VS1005 4-channel HiRes Recorder

[Henrik]

Dear Forum Members,

for quite some time there has existed a need to overhaul the HiRes Recorder.

The existing HiRes Recorder has a few issues:
1) It is large, barely fitting in VS1005's memory, so there is no room for expansion.
2) Updating the LCD is time-critical: update too much at a time, and recording may get interrupted.
3) There is no tool chain for creating custom grraphics.

This is about to change. This message is the first of several that we are going to release before end of December 2020. The HiRes Recorder has been split into three, separate parts:
- A HiRes Recorder Server HRServer.dl3.
- A HiRes Playback Server HPServer.dl3.
- A Text-Based User Interface Client HRTxtCln.dl3.

Together these can be used to implement a HiRes Recorder with playback functionality. During the next few weeks, we will release another example client, this time with graphics, and a tool chain that can be used to create custom graphics.

I hope this new model is useful for everyone intending to create new, exciting user interfaces using the HiRes Recorder framework.

Kind regards,
- Henrik

[Arkantium]

Good morning,

We are doing some tests with your MK2 BreakBoard using the HiResRec, and everything is working fine using de UART cable connected to our laptop, but, for our particular project we would need to use it without any keyboard, serial monitor or display.

Is it possible to use this commands, for instance, with switches, jumpers connected to some pins, or even buttons?
If that would not be possible, could that be used with delays? I mean, start recording when power on and record audios in blocks of certain time?

We are not software experts so, we would apreciate any help, template or piece of code to start with.

Many thanks,

Kind regards.

[Hannu]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Automatic start: hiresrec +p

There is already GPIO control and it is one define USE_DEVBOARD_KEYS to change to enable or disable. Those pins are GPIO0_0:3. A button which pulls pin high would be best, because those pins set also selects boot config. Dev board schematics: https://www.vlsi.fi/fileadmin/evaluatio ... 18-sch.pdf

The buttons are:
PLAYBACK GPIO0_0 / S1
PAUSE GPIO0_1 / S2
STOP GPIO0_2 / S3
RECORD GPIO0_3 /S4

[Arkantium]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Automatic start: hiresrec +p

There is already GPIO control and it is one define USE_DEVBOARD_KEYS to change to enable or disable. Those pins are GPIO0_0:3. A button which pulls pin high would be best, because those pins set also selects boot config. Dev board schematics: https://www.vlsi.fi/fileadmin/evaluatio ... 18-sch.pdf

The buttons are:
PLAYBACK GPIO0_0 / S1
PAUSE GPIO0_1 / S2
STOP GPIO0_2 / S3
RECORD GPIO0_3 /S4

Good morning Hannu, and thanks a lot for your answer, it helped a lot.
We realized that HiResRec only can record .wav files, and they are too heavy for our prototype, so we are trying to use the "Rec" solution, which is letting us to choose the file type as .mp3 or .ogg, which are enough quality for our purpose.

But we have some new problems here:

1) When maximum size file is limited or "n" case is pressed, it stops recording and prepare a new file incrementing the number of file, but it never continues recording, and, if the sistem is restarted, it starts as "0" again.
Here you are the text that appears in PuTTy:

Hello.
VSOS 3.63 build Mar 18 2021 14:14:50
VLSI Solution Oy 2012-2021 - www.vlsi.fi

Starting the kernel..
Starting Devices...
Internal Flash

Installed system devices:
S: 896K SPI Flash c213, handled by FAT.
Load drivers, config 0...
Driver: UARTIN...
Driver: RUN... SetClock -l 87 86
Driver: AUODAC...
Driver: AUIADC... Input 0x0440 Rate 48000
Driver: RUN... AuOutput -s4096
Driver: RUN... AuInput -s4096
Driver: AUXPLAY... E'AUXPLAY not found'
not loaded
Driver: SDSDMN23... D: SD + VS23S040

Driver: Rec... Recording Ogg Vorbis: 48000 Hz stereo at quality 7
~050a'D:REC000.ogg
~030a=1
~030a=2
~030a=3
~030a=4
~030a=5
~030a=6
~030a=7
~030a=8
~050a'D:REC001.ogg

As you can see, it starts as REC000 and then stops, generate a name REC001 but never continues. Could you guide us to make it work please?

2) Is there any way to make it work using the pins as you told us for the HiResRec?

Many thanks

Kind regards.

[Henrik]

Hello Arkantium!

I have prepared an answer for you. However, as the answer is regarding the program Rec and not the HiRes Recorder, I have made a new thread for the discussion. It is available here:
viewtopic.php?f=13&p=15361

Kind regards,
- Henrik

[DavidMc]

[*]Tested SD cards up to 256 GB (was up to 64 GB).

Also mentioned here:

Of the SD and microSD cards tested by VLSI, Transcends, Lexars and Sandisks in the 8 - 256 GB range

(empahsis mine)

Are there plans to support capacity greater than 256GB SD Cards? We need to start thinking about adding support for larger capacity because customers are soon going to be approaching our products with a 512GB card, but find that they have to order another, lower capacity SD card specifically for our products. This may seem like a step backwards in the minds of our customers.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.

David

[Hannu]

Emphasis on word tested. That means the card has appeared on Henrik's desk, and hiresrec has been working on those cards.

