Post your Pi Project Pics :)

[miktec]

A lot of fascinating details come up in other threads illustrating the enormous variety of RPi setups PFMers have put together - so I thought it might be a fine idea to start a pic thread literally illustrating just that.

So please feel more than free to post your Pi pics in all their crazy and or sublime glory - don't worry too much about the quality of the pics - as long as we can catch the gist of what's going on (it ain't no competition)

Also doesn't matter if they been posted on other threads - the deal is just to provide ideas and some inspiration for others in one handy reference thread.

(Kind Mods - if this has already been done please feel free to delete with a pointer to where it is )

 

[miktec]

Will kick off with one of mine ....

When I first got into the RPi a few years back I simply recycled an old ABS plastic project box - cutting holes as appropriate to accommodate the various HATs I was trying out. In the end it was more holes than box so action was required.

Having worked with plexiglas a lot in the past I wanted to steer away from all the ready mades and also adapted plastic boxes. I also wanted something that would fit better with the Quad 33 that I was using at the time as desktop controller but have some flexibility ... so after a lot of faffing about I came up with this wooden solution:

Quad RPi by mik tec, on Flickr

Another goal with this was to consolidate previous attempts to mess around with the boards so that I could have all connections at the back (except for a headphone jack) and accommodate a power switch. All a bit messy initially as I was making most of it up as I went along:

Quad RPi inner by mik tec, on Flickr

 

[Del monaco]

Should be an interesting thread. There is one on the Squeezebox Forum with some interesting projects. Mine is relatively mundane but I’ll post a pic if I can remember how to do it. Last time I tried from Flickr but couldn’t get it to show. We’ll see.

 

[Del monaco]

Will kick off with one of mine ....

When I first got into the RPi a few years back I simply recycled an old ABS plastic project box - cutting holes as appropriate to accommodate the various HATs I was trying out. In the end it was more holes than box so action was required.

Having worked with plexiglas a lot in the past I wanted to steer away from all the ready mades and also adapted plastic boxes. I also wanted something that would fit better with the Quad 33 that I was using at the time as desktop controller but have some flexibility ... so after a lot of faffing about I came up with this wooden solution:

Quad RPi by mik tec, on Flickr

Another goal with this was too consolidate previous attempts to mess around with the boards so that I could have all connections at the back (except for a headphone jack) and accommodate a power switch. All a bit messy initially as I was making most of it up as I went along:

Quad RPi inner by mik tec, on Flickr

Very cool.

 

[Marchbanks]

Domestic LMS installation. Pi3 A+. A minimalist exercise, I wanted to see how small one can go. Works perfectly. Sits next to the router and is currently streaming Time Fades Away via Spotify to my SBT. I love seeing that the PSU is the only physical connection to the outside world!

PortaPi. Pi2B+DAC hat. Music when away from home. 400 CDs on the SD card and memory sticks. Streams when tethered to my mobile phone. Plugs into an amp or a pair of Genelecs.

 

[booja30]

There was this one based off the dimensions of the Naim Headline case. You could swap between olive and black fascia:

After selling my Naim gear I made some minimal modern ones. I made a couple with DAC hats, but only see to have pics of this one containing a RPi 3B+ and HifiBerry Digi+ Pro:

When you can have a streamer this small, why risk obsolescence buying an all-in-one? Just get a nice integrated (that will last forever) and hide one of these behind it!

 

[RoA]

There was this one based off the dimensions of the Naim Headline case. You could swap between olive and black fascia:

After selling my Naim gear I made some minimal modern ones. I made a couple with DAC hats, but only see to have pics of this one containing a RPi 3B+ and HifiBerry Digi+ Pro:

When you can have a streamer this small, why risk obsolescence buying an all-in-one? Just get a nice integrated (that will last forever) and hide one of these behind it!

There will be many more integrated products that have streamers/DAC's and much more built in soon. Not an issue to connect a newer one in ten years as most of these products have an aux in. The question is why you'd want to do that ... . Not much has changed since streaming tech emerged and likely not that much will change in the future.

Having a DAC or/and streamer built in does not make it obsolete in a few years.

