Are there any low-cost PMODs that provide an I2S DAC? The decision to not include this on the PYNQ-Z2 design is questionable, considering the chip, components, and jack for small quantities comes to under $2 and the educational value (and general project value really) is immense. A Texas Instrument part or an Analog Devices part both have the same interface, so anyone who built a board to spec would have been able to pick which components they want to use. Huge missed opportunity; maybe in the third revision.
I’m trying to design a 2 week curriculum for high school students to understand digital design. They have Python and basic compsci background; a full design document for an AY-3-8930, along with MicroPython code to allow a Pi Pico to control an FPGA implementation, are provided. The code would be in Amaranth, so pretty easy. This is an ideal project because it’s simple, and because the result is something tangible. It’s not “basically another CPU” that spits out a WAV file you can play back; it’s a hardware synthesis chip that talks to another chip that then outputs sound, and you run a program that sends a (supplied) sound file to it. I want students to see that.
The PMODs I’ve seen to add this on cost around $30. Any good leads on cheaper ones? Not interested in R-2R boards, they don’t keep up with 48kHz sample rate all that well.