Help With A Silly Audio Device Project
Discussion
I want to bash some vintage hifi separates. Amplifier, maybe an equaliser and, probably, tape deck.
I want BT input (from phone or tablet), BT output (to speakers) as well as wired output to other speakers. Most amps allow for output to two sets of speakers.
I also want USB and SD card inputs, DAB and a screen to control it.
So I'm thinking a Raspberry Pi will deal with the DAB, USB and SD card bits, and I'd probably install a small touch screen in place of the cassette door (a remote control would be good). All of that should fit inside the tape deck's body.
I know bugger all about Raspberry Pi. Is the above possible? Can it also do the Bluetooth stuff, or will I need different BT devices for those?
I want the amp and the equaliser (if used) to be functional, so all the outputs from the Pi (or whatever) will feed into the amp, and the speaker outputs will be from the amp (or equaliser), not from the Pi.
Any advice on devices and software would be appreciated. I have no coding skills, but I do have a lot of coders available.
I want BT input (from phone or tablet), BT output (to speakers) as well as wired output to other speakers. Most amps allow for output to two sets of speakers.
I also want USB and SD card inputs, DAB and a screen to control it.
So I'm thinking a Raspberry Pi will deal with the DAB, USB and SD card bits, and I'd probably install a small touch screen in place of the cassette door (a remote control would be good). All of that should fit inside the tape deck's body.
I know bugger all about Raspberry Pi. Is the above possible? Can it also do the Bluetooth stuff, or will I need different BT devices for those?
I want the amp and the equaliser (if used) to be functional, so all the outputs from the Pi (or whatever) will feed into the amp, and the speaker outputs will be from the amp (or equaliser), not from the Pi.
Any advice on devices and software would be appreciated. I have no coding skills, but I do have a lot of coders available.
Most of that looks possible - the trickiest bit may be getting the amp to connect to Bluetooth speakers, as if the speakers have a BT connection then I’m guessing they have in-built amplifiers. So you’re looking for something that takes high-output speaker connections and then converts the signal to BT so that the speakers can ‘see’ the output BT from the amp. One way to do it might be to take the headphone output from the amp - if it has one - and then feed this back into the Pi so the Pi can connect to the BT speakers directly, allowing the amp to use the Pi’s audio output to feed into the amp for the other wired speakers.
But it sounds like you may know all this already.
I don’t know Pis well but I think what you’re asking it to do is fairly basic stuff. The screen in the tape deck housing sounds cool though - can you get something slim enough not to interfere with the cassette mounting mechanism in the door? That might be a bit of a challenge. But keep the thread updated!
But it sounds like you may know all this already.
I don’t know Pis well but I think what you’re asking it to do is fairly basic stuff. The screen in the tape deck housing sounds cool though - can you get something slim enough not to interfere with the cassette mounting mechanism in the door? That might be a bit of a challenge. But keep the thread updated!
w1bbles said:
Most of that looks possible - the trickiest bit may be getting the amp to connect to Bluetooth speakers, as if the speakers have a BT connection then I’m guessing they have in-built amplifiers. So you’re looking for something that takes high-output speaker connections and then converts the signal to BT so that the speakers can ‘see’ the output BT from the amp. One way to do it might be to take the headphone output from the amp - if it has one - and then feed this back into the Pi so the Pi can connect to the BT speakers directly, allowing the amp to use the Pi’s audio output to feed into the amp for the other wired speakers.
But it sounds like you may know all this already.
I don’t know Pis well but I think what you’re asking it to do is fairly basic stuff. The screen in the tape deck housing sounds cool though - can you get something slim enough not to interfere with the cassette mounting mechanism in the door? That might be a bit of a challenge. But keep the thread updated!
My plan for the BT speakers was to plug a BT device into the speaker output sockets on the back of the amp. I hadn't considered the double-amplification thing.But it sounds like you may know all this already.
I don’t know Pis well but I think what you’re asking it to do is fairly basic stuff. The screen in the tape deck housing sounds cool though - can you get something slim enough not to interfere with the cassette mounting mechanism in the door? That might be a bit of a challenge. But keep the thread updated!
