Build a Spotify Connected Music Player with a Raspberry Pi Pico
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What if you could transform your music experience with a device you built yourself? Imagine a sleek, compact touchscreen player on your desk, displaying vibrant album art, offering intuitive playback controls, and even syncing ambient LED lighting to match the mood of your favorite tracks. This isn’t just a futuristic gadget—it’s a DIY project powered by the versatile Raspberry Pi Pico. With its open source design and seamless integration with Spotify, this project invites tech enthusiasts to merge creativity with functionality, crafting a music player that’s as unique as their playlist. Why settle for off-the-shelf solutions when you can build something truly personal?
In this project by AKZ Dev, learn how they brought this idea to life, from selecting the right hardware—like the Primro Presto touchscreen display—to configuring the software that connects your device to Spotify’s API. You’ll uncover the steps to create a visually stunning and interactive music player, complete with dynamic lighting and customizable features. Whether you’re a seasoned maker or a curious beginner, this project offers a rewarding dive into the world of DIY electronics and music technology. The best part? You’ll end up with a device that doesn’t just play music—it enhances how you experience it.
DIY Spotify Touchscreen Player
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TL;DR Key Takeaways :
- The project uses a Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller and a Primro Presto touchscreen display to create a compact, interactive Spotify music player with features like album art, playback controls, and ambient lighting effects.
- Key hardware components include the Raspberry Pi Pico, a 4-inch Primro Presto touchscreen display, USB-C power supply, optional MicroSD storage, and ambient LEDs for a visually immersive experience.
- Software setup involves Python programming, Spotify API integration, and configuring Wi-Fi and Spotify credentials, with all resources available on GitHub for open source customization.
- Core features include a user-friendly touchscreen interface displaying album art, song details, and playback controls, along with dynamic LED lighting that matches the album art for enhanced ambiance.
- The project is open source, encouraging community contributions and customization, with an estimated total cost of $100, making it an affordable and rewarding DIY endeavor for music and tech enthusiasts.
Key Hardware Components
The success of this project relies on the careful selection of hardware components, each contributing to a seamless and visually appealing user experience.
- Raspberry Pi Pico: This microcontroller serves as the brain of the device, managing tasks such as processing, connectivity, and controlling the display and lighting effects.
- Primro Presto Touchscreen Display: A 4-inch display with a 480×480 resolution, providing a vibrant and responsive interface for album art, song details, and playback controls.
- USB-C Power Supply: Ensures consistent and reliable power delivery, essential for uninterrupted performance.
- MicroSD Slot: Offers optional storage expansion, which can be used for additional features or data storage.
- Ambient LEDs: These LEDs dynamically adjust their colors to match the album art, creating a visually immersive music experience.
Together, these components form a compact and aesthetically pleasing device that integrates seamlessly into any environment, whether it’s a workspace, living room, or personal studio.
Software Setup and Programming
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The software is the backbone of this project, allowing the hardware to interact with Spotify’s API and deliver a smooth, user-friendly experience. Python, a versatile programming language, powers the device’s functionality, while the Thonny IDE provides a lightweight development environment for coding and debugging.
To set up the software, follow these essential steps:
- Flash the Primro Presto display with the latest firmware, which can be downloaded from its GitHub repository.
- Create a Spotify Developer App to authenticate with the Spotify API. Note that a Spotify Premium account is required for this step.
- Clone the project’s GitHub repository to access the complete codebase and necessary resources.
- Run the provided helper script to generate Spotify credentials, which are essential for API integration.
- Configure your Wi-Fi and Spotify credentials in the project files to enable connectivity and functionality.
- Upload the project code to the Primro Presto display and execute it to launch the music player.
Once these steps are completed, the device will be fully operational, capable of interacting with Spotify’s API to provide real-time updates, playback control, and a visually engaging interface.
Raspberry Pi Pico Spotify Music Player
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Here are more detailed guides and articles that you may find helpful on Raspberry Pi .
Core Functionality and Features
After assembling and programming the device, it offers a range of features designed to enhance your music listening experience. The touchscreen interface is intuitive and user-friendly, displaying key information and controls, including:
- Album Art and Song Details: The display showcases the album art, song title, and artist name for the currently playing or most recently played track.
- Playback Controls: Users can easily control playback with options for play, pause, skip, shuffle, and repeat, all accessible via the touchscreen.
One of the standout features is the ambient LED lighting, which dynamically adjusts its colors based on the album art. This feature enhances the overall atmosphere, creating a visually immersive experience that complements your music sessions. Additionally, the device includes practical features such as an exit button and reset functionality, making sure ease of use and convenience.
Challenges and Limitations
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While the Raspberry Pi Pico Spotify music player is a highly functional and engaging project, it does come with a few challenges that users should be aware of:
- Touchscreen Responsiveness: Frequent API calls can occasionally cause missed screen taps, slightly impacting the responsiveness of the touchscreen interface.
- Character Display Limitations: The device has limited support for non-ASCII characters, which may affect the display of certain song titles or artist names.
These limitations are relatively minor and do not significantly detract from the overall functionality of the device. Moreover, as an open source project, these issues can be addressed through future updates or contributions from the community.
Open source Contributions and Cost
As an open source initiative, the project’s code and documentation are freely available on GitHub. This openness allows users to customize the device, add new features, or address existing limitations. By contributing to the project, you not only enhance its functionality for others but also gain valuable experience in programming, hardware integration, and API usage.
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The total cost of the components is approximately $100, making this project an affordable and rewarding venture for those interested in exploring the intersection of music and technology. With its combination of functionality, aesthetic appeal, and customization potential, this project offers a unique opportunity to create a personalized music player that stands out from conventional devices.
