Introduction
What would you do if the music you love was missing the visual experience you cherish? For Marton, the answer was simple: learn PCB design, 3D printing, and C. In a world where the convenience of digital streaming has taken over, he decided to bring album art back to life by building his own music streamer.
The Inspiration Behind the Project
Marton has always been fascinated by album covers. However, with the shift to digital music, this tactile and visual dimension was lost. The Pentaton LP was his answer to this void, a fusion of art and technology, a streamer with an LP sleeve-sized display.
Hardware Design
The first step was to design a device resembling a vinyl sleeve. Marton opted for a 17” industrial IPS LCD with a 1920x1920 resolution. Finding a suitable motherboard wasn't easy, but he eventually chose the Radxa CM3. He had to design a carrier board to minimize thickness, a challenge that introduced him to basic electronics and high-speed signal routing.
The design required four revisions before everything worked as expected. The result: a board powered via USB-C PD, with ports for an external DAC, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and a 12V trigger via a 3.5mm jack.
Enclosure and 3D Printing
To bring his design to life, Marton used FreeCAD to create an enclosure. He had to overcome the challenges of parametric CAD and curved surfaces by writing a custom macro to achieve the desired shape. 3D printing was another learning curve, requiring adjustments to fit manufacturing constraints.
Software
Marton wanted his streamer to be compatible with AirPlay. He used Shairport-sync on a scaled-down Alpine Linux image, which pushed him to explore the intricacies of single-board computer booting and display management. The biggest challenge was cross-fading images at 60 fps, requiring GPU acceleration.
Conclusion
Marton's project is a shining example of what a blend of passion and technical skills can achieve. By combining the old with the new, he created a unique musical experience.
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