The idea for the tape desk is to remove all the internals, including the drive mech. If I'm puttinga Pi in thdre, it'll need cooling, andI won't need any of the original guts. Having said which, I have hundreds of cassettes in the attic, so maybe I'll get a twin tape unit, and only remove one of them...
Doofus said:
My plan for the BT speakers was to plug a BT device into the speaker output sockets on the back of the amp. I hadn't considered the double-amplification thing.
The idea for the tape desk is to remove all the internals, including the drive mech. If I'm puttinga Pi in thdre, it'll need cooling, andI won't need any of the original guts. Having said which, I have hundreds of cassettes in the attic, so maybe I'll get a twin tape unit, and only remove one of them...
I think the other issue with the BT connection is that I don’t know how you connect a ‘dumb’ BT device to another ‘dumb’ one (the speakers). In my experience the transmitting device needs to be smart enough to see the BT receiver and connect using a passcode or long button press once it’s identified the receiver. I have a ‘dumb’ receiver BT box plugged into my pre-amp so I can play audio from the office computer. But by feeding the headphone amp line output to the Pi you can fix the BT issue by having the Pi as the transmitter to the BT speakers. You’d just need to build the Pi interface so selecting the source is easy - to avoid the feedback situation where the Pi is also receiving its own output from the amp headphone socket when you didn’t need it. As I type this I think I’ve just tripped over my own logic... if you wanted to use the Pi as the source at the same time as feeding both sets of speakers it might get messy! Perhaps 2 Pis in the tape deck housing might be the answer?The idea for the tape desk is to remove all the internals, including the drive mech. If I'm puttinga Pi in thdre, it'll need cooling, andI won't need any of the original guts. Having said which, I have hundreds of cassettes in the attic, so maybe I'll get a twin tape unit, and only remove one of them...
w1bbles said:
Doofus said:
My plan for the BT speakers was to plug a BT device into the speaker output sockets on the back of the amp. I hadn't considered the double-amplification thing.
The idea for the tape desk is to remove all the internals, including the drive mech. If I'm puttinga Pi in thdre, it'll need cooling, andI won't need any of the original guts. Having said which, I have hundreds of cassettes in the attic, so maybe I'll get a twin tape unit, and only remove one of them...
I think the other issue with the BT connection is that I don’t know how you connect a ‘dumb’ BT device to another ‘dumb’ one (the speakers). In my experience the transmitting device needs to be smart enough to see the BT receiver and connect using a passcode or long button press once it’s identified the receiver. I have a ‘dumb’ receiver BT box plugged into my pre-amp so I can play audio from the office computer. But by feeding the headphone amp line output to the Pi you can fix the BT issue by having the Pi as the transmitter to the BT speakers. You’d just need to build the Pi interface so selecting the source is easy - to avoid the feedback situation where the Pi is also receiving its own output from the amp headphone socket when you didn’t need it. As I type this I think I’ve just tripped over my own logic... if you wanted to use the Pi as the source at the same time as feeding both sets of speakers it might get messy! Perhaps 2 Pis in the tape deck housing might be the answer?The idea for the tape desk is to remove all the internals, including the drive mech. If I'm puttinga Pi in thdre, it'll need cooling, andI won't need any of the original guts. Having said which, I have hundreds of cassettes in the attic, so maybe I'll get a twin tape unit, and only remove one of them...
Googling in the monrning, I think.
Why not just buy something like this? https://amzn.to/3gjwOAM
Sorry if you wanted to build something - I get that's part of the fun of it.
Edit: or this: https://amzn.to/2VOoDTu
Sorry if you wanted to build something - I get that's part of the fun of it.
Edit: or this: https://amzn.to/2VOoDTu
Edited by Hoofy on Sunday 6th December 23:31
Take a look at Squeezebox running on a Pi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squeezebox_(network_...
