Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[syndromeofadown]

I have just successfully set up my new Pi and thought I'd share some info about it.

I have never used Linux or Pi before and there are probably more questions/problems here than solutions.
But I thought I'd share regardless.

My setup:
I don't have electricity, internet, or a router (I have a small battery bank with very limited power).
My current stereo is an Axiom Air that uses DLNA.

My goal:
Build a Pi server that uses very little electricity so I can have access to my quite large music library.

What I bought/had around:
Pi
Pi Case
JRiver Id Pi on SD card
Edimax EW-7811Un USB WiFi adapter
Anker USB 3.0 to Sata Adapter
MoPi UPS (doesn't work, will explain below)
1 TB WD Red hdd
USB keyboard and mouse
hdmi monitor

To build:
I put the Pi in a case, attached peripherals, inserted sd card, then plugged in.  It started up and I had MC along with a menu start up automatically.

Problem 1:
Searching google for solutions is no good because this isn't a typical Linux installation that can be updated and customized by the user. It took me a while to figure this out. Users get to use the menu that JRiver provided and that's it. You do not get to use terminal to download programs.

Problem 2:
No internet to register MC.
To get the wifi adapter working I simply plugged it in.
My axiom air broadcasts a wifi network that I could connect to with no problems but it doesnt have internet.
I could not connect to my phone's hotspot until i did the following:

I typed 13 for Network Manager.
Then went to preferences and changed wireless interface from wlan0 to wlan1.

(Please explain if you know why this works)
After registering and updating MC I changed back to wlan0 and connected to my Axiom Air.
No more internet for my Pi.

Note:
You can use ctrl+alt+F1 and ctrl+alt+F2 to switch between text and gui.
If you accidental close the menu it doesn't come back. You can use ctrl+alt+F1 to go to text interface and do a restart to get it back.(Please share if you know an easier way)

I typed 20 then enabled usb drives and then my music drive showed up.
In auto import its folders were under "Media" under the Places menu when selecting a path.

Problem 3:
No access key for Gizmo, JRemote,etc.
JRemote and eos give the option to use an ip address instead. (I don't see the option in Gizmo)
I got my ip from Services & Plug-ins--> Media Network (see screen shot).
Use port 52199

Note
Use the ip address in VNC Viewer for remote desktop.

My pi is now detached from the mouse, keyboard, and screen.
I spent an evening using JRemote on a note 3 to play music from my Pi through my Axiom Air.
It had zero issues and was fast and responsive.

Problem 4:
Turning my Pi on and off, and switching power sources.
I purchased a MoPi to solve this but cannot install the software.
https://www.buyapi.ca/product/mopi-mobile-pi-power-stackable-version/
Please JRiver add support for this or a similar product.
It would be great for vehicle setups too.

Problem 5:
I would like to use my JRiver Pi as a Hotspot/Access Point like I am currently doing with my Axiom Air.
I have no clue how to go about doing this.
Please JRiver add support for this option.

It was quite a slow setup but I am happy with my Pi so far.
I look forward to getting MC 22 on it.
I also have some Aeon Labs stuff so I hope to get  Engen running over the winter.

ip address is beside Active Interface




My Pi with no MoPi


My Pi with MoPi

[syndromeofadown]

Turns out Pi3s have built in Wifi.
Was anything gained from using the Edimax EW-7811Un USB WiFi adapter?
I'll leave it in for now.

[JimH]

Unusual setup, but thank you for posting your notes.

Gizmo will also take an IP address in this form (substitute your own IP address):

192.168.0.12:52199

[syndromeofadown]

Gizmo will also take an IP address in this form (substitute your own IP address):

192.168.0.12:52199

Thanks Jim, I have Gizmo working now.

I stopped using the Edimax EW-7811Un USB WiFi adapter. It was pointless and I believe it was causing issues.
The built in wifi is working fine.

My Pi was getting different IP addresses every time it was powered on so I am now using a static IP. Very easy to do.

