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Raspberry Pi Blueprints
Raspberry Pi Blueprints

Raspberry Pi Blueprints: Design and build your own hardware projects that interact with the real world using the Raspberry Pi

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Raspberry Pi Blueprints

Chapter 2. Portable Speaker System

In this chapter, we will build a wireless, battery-powered speaker system that can be controlled using a web browser or smartphone.

To provide the music for the speaker system, we will use the Logitech Media Server software, which is a piece of software that can be used to stream music, videos, and photos from one computer on a network to multiple other devices. It also allows us to control the playback from any computer or smartphone on the same network.

Initially, we will set up the Pi to connect it to an existing server (the one running on a laptop for instance), which is suitable for use around your home or garden. Later, we will look at how to make the system truly portable by removing the need for an existing server and network.

The system will be self contained within a standard flight case with the speakers exposed when the lid is opened as it is possible to run Logitech Media Server on the Pi itself. It is not necessary that you have any...

What you will need

This is a list of the parts that you will need for this project; specific parts have a link of where they can be purchased (it is recommended that you use these specific parts as other similar parts may need an assembly that differs from the instructions given here), and all other parts can be purchased from an electronics components store:

Tools you will need

This is a list of tools that you will need for this chapter; they can all be purchased from either an electronics components store or a tool/hardware store:

  • Drill and drill bits ranging from 3 mm to 10 mm
  • A jigsaw
  • A try square (optional)
  • A soldering iron and solder
  • A multimeter
  • A small, flat screwdriver
  • A small Posidrive screwdriver

Setting up Logitech Media Server

We will first start by downloading and installing Logitech Media Server, which is the server backend that manages the media library and controls the players based on the commands from devices that can control the server (known as controllers). Examples of controllers include the web interface and smartphone applications.

The players are devices that actually output audio (also known as Squeezebox clients), our Pi, for example. It is possible to have several controllers and players running from the same server.

To get started, go to http://www.mysqueezebox.com/download, and download the correct version for your OS. In most of the cases, the download is an executable or a package file that can be installed in the same way as any other piece of software.

Once Logitech Media Server is installed, open a web browser on the same PC and navigate to localhost:9000; you should see the Logitech Media Server web interface, as shown in the following screenshot. This allows...

Setting up the Pi as a Squeezebox client

In order to use the Pi as a Squeezebox client, we will use the open source software, squeezelite (https://code.google.com/p/squeezelite).

First, we need to install some prerequisites on the Pi which are required to run the squeezelite software, which can be done using the following command:

sudo apt-get install -y libflac-dev libfaad2 libmad0

Next, we will download the precompiled squeezelite binary from the Google Code page using wget. We will give it execute permissions to it and move it into the binary directory, allowing it to be executed like any other command-line application:

wget http://squeezelite-downloads.googlecode.com/git/squeezelite-armv6hf
sudo chmod a+x squeezelite-armv6hf
sudo mv squeezelite-armv6hf /usr/bin

Now that the client application is installed, we will do a little bit of testing to be sure that the setup is working properly. We will do this to determine the parameters that need to be passed to the client to get the best audio...

Building the electronics

The electronics for the speaker system can be split into two main sections—the power circuit and the audio circuit.

The circuit structure of the electronics is shown in the following diagram:

Building the electronics

The speaker system block diagram

Note the color coding of the wiring. Here, black shows the power ground, gray shows the audio ground, cyan shows the unamplified audio, blue shows the amplified audio, yellow represents the battery voltage, and red shows 5 V.

Note the color coding of the wiring. This is important as it is the most common way in which different signals and power supplies are identified within an electronic product. There are a few common conventions that, while are not used here, are good to know; black is always ground, red and yellow usually indicate a power supply (5 V and 12 V, respectively), and yellow and green stripes usually represent a mains earth.

For small projects, such as this, following a standard color code for wiring is not as important. Different...

What you will need


This is a list of the parts that you will need for this project; specific parts have a link of where they can be purchased (it is recommended that you use these specific parts as other similar parts may need an assembly that differs from the instructions given here), and all other parts can be purchased from an electronics components store:

Tools you will need


This is a list of tools that you will need for this chapter; they can all be purchased from either an electronics components store or a tool/hardware store:

  • Drill and drill bits ranging from 3 mm to 10 mm

  • A jigsaw

  • A try square (optional)

  • A soldering iron and solder

  • A multimeter

  • A small, flat screwdriver

  • A small Posidrive screwdriver

Setting up Logitech Media Server


We will first start by downloading and installing Logitech Media Server, which is the server backend that manages the media library and controls the players based on the commands from devices that can control the server (known as controllers). Examples of controllers include the web interface and smartphone applications.

The players are devices that actually output audio (also known as Squeezebox clients), our Pi, for example. It is possible to have several controllers and players running from the same server.

To get started, go to http://www.mysqueezebox.com/download, and download the correct version for your OS. In most of the cases, the download is an executable or a package file that can be installed in the same way as any other piece of software.

Once Logitech Media Server is installed, open a web browser on the same PC and navigate to localhost:9000; you should see the Logitech Media Server web interface, as shown in the following screenshot. This allows...

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Description

If you have already undertaken some simple projects with the Raspberry Pi and are looking to enter the exciting work of hardware interaction, then this book is ideal for you.

What you will learn

  • Install and configure an operating system on your Raspberry Pi Design electronics circuits using a range of standard components Interact with electronic circuits and hardware using software libraries Write efficient Python applications to control hardware and process data Build professional-quality enclosures using a range of construction methods Implement best practices to be able to power your projects while on the go Configure Linux to run your applications at specific times Make your applications interact with online data and communication services

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Mar 25, 2015
Length: 284 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781784392901
Vendor :
Raspberry Pi
Category :
Languages :

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Product Details

Publication date : Mar 25, 2015
Length: 284 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781784392901
Vendor :
Raspberry Pi
Category :
Languages :

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Table of Contents

11 Chapters
1. Raspberry Pi Pirate Radio Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Portable Speaker System Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Mini Retro Arcade Cabinet Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. GPS-enabled Time-lapse Recorder Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Home Theater PC Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Outdoor Weather Station Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Home Security System Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Remote-operated Robotic Arm Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Magic Mirror Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Bottle Xylophone Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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I received this book (hard copy) as a gift. The book is in black and white and many of the photo's, drawings and screen shots did not render well from the color versions. Some of the stuff is unreadable. I like a few of the projects but it is almost impossible to read the schematics. I would not recommend the printed copy. Don't know about the kindle version.I emailed the company asking for better illustrations, have not heard back. If they don't provide something, I am finished with Packt.
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