I uses a pre-built install: https://www.picoreplayer.org/
I have one set up that uses a cheap Richer sounds USB DAC. The quality is excellent. But you can use the standard Pi audio output.
There are all sorts of side-projects adding displays, buttons etc,
I like your idea of using a cassette-deck door as a screen. It would be really neat to have an animation of a cassette playing labelled with the current track
ETA: I re-read you post and realised that you wanted bluetooth: https://www.max2play.com/en/portfolio/plugin-bluet...
I uses a pre-built install: https://www.picoreplayer.org/
I have one set up that uses a cheap Richer sounds USB DAC. The quality is excellent. But you can use the standard Pi audio output.
There are all sorts of side-projects adding displays, buttons etc,
I like your idea of using a cassette-deck door as a screen. It would be really neat to have an animation of a cassette playing labelled with the current track
ETA: I re-read you post and realised that you wanted bluetooth: https://www.max2play.com/en/portfolio/plugin-bluet...
Edited by nyt on Monday 7th December 00:02
nyt said:
Take a look at Squeezebox running on a Pi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squeezebox_(network_...
I uses a pre-built install: https://www.picoreplayer.org/
I have one set up that uses a cheap Richer sounds USB DAC. The quality is excellent. But you can use the standard Pi audio output.
There are all sorts of side-projects adding displays, buttons etc,
I like your idea of using a cassette-deck door as a screen. It would be really neat to have an animation of a cassette playing labelled with the current track
ETA: I re-read you post and realised that you wanted bluetooth: https://www.max2play.com/en/portfolio/plugin-bluet...
Cool, thanks. I uses a pre-built install: https://www.picoreplayer.org/
I have one set up that uses a cheap Richer sounds USB DAC. The quality is excellent. But you can use the standard Pi audio output.
There are all sorts of side-projects adding displays, buttons etc,
I like your idea of using a cassette-deck door as a screen. It would be really neat to have an animation of a cassette playing labelled with the current track
ETA: I re-read you post and realised that you wanted bluetooth: https://www.max2play.com/en/portfolio/plugin-bluet...
Edited by nyt on Monday 7th December 00:02
Hoofy said:
Why not just buy something like this? https://amzn.to/3gjwOAM
Sorry if you wanted to build something - I get that's part of the fun of it.
Edit: or this: https://amzn.to/2VOoDTu
Because I want 'vintage' separates. I want loads of knobs and switches.Sorry if you wanted to build something - I get that's part of the fun of it.
Edit: or this: https://amzn.to/2VOoDTu
Edited by Hoofy on Sunday 6th December 23:31
Doofus said:
nyt said:
Take a look at Squeezebox running on a Pi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squeezebox_(network_...
I uses a pre-built install: https://www.picoreplayer.org/
I have one set up that uses a cheap Richer sounds USB DAC. The quality is excellent. But you can use the standard Pi audio output.
There are all sorts of side-projects adding displays, buttons etc,
I like your idea of using a cassette-deck door as a screen. It would be really neat to have an animation of a cassette playing labelled with the current track
ETA: I re-read you post and realised that you wanted bluetooth: https://www.max2play.com/en/portfolio/plugin-bluet...
Cool, thanks. I uses a pre-built install: https://www.picoreplayer.org/
I have one set up that uses a cheap Richer sounds USB DAC. The quality is excellent. But you can use the standard Pi audio output.
There are all sorts of side-projects adding displays, buttons etc,
I like your idea of using a cassette-deck door as a screen. It would be really neat to have an animation of a cassette playing labelled with the current track
ETA: I re-read you post and realised that you wanted bluetooth: https://www.max2play.com/en/portfolio/plugin-bluet...
Edited by nyt on Monday 7th December 00:02
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001298271894.html...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001196312672.html...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001263970931.html...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001298271894.html...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001238102191.html...
Edited by nyt on Monday 7th December 12:04
Doofus said:
nyt said:
Take a look at Squeezebox running on a Pi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squeezebox_(network_...