The real hard limit is 2 TB. It is 2^32 * 512 byte blocks. It's limiting on every level from physical card to VSOS.

A soft limit is 1TB because then the MSb of sector address is high and if it is treated as a signed value, it would be negative value. And this one too is untested as there isn't anything that big to connect on VS1005 (yet).

So everything up to 1 TB should work and up to 2 TB can work while upper test limit is currently on 256 GB and that's why it is advertised to work up to 256 GB cards.

[Henrik]

[*]Tested SD cards up to 256 GB (was up to 64 GB).

Also mentioned here:

Of the SD and microSD cards tested by VLSI, Transcends, Lexars and Sandisks in the 8 - 256 GB range

(empahsis mine)

Are there plans to support capacity greater than 256GB SD Cards? We need to start thinking about adding support for larger capacity because customers are soon going to be approaching our products with a 512GB card, but find that they have to order another, lower capacity SD card specifically for our products. This may seem like a step backwards in the minds of our customers.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.

David

Hello David!

I know this is a very late (second) reply to your question, but it might still be useful as our status with big SD Cards have changed this week.

We have now succesfully tested (SanDisk) 512 GB and 1 TB SD Cards.
Testing these new cards revealed a new bug that didn't bite us yet with 256 GB cards (a 32-bit value was read as only 16 bits and that wrapped at card sizes somewhat larger than 256 GB). This error in VSOS 3.65 has now been corrected, and a new VSOS 3.66 has been released.

VSOS 3.66 is available for download here:
viewtopic.php?p=15636#p15636

I hope this is still useful information for you.

Kind regards,
- Henrik

[MiguelTavares]

Hi, I have just recently acquire one of the "VS1005 HIRES RECORDER ON BOB V2.0", but I'm having some difficulties in using it for my desired application. All the tests that I did were made with the software version present on the board from the factory. My desired application is to connect a MIC directly to the boars 3.5 mm jack and use it as a recorder. After some testing where I could not get an audible recording I tried to inject a sine wave signal, with this signal I was able to record and playback an audible sound. After reading a bit more through the VS1005 datasheet, I suspect that what is happening is that this solution comes prepare to be use as a LINE IN and not with a microphone. So my questions are:

Q1: Is my conclusion true? Is the board programmed for LINE IN use?
Q2: If so, how can I change these settings? Do I need to make changes to the code? Is there a menu to change this configuration?
Q3: If it's necessary to do some code changes, can you provide me some guidelines? This is my first product from VLSI and I'm not familiarized with the VSIDE software.

[Hannu]

Hello and welcome to the forum

Hi, I have just recently acquire one of the "VS1005 HIRES RECORDER ON BOB V2.0", but I'm having some difficulties in using it for my desired application. All the tests that I did were made with the software version present on the board from the factory. My desired application is to connect a MIC directly to the boars 3.5 mm jack and use it as a recorder.

What kind of microphone you have? Because line-in connector doesn't have bias circuit for and expected signal level is about 1 V ball park. Microphone usually provides some tens of mV. Also line input is single ended and mic preamp in VS1005 is differential.

After some testing where I could not get an audible recording I tried to inject a sine wave signal, with this signal I was able to record and playback an audible sound. After reading a bit more through the VS1005 datasheet, I suspect that what is happening is that this solution comes prepare to be use as a LINE IN and not with a microphone. So my questions are:

Q1: Is my conclusion true? Is the board programmed for LINE IN use?

Yes. I play from line out of PC to BOB line in and listen the line out connector when recorder is running.

Q2: If so, how can I change these settings? Do I need to make changes to the code? Is there a menu to change this configuration?

To experiment if it would work from the software side.

Exit hireserec, run from the VSOS shell auinput mic1 mic2 and restart hiresrec The input noise should be now higher and ADC has 24 dB gain.
To permanetly set this add a line "run auinput mic1 mic2"

However this probably won't do the expected thing because the input circuit of line input is a line input circuit. I'm happy if I'm wrong in this subject.

Q3: If it's necessary to do some code changes, can you provide me some guidelines? This is my first product from VLSI and I'm not familiarized with the VSIDE software.

Two very nice documents:
https://www.vlsi.fi/fileadmin/software/ ... _Audio.pdf
https://www.vlsi.fi/fileadmin/software/ ... _Shell.pdf
If you are interested in own software development, VSIDE has VS1005 VSOS universal binary template. It is traditional hello world.
When the build is run a dl3 file is generated. This goes to SPI flash sys directory and if you specify the target drive. If your D0 pin is high during boot, the SPI flash will show up as USB mass storage.

You have probably read the documentation of hiresrec on BoB? There is a photo where the BoB is on a proto board. It provides, D0 line to S1 button connecting IOVDDD, reset button and UART 5v, rx,tx,gnd header. 7 connections.

You need to invent something similar so that the development setup is more than cables bounicing around the table. The mic signals are routed to pins, adding the bias circuit for mics on your base board is simple or the full preamp system. Then it is just adding routing to proper input pins.

To summarize:
Yes line-in is line-in and using it as mic input is probably not possible.

Using mic is possible, but it needs external circuit on base board which you want if you work with the board more than some minutes.