HOW TO SETUP A RASBERRY PI 3B+ WITH A HIFIBERRY DAC+ TO RUN MOODE PLAYER CONTROLLED VIA WIFI BY A PHONE OR TABLET USING A WINDOWS 10 BASED COMPUTER.
NB: I have been accused me of being negative regarding this project.
I think it is a BRILLIANT project, however I think the documentation and support is not so brilliant and as I have said there are a lot of people missing out on this because of what I think is 'tech snobbery' whether meaningful or not. Some of the setup instructions are ambigous or confusing.
I do not understand Linux nor am I comfortable with Networks etc but it is possible to get this working without any SSH(?) or sudo(?) or samba shares(?) etc!!!! I hope these instructions can get someone up and running.
This guide does assume that you are using a Windows 10 computer and you can browse files, use unzip software, download and install programs from the internet and run them.
I also assume you have the Pi and a DAC connected and can connect it to your 'HiFi', amp/speakers etc.
WHAT YOU NEED
A. A micro SD card and a way to connect it to your computer.
I used a micro sd card adapter plugged into a usb sd card reader adapter. I cannot see anywhere information on what size SD card you need, I used an 8GB because that's what I had.
B. An ethernet cable.
DOWNLOAD THE SOFTWARE & INSTALL
1. Download the Moode Player image and unzip it. https://moodeaudio.org
2. Download balenaEtcher and install it. https://www.balena.io/etcher
3. Run balenaEtcher click 'select image' browse to where you unzipped the image and chose the moode-iso.img file.
4. Click 'Flash'
When flashing is complete close balenaEtcher.
(NB Both the zip and iso files can now be deleted but maybe keep the iso in case you need to reinstall)
You will probably get a message saying Windows cannot read the SD card and it needs to be formatted. Ignore this.
5. In windows taskbar right click on the USB stick icon and choose 'Eject Mass Storage Device' if that option is available.
6. Remove your USB adapter and then remove your micro SD card.
CONNECT TO MOODE PLAYER WITH A BROWSER
1. Insert the card into the Pi.
2. Plug in the power supply.
3. Let it boot up for 2-3 minutes.
Here is where my problems started. Jump down after the indented text to simply proceed if you do not wish to read my moaning!
In the set up guide it says;
c) Join network SSID=Moode, pwd=moodeaudio
d) http://moode.local or http://172.24.1.1
I assume this means to type these ip/addresses into your browser. When I do it returns a 'This site can't be reached' page.
My computer itself has no wifi adapter but is connected by ethernet cable to my wifi router.
I have also tried using a browser on my phone with the IP and addresses with the same problem.
I have tried going to Network and Sharing Centre choosing 'set up new connection or network' then 'set up a new network'. A pop up appears saying 'Choose the wireless router or access point the you want to configue, but none are available even after waiting 5 minutes for it to appear.
Is the problem anything to do with fiewall or router setting?
4. Plug in an ethernet cable to the pi from your router.
5. In a browser type http://moode.local in the address bar and hopefully this will bring up the webUI for Moode. NB http://moode also works, the IP address did not work for me.
I2S AUDIO DEVICE SETUP (That is the HiFiBerry DAC+ in my case)
1. Click on the 'M' in top right corner, (this is settings menu) choose 'configure', click on 'audio' button.
2. Select an I2S audio device from the drop down menu then click SET (mine was HiFiBerry DAC+)
3. Restart by unplugging/turning off the power supply to the Pi for 10 secs and then plugging in/turning on again. Wait a minute or two until the Pi reboots.
4. In a browser type http://moode.local this will bring up the webUI for Moode. If that page was still open try a refresh by pressing F5 key.
5. Go to Menu (M), choose Configure, Audio, EDIT MPD config
6. Leave Volume control set to "Software" (Im sure I read somewhere Hardware was better?!?!)
7. Verify Audio output is set to the name of the I2S audio device
8. SAVE
Connect the audio outs to your Amp/Speaker etc.
You should now be able to test the audio by playing the Stero test and choosing the Streaming source radio stations.
The rest is mostly from the setup instructions on the moode forum but with some edits to, I think, explain it in more straight forward terms where neccessary.
NB To go BACK from any page click the ARROW in top left corner.
SET TIME ZONE AND KEYBOARD
a) Menu, Configure, System
b) Select appropriate timezone then click SET
c) Select your keyboard layout then click SET
ADD SOURCES CONTAINING MUSIC FILES - USB STORAGE DEVICES
a) Insert USB storage device NB (In my case this means plug in my external HDD using the USB cable!)
b) Click Menu, Choose Update library
c) Wait for completion (no spinner) (The 'spinner' is the little rotating type circle in the upper right corner!)
