Ultra green newbie dad needs help

[Hopkins]

I’ll try to make this brief: kid wants to learn about computers. Luddite dad puts down wooden hand plane and says, “I heard about this thing called a raspberry pi. Let’s get one.” That goes fine. He loves it. Then grandma buys him an x400 amp add on to play music. Dad lost and confused.

First question: do I need a dedicated RasPi for the amp dac thing or can this run on the RasPi we use now for Minecraft and programming projects?

And then...I need to open a terminal?

Real lost. Sorry. Thanks for any help.

[janui]

[Hopkins]

janui, thanks for the info. Really very helpful. Here’s another:

The rca jacks appear to be outputs, not inputs. So, I can’t just plug my turntable into the x400?

Thanks.

[janui]

Hi Hopkins,

The RCA connectors are designed to be used as output for another amp. The connectors may work as input for the on-board amp, but they have no protection against possible DC current in the audio signal. This is seriously bad for the X400 board, don’t do it!

There is also another complication connecting a turntable to this sort of amplifier. The pick-up cartridges in turntables generate a very small voltage and use a frequency response designed for vinyl called the RIAA-standard. A pre-amplifier is required which compensates for the way the music is saved on vinyl and increases its strength for use in an amplifier. If you are interested, google for 'phono riaa line'.

janui