Not everyone wants to play around with Rpi's, DAC boards, Power supplies etc.

It's a niche product for tweakers and traditionalist Audiophiles.

The rest will likely want sleek, integrated solutions that work out of the box.

I understand the scepticism new trends can bring but ...

What a Rpi and other cheap streaming options (CCA?) do question though is the sometimes over inflated cost of certain stand alone High end Streamer products.

Personally I think its a great option but it barely has mass appeal and I welcome the inclusion of streamers in integrated products.

 

[miktec]

Not sure the Pi can really be described as a 'niche product' anymore:

"With sales of 36 million since its launch in 2012, Raspberry Pi is already the best-selling British computer ever made."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54782255

Hopefully the Pi 400 will continue to challenge that perception and, who knows, also have some positive impact on the inflationary costs of everyday computing needs and wants that you mention.

 

[MUTTY1]

Justboom Digi on a pi 2 with a battery power supply

 

[miktec]

Justboom Digi on a pi 2 with a battery power supply

What is the first board up - the one with the blue lights?

 

[booja30]

There will be many more integrated products that have streamers/DAC's and much more built in soon. Not an issue to connect a newer one in ten years as most of these products have an aux in. The question is why you'd want to do that ... . Not much has changed since streaming tech emerged and likely not that much will change in the future.

Having a DAC or/and streamer built in does not make it obsolete in a few years.

But that's what people said in the 70's when they bought nice receivers with 8-track players built in.

 

[Del monaco]

A modest project. It’s a Rasp.screen>Pi 3b>Hifiberry Digi hat>optical into Yamaha Sabre Dac. System is based on PiCoreplayer and Jivelite. Does it for me though I am curious about the Allo digital hat. I did run the set up with Ropieee when I had Roon and really liked it.All controlled with the venerable Material Skin.

 

[RoA]

Not sure the Pi can really be described as a 'niche product' anymore:

"With sales of 36 million since its launch in 2012, Raspberry Pi is already the best-selling British computer ever made."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54782255

Hopefully the Pi 400 will continue to challenge that perception and, who knows, also have some positive impact on the inflationary costs of everyday computing needs and wants that you mention.

I am pretty certain it's not 36 million that use it as a streamer but I may be wrong ...

 

[Del monaco]

I am pretty certain it's not 36 million that use it as a streamer but I may be wrong ...

Certainly not but I bet more use it as a streamer than you think. There are so many Distros. And they use it because it is a little marvel really. It’s also used as a central engine to other differently badged products!

 

[Del monaco]

What I really like about the Pi, aside from its value and versatility, is the reactions of those who decide to take the plunge and then are taken aback by it’s ability. There are better streamers but you need to pay a handsome amount to shade the Pi playback, especially the 4b where they have solved the USB bus problem, if you use USB that is. I also giggle a bit when a small minority diss it. It makes it seem even more special then.

 

[RoA]

Before this gets taken out of context may I say it is a fantastic little device, no arguments from me! It does however require a certain amount of involvement and willingness to learn some basics ... and it encourages tweaking which will appeal to some but probably not the majority.

It just 'gets my back' up when the traditionalists (and absolutely no offense meant, we all have the same hobby) seemingly fight and/or denounce technical prowess or the drive to make good sounding, multi purpose products that surely appeal to many more than separate boxes for everything. I get that can make more sense to some but the future is integration imho and the more youngsters, style conscious adults etc join in, the better if we still want forums like this and shows in ten years time.

I may be wrong, I often am, but it's how I see the future of Hifi.

 

[Del monaco]

The willingness is a big thing. Assumed complexity is also a barrier. I think some think you have to learn code etc. The instructions are written down everywhere and many can help with issues. I also find it amusing when others criticise it without even trying it. They also demean it by saying things like, ‘it’s meant as a cheap computer’ or ‘it looks funny’. They have little idea that many streaming products have similar computers at the heart of their build. Many issues around the Pi were solved long ago and it has been a trusted component ever since. There will always be critics, like those that take sides in the TT vs CD debates. Always a pointless exercise to me as all sound different and all have as many flaws as attributes. The question is, ‘Is it good enough for me to enjoy the music that I love?’ For me, all formats provide enjoyment and satisfaction and with well produced recordings, all sound great, even the humble cassette.

