Pavel DIY Multimedia Radio Based on Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi and Streaming Broadcast
Author: Pavel Kraus
I recently read an article about the Raspberry Pi microcomputer and would like to introduce you to an idea that is easy to implement, not too expensive, and does not require special computer knowledge, as there are many detailed instructions available online.Using Raspberry and the free software Volumio enthusiast system, you can design a device that allows you to play music files stored on a connected or network storage or listen to streaming broadcasts. You can also play music from Spotify using available plugins.
The system can be controlled via a built-in touchscreen, smartphone, tablet, or remote control. There are numerous internet radios that you can search by genre or country. For example, US radio stations are categorized by state, and each state is categorized by city, allowing us to select individual stations from that city.
Volumio is the name of the project, displayed at https://volumio.com/en/.
You can also choose to download this software and install it on a microSD card. Detailed documentation is available at https://volumio.github.io/docs/, and I won’t go into detail here, as the installation itself is not complicated. I used the following components to make this device:
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Raspberry Pi 3B+
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IQAudio Pi DAC + sound card
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MSATA SSD controller and 128GB MSATA SSD (not required for operation, used for manual audio capture)
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5.1V / 3A power supply
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Waveshare 5-inch IPS LCD display (H) V4, HDMI, 800 × 480, touch, capacitive (not mandatory but looks better)
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microSD card for downloading the Volumio Free system (32GB is sufficient).
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USB powered active eight-port hub – allows you to connect an external CD drive to the device, and with the help of plugins, you can play or rip audio CDs on Volumio.
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PC case from Aliexpress (unfortunately, we don’t have a similar small and nice case)
For example, the result could be this device:
The mechanical processing of the cabinet does not have high requirements for the device – I was satisfied with a cordless drill and a metal file. I have been using this system for several years, and I am completely satisfied; I finally integrated it into a high-fidelity audio system for the entire production (with Volumio, preamplifier, equalizer, power amplifier, tuner, headphone amplifier, and standalone CD player and DAC with SABRE ES9038Q2M circuit).
There are many multimedia system projects, including broadcasting with Raspberry, another possible system is
Raspberry and LibreELEC – KODI
KODI is a multimedia application running on the Linux open-source operating system LibreELEC.
The system can be downloaded from https://libreelec.tv/downloads/raspberry/
For more detailed installation information, visit https://kodi.tv/
The system can not only play audio and internet broadcasts but also watch videos.
It allows you to play movies from local or network storage. By adding a Sony TV tuner to the Raspberry Pi, you can watch and record DVBT / DVBT + terrestrial television. There are also many plugins (Spotify, YouTube Music, and many others). The system can be used in various ways – for example, as a photo frame with background music, weather information, radio playback, TV and VCR, streaming, etc.
The first product was designed as an accessory for a manager’s desk. It has a smaller size, a single-frequency speaker, and at its core is the Raspberry Pi 3B + version. It has a TV tuner, 2x10W amplifier, and can connect to an external speaker system and HDMI output. All functions can be controlled using a touchscreen or smartphone, tablet, or radio remote control.
Kodi 1
Kodi 2
The second larger device (Kodi 2) emphasizes better sound reproduction, with a built-in dual-frequency speaker and an amplifier power of 2x20W. The base is still Raspberry Pi, this time version 4 (more powerful, suitable for watching videos and updated versions of the operating system), again supplemented with a sound card. Then, the DAC converter and Sony TV tuner allow you to watch and record terrestrial TV DVBT / DVBT +. The built-in 128GB MSATA SSD allows you to conveniently store collections of movies, music, and photos. The display on the bottom of the instrument shows the clock/VU meter/spectrum analyzer. The device comes with an active USB hub that allows you to connect a keyboard and mouse, and by swapping the microSD card with a loaded Linux operating system, Raspberry Pi enthusiasts can transform the multimedia system into a mature computer with a web browser, office suite, and more.
Like me, you will be fascinated by the Raspberry Pi microcomputer, which has almost unlimited possibilities for use based on the software used.
User Comments
Ivan NO2CW:
I have broadcasts in English from 60 countries on my list. Unlike shortwave, but still… about 60% is music-centered, and 40% is news, culture, current affairs, etc. It’s a bit similar to what shortwave used to do in the past.
Thomas:
Awesome, Pavel!
After Reciva went down, I started to see the Raspberry Pi as a dedicated streaming broadcast solution. Although not a necessity, as I can tune in to most stations via smartphone or tablet, I love having a standalone portable solution. Your system is just that.
Thank you very much for sharing your creativity and knowledge with us. Pavel, you did an excellent job building custom devices in various cases!
DIY something for the Spring Festival at home? Hurry up and get started!
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