Friday 31 January 2014

The finished item...

One 1961 Roberts radio brought into the 21st century. 

A headless Raspberry Pi running Squeezelite, controlled via some 1500 lines of Python. 



The complete parts list for those interested :)

1 x R200 Roberts Radio
1 x Raspberry Pi (512MB Model B)
1 x Case (Modmypi.com) (Only used the base of the case)
1 x 802.11n Wifi dongle (Modmypi.com)
1 x USB Soundcard (Modmypi.com)
1 x Powered USB hub (modmypi.com)
1 x Adafruit 2x16 LCD + PiPlate kit (modmypi.com)
1 x GPIO extra tall header pins (modmy pi.com)
1 x GPIO breakout board (cobbler) (modmypi.com)
1 x LED (and resistor)
2 x rotary encoders (eBay)
1 x pair of HP USB powered speakers (eBay)
1 x USB micro cable (USB plug removed)

Perspex sheet for the top
Gloss black ‘backing’ for the top
Heatshrink tubing (eBay)
Soldering iron + solder
Hot melt gun sticks (Maplin)

Various wires (Maplin)
Cable tie bases & Cable ties (Maplin)
Dremal (for cutting the steel chassis, various interior remodelling, sanding, drilling)


Finishing touches...

The original badge was scuffed and discoloured. A quick spray paint brought it back to life...




A place for everything and everything in its place ....

Cable tie bases and many cable ties helped route the wires around the chassis.

Speaker cables fixed in place.

Rotary encoder cabling fixed in place.

USB hub is fixed in place to the base of the chassis. LCD cabling is routed to allow for the door to open / close.
Better shot of the hub mounting. Perspex on top of hub to protect the components.

On with the door...

Raspberry Pi, PiPlate, GPIO PCB and USB soundcard fixed to the rear door. Power cable for the USB hub is coming through the hole in the top-centre of the door.


A tight fit...

One of the toughest tasks was fitting all of the components into the case. The powered USB hub required some modification to fit....

Reducing the unused PCB around the border wasn't enough...

Drastic measures. The USB plugs for the speakers and the micro-USB cable powering the Pi were removed and the power lines soldered directly onto the hub PCB. 

Success!! Speakers and Pi powered via direct connections to the hub power lines.


Mounting the dials and LCD

The rotary encoders and LCD display are mounted on the original metal frame. The slot for the LCD was cut out with some expert Dremal skills. A gloss black backing provides a professional finish for the top.




LCD and rotary encoders mounted.




GPIO pins attached to breakout board.
Rotary encoders soldered.

No more breadboards....

Adafruit LCD Display

An Adafruit 2x16 LCD screen with PiPlate provides the menu interface. The second rotary encoder controls the menu system, with push function to enter a sub-menu. The second video demonstrates the 'Now Playing' feature of the LCD display.

LCD connected to GPIO via breadboard for prototyping.





Rotary encoder cycling through the menu system. Push control to select a sub-menu and to change radio station. The phone is showing the current station.


The LCD display updating its "Now Playing" title after a track change via the iPad Squeezebox app.




"These go to eleven"

Rotary encoders with the original Roberts dials attached. Left hand side controlling the volume of the audio on the Raspberry Pi. (Audio quality poor due to phone, not the radio!)






Rotary encoder controlling the volume of the Raspberry Pi Squeezebox

Thursday 30 January 2014

In with the new ...

Some Marvel comic book wrapping paper provided the source of the new covering:

























Out with the old ...

The green rexine had seen better days, so it was removed and the chassis sanded down for recovering.






Wednesday 29 January 2014

In the beginning....


One broken 1961 Robert R200 Transistor radio.... dismantled

The plan: to build an Internet radio that can also play local content, be controllable via an app, or as a standalone device, look different and provide a cheaper multi-room alternative to high street offerings...