Media Credit: AKZ Dev
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Filed Under: DIY Projects, Gadgets News, Top News
Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals
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Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
What if you could transform your music experience with a device you built yourself? Imagine a sleek, compact touchscreen player on your desk, displaying vibrant album art, offering intuitive playback controls, and even syncing ambient LED lighting to match the mood of your favorite tracks. This isn’t just a futuristic gadget—it’s a DIY project powered by the versatile Raspberry Pi Pico. With its open source design and seamless integration with Spotify, this project invites tech enthusiasts to merge creativity with functionality, crafting a music player that’s as unique as their playlist. Why settle for off-the-shelf solutions when you can build something truly personal?
In this project by AKZ Dev, learn how they brought this idea to life, from selecting the right hardware—like the Primro Presto touchscreen display—to configuring the software that connects your device to Spotify’s API. You’ll uncover the steps to create a visually stunning and interactive music player, complete with dynamic lighting and customizable features. Whether you’re a seasoned maker or a curious beginner, this project offers a rewarding dive into the world of DIY electronics and music technology. The best part? You’ll end up with a device that doesn’t just play music—it enhances how you experience it.
DIY Spotify Touchscreen Player
TL;DR Key Takeaways :
- The project uses a Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller and a Primro Presto touchscreen display to create a compact, interactive Spotify music player with features like album art, playback controls, and ambient lighting effects.
- Key hardware components include the Raspberry Pi Pico, a 4-inch Primro Presto touchscreen display, USB-C power supply, optional MicroSD storage, and ambient LEDs for a visually immersive experience.
- Software setup involves Python programming, Spotify API integration, and configuring Wi-Fi and Spotify credentials, with all resources available on GitHub for open source customization.
- Core features include a user-friendly touchscreen interface displaying album art, song details, and playback controls, along with dynamic LED lighting that matches the album art for enhanced ambiance.
- The project is open source, encouraging community contributions and customization, with an estimated total cost of $100, making it an affordable and rewarding DIY endeavor for music and tech enthusiasts.
Key Hardware Components
The success of this project relies on the careful selection of hardware components, each contributing to a seamless and visually appealing user experience.
- Raspberry Pi Pico: This microcontroller serves as the brain of the device, managing tasks such as processing, connectivity, and controlling the display and lighting effects.
- Primro Presto Touchscreen Display: A 4-inch display with a 480×480 resolution, providing a vibrant and responsive interface for album art, song details, and playback controls.
- USB-C Power Supply: Ensures consistent and reliable power delivery, essential for uninterrupted performance.
- MicroSD Slot: Offers optional storage expansion, which can be used for additional features or data storage.
- Ambient LEDs: These LEDs dynamically adjust their colors to match the album art, creating a visually immersive music experience.
Together, these components form a compact and aesthetically pleasing device that integrates seamlessly into any environment, whether it’s a workspace, living room, or personal studio.
Software Setup and Programming
The software is the backbone of this project, allowing the hardware to interact with Spotify’s API and deliver a smooth, user-friendly experience. Python, a versatile programming language, powers the device’s functionality, while the Thonny IDE provides a lightweight development environment for coding and debugging.
To set up the software, follow these essential steps:
- Flash the Primro Presto display with the latest firmware, which can be downloaded from its GitHub repository.
- Create a Spotify Developer App to authenticate with the Spotify API. Note that a Spotify Premium account is required for this step.
- Clone the project’s GitHub repository to access the complete codebase and necessary resources.
- Run the provided helper script to generate Spotify credentials, which are essential for API integration.
- Configure your Wi-Fi and Spotify credentials in the project files to enable connectivity and functionality.
- Upload the project code to the Primro Presto display and execute it to launch the music player.
Once these steps are completed, the device will be fully operational, capable of interacting with Spotify’s API to provide real-time updates, playback control, and a visually engaging interface.
Raspberry Pi Pico Spotify Music Player
Here are more detailed guides and articles that you may find helpful on Raspberry Pi .
Core Functionality and Features
After assembling and programming the device, it offers a range of features designed to enhance your music listening experience. The touchscreen interface is intuitive and user-friendly, displaying key information and controls, including:
- Album Art and Song Details: The display showcases the album art, song title, and artist name for the currently playing or most recently played track.
- Playback Controls: Users can easily control playback with options for play, pause, skip, shuffle, and repeat, all accessible via the touchscreen.
One of the standout features is the ambient LED lighting, which dynamically adjusts its colors based on the album art. This feature enhances the overall atmosphere, creating a visually immersive experience that complements your music sessions. Additionally, the device includes practical features such as an exit button and reset functionality, making sure ease of use and convenience.
Challenges and Limitations
While the Raspberry Pi Pico Spotify music player is a highly functional and engaging project, it does come with a few challenges that users should be aware of:
- Touchscreen Responsiveness: Frequent API calls can occasionally cause missed screen taps, slightly impacting the responsiveness of the touchscreen interface.
- Character Display Limitations: The device has limited support for non-ASCII characters, which may affect the display of certain song titles or artist names.
These limitations are relatively minor and do not significantly detract from the overall functionality of the device. Moreover, as an open source project, these issues can be addressed through future updates or contributions from the community.
Open source Contributions and Cost
As an open source initiative, the project’s code and documentation are freely available on GitHub. This openness allows users to customize the device, add new features, or address existing limitations. By contributing to the project, you not only enhance its functionality for others but also gain valuable experience in programming, hardware integration, and API usage.
The total cost of the components is approximately $100, making this project an affordable and rewarding venture for those interested in exploring the intersection of music and technology. With its combination of functionality, aesthetic appeal, and customization potential, this project offers a unique opportunity to create a personalized music player that stands out from conventional devices.
Media Credit: AKZ Dev
Filed Under: DIY Projects, Gadgets News, Top News
Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals
Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