I couldn't connect to my Pi with JRemote, Gizmo, etc when there wasn't an HDMI cable plugged in. I don't think a monitor was necessary. I switched the  audio device to 3.5mm from HDMI and now all is good.

I currently have my Pi hooked up to a deepcycle battery, no keyboard, mouse, or monitor. Using JRemote and all is running smoothly.

[syndromeofadown]

None of my wma files imported into the library so I had to convert them to mp3.
Not a big deal as I only have a few albums in that format.

As far as I can tell there is no way to use artist images at this time.
Please correct me if I am wrong.

[bob]

None of my wma files imported into the library so I had to convert them to mp3.
Not a big deal as I only have a few albums in that format.

As far as I can tell there is no way to use artist images at this time.
Please correct me if I am wrong.

Non protected WMA will work as long as the Id has an internet connection to download the decoder.
Coverart mages should work as in windows MC.

[syndromeofadown]

Non protected WMA will work as long as the Id has an internet connection to download the decoder.

It's obvious now that you say it. I will connect it the internet whenever I update to MC22 and play a wma.

Coverart images should work as in windows MC.

I'll give it another try soon. I'll start with a few to see if it works instead of a folder with thousands.

Thank you Bob

[syndromeofadown]

I have had issues using remotes with my Id Pi.
While browsing my music using Gizmo/JRemote/Eos for android, MC closes and I have to wait a minute for it to restart so I can reconnect.
Could be my network - I have a new router on its way.
Could the Pi be overloaded when browsing 100,000 files? - Would be nice if all artwork was cashed on remote.

Anyways, I have stopped using Android (I hate Android), and am now using my Windows Phones. Lumia 950 and Lumia 950XL. I am using TinyVNC for remote desktop and nMedium Play as a remote.

Everything has been running absolutely perfectly for a week now. Using my Pi headless with a 1 TB HDD. The wife is on board and has no issues.

[mwillems]

You should set the thumbnailing priority to "low" on the pi and pre-generate thumbnails; I used to have crashes before changing that setting, but now (with a 100,000 file library) I have no crashing problems and things are relatively quick in the remotes because of the pre-generation.

[syndromeofadown]

Thanks

You should set the thumb-nailing priority to "low" on the pi and pre-generate thumbnails

I have been doing both. Every time I add new music I generate thumbnails before using.
I think it may have helped but its still not reliable.

I will troubleshoot more when I have some time.
I will try my new router when it arrives in case I am having bandwidth issues.
I will see if having MC version 22 helps.
If neither solve the problem I will test with a significantly smaller library.

It's strange since I haven't had one crash using nMedium but with any of the Android apps I can consistently get MC to shut down with about 30 seconds of jumping around between Artist and Albums.
Note that I'm not using any calculated fields or views crammed full of expressions, just a simple Artist-->Album View.

[syndromeofadown]

Since my IdPi has been completely stable without a single issue for some time now, I thought I'd try out Engen.
I un-boxed my Aeon stuff that I bought a while back. I plugged my Z Stick into my Pi and opened Panel on my Windows Phone which took about 1 minute. I have never used Panel before. I added a light and a smart switch which took about 2 minutes. After a few minutes of turning things on and off for fun, I made a couple scenes which took about 2 minutes. Very easy and fast to setup. My wife thought I'd spend the week trying to turn on a light but it took mere minutes. Tonight I will wire up my light bulb into a permanent location and have a break from my propane lights. I pooh-poohed the idea of IoT when it was first brought up a while back, but am now very impressed. Maybe worth noting that I don't have internet. I guess Home Automation is a better description than IoT.

[JimH]

Great story!  Thanks.

[syndromeofadown]

I have added a DAC/headphone amp to my IdPi. It was simple to setup and it sounds good.
I got a DragonFly Black. There is a DragonFly Red that costs twice as much. I don't think it's better, it is for higher impedance headphones which I do not own.

Next upgrade will be to a 1.5TB SSD, whenever prices drop.


Settings: