staticV3
Master Contributor
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2019
- Messages
- 8,005
- Likes
- 12,839
Getting current out of an iPhone to power accessories is a tricky business.That is exactly what I need. Max output level +9.3 dBu even at 33 Ohms load. 7 dB more oomph compared to US iPhones, more than 10 dB compared to castrated EU iphones. Which throws up the question: how do I use it with an iPhone and its Lightning connector? And if there is a matching cable, will there be enough current available? iPhones 11 Pro owner here.
Having an MFI chip either inside the cable, or inside the DAC is a must.
Different cables will have differently configued MFI chips inside, unlocking different amounts of current from an iPhone.
Different iPhones will unlock different amounts of current, even with the same MFI cable and chip.
Updating the 9038D's firmware to version 'Tweak_9038D_C.hex' is recommended. In this firmware, one of the USB descriptors of the DAC is set to "self-powered" instead of "USB bus-powered". The iPhone sees this and pays less attention to the current draw.
Using an old firmware may result in a "The connected USB device uses too much power" error message.
All DACs are flashed from the factory with the newest firmware, so if you order now, then it should come with the newest FW already.
Here's a spreadsheet I've created with the help of our Discord community, detailing which MFI cable will work with which iPhone model and which E1DA DAC: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_Yqd7lpt3N2B0kVwzqzHoRmCTO7ZTe32p_xhjuGluh8/edit?usp=sharing
Last edited: