Feather M0 + Music Maker w/ Amp - Volume Low

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browens434
 
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Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2021 9:18 pm

Feather M0 + Music Maker w/ Amp - Volume Low

Post by browens434 »

Hi, I have a Feather M0 Basic Proto with the Feather Music Maker w/ amp on top. The issue I'm having is that the volume, at the max setting (0) is exceptionally low. I have a single 3w 4ohm speaker, from Amazon, connected.

This is the second prototype of a mp3 player that I've been working on. The first used an Arduino Uno with Adafruit Music Maker (w/ amp) on top. It had the very same issues (slightly different Amazon 3w 4ohm speaker used, though). For the Uno, I soldered the gain pads and got hearable, but distorted, sound.

I was really hoping that the second prototype wouldn't have these issues, and I feel like the product shouldn't. My expectations are not high, but I feel certain this low volume level can't be right. The device can literally barely be heard over a cat water fountain 12 feet away, the pumps a couple small aquariums 8 ft away, and the quiet hum of a refrigerator, in an otherwise quiet house.

In trying to fix the issue, I've done the following:
- tried different power sources
- tried different usb cables
- extra-cleaned solder spots of errant flux
- connected two speakers instead of just one
- tested continuity and voltage
- tested different mp3 files
- tested a different program (my own that I originally developed for the Uno is what I typically use, but I also loaded the example program and found that the volume issue persists)

It seems a lot of people have had this very problem. One noted that a chip on the board gets really hot. This is something I never noticed with the Uno (prototype #1), because I generally try to keep my hands off the board while it's running. However, I touched the chip on my latest prototype (#2) and it indeed gets piping hot. I have no way of taking the temp, but it'll burn you if you keep your finger on it.

Here are some pics (I'll post more if I can):
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browens434
 
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Re: Feather M0 + Music Maker w/ Amp - Volume Low

Post by browens434 »

Another pic:
2.jpg
2.jpg (904.36 KiB) Viewed 216 times

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browens434
 
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Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2021 9:18 pm

Re: Feather M0 + Music Maker w/ Amp - Volume Low

Post by browens434 »

I'd appreciate any help anyone could offer with this issue, and can get more pics if it helps. I'm about out of ideas. It seems to work fine, other than the low volume and hot chip.

Thanks!

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browens434
 
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Re: Feather M0 + Music Maker w/ Amp - Volume Low

Post by browens434 »

Update:

On a hunch, I decided to test the resistance of my "4 ohm" Amazon speakers. On my volt meter, they came up at about 7.6 ohms. I then purchased an Adafruit 4 ohm speaker (also from Amazon), which just came in today. My volt meter reads about 5.0 ohms on it. Not surprisingly, I'm finding a good bit more volume out of the Adafruit speaker.

Even still, I feel like I shouldnt require 100% volume all the time. It seems the only useful volume levels are 90-100. I guess my expectation was that the volume would be more/less like that of a cell phone, which uses a tiny little micro speaker. I have confirmed that my cell phone will play the same MP3, at least, 2x as loud (my guess).

Does anybody know about what volume to expect out of the Adafruit 3W amped feather music player?

There's still a lot of heat coming out of the amp-chip (it will burn your finger). I bought a cheap 5 pack of 3W amps on Amazon. I intend put one in line (with reduced Adafruit volume) and see how it goes. Perhaps I'll find the very same volume level, more or less; but maybe not.

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