# Raspberry Pi instead of head-unit in car for lossless music, navigation etc. ?



## Bluewoldemort

I have tried to find the best way to get the most out of my car audio without spending too much.
I have a Pioneer HU running to a Helix Pl-DSP now.
The problem with head-units is I have to run RCA, cannot play back Flacs on all HU:s and don't know about the audio quality.
The problem with Android is no problem free way to run lossless music and stream etc.
Problem with Ipad is I don't like Apple and they still don't work problem-free and don't support as much as android.
Windows PC takes up much space and doesn't work well with touch-screen, or have you implemented it well?

So I remembered I have an old Raspberry Pi 2b laying around. Could I use that for everything?
I was wondering; 
Can I get android auto?
Can I get lossless 24-bit 192kHz flacs to play through optical toslink?
Can I play Spotify?
Can I use my phone to control the Spotify? Without Premium? If a friend doesn't have premium and they want to connect, like you can to a PC.
Would it be practically fast and reliable?
Would a touch screen work well enough for daily use?
Would it be cheap enough? Around 100€.
Could I get it to auto-connect to my phone's wifi to get internet?

I have used a RPI before, had problems, but I am a quick learner with new stuff. 
I am good with PC's, can solder etc. so I don't think I would be the problem here.


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## Bluewoldemort

Or could I just have the Pi connected to the DSP and then have it boot with the car,
then connect to phone via wifi and play spotify and flacs from the Pi controlled with the phone (Oneplus 6t)?
Then I could also have the phone connected to the HU and make calls etc.


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## Bluewoldemort

Or, I have a Huawei Mediapad M3. Could I use that as a screen for the Pi somehow?


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## Theslaking

I did the pi thing with the newest board. I tried both Pi OS and Lineage 17 with Android . I was able to run all the apps I needed both ways. Used a HD touchscreen for it. It worked but a few things I didn't like. I have several hats optical out, 4g, gps, and some others. I ended trying a Joying unit and stuck with that. I believe it's in my 5 speed Maxima build log. 

If you're really interested I would let my setup go for cheap. It's just collecting dust right now.


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## Bluewoldemort

I couldn't find your Pi setup easily.
I really wouldn't need 4g or GPS, because I use my phone as the source for my HU at the moment, I can just as easily use maps on that.
But can I use my phone as a hotspot for the Pi and control the Pi with the phone etc. simultaneously?
What kind of problems/dislikes did you have with the Pi setup, besides GPS?

What benefits did you get with the Joying? Isn't android almost impossible to get to play lossless music?
Was the music quality enough?

How much would you take for the Pi set? I live in Finland, so I doubt it would be cost-effective for you to ship it here, but I don't really know?


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## Theslaking

I had no big issues. Honestly the biggest thing was the screen looked like it didn't fit in my car. I made a monitor housing that was good but just not right. Using the Joying as a floating screen where I have it installed looks factory. The sound quality if fine. I also ran an optical back to the 8x12 for critical listening. I use the Tidal app mostly when I'm riding around. I don't care about anything above 320 when the car is moving anyway. 

You can use the Pi in the ways you asked about. I had it set up with the tasker app to do stuff. Like connect to my phone hotspot when BT was on.


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## Theslaking

Give me a town in Finland, maybe a postal code. I'll check on shipping.


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## Bluewoldemort

Try "Vaasa"


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## Theslaking

I could ship everything but a monitor for $40, maybe a monitor and keep the package small enough. Definitely all of it for $70. USD of course.


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## Theslaking

Everything I have was well over $300 so there's value to be had if you want stuff. I'll have to pull out the box to see exactly.


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## Bluewoldemort

Ok so you're asking for about $110 total to ship it here?
I'll have to think about that.
What kind of monitor?


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## Theslaking

No I'm saying if you wanted everything but the monitor It would be $40 for shipping.

If you wanted a monitor it may bump up to around 70 for everything.


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## Bluewoldemort

Okay. What kind of stuff do you have exactly then?


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## Theslaking

Both my boys and I all have basketball games tonight. 3 separate. So I'll check tomorrow.


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## nhtunes

Go with Hifiberry and get a quality dac with whatever output you want. 

I use this Pi setup. I use Max2Play that configures everything. I just use the basics, a hard drive and a cheap tablet or my phone to control it.


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## Theslaking

I have the hifiberry in the box. So I agree!


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## Bluewoldemort

What about power? When googling about using the RPi as a streamer, I found many saying that it would be beneficial to upgrade the power supply.
I understand that if I bought the DAC, but I would buy the toslink one myself. Does the signal in the toslink hifiberry get noise from the power supply?
I am of course using it in car. Can I just use a normal 2-3A cigarette lighter output, or should I get a separate 12V to 5V converter?


