Introduction: Spotify & Airplay Boombox From a HK Go+Play II
By adding a Raspberry Pi (on card computer) in the battery place of the HK Go+Play Boombox you get a very mordern and useful gear!!! You get both a standalone Spotify player controlable through a webinterface AND an Airplay client for 70-90$!!!
Bakground
The HK Go+Play has an amasing clear and loud sound, but it lacks connectivity. It was made for an iPad back in time.
You can buy new ones for 250$ or used ones for half...
Raspberry Pi are a ARM powered one card computer that costs 30$ and only needs a USB connection for power and a SD card as "harddisk". You can download various Linux-images that can do almost everything. Here we are using a Linux assebly for only two purposes Spotify player and Airplay client. I will come back more to that later...
Here is my instruction!
It's sooo easy!
Let's try it!
Step 1: Parts You Need!
Spotify Premium account.
1pcs Raspberry Pi Model A or B (Model A is cheaper and uses less USB power). 30$
1pcs SD 4Gb (the better SD card you use the quicker it boots). 8$
1pcs short USB to Micro USB cable. 3$
1psc USB WIFI dongle (check that it works with Raspberry Pi/Linux). 15$
1pcs 24V cigarette lighter USB converter. Note the 24V! Must Be 24V. 15$
1pcs Cigarette lighter contact for chassie assembly. 6$
1pcs 3.5mm female audio stereo connector for chassie assemby. 3$
1pcs 3.5mm male to male audio stereo cable 1 m. 3$
1pcs 3.5mm male male audio stereo connector - short angled. 3$
0.5 m 2 wire cable for power. 1$
0.5 m 3 wire cable for power. 1$
Step 2: Tools You Need!
Soldering iron (for electronics)
Screwdrivers and bits
Cable cutter
Dremel or drilling machine
PC or a Mac (for downloading and writing Linux-image)
USB to SD card reader (or a PC with SD card reader builtin)
Voltmeter
Epoxy-glue
Step 3: Step 1: Unscrew All Screws and Open Box
Unscrew all screws and not the location for the different screws. You need to remember this to be able to remount the screws again!
Dont miss the screw inside the battery holder!
Step 4: Step2: Remove Battery Parts and Insert Chassie Connectors
Remove all metal parts in the battery holder.
Make hole and mount both chassie connectors with a little epoxie-glue.
Solder the 2-wire cable to the cigarette connector. Note the + and - !
Solder the 3-wire cable to the 3.5mm female connector.
Step 5: Step3: More Soldering
Remove the screw in the middle of the circuitboard in the picture.
You will underneth see the the connection for audio and for power to the box. Note how it is connected.
Drill two holes for the 2 and 3 wire cable. See picture.
Pull both cables through the two holes.
Solder the 3 wire connection to the circuitboard in parallell to the aux connector in back of the box.
Solder the 2 wire connection to the circuitboard in paralell to the power in connector. Please note + and -
Step 6: Step4: Test
Connect the powercable to the powerinput on the back of the box and turn on the box.
Check polarity of the cigarette connector. It should be + in the middle and - on the "tubewalls" of the connector.
Connect a music supply with a 3.5mm audio cable and test that you hear sound/music from both Aux on the back side of the box and from connector inside of the battery holder.
If something is wrong go back in steps until you find your fault!
Step 7: Step5: Congratulation! Worst Part Is Done!
Put all screws back on the right places. Please note position of screws.
It is good to to the auditest from Step4 again!
Step 8: Step6: Download Linuximage, Write to SD and Configure SD
A smart guy in Holland has made the most important part for this project: the Linux image for Spotify and Airplay.
Use you PC or Mac and download the image and the imagewriter from this page:
http://www.woutervanwijk.nl/pimusicbox/
Steps are easy:
1. Download image
2. Download imagewriter
3. Instert SD card in PC and use imagewriter for writing to SD
4. Edit the file "settings.py" with an text editor and change username and passwords for your spotify PREMIUM account.
5. Edit the file "wpa.conf" with an text editor and change SSID and passwords for WIFI.
Step 9: Step7: Ok a Litte More Soldering Is Needed...
Make a short angled (to fit inside the battery holder) audio cable for sound by a litte soldering.
Make a test to see that it works.
Step 10: Step8: Assemble All Parts in the Battery Holder
Insert SD card and USB Wifi dongle into the Raspberry card.
Connect Micro-USB contact and the angled audio cable to Raspberry.
Insert the 24V to USB converter.
Connect the USB and Audio to the cassie connectors.
Connect the power and turn on the box!
After 10 seconds a green led starts flashing on the Raspberry Pi when it starts booting. This is OK. If not check the forums mentioned in the webpage att Step6.
After 20-60 seconds the led of the Wifi dongle starts flashing. Thats also normal.
Step 11: Step9: Time to Play!
Open a webbrowser on a PC, iPad, iPhone etc that MUST be connected to the same WIFI network as the Raspberry Pi and enter the following:
http://musicbox.local
Now you can choose songs from your normal playlists.
You should also be able on IOS units to open an Airplay for sound to "Musicbox"!!!
This is very, very cool!!!!
Step 12: Postludium
I hope you have tried to make this work! And I hope then that you have succeded! If so I would be very happy to get an email from you telling that you have succeded! That would be fun! You can reach me at: thomas at lydhig dot com
