• Roman
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Topic: MADI Word Clock Output not working properly on Linux?

Hi all,

I have a Linux system with MADI card.  The settings can be controlled by using the amixer command-line utility.

Right now there's no MADI hardware connected, but I want to use the word clock output to supply a clock signal to sync my hardware.  For this, I set the Sample Clock Source of the MADI card to be "Internal 48kHz" - so the MADI is clock master and uses its built-in clock. 

However, the word clock output outputs a 25kHz square wave (tested with a digital scope), not 48kHz.  Re-requesting the same sample rate and clock source doesn't change anything.  If I do go ahead and request something above 96kHz the word clock output goes to roughly 51kHz and stays there, even when trying to get a lower sample rate again.

Can anyone help?

Best regards, and thanks in advance!
Roman

2 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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Re: MADI Word Clock Output not working properly on Linux?

You don't need MADI hardware, you have an analog phone output!

The WC out is connected directly to the internal clock. So your whole card runs at 25 kHz, the lowest frequency the internal clock has when running free or in an error clock loop. In other words: setting the state of the card did not work.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

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  • Roman
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Re: MADI Word Clock Output not working properly on Linux?

Thanks for the reply, Matthias!

Any idea on how I could convince the card to work for me?  How to set the state of the card correctly?

Regards,
Roman

  • Roman
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Re: MADI Word Clock Output not working properly on Linux?

UPDATE:

I think it might have been caused by a firmware upgrade in this card.  Another computer with identical hardware/software configuration but older firmware on the MADI card works just fine.
Could you send me the firmware "update" utilities for versions 201 and 202?

Thanks,
Roman

5 Reply by MC

  • MC
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Re: MADI Word Clock Output not working properly on Linux?

Did you try the 203 from our website driver archive already?

Regards
Matthias Carstens
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  • Roman
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Re: MADI Word Clock Output not working properly on Linux?

I just tried the 203 (it's only available from the German website archive at this point by the way, the English website driver archive page points to a newer version).

Version 203 doesn't work for me either.  Would it be possible to get versions 201 or 202?

Regards,
Roman

7 Reply by MC

  • MC
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Re: MADI Word Clock Output not working properly on Linux?

Thanks for the note. I fixed the driver archive pages and exchanged the MADI FUT with version 202. This one works with Linux. 203 added the DDS control, which is not compatible anymore. Which unfortunately also means that the HDSPe MADI will not work under Linux as long as the driver is not updated.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
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MC's Website

  • Roman
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Re: MADI Word Clock Output not working properly on Linux?

And thanks for the firmware!

Side note: firmware 202 doesn't work with the Windows driver v 2.4 that also is on the archive page.

Version 202 works great with my Linux install though.  I wasn't able to update the Alsa-drivers, which would have been the alternative: the system I'm doing this on is a production system.

I did try a newer Alsa version on a different computer.  Firmware 203 works with Alsa 1.0.14; I haven't tried any other firmware/Alsa combinations though.  Still, HDSPe MADI might work with newer Linux drivers.

  • Registered: 2008-11-13
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Re: MADI Word Clock Output not working properly on Linux?

Hi,

I'm also having some synchronisation troubles, similar to the ones described above, with the MADI card under linux. The firmware revision is 205. I wanted to downgrade to version 202, but this is not possible, because when I run the MADI FUT file nothing happens. I tried to run the latest version of the MADI FUT (for revision 205) and it works properly. It shows the GUI and installs the firmware.

Anybody has an idea about how to downgrade the firmware of this card??

Thanks in advance,

David