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## nhtunes

Mausberry Circuits will have what you need for power supply.


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## Bluewoldemort

Do you mean I should use one of these? 4amp Car Supply / Switch


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## nhtunes

I got the 3 amp, but I power a hard drive too. If you get Slaking's stuff he may already have this covered. These manage the remote turn on and off for the computer Basically waits until the Pi is shut down before powering off. You can also tell it shut down after a certain amount of time so when you do errands it's not shutting down all the time.


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## Bluewoldemort

Okay, but how necessary is that? How bad is it just connecting the power off on the Pi?
Btw. isn't using a had drive in a car a little dangerous? All the shaking from the car could easily destroy it.


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## Bluewoldemort

I just bought the HIFIberry DIGI+. It was only 22€.


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## Bluewoldemort

Now I bought the 4amp Car Supply / Switch, I came to the conclusion that I won't need anything else and the total amount including shipping was 70€.
I would still be interested if someone had the touch screen for cheap but I really don't know what I'd need it for.


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## dumdum

Bluewoldemort said:


> Okay, but how necessary is that? How bad is it just connecting the power off on the Pi?
> Btw. isn't using a had drive in a car a little dangerous? All the shaking from the car could easily destroy it.


Solid state drives are your friend!


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## Theslaking

I have two HD screens (which do you no good using a pi2), Raspberry screen, hifiberry, bt keyboard/touchpad, power supply, all cables + extra, Pi 4 & 3 boards, 2 sixfab 4g/gps modules, fans, I don't even know what the hat on the screen in the pic is, resistors and pots for volume control, screen and board mounts/holders, and more


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## Theslaking

Just seen you already bought stuff.....


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## Bluewoldemort

Yes it was too cheap to buy brand new.
But do you have the 7" touch screen?
How much would you take for that and a gps module and a fan?


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## Theslaking

Damn. You have to pay 96 usd for an Pi authorized dealer screen and I only paid 50 something. 

Unless your trying to save every dollar I think you should switch to a pi4. Running a screen, streaming hi quality music, plus whatever else is a big ask.


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## Bluewoldemort

But would I gain anything from a screen? 
I have a 8,4" Huawei tablet with decent specs that I can use GPS and Volumio on.
If I have hotspot on my phone, the tablet and Pi auto-connect to it and I can just use the tablet without opening mu phone?


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## Theslaking

I had a Huawei tablet. If they wouldn't have been blacklisted in the US I'd still be using it.

No you wouldn't if you can get the tablet to control pi. But you'd have to root it I think. What's your problem with AA? Not sure I get it. It outputs audio at 44.1Khz, 16bit so not bad. Unless your headunit reroutes and changes that. 

If I understand I think you either need a dap or get rid of you HU and run a full Pi or tablet setup.


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## Bluewoldemort

Well my DSP supports 192kHz 24Bit and I have a couple of flacs that high quality.
I was planning on just having my HU on the RCA inputs of the DSP, then RPI on toslink input and a tablet to control it.
I was just gonna use volumio to control the Pi, would I need something else when just playing music? Rooting is no problem though.
I want my phone to be wireless, and for the same money I would have bought a converter for ipad or android I got the pi setup a little cheaper, because I had one.
And the Pi has better quality and support. I can get Spotify, flacs, network radio etc.
The HU sounds good now, but I would want it to be on the same level as everything else. Long RCAs, processing, components and specs that no manufacturer wants to give out. Seems a bit sus to use something I know nothing about except 4V output.
I could have gotten a 80PRS, but yet again that would have been 150-200€ second hand, and my HU is basically just the step below from Pioneer.


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## Theslaking

I'm saying just go full Pi + touchscreen and get rid of the Pioneer. Everything the pioneer does a Pi can do better. The only downside is getting the screen to look acceptable to you in your dash.


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## Bluewoldemort

Well with the pioneer I can make handsfree calls, play CD:s and adjust volume to rear speakers etc.
If I use the tablet at a screen I can just mount it on top of the pioneer so that I can use both.
The Pioneer is so old I won't get much selling it either.


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## Theslaking

You can do it with a pi too. I don't know about a fader didn't care about that. But you can tell the pi to use the mic input when your phone app opens. To be honest the mics on our phones work just fine nowadays by themselves, even with windows down at moderate speeds. You can also use apps to route phone calls though your phone to tablets so obviously that means you can do it on a pi. In my son's tablet install we quit using the tablet for the calls because the phone mic works fine. The call comes through the speakers.

A disc drive can be had new for $20 new and works with pi4 through usb.


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