Tiny audio streaming module running Linux.

High-Quality 192 kHz TI PCM5121 BurrBrown DAC
Optical TOSLINK transmitter
1 GHz NXP i.MX6ULL SoC with 512 MB DDR3 RAM
b/g/n WiFi USB dongle included
28 GPIO’s including free I2S bus
Measures only 65 x 30 mm and is completely open-source

Endless Audio Streaming

VoltaStream ZERO is the perfect choice for streaming your music. It includes a high quality analog output as well as a optical TOSLINK transmitter. For smallest footprint the optical audio output is directly integrated into the 3.5 mm line-out jack. There is also a full-sized USB-A connector where you can easily connect the included and free-of-charge USB WiFi dongle.
It runs a specially for audio created Linux distribution. PolyOS includes all major streaming technologies and is directly developed / maintained by us. Really easy to use, best sound quality and regular updates. Read more about it HERE

Efficient And Affordable

VoltaStream ZERO is actually less expensive than e.g. a Raspberry Pi ZERO if you add the same audio streaming functionality and a case!

With a Raspberry you will end up with a very bulky solution with several limitations and a lot of fiddling on the software side. VoltaStream ZERO is fully integrated and thanks to PolyOS all features are perfectly supported.

Excellent Connectivity

VoltaStream ZERO is powered via 5V from a microUSB connector that can also act as a USB gadget device. Furthermore it is fitted with a microSD connector from which it will boot one of our supported Linux distributions.

It measures only 65 x 30 mm and features a 40 way pin-header with access to 28 GPIO’s. The layout is similar to the Raspberry Pi ZERO but the position of the connectors were optimized for audio usage. The functions of the GPIO’s are fundamentally the same but might differ a little in detail. We are targeting to get the common audio hardware add-ons (HAT’s) available for Raspberry Pi working with our board, too. For more details please see the System Reference Manual available from the Documentation tab.
It also comes with an integrated real-time clock as well as a dedicated On/Off button handler.

Completely Open Source

VotaStream believes in openness so VoltaStream ZERO is fully open-source! All KiCAD schematic and layout files are available under the CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license. Furthermore the board is designed + manufactured in Germany and provide a custom Linux distribution especially created for this hardware

Packaging contains:

one VoltaStream ZERO board
one Edimax EW-7811Un WiFi module
four long screws
four short screws
four normal spacers
four spacers with internal thread
two wooden plates engraved and with mounting holes

Additionally you will need:

microUSB cable for power supply
microSD card with at least 2GB capacity
microSD card reader for flashing the operating system from your host computer
miniTOSLINK cable (or adapter) or 3.5 mm analog audio cable for connecting VS0 to your amplifier

Specifications

Type	Value
SOC type	NXP i.MX6ULL commercial grade
SOC spec	ARM Cortex-A7 @ 996 MHz
RAM	DDR3 - 512 MB or 1 GB
Power management	external discrete solution / partly integrated into SOC
Power supply	5V via microUSB or GPIO header
Power consumption	0,10 Watt - Linux suspend 0,25 Watt - Linux idle 1,10 Watt - USB WiFi busy
USB	1x USB-A host 1x microUSB slave
Digital audio	1x I2S for integrated DAC 1x I2S for GPIO access 1x S/PDIF header / TOSLINK jack
Analog audio	integrated DAC with H/W volume control powered by ultra low noise LDO - PCM5121 or PCM5142
GPIO header	5V, 3V3, GND, 2x UART, flexCAN, 2x I2C, SPI, I2S, 3x PWM, S/PDIF INPUT
On/Off switch	integrated button handler / accessible from header
Real-Time-Clock	integrated into SOC

Documentation

Below you can find support material in PDF format. If you have additional questions never hesitate to contact us directly.

Getting Started

A short summary for how to get started. Shows you where to connect everything and includes instructions for how to prepare a SD card, setting up network and how to stream your first audio samples.

Version: 0.1.1
Release date: 2017-09-01
DOWNLOAD NOW

System Reference Manual

Everything explained in detail. Here you will find all hardware related things like dimensions, power supply and accessible GPIO’s. It gets you also covered with details about the Linux kernel and the U-Boot bootloader.

Version: 0.1.1
Release date: 2017-08-29
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Schematics

The full schematic of VoltaStream ZERO in a handy PDF. Everything you need to understand how the hardware interacts.

Version: REV A1
Release date: 2017-08-01
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Hardware Files

VoltaStream ZERO is fully open source. So the full KiCAD project files are available from GitHub.

Version: REV A1
Release date: 2017-08-01
VISIT OUR GITHUB PAGE

Downloads

Below you can find a list of operating systems that can easily be flashed onto a microSD card and will bring your VoltaStream ZERO to life.

PolyOS

The operating system specially created for VoltaStream from scratch. It is based on Yocto, super light-weight, offers the most important streaming services and should give you the best out-of-box experience. It currently includes shairport-sync, a DLNA renderer, librespot and a special update mechanism. This is a work-in-progress and we are working very hard on improvements. There are also plans for a dedicated smartphone app which will expand the feature list a lot. You can expect updates several times a month. They may by visible through the integrated updater first before they get published here.

Important Information:
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
Furthermore PolyOS includes many open source software solutions with different licenses. Please see the sourcecode (use the link below) to understand which programs are used and under which license they are released.

Version: 0.0.4.0
Release date: 2017-09-17
ChangeLog : LINK
SourceCode: LINK
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PolyBian

PolyBian is based on Debian which is a widely spread Linux distribution and will give you an easy entry point if you want quickly create something on your own. For example it is known from Raspbian – OS for the Raspberry Pi – and you can easily reuse guides and instructions were initially made for Raspberries. This distribution does not come with any audio related software by default but you can easily install it on your own. Includes drivers for our tested USB WiFi sticks as well as the DAC and the TOSLINK output. Updates not on a regular basis and requires refreshing each time.

Version: 2017-09-08-polybian
Release date: 2017-09-08
SourceCode: LINK
DOWNLOAD NOW

Third Party

There were attempts in porting Volumio to VoltaStream ZERO. As Volumio now requires at least 1 GB RAM and our latest plans are to focus on 512 MB we won’t push this any further currently.

If you bought an early 1 GB version of VoltaStream ZERO you are free to download a matching Volumio image from HERE.