When the spinner stops click on 'Library' in the upper left corner and select Album, Tag, Folder or Radio to see your music collection.
CONFIGURE FOR WIFI CONNECTION
(ie to be able to control the Pi with Moode player from your phone or tablet via your wifi.)
Ethernet mode (ie the Pi is connected to your computer with an ethernet cable)
a) Leave ethernet cable connected
b) Insert wifi adapter (while Pi running) *I assume the wifi adapter is on the Raspberry Pi 3B+ and there is nothing to insert*
c) Type http://moode in address bar of your browser.
d) Go to Menu, Configure, Network
e) Configure a wifi connection
(Well that's very helpful!!! Tell me how do I bake a cake? Oh it's simple... you bake a cake!!!)
This is what I did.
Wireless (WiFi) section I left Address assignment at the default as I do not know what that is.
SSID drop down menu, choose my WiFi network.
I left the security at WPA/WPA2 Personal as I don't know what that is.
I typed in my WiFi password in the password field
I choose my country from the drop down list.
I scrolled to the top of the page and clicked on Save.
I clicked the back arrow in top left corner.
f) Click Menu choose Power click Shutdown
g) Unplug ethernet cable
h) Power on
TO CONTROL FROM PHONE OR TABLET
Type http://moode in address bar of your browser on my computer.
Now able to control the Pi using Moode Player from the browser via WiFi with no ethernet cable attached.
I then used an Android app called Fing on my phone to discover the IP address of the Raspberry Pi running Moode Player (I don't know if the IP address is of the physical Pi or the Moode software). I then opened a browser (I tried both Chrome and Dolphin and they both worked) and typed in the IP address in the ADDRESS bar, note NOT the search field. This brought up the webUI of MoOde Player.
SUCCESS!!!!!!
OTHER THINGS
Click Menu (M) – Configure – System
Under System Modifications section I turned off Integrated BT adapter (Bluetooth) and HDMI port as I’m not using these. Don’t know if it makes any difference. When you click the button to turn them off I think you must also click on the ‘SET’ button and then do a restart.
I also clicked on File system EXPAND button, don’t know if it’s of any use to me as I don’t know how to store music on the SD card!
I have to say that I love this Raspberry Pi and HiFiBerry DAC running Moode Player with all my music on a 2.5” HDD in a wee £2 external case! Connected to my Naim Nait amp through my Mission 701 speakers I can queue up loads and switch back and forth and control the volume plus these is a bunch of radio stations.
NB: I have been accused me of being negative regarding this project.
I think it is a BRILLIANT project, however I think the documentation and support is not so brilliant and as I have said there are a lot of people missing out on this because of what I think is 'tech snobbery' whether meaningful or not. Some of the setup instructions are ambigous or confusing.
I do not understand Linux nor am I comfortable with Networks etc but it is possible to get this working without any SSH(?) or sudo(?) or samba shares(?) etc!!!! I hope these instructions can get someone up and running.
This guide does assume that you are using a Windows 10 computer and you can browse files, use unzip software, download and install programs from the internet and run them.
I also assume you have the Pi and a DAC connected and can connect it to your 'HiFi', amp/speakers etc.
WHAT YOU NEED
A. A micro SD card and a way to connect it to your computer.
I used a micro sd card adapter plugged into a usb sd card reader adapter. I cannot see anywhere information on what size SD card you need, I used an 8GB because that's what I had.
B. An ethernet cable.
DOWNLOAD THE SOFTWARE & INSTALL
1. Download the Moode Player image and unzip it. https://moodeaudio.org
2. Download balenaEtcher and install it. https://www.balena.io/etcher
3. Run balenaEtcher click 'select image' browse to where you unzipped the image and chose the moode-iso.img file.
4. Click 'Flash'
When flashing is complete close balenaEtcher.
(NB Both the zip and iso files can now be deleted but maybe keep the iso in case you need to reinstall)
You will probably get a message saying Windows cannot read the SD card and it needs to be formatted. Ignore this.
5. In windows taskbar right click on the USB stick icon and choose 'Eject Mass Storage Device' if that option is available.
6. Remove your USB adapter and then remove your micro SD card.
CONNECT TO MOODE PLAYER WITH A BROWSER
1. Insert the card into the Pi.
2. Plug in the power supply.
3. Let it boot up for 2-3 minutes.
Here is where my problems started. Jump down after the indented text to simply proceed if you do not wish to read my moaning!
In the set up guide it says;
c) Join network SSID=Moode, pwd=moodeaudio
d) http://moode.local or http://172.24.1.1
I assume this means to type these ip/addresses into your browser. When I do it returns a 'This site can't be reached' page.