I uses a pre-built install: https://www.picoreplayer.org/
I have one set up that uses a cheap Richer sounds USB DAC. The quality is excellent. But you can use the standard Pi audio output.
There are all sorts of side-projects adding displays, buttons etc,
I like your idea of using a cassette-deck door as a screen. It would be really neat to have an animation of a cassette playing labelled with the current track
ETA: I re-read you post and realised that you wanted bluetooth: https://www.max2play.com/en/portfolio/plugin-bluet...
Cool, thanks. I uses a pre-built install: https://www.picoreplayer.org/
I have one set up that uses a cheap Richer sounds USB DAC. The quality is excellent. But you can use the standard Pi audio output.
There are all sorts of side-projects adding displays, buttons etc,
I like your idea of using a cassette-deck door as a screen. It would be really neat to have an animation of a cassette playing labelled with the current track
ETA: I re-read you post and realised that you wanted bluetooth: https://www.max2play.com/en/portfolio/plugin-bluet...
Edited by nyt on Monday 7th December 00:02
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001298271894.html...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001196312672.html...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001263970931.html...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001298271894.html...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001238102191.html...
Edited by nyt on Monday 7th December 12:04
nyt said:
A few things that I used for the hardware side:
https://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/0.html?orderId...
https://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/0.html?orderId...
https://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/0.html?orderId...
https://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/0.html?orderId...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001238102191.html...
Thank you. I can only see the last of those items because the others are behind your login. https://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/0.html?orderId...
https://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/0.html?orderId...
https://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/0.html?orderId...
https://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/0.html?orderId...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001238102191.html...
Doofus said:
My plan for the BT speakers was to plug a BT device into the speaker output sockets on the back of the amp. I hadn't considered the double-amplification thing.
The idea for the tape desk is to remove all the internals, including the drive mech. If I'm puttinga Pi in thdre, it'll need cooling, andI won't need any of the original guts. Having said which, I have hundreds of cassettes in the attic, so maybe I'll get a twin tape unit, and only remove one of them...
I use a BT adaptor that plugs into the spare input on the back of my 30 year old NAD amp, it works well. Bought it from Amazon for about £30The idea for the tape desk is to remove all the internals, including the drive mech. If I'm puttinga Pi in thdre, it'll need cooling, andI won't need any of the original guts. Having said which, I have hundreds of cassettes in the attic, so maybe I'll get a twin tape unit, and only remove one of them...
Logitech Adaptor
blueg33 said:
I use a BT adaptor that plugs into the spare input on the back of my 30 year old NAD amp, it works well. Bought it from Amazon for about £30
Logitech Adaptor
This is where I started before I began to think about the Raspberry too. Logitech Adaptor
TonyRPH said:
Instead of DAB, just use internet radio streams. To get the Pi to handle DAB, you'll need a radio decoder, and I'm not sure there are any DAB miodules for the Pi.
Yeah, again; I was thinking about a DAB receiver before I thought about the Raspberry. TBH, the only reason for the Raspberry is because I need a display to select tracks to stream, or DAB stations to listen to.
I've also considered using an old Android phone with a couple of choice apps installed.
Doofus said:
blueg33 said:
I use a BT adaptor that plugs into the spare input on the back of my 30 year old NAD amp, it works well. Bought it from Amazon for about £30
Logitech Adaptor
This is where I started before I began to think about the Raspberry too. Logitech Adaptor
blueg33 said:
I chatted to my son (Masters in acoustic engineering and a designer of synthesizers and signal processors as a hobby), his view is that you need to minimise the amount of computer involved as you get lots of noise and basically they are not designed to properly handle and transmit audio signals especially when you are converting from digital to analogue
A Pi would appear to be the easiest answer, but not really necessary, because I could stream internet radio off my phone or tablet anyway.So then, I just need a screen to see (and select) tracks from an sd or usb input. Yes, I could stream those off my phone too, but then my 'project' is just an old amp with a BT input.
If the separates have loads of unnecessary knobs and switches, then I may as well build in some unnecessary complicaton and redundant media sources too.
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