Teensy and Audio Shield not working

Hello all,

I've recently been having troubles with the Teensy and Audio Shield connections. I cannot get any sound to output via the headphone jack regardless of which teensy I used (I've used two) which Audio Shield I use (I've used two) or what type of connection I've used (I've tried wires and male-to-male headers, no solder). I've used a multitude of the arduino and audio tests and so far I've determined the boards work.
I'm using Teensy 3.6s and the latest Audio Shields.

If any of you know what the issue could be, I would be grateful if you could help me out.
 
The 2 most common problems are orienting the shield 180 degrees backwards, and not soldering the pins.

To help you, we really need to see photos of how you've actually connected everything. It's probably something simple, but without any way to see, no way to even guess.
 
Thank you for the speedy reply! Below I have attached a picture of our current setup (previous was with male-to-make pins). No soldering.

WIN_20180319_14_10_34_Pro.jpg
 
Hello again,

We've soldered the audio board to the Teensy and it still does not play sound using the example program ToneSweep. This is a demonstration of the current layout.WIN_20180326_13_30_27_Pro.jpg

The board isn't dead as it can still modify the onboard pin using loaded programs, however, we aren't hearing anything. I'm honestly not sure what to do at this point and I'm pretty sure the boards aren't dead.
 
I can confirm that's the correct alignment & orientation, though the photo is blurry so it's difficult to say anything more.

The board isn't dead as it can still modify the onboard pin using loaded programs, however, we aren't hearing anything. I'm honestly not sure what to do at this point and I'm pretty sure the boards aren't dead.

Maybe the hardware is ok, but there's something with the code?

I'd recommend clicking File > Examples > Audio > Synthesis > Guitar, so you're running a known-good program. As a quick sanity check, I uploaded it to a Teensy 3.6 with the audio shield and it's playing guitar chords as I type.
 
Thanks for the reply! You were right, I got it working a couple days ago because of a software issue. Didn't have a chance to check the forums. Thanks for all of your help!
 
Hello everyone,

Paul and everybody else, thank you first of all for all the help and information you already provide.

Pretty much of a novice here I must admit. I have the same sort of problem with teensy and audio shield than BeeperWeepers.

Also have two different sets of teensy+audio shield, both not working;
Pretty sure the assembly is in the right direction;
Tried to run File > Examples > Audio > Synthesis > Guitar as Paul proposed, but nothing happens except for the monitor working correctly;
I'm using only the teensy and audio shield, without the rest of the kit described in the video tutorial.
Yesterday I managed, to my immense satisfaction, to run a few simple tasks, like varying the rate of 440hz beeps or sequencing the basic drum set recorded in the teensy, in four words felt like a boss, but today nothing works at all;
I started today by trying to play audio files from an SD card, then the audio passthroughstereo with the audio coming from a computer and the output going to a small battery-powered speaker.
IMG_20180823_165200.jpgIMG_20180823_165237.jpgIMG_20180823_165351.jpg

I'm stumped, as the saying goes. If you have any suggestions for a humbled starter, I would be very grateful.

Good luck to everyone!
 
Looks like pins 12 & 13 on the bottom side of Teensy don't have pins soldered.

Without these, you should still be able to play audio. But you can't receive audio input (pin 13 needed), nor can you use the SD card (pin 12 needed).
 
oops.
okay I fixed that but it still behaves the same.
Is there any possibility I fried something just by not soldering pins 12 & 13 and running code in the machine anyway?
I tried to detect DC current with a voltmeter by connecting VGND audio shield and GND Teensy and it shows little more than 0.7 mV.
thanks a lot, I keep on searching.
 
Make sure your controller (by default sgtl5000_1) is enabled via the enable() function. Also, try to minimize the amount of variables in your test to narrow the issue down: use a simple setup.
 
Is there any possibility I fried something just by not soldering pins 12 & 13 and running code in the machine anyway?

Very unlikely this damaged the hardware.

That's the good news. The bad news is I'm out of guesses as to why it's not working. Except those 2 pins, everything I can see in the photos looks fine.

