A while ago I've decided to try my hand at replacing my Sonos system with a DIY version of a sound system. I have two reasons to do this:

  1. I think it's going to be fun and
  2. I have a bunch of FLAC files at odd resolutions which are not really playable by the Sonos system.

After giving it some thought, I've settled on the following configuration:

  1. A Raspberry Pi
  2. A sound card for the Raspberry Pi. For starters I'll be going with a Chinese clone
  3. An amplifier
  4. A couple of relays to protect the speakers

In addition, I'll have:

  • A volume knob (rotary encoder)
  • A RGB LED (controlled by an arduino)
  • A power consumption meter (amperage converter) - optional, if I have place
  • Optional - small OLED screen to display stuff

All will be connected via Ethernet (initially at least)

The schematic is something like:

Sound machine

Now, off the top of my head, I'll have to do the following:

  • Design the LED statuses (colors, what they mean)
  • Create a volumio plugin for volume adjustment via the knob
  • Create a volumio plugin for the relays (to actually switch on the relays once the system is up and running)
  • Create a serial communication from volumio to the Arduino hardware so we're able to trigger the LED changes
  • Build the case (drill holes etc)
  • Cram all hardware inside

Now the fun starts :)