DAC which would improve your setup enormously: #68315
janui

tsawyer

hi janui

thank you for the response. you were correct with your points. I was able to pull up the alsa mixer and saw the volume level was -500. additionally changes do not survive a reboot. I was able to move it up and the sound is more of what I used to have. is there any way to make the config the default? most times I do leave the box on but now that it's hurricane season I'm expecting a power outage at least once.

on a side note, I took a quick look at the dac. I was trying to avoid that route and keep everything a low cost system. it's not my real setup and I really like the point of spending a little over 100 for everything (including the shelf stereo) gives me a system I can control anywhere in the house and hear thru most of it. that may be something to consider for the real system downstairs but for where this one is I'd really like to keep the cost on the low end

janui

Hi tsawyer,

tsawyer wrotechanges do not survive a reboot

They should, but I have also tested it and as you correctly reported, they don’t.
To set the values on each reboot you can modify the file /srv/http/command/rune_SY_wrk. Use this command:

nano /srv/http/command/rune_SY_wrk

Look for this bit of code(<ctrl>w is search):

	// turn wifi power saving off
	sysCmd('iwconfig wlan0 power off');

Then change it to this:

	// turn wifi power saving off
	sysCmd('iwconfig wlan0 power off');
	// set alsamixer PCM volume to 0db
	amixer set PCM 0

Save the file with <ctrl>o, <enter>, <ctrl>x. Reboot to activate it. I expect the volume value you need which will avoid clipping is around 0db (this is approximately 96%). Instead of the 'amixer set PCM 0' line you can also use 'amixer set PCM 96%', a value of 90% to 96% is probably the range which you should be using.
janui

PS the suggested DAC costs less than $5 including connecting cables. The difference is significant.

tsawyer

hi janui

I was away on a trip and this is the first chance I've had to play since I got back. I made the edits to the rune_SY_wrk on 2 devices and here's what I'm getting at this point on both of them

• the ui keeps saying
'RuneAudio is starting-up
The page you are looking for is temporarily unavailable
Please try again later'

• the alsa mixer does respond but defaults back to -500%

I can't confirm but it looks like the volume level would be dropped back down after I bounced them. I am able to ssh into them, should I rem out the lines I added or did I make a different mistake that would mess up the whole ui?

eea123

A "Raspberry pi B+ 2/3B HIFI DAC + Sound Card Digital Audio I2S Interface Special" direct plug-in board is $12.95 with free shipping at a certain auction site. The even cheaper boards require some soldering skills.

janui

Hi tsawyer,

tsawyer wroteshould I rem out the lines I added or did I make a different mistake that would mess up the whole ui?

Extremely sorry, I made a mistake in my last response, the new situation should look like this:

   // turn wifi power saving off
   sysCmd('iwconfig wlan0 power off');
   // set alsamixer PCM volume to 0db
   sysCmd('amixer set PCM 0');

This will also fix your start-up problem.
janui