Internal Sabre DAC to RCA out

First off, I have no relationship of any kind with the folks who supply this little gem. The Sabre DAC is a small and reasonably priced USB DAC which does 24/96. I sourced mine at: http://hifimediy.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=62&product_id=83%20. Open your Joggler as described elsewhere on the Wiki, disconnect and remove the boards. To gain enough room, remove one speaker (I removed both to make room for a future project) and trim back the speaker mounting with small snips.



Next, prise open the DAC case. It comes apart alarmingly easily! Then, cut off the USB plug leaving as much wire as possible on the DAC. The cable sleeve slips off nicely.



To ensure a snug fit, I found it necessary to cut a couple of mm from the output jack collar.



Next try a dry-run fitting to help locate drill holes for the RCA output sockets.



Please ignore the shaped aluminium replacement Heatsink, it proved to be worse than the Joggler's.

Next, drill the mounting holes for the RCA outs. When mounting the RCA's, I used some surplus collars mounted on the outside, pushing the sockets further out of the Joggler, leaving a bit more room for the DAC.



After another dry fitting, DAC positioned 'right way up' this time,



it's time to start soldering. See the Wiki entry;Additional_USB_Ports. I found it easier to use TP137 & 8 for the signal, and thread the power supply leads through the board and take power from the external USB port.



Using a multimeter and an (open) mini jack-plug inserted into the DAC output (only for testing), buzz the Left, Right and Common output pads on the DAC PCB and solder them to their respective RCA outs. Don't forget to remove the jack-plug!



Insulate the side of the DAC nearest the RCA's with Kapton or other material then glue in place.



You will have to make adjustments to the Heatsink to ensure a snug fit, but it all goes nicely together. I have done this procedure 3 times now without any problems. Think about each stage before cutting, breaking, soldering and it will go well!

Copy the Enhanced Digital Output file found here: http://www.jogglerwiki.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=740&hilit=Enhanced+digital&start=20

to a USB stick, and copy/untar it: " sudo tar -xvf EnhancedDigitalOutput.tar.gz -C /opt/squeezeplay/share/jive/applets/ "

Reboot your Joggler and choose your DAC on the menu.

As far as the sonics go, I am very impressed (as are other audiophile friends). Happy Joggling!