# Appropriate dac for scroll phat **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Created:** [January 10, 2026, 11:39pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/appropriate-dac-for-scroll-phat/28603 "2026-01-10T23:39:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sammie1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@sammie1](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/sammie1)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 11:39pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/appropriate-dac-for-scroll-phat/28603/1 "2026-01-10T23:39:41Z")
hi forums, first time posting. so i jumped on the whole pi-train very late and excitedly picked up two scroll pHats not realizing they required the pHat DAC which is now impossible to find. Is there any way to get the project to work with a different DAC? the only 40 pin DAC I can find for the pi’s is this one: > **[Pirate Audio: Line-out for Raspberry Pi](https://shop.pimoroni.com/en-us/products/pirate-audio-line-out?variant=31189750546515)** > > Plug Pirate Audio Line-out for Raspberry Pi into your hi-fi amp or powered speakers, then sit back, relax, and soak in the rich, digital audio. It has a high-quality I2S DAC, high-res colour display, and playback control buttons. But even then, the pins don’t go through to the other side so I don’t think it will work… but I hope I am wrong? Or that there exists some solution for me to put these scroll pHats to good use. Thank you in advance. ---
**Author:** ![alphanumeric](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.pimoroni.com/alphanumeric/32/2729_2.png) [@alphanumeric](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/alphanumeric)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 9:34am UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/appropriate-dac-for-scroll-phat/28603/2 "2026-01-11T09:34:04Z")
Does it need to be line out? > **[Audio Amp SHIM (3W Mono Amp)](https://shop.pimoroni.com/en-us/products/audio-amp-shim-3w-mono-amp?variant=32341591064659)** > > A super-simple, slimline way to hook up a 3W speaker to your Raspberry Pi! Output punchy digital I2S audio whilst leaving your GPIO pins conveniently accessible. Would this help? > **[Mini Black HAT Hack3r](https://shop.pimoroni.com/en-us/products/mini-black-hat-hack3r?variant=19448025991)** > > Need to detach or debug your HAT? Then the Mini Black HAT Hack3r is for you! ---
**Author:** ![bablokb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@bablokb](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/bablokb)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 12:06pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/appropriate-dac-for-scroll-phat/28603/3 "2026-01-11T12:06:55Z")
There is also an Audio DAC Shim ---
**Author:** ![DarrenHill](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.pimoroni.com/darrenhill/32/771_2.png) [@DarrenHill](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/DarrenHill)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 12:08pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/appropriate-dac-for-scroll-phat/28603/4 "2026-01-11T12:08:06Z")
This is a bit confusing, as the scroll phat doesn’t need any kind of DAC. The scroll phat is a display, allowing scrolling text to be displayed on it. A DAC is for audio, which is something completely different. Or do you mean that you have a project in mind which needs both functions? In such a case then what Alphanumeric above says are good options, You can check out compatibility with running multiple hats or phats at this site - [pHAT Stack Configurator](https://pinout.xyz/phatstack/) But there are certainly projects using the Scoll phat which don’t require anything else and are nothing to do with audio (I have a couple in my own set-up). ---
**Author:** ![sammie1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@sammie1](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/sammie1)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:51pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/appropriate-dac-for-scroll-phat/28603/5 "2026-01-11T16:51:41Z")
Sorry, I should have specified. I picked up the scroll pHat in order to use it as a spectral analyzer, as outlined here: > **[Scroll pHAT/pHAT DAC spectrum analyser](https://cdn.learn.pimoroni.com/article/scroll-phat-spectrum-analyser)** > > Build a spectrum analyser with Scroll pHAT and pHAT DAC – Pimoroni Learning Portal So that’s where I am stuck. I guess I don’t understand exactly what the DAC is doing in the context of this project and how to substitute appropriately for it. My understanding is that the scroll pHat is displaying an analysis of the audio that happens at the digital level on the pi itself, so why is the converter even necessary? But more importantly, how do I determine what other DAC to substitute for the pHat DAC? ---
**Author:** ![alphanumeric](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.pimoroni.com/alphanumeric/32/2729_2.png) [@alphanumeric](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/alphanumeric)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/appropriate-dac-for-scroll-phat/28603/6 "2026-01-11T18:22:28Z")
OK, just had a quick look. The DAC is there so you can listen to the wave file being analized. So any DAC that doesn’t conflict with the pins used by the Scroll pHat should work. It looks like the scroll phat only uses i2c, and i2c can be shared by more than one device. > **[Scroll pHAT at Raspberry Pi GPIO Pinout](https://pinout.xyz/pinout/scroll_phat)** > > A 11 x 5 LED matrix ---
**Author:** ![sammie1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@sammie1](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/sammie1)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 7:06pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/appropriate-dac-for-scroll-phat/28603/7 "2026-01-11T19:06:03Z")
thank you so very very much. the instructions on the page I posted had me confused by inadvertently implying the analyzer wouldn’t work without the DAC. thank you again, and thank you to everyone else that replied! ---
**Author:** ![alphanumeric](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.pimoroni.com/alphanumeric/32/2729_2.png) [@alphanumeric](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/alphanumeric)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/appropriate-dac-for-scroll-phat/28603/8 "2026-01-11T20:39:11Z")
No problem, happy to help. =) I’ve been at this a while and I still have some lost and confused moments, lol. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenHill](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.pimoroni.com/darrenhill/32/771_2.png) [@DarrenHill](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/DarrenHill)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 9:15pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/appropriate-dac-for-scroll-phat/28603/9 "2026-01-11T21:15:36Z")
Here’s some other items that you might find useful [Nano HAT hack3r](https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/pico-hat-hacker?variant=44144542154) [Extended male header](https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/male-40-pin-2x20-hat-header?variant=15387338113107) / [Extended female header](https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/2x20-pin-gpio-header-for-raspberry-pi-2-b-a?variant=1132812269) [Audio DAC Shim](https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/audio-dac-shim-line-out?variant=32343184965715) (as mentioned above by bablokb) The hacker can allow two (compatible) hats to be used together with minimal additional space taken up, although it’s best if one is connected using [jumper jerky](https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/jumper-jerky?variant=304797129). It’s a smaller variant of the mini black hat hack3r linked above. The extended headers are taller than a standard one, and can be used to connect two pHats on top of one another in the same way as shown in the project you linked to. But if you’ve already got a header soldered to your phats and/or zero, that may have to be removed first (possible to do, but not so simple without the right kit) depending on how you set it up.