SqueezeCore is a project that I had in mind for a long time for personal use.
Now that it's "finished" (aka working) I thought it was worth making it available to anyone.
The main purposes that I have taken into consideration are: a comfortable, fast, plug & play os, which requires (pretty) no configuration and reduced to a minimum to be installed on a thin client (or other low power hardware) used as a player.
The result is an o.s. of 17MB which runs on ram.
The first time it is turned on, a quick configuration of the squeezelite parameters is required (which is optional, it can be avoided by directly editing a file while preparing the USB drive); after this, at every boot and on any computer you'll plug the USB flash drive containing SqueezeCore you can start listening to music in 3 seconds.
Of course, since SqueezeCore is working only as a client you need, as prerequisites, another computer with a Logitech Media Server installation.
Download and installation guide: SqueezeCore
it's still in "beta" because I've tested on a limited amount of devices. Feedbacks appreciated.
UPDATE 20/02/2020
I have released a version with a custom RT kernel.
From the FAQs:
"It is a specific build with a custom Real Time kernel; the hardware requirements are different from the generic version:
Minimal Hardware Requirements for RT:
CPU: Only Intel, Only Core2Duo and newer (Xeon, Core i3 i5 i7, new Pentium and Celeron). 2 core 4 thread (recommended 4 physical cores).
The Other requirements are the same of the generic one.
In the RT version the difference is not only in the kernel but there are other tweaks under the hood like:
The player runs on a isolated core with round robin scheduler.
All the DAC USB interrupts are isolated on one core.
The remaining core are for kernel and the remaining interrupts and software running."
UPDATE 08/07/2020
New release of the RT version. Added the option to configure a static IP
Now that it's "finished" (aka working) I thought it was worth making it available to anyone.
The main purposes that I have taken into consideration are: a comfortable, fast, plug & play os, which requires (pretty) no configuration and reduced to a minimum to be installed on a thin client (or other low power hardware) used as a player.
The result is an o.s. of 17MB which runs on ram.
The first time it is turned on, a quick configuration of the squeezelite parameters is required (which is optional, it can be avoided by directly editing a file while preparing the USB drive); after this, at every boot and on any computer you'll plug the USB flash drive containing SqueezeCore you can start listening to music in 3 seconds.
Of course, since SqueezeCore is working only as a client you need, as prerequisites, another computer with a Logitech Media Server installation.
Download and installation guide: SqueezeCore
it's still in "beta" because I've tested on a limited amount of devices. Feedbacks appreciated.
UPDATE 20/02/2020
I have released a version with a custom RT kernel.
From the FAQs:
"It is a specific build with a custom Real Time kernel; the hardware requirements are different from the generic version:
Minimal Hardware Requirements for RT:
CPU: Only Intel, Only Core2Duo and newer (Xeon, Core i3 i5 i7, new Pentium and Celeron). 2 core 4 thread (recommended 4 physical cores).
The Other requirements are the same of the generic one.
In the RT version the difference is not only in the kernel but there are other tweaks under the hood like:
The player runs on a isolated core with round robin scheduler.
All the DAC USB interrupts are isolated on one core.
The remaining core are for kernel and the remaining interrupts and software running."
UPDATE 08/07/2020
New release of the RT version. Added the option to configure a static IP
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First problem I don't have windows so can't run rufus.
Is there any chance of a link to an iso or an img file.
Thanks
Is there any chance of a link to an iso or an img file.
Thanks
img uploaded, I will update the guide shortly
Etcher will NOT work with the ZIP file since it doesn't contain the bootloader. Try with the .img
UPDATE: guide updated
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Simofil, 100% Thanks.
I set default values, except for DAC and it played immediately from my main Daphile server without problems. A very useful program thank you again.
Next I will try to install it to the flash drive on my thin client if that is possible.
Yay! Awesome! I'll wait for other feedbacks and then start working on kernel. At the moment I've included a pretty standard configuration for the kernel, just to be safe (and check that everything is working).
Thanks again!
I flashed the img onto a SD-Card with linux image writer.
My Raspi B does not boot from that image.
Does your img boot with ARM architecture CPU (RASPI)?
My Raspi B does not boot from that image.
Does your img boot with ARM architecture CPU (RASPI)?
UPDATE:
I have released a version with a custom RT kernel.
From the FAQs:
"It is a specific build with a custom Real Time kernel; the hardware requirements are different from the generic version:
Minimal Hardware Requirements for RT:
CPU: Only Intel, Only Core2Duo and newer (Xeon, Core i3 i5 i7, new Pentium and Celeron). 2 core 4 thread (recommended 4 physical cores).
The Other requirements are the same of the generic one.
In the RT version the difference is not only in the kernel but there are other tweaks under the hood like:
The player runs on a isolated core with round robin scheduler.
All the DAC USB interrupts are isolated on one core.
The remaining core are for kernel and the remaining interrupts and software running."
I have released a version with a custom RT kernel.
From the FAQs:
"It is a specific build with a custom Real Time kernel; the hardware requirements are different from the generic version:
Minimal Hardware Requirements for RT:
CPU: Only Intel, Only Core2Duo and newer (Xeon, Core i3 i5 i7, new Pentium and Celeron). 2 core 4 thread (recommended 4 physical cores).
The Other requirements are the same of the generic one.
In the RT version the difference is not only in the kernel but there are other tweaks under the hood like:
The player runs on a isolated core with round robin scheduler.
All the DAC USB interrupts are isolated on one core.
The remaining core are for kernel and the remaining interrupts and software running."
Just tried the RT version and worked first time ootb.
Using an old eeePC Seashell Netbook with a dead (now removed) screen.
Set up went exactly as per your instruction. Selected DAC, Perreaux Audiant 80i, and left everything else as default.
Dual core Atom with hyperthreading. 1 GB Ram. Top reports cpu @ 95% idle
Server is Daphile on an HP-520 Thin Client
Using an old eeePC Seashell Netbook with a dead (now removed) screen.
Set up went exactly as per your instruction. Selected DAC, Perreaux Audiant 80i, and left everything else as default.
Dual core Atom with hyperthreading. 1 GB Ram. Top reports cpu @ 95% idle
Server is Daphile on an HP-520 Thin Client
Thanks for the feedback, really appreciated.
If anyone wants to share some sound impressions too I'd be very curious, I cannot entirely trust my ears as an objective reference, but I wonder if there are some perceived differences soundwise between generic and rt version and between SqueezeCore and other solutions
Waste of time then. Rewrite for Raspberry Pi. Best hardware for a lightweight client.
What advantage does RPi have compared to an x86 thin client in terms of audio playback, if not using an I2S DAC?
It cannot be a waste of time since I created it for myself and then shared. Usually if I write code for anyone else other than me, as a dev, I get paid. So if you really want me to write it for RPI I can send you my price list
There are 2 main reasons why I have written SqueezeCore for x86:
1- There are already distro that do pretty the same of SqueezeCore for Rpi
2- From my own experience, the sound quality difference that I perceived between RPI and a x86 pc has convinced me to write SqueezeCore for x86, and leave the RPI for web radios and nothing more.
For other users sorry for the "absence", the development has not stopped!
I'm currently writing the twin brother of SqueezeCore, an OS to use on the server pc. The amount of work compared to SqueezeCore is way bigger but I'm using these days in quarantine (I'm in the north of Italy) to spend a lot of time on this project.