My computer itself has no wifi adapter but is connected by ethernet cable to my wifi router.
I have also tried using a browser on my phone with the IP and addresses with the same problem.
I have tried going to Network and Sharing Centre choosing 'set up new connection or network' then 'set up a new network'. A pop up appears saying 'Choose the wireless router or access point the you want to configue, but none are available even after waiting 5 minutes for it to appear.
Is the problem anything to do with fiewall or router setting?
4. Plug in an ethernet cable to the pi from your router.
5. In a browser type http://moode.local in the address bar and hopefully this will bring up the webUI for Moode. NB http://moode also works, the IP address did not work for me.
I2S AUDIO DEVICE SETUP (That is the HiFiBerry DAC+ in my case)
1. Click on the 'M' in top right corner, (this is settings menu) choose 'configure', click on 'audio' button.
2. Select an I2S audio device from the drop down menu then click SET (mine was HiFiBerry DAC+)
3. Restart by unplugging/turning off the power supply to the Pi for 10 secs and then plugging in/turning on again. Wait a minute or two until the Pi reboots.
4. In a browser type http://moode.local this will bring up the webUI for Moode. If that page was still open try a refresh by pressing F5 key.
5. Go to Menu (M), choose Configure, Audio, EDIT MPD config
6. Leave Volume control set to "Software" (Im sure I read somewhere Hardware was better?!?!)
7. Verify Audio output is set to the name of the I2S audio device
8. SAVE
Connect the audio outs to your Amp/Speaker etc.
You should now be able to test the audio by playing the Stero test and choosing the Streaming source radio stations.
The rest is mostly from the setup instructions on the moode forum but with some edits to, I think, explain it in more straight forward terms where neccessary.
NB To go BACK from any page click the ARROW in top left corner.
SET TIME ZONE AND KEYBOARD
a) Menu, Configure, System
b) Select appropriate timezone then click SET
c) Select your keyboard layout then click SET
ADD SOURCES CONTAINING MUSIC FILES - USB STORAGE DEVICES
a) Insert USB storage device NB (In my case this means plug in my external HDD using the USB cable!)
b) Click Menu, Choose Update library
c) Wait for completion (no spinner) (The 'spinner' is the little rotating type circle in the upper right corner!)
When the spinner stops click on 'Library' in the upper left corner and select Album, Tag, Folder or Radio to see your music collection.
CONFIGURE FOR WIFI CONNECTION
(ie to be able to control the Pi with Moode player from your phone or tablet via your wifi.)
Ethernet mode (ie the Pi is connected to your computer with an ethernet cable)
a) Leave ethernet cable connected
b) Insert wifi adapter (while Pi running) *I assume the wifi adapter is on the Raspberry Pi 3B+ and there is nothing to insert*
c) Type http://moode in address bar of your browser.
d) Go to Menu, Configure, Network
e) Configure a wifi connection
(Well that's very helpful!!! Tell me how do I bake a cake? Oh it's simple... you bake a cake!!!)
This is what I did.
Wireless (WiFi) section I left Address assignment at the default as I do not know what that is.
SSID drop down menu, choose my WiFi network.
I left the security at WPA/WPA2 Personal as I don't know what that is.
I typed in my WiFi password in the password field
I choose my country from the drop down list.
I scrolled to the top of the page and clicked on Save.
I clicked the back arrow in top left corner.
f) Click Menu choose Power click Shutdown
g) Unplug ethernet cable
h) Power on
TO CONTROL FROM PHONE OR TABLET
Type http://moode in address bar of your browser on my computer.
Now able to control the Pi using Moode Player from the browser via WiFi with no ethernet cable attached.
I then used an Android app called Fing on my phone to discover the IP address of the Raspberry Pi running Moode Player (I don't know if the IP address is of the physical Pi or the Moode software). I then opened a browser (I tried both Chrome and Dolphin and they both worked) and typed in the IP address in the ADDRESS bar, note NOT the search field. This brought up the webUI of MoOde Player.
SUCCESS!!!!!!
OTHER THINGS
Click Menu (M) – Configure – System
Under System Modifications section I turned off Integrated BT adapter (Bluetooth) and HDMI port as I’m not using these. Don’t know if it makes any difference. When you click the button to turn them off I think you must also click on the ‘SET’ button and then do a restart.
I also clicked on File system EXPAND button, don’t know if it’s of any use to me as I don’t know how to store music on the SD card!
I have to say that I love this Raspberry Pi and HiFiBerry DAC running Moode Player with all my music on a 2.5” HDD in a wee £2 external case! Connected to my Naim Nait amp through my Mission 701 speakers I can queue up loads and switch back and forth and control the volume plus these is a bunch of radio stations.
