Line6 Relay G90 digital out possible?

volt

Inspired
I know the G90 receivers don't have a digital output connector but am trying to find out if it would be possible to add one without too much effort. Reason for this idea is that the G90 originally had AES/EBU and SPDIF outs which have unfortunately been removed before it hit the market (Line 6 - Support). Maybe only the connectors and some internal components have been cut down but the PCB design has not been changed. (Just slightly hoping...)

As I don't own a G90 I am not able to have a look inside. So if someone already has pictures of the PCB of a G90 or would even be so kind to open his unit and take some pictures I would appreciate very much if he/she could post them here.

Thanks in advance.
 
Interesting idea. The digital output would be useful for going direct into the AxeFX. I would expect the transmitted bitstream to require conversion for SPDIF or AES / EBU output. It would have added some incremental cost to the design, and therefore might have been omitted from the final production design for the sake of their margin.
 
Interesting idea. The digital output would be useful for going direct into the AxeFX.

Yes, that are my thoughts as well. It seems odd to reconvert the signal to analog and then again to digital after it has already been A/D converted by the wireless transmitter.

I would expect the transmitted bitstream to require conversion for SPDIF or AES / EBU output. It would have added some incremental cost to the design, and therefore might have been omitted from the final production design for the sake of their margin.

Probably. The question is, has the PCB layout remained unchanged, what parts have been left out and is it possible to identify and retrofit them.
 
Bump, hoping to call someones attention who is willing to take or already has pictures of the PCB of a G90...
 
It is a bit silly when you think about it, as I have too, but really at the end of the day, it works and sounds great as is, so might as well just save all the trouble and use it as it comes. Extra step of D/A to A/D doesn't seem to hurt anything
 
... it works and sounds great as is, so might as well just save all the trouble and use it as it comes.

True, but for me "upgrading" the G90 would be a fun project. So time and effort would not count that much, I just would like to find out if the PCB is already prepared for a digital out.
 
I've never used the digital I/O on my Axe, is it picky at all about the sample rate, resolution etc of the input signal ? Likewise, even if it was possible to easily tap into the L6 digital output (avoiding the needless D/A conversion) would that digital signal be in a format that could routed straight into the Axe ?

I remember some headaches with my DAW software and various interfaces between computers and other hardware when one would want to be at 48kHz and another at 44.1 etc.

It is pretty surprising in this day and age we don't see wireless with a digital out though
 
As the G90 has originally been planned with AES/EBU and SPDIF outputs my hope is they did not change the PCB layout but just left out some parts. But I share your concerns especially regarding the sampling frequency. In early product descriptions it was specified to 96khz at a word length of 24 but it was not denoted if the output would also work with 48kHz.
 
Might of been they may have had the PCB intact internally, but then didn't code anything for being able to configure it. I have no clue how the prototype's were designed, but it sounds like for it to work, the unit would need to always have the digital out active, even if its not being used, because even if you could hack into it, I don't know how you could engage it or anything since there obviously is no ability to select anything from the LCD screen on the unit.

On the Axe for example, are the digital I/O always active, or do you have to go into the menu and tell the unit to route to them ?
 
Even if you could find a pair of leads that have the signal on it, the chances of it being 48kHz are low and you have no way to alter it in the firmware.

Cool hack if it works though.

Also makes you wonder why more pro-sumer and pro-level wireless units don't offer digital outs in the form of SPDIF or AES. Would be super handy.
 
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Thanks for participating lqdsnddist and iaresee,

all valid points you stated. Will see what the PCB looks like at first. Maybe all plans to upgrade the unit will then already end if there is no hint that Line6 just left out parts...
 
Sadly no. I never got my hands on a G90... IMHO it's a shame that also newer systems (also from other manufacturers like Shure or Sennheiser) didn't get a digital output.
 
Yes, I guess AES/EBU was a feature that was cancelled (see link in post #1) after the first spec sheets had already become public.
 
I managed to obtain a G90. I, too, am very interested in a wireless system with digital outputs that doesn't cost over $1k. So, I took apart my G90 to investigate. Opening up that cover involves removing 16 screws! Anyway, I've attached the photo below, but my analysis is that there are indeed unused pads for the requisite AES/EBU connectors, however, there are also unused pads for the necessary ICs to provide such an interface. So adding digital output to the G90 would involve more than just soldering on the connectors, you'd also have to identify exactly which ICs and glue hardware are missing, and even after doing all that, you'd have to hope that the built-in firmware already has support for those things, which is probably a stretch.

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Many thanks for your effort! The pictures clear it up that refitting a digital out is not doable with acceptable time and effort (at least for me). :(
 
Looks like all that's missing is a TI DIT4096 (where it says U28), two oscilators (Y5 and Y6), three transformers (T4, T5 and T6), a bunch of resistors and capacitors and another IC (U27) that shouldn't be so hard to figure out.

The DIT4096 probably wouldn't need any firmware support. It basically requires power and the audio bitstream.

I have two G90s: I think I might open up a case with Line6 to see whether they would share the parts list for these components and try to upgrade at least one of them.

The only alternative I can see (sennheiser EM6000) costs EUR 3500 for the receiver and another EUR 2000 for the body pack. Sure makes this upgrade path worth pursuing.

One hair in the soup: there doesn't seem to be a provision for a master clock input.
 
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