 

[booja30]

It just 'gets my back' up when the traditionalists (and absolutely no offense meant, we all have the same hobby) seemingly fight and/or denounce technical prowess or the drive to make good sounding, multi purpose products that surely appeal to many more than separate boxes for everything. I get that can make more sense to some but the future is integration imho and the more youngsters, style conscious adults etc join in, the better if we still want forums like this and shows in ten years time.

FWIW I'm not saying everything function needs a separate box -- I prefer minimalism. But for me that would be an integrated amp, plus a streamer attached to it (not limited to RPi!). That's two boxes. I would not be interested multiple hifi shelves packed with multiple amps, DACs, phono stage(s), many PSU, streamer, reclocker, network bridge, etc. It's oppressive.

Maybe you are right that the digital side has evolved and is future-proof, or can be made that way with firmware/modules. But are a lot of things will change, digital components will have faults, LCD/OLED display panels will dim/break, etc. So I prefer keeping the high quality power amp or integrated separate from the cutting edge, 'future-proof', digital section.

It's not as night and day as your post makes it sound (traditionalists vs. technologists?). It's a spectrum!

 

[Bolle]

Bit of a copy paste from another post.

I recently set up a budget system in my study for some background music while working from home. This is based on a Raspberry Pi 4 and IQaudio DigiAMP+ HAT. I used an old laptop power supply I had lying around, and spent around 70 Euro in total for this. As speakers a couple of Monitor Audio Silver RX1 and Atacama stands a friend had surplus and he donated to me. The DigiAMP+ does 24/192 and has about 2 x 35 Watt with the power supply I had (can be less with weaker ones). As software I use piCorePlayer so it seamlessly integrates in my LMS/Squeezebox system.
The setup is currently in a temporary 'case' consisting of an old chinese takeaway plastic box with a few holes cut out for cabling. I'm going to get a hifiberry case for it, but it is all hidden somewhere in the back of a book cabinet now and I can't really be bothered to get it out...
As mentioned this system was meant for background music, but I find myself really enjoying it. Up to the point that I start browsing music, looking for favourites, etc.

This would absolutely be something I could live with as a main system. For reference, my main system is a combined HT/stereo consisting of a Squeezebox Touch, digital into a Marantz AV7005 processor, modded Parasound HCA-2205 amp, ATC SCM40 mk1 speakers.
Install LMS on the Raspberry/piCorePlayer (I currently run LMS on an M-ITX small form computer/server), add an external USB drive with your music, and you have a fully integrated storage/server/streamer/amplifier with very decent sound quality in something the size of a deck of cards. LMS integrates your local music, streaming services, internet radio, podcasts all in one platform. With the latests plug-ins you can also quite easily integrate the wide variety of uPnP/DLNA and AirPlay capable devices as players in the LMS platform. So it could even be the basis for a limited multiroom system, but I assume at some point the Raspberry would run out of steam here.

Regarding the comments on needing to be a coder or some type of IT specialist. It was easy following the instructions on the piCorePlayer site. A simple download, install on SD card, insert SD card in Pi. Only thing that I needed to do in the piCorePlayer software was to select the output (in my case the IQaudio amp). And that menu was just a few mouseclicks away in the LMS settings. All in all, if you can read a few 'how to' steps on a website, you should be able to get it to work.

 

[miktec]

Bit of a copy paste from another post.

Great post Bolle!

What I like about it is the clear enthusiasm you show and the sense of fun that you get from the bits and bobs you have put together - and housed in a takeaway box

I think this epitomises a key aspect of 'HiFi' that first attracted me to the hobby many decades ago - a sense of adventure and a willingness to play about with stuff and see what comes out (and preferably do it on the cheap...).

Sometimes very frustrating when things get over complicated or projects go pear shaped but also immensely satisfying when the end result pumps out the music perfection that one (pretends) to pursue