Streamer, with benefits

I've spent a while refining my a/v setup and finally got around to building a decent home for all the kit. It now all rests on a DIY pull-out and swivel rack that allows for access as needed. However, one of the problems with any rack is the proliferation of devices and cables. 

In the spirit of consolidation that underpins this blog,  I thought there must be a way of tidying all that up. So I started with a svelte computer case and starting adding stuff in until I was happy. 

Now, I've consolidated the following items into a single unit and have a tidier rack;

• Touchscreen Audio Streamer
• nVidia Shield
• PoE Network Hub

It fits OK in the rack, appearing for all intents and purposes as another source device.

The starting point is a Silverstone SST-ML03B case. I went for this one as it is the lowest case I could find with support for a height PCI slot (that I dint need or use) and an ATX PSU (that I didn't need or use).

Inside I placed a Raspberry Pi 3B that I had lying around and purchased an official 7" touchscreen. The screen is just a tad taller than the case, which is unfortunate. However, I was happy to just attach it to the front of the case (with velcro). I could have opted for a larger case and tried mounting the screen inside for a neater look, but this works just fine and in the rack you can't really tell it's McGyvered together. The case has a 5.25" slot which is ideal for running cables.

The Pi as a HifiBerry Digi+ that has a cable run from it's output to a phone socket surface-mounted on one of the 1/2 height PCI shields at the back of the case.  This allows the unit to be used just like a component that I can attach cables from to the AV processor, and unplug these if I need to move or service the unit.

I'd originally installed Ropiee on the Pi and used the setup as a Roon endpoint. Nice and all as Roon is, it was just another subscription I didn't really need. As I have a legacy Logitech Media Server running in a docker on my unRaid server, I went ahead and flashed Max2Play instead. This gives me all my local music and Spotify, (which Roon doesn't support), with a nicer interface than Ropiee.  I have a bit to go to get Tidal working smoothly but so far, I'm happy with a free alternative to Roon.

Next I shoehorned an 8 port patch panel into the space that the motherboard IO shield would go. I added a Unifi Switch Flex and Switch Flex Mini and wired the patch panel sockets to the switch ports.

This allows me power the network side of this unit from a single PoE connection back to my main network switch and provides the rack with up to 8 network connections, 3 of which are PoE.

In the end, only 6 of the 8 rear ports are operational, as I routed two internal devices directly to the Flex Mini, but that's more than enough for the processor, Blu-Ray and any other devices I need to add in the future.

I popped in my nVidia Shield and added a HDMI port to another 1/2 height PCI bracket giving me another appliance-like connection.

I was a little worried that the shield might not receive remote commands well as it's now living inside a metal box, but all hail the mighty Bluetooth, it works perfectly.

My original plan was to power the Pi via a PoE HAT, and the shield over PoE as well. Unfortunately, the PoE had caused the HifiBerry to to fail, and the Shield stupidly needs it's own proprietary power supply. Instead, I cut some perspex to fit the Silverstone's PSU slot, mounted a power socket there and connected up a 4 socket extension board right inside the case. This provides conventional power for the Pi and Shield, with a couple to spare while leaving just a single power cable to connect.

everything connected up

Overall, I'm delighted with this unit. It gathers up a number of discrete devices inside a single unit with plug and play cabling and manages to hide away a lot of blinking and glowing lights. It works well as my primary music source and minimises cabling in the rack. Win Win Win!