Are you able to run the hardware test again and hear the beeping?
 
Are you able to run the hardware test again and hear the beeping?

Hello again,

Yes I tried that but nothing changes. When I run the blink test (teensy only), that works. So it seems that's it like whenever the audio shield is involved, something goes wrong.

Attached is a screenshot I made of the monitor when I run the Hardware test.
I'm sorry to say I'm still not familiar enough with the language of the code, so I can't say for sure, but is it normal to have this kind of information? (monitor only shows knob pin A3 and knob pin A2)

teensy monitor screenshot .jpg

Thanks again for everything so far!
 
That looks like nothing is connected to pin A3. When the pin is floating, analogRead() tends to get wildly varying numbers like that.

The hardware test is meant to have the 2 pots on the breadboard and 1 added to the audio shield, as in with the tutorial hardware.

https://www.pjrc.com/store/audio_tutorial_kit.html

If you're running it with just the audio shield but not the pots, then this would be the expected result. In theory, you could also see something like this if you turn the pot *very* fast and wiggle erratically, but in practice moving that rapidly is very difficult.

The beeping sounds should still be heard on headphones plugged into the audio shield, even if the pots aren't connected.
 
same here. soldered dockets to the audioshield and stuck teensy on it, no sound
also when connecting using wires I hear a humming noise but not the music that is supposed to play (serial monitor says playing)
Not much luck with the teensy so far :(
 
Hi,
I have an audio board rev D and i can use teensy.4.0 & 4.1 with a line input that i can hear at the headphones output,
means the wiring is okay from the input to the headphones,
but i never heard the sdcard playing music,nor the beeps from the tutorial,isn't it strange?
 
Hi,
I have an audio board rev D and i can use teensy.4.0 & 4.1 with a line input that i can hear at the headphones output,
means the wiring is okay from the input to the headphones,
but i never heard the sdcard playing music,nor the beeps from the tutorial,isn't it strange?

Are you using the SD card reader on the Teensy 4.1 or the SD card reader on the Audio board. The tutorial is set up to use the SD card reader on the Audio board. If you want to use the SD card reader on the Teensy, in the example, you need to change the following:

Code:
// Use these with the Teensy Audio Shield
#define SDCARD_CS_PIN    10
#define SDCARD_MOSI_PIN  7   // Teensy 4 ignores this, uses pin 11
#define SDCARD_SCK_PIN   14  // Teensy 4 ignores this, uses pin 13

// Use these with the Teensy 3.5 & 3.6 & 4.1 SD card
//#define SDCARD_CS_PIN    BUILTIN_SDCARD
//#define SDCARD_MOSI_PIN  11  // not actually used
//#define SDCARD_SCK_PIN   13  // not actually used

to:

Code:
// Use these with the Teensy Audio Shield
//#define SDCARD_CS_PIN    10
//#define SDCARD_MOSI_PIN  7   // Teensy 4 ignores this, uses pin 11
//#define SDCARD_SCK_PIN   14  // Teensy 4 ignores this, uses pin 13

// Use these with the Teensy 3.5 & 3.6 & 4.1 SD card
#define SDCARD_CS_PIN    BUILTIN_SDCARD
#define SDCARD_MOSI_PIN  11  // not actually used
#define SDCARD_SCK_PIN   13  // not actually used
 
Are you using the SD card reader on the Teensy 4.1 or the SD card reader on the Audio board. The tutorial is set up to use the SD card reader on the Audio board. If you want to use the SD card reader on the Teensy, in the example, you need to change the following:

Code:
// Use these with the Teensy Audio Shield
#define SDCARD_CS_PIN    10
#define SDCARD_MOSI_PIN  7   // Teensy 4 ignores this, uses pin 11
#define SDCARD_SCK_PIN   14  // Teensy 4 ignores this, uses pin 13

// Use these with the Teensy 3.5 & 3.6 & 4.1 SD card
//#define SDCARD_CS_PIN    BUILTIN_SDCARD
//#define SDCARD_MOSI_PIN  11  // not actually used
//#define SDCARD_SCK_PIN   13  // not actually used

to:

Code:
// Use these with the Teensy Audio Shield
//#define SDCARD_CS_PIN    10
//#define SDCARD_MOSI_PIN  7   // Teensy 4 ignores this, uses pin 11
//#define SDCARD_SCK_PIN   14  // Teensy 4 ignores this, uses pin 13

// Use these with the Teensy 3.5 & 3.6 & 4.1 SD card
#define SDCARD_CS_PIN    BUILTIN_SDCARD
#define SDCARD_MOSI_PIN  11  // not actually used
#define SDCARD_SCK_PIN   13  // not actually used

Hi Michael, I think you might have posted the same code twice rather than the intended code.

EDIT: Sorry Michael I got it wrong, missed the comments "//" moved.
 
Last edited:
hi, Michael,thanks for support,i did some tests,
Well it's more weird that is though: I use the audio shield REV D,and teensy 4.0

Sd card test:OK (not normal,isn't it for REV C and teensy 3.2 ...?),and but bad sd card in the monitor while WAV file player !!
#define SDCARD_CS_PIN 10
#define SDCARD_MOSI_PIN 7
#define SDCARD_SCK_PIN 14


Sd card test:OK (normal for the REV D),and good sd card in the monitor while WAV file player,but no sound!
#define SDCARD_CS_PIN 10
#define SDCARD_MOSI_PIN 11
#define SDCARD_SCK_PIN 13


Sd card test:BAD (that's normal it's the 4.1 onboard sdcard settings),and bad sd card in the monitor while WAV file player
#define SDCARD_CS_PIN BUILTIN_SDCARD
#define SDCARD_MOSI_PIN 11
#define SDCARD_SCK_PIN 13


Sd card test:BAD (that's normal it's for the SD+Wiz820 or other adaptors),and bad sd card too in the monitor while WAV file player
#define SDCARD_CS_PIN 4
#define SDCARD_MOSI_PIN 11
#define SDCARD_SCK_PIN 13


i want to precise also that i can't hear anything while USB AUDIO with WAV file player ,but when i use USB AUDIO with a line input sektch,
i can record in audacity the input, but can't listen it from "teensy out",have to put "realtek" to hear it on play mode.
i don't think also asio does not work with teensy. :(
 
i want to precise also that i can't hear anything while USB AUDIO with WAV file player ,but when i use USB AUDIO with a line input sektch,
i can record in audacity the input, but can't listen it from "teensy out",have to put "realtek" to hear it on play mode.
i don't think also asio does not work with teensy. :(

I'm utterly confused by your words.

You're talking about "USB AUDIO with WAV file player", but the WAV file player example published in the audio library doesn't use USB audio in any way. Maybe you're running a different program on Teensy? I hope you can understand how impossible helping over the internet can be if we can't even know which program you're really running on Teensy.

You talk of "can't listen it from "teensy out",have to put "realtek" to hear it on play mode", which maybe is talking about software on your PC? I don't understand if your word "listen" means sound from your computer speakers or if you have headphones plugged into the Teensy audio shield, or if you've connected something to the line out pins on the audio shield. Please understand we can't see your computer screen, and we can't see your hardware setup. Please consider actually showing us what you're really doing. Screenshots and photos are usually much better than words, because if there is a misunderstanding usually words will be technically correct but a photo will actually show what was really done.

I also don't know what you mean by "asio". Google finds lots of pages about special Windows driver. I guess that means you're using Windows? (I personally use Linux and sometimes MacOS... so Windows stuff is not an area I know well) And maybe you're using something other than stock Windows drivers? Can you appreciate how much guesswork is involved in trying to help you with so little information about your computer and what software you're really running on both the Teensy side and the PC side? Remember, we can't see your computer screen, we can't see how you've connected Teensy, and we can't even know if you're listening to your PC speakers or headphones on Teensy or audio gear connected another way.

It's all completely confusing (at least to me) without knowing what you're actually doing.
 
Back
Top