These instructions are for installing mpd_oled with a binary package on rAudio 1 on a Pi Zero.
The binary package should be the best option for most people on a Pi Zero, but if you have a different Pi model or would like to build and install the current mpd_oled repository code then see Install instructions for rAudio 1 using source.
Install rAudio.
Ensure a command line prompt is available for entering the commands below (e.g. use SSH, default username 'root', default password 'ros').
Configure your system to enable I2C or SPI, depending on how your OLED is connected.
I use a cheap 4 pin I2C SSH1106 display with a Raspberry Pi Zero. It is
wired like this.
In /etc/modules-load.d/raspberrypi.conf I have the line i2c-dev.
nano /etc/modules-load.d/raspberrypi.conf
In /boot/config.txt I have the line dtparam=i2c_arm=on.
The I2C bus speed on your system may be too slow for a reasonable screen
refresh. Set a higher bus speed by adding
the following line dtparam=i2c_arm_baudrate=400000 to
/boot/config.txt, or try a higher value for a higher screen
refresh (I use 800000 with a 25 FPS screen refresh)
sudo nano /boot/config.txt
Restart the Pi after making any system configuration changes.
I use a cheap 7 pin SPI SSH1106 display with a Raspberry Pi Zero. It is
wired like this.
In /boot/config.txt I have the line dtparam=spi=on.
sudo nano /boot/config.txt
Restart the Pi after making any system configuration changes.
If, when running mpd_oled, the clock does not display the local time then you may need to set the system time zone. Either set it in the UI Settings / System / Environment / Timezone, or find your timezone in the list printed by the first command below, and edit the second command to include your timezone
timedatectl list-timezones
timedatectl set-timezone Canada/Eastern
This will download and install the most recent mpd_oled binary package (the second command might take a couple of minutes to run)
wget -N http://pitastic.com/mpd_oled/packages/mpd_oled_raudio_install_latest.sh
sudo bash mpd_oled_raudio_install_latest.sh
You may wish to test the display before following the next instructions.
The next instructions configure MPD to make a copy of its output to a named pipe. This works reliably, but has the disadvantage that the spectrum only works when the audio is played through MPD, like music files, web radio and DLNA streaming. Creating a copy of the audio for all audio sources is harder, and may be unreliable -- see the thread on using mpd_oled with Spotify and Airplay
The MPD audio output will be copied to a named pipe, where Cava can read it and calculate the spectrum. This is configured in /etc/mpd.conf. This file cannot be edited directly, as it is managed by rAudio, but the UI will allow us to include some custom configuration in a separate file. First, copy the configuration file (the destination name is preserved from previous instructions)
cp mpd_oled_fifo.conf /home/your-extra-mpd.conf
Now, in the UI go to Settings / MPD / Options / User's custom settings and click on the slider. A window will open with two boxes to enter custom settings. In the top box, add the line
include "/home/your-extra-mpd.conf"
Click on OK.
Note: The program can be run without the audio copy enabled, in which case the spectrum analyser area will be blank
The OLED type MUST be specified with -o from the following list: 1 - Adafruit (SSD1306, SSD1309) SPI 128x64, 3 - Adafruit (SSD1306, SSD1309) I2C 128x64, 4 - Seeed I2C 128x64, 6 - SH1106 (SSH1106) I2C 128x64. 7 - SH1106 (SSH1106) SPI 128x64.
An example command, for a generic I2C SH1106 display (OLED type 6) with a display of 10 bars and a gap of 1 pixel between bars and a framerate of 20Hz is
sudo mpd_oled_service_edit -o 6 -b 10 -g 1 -f 20
For I2C OLEDs (mpd_oled -o 3, 4 or 6) you may need to specify the I2C
address, find this by running, e.g. sudo i2cdetect -y 1 and then specify
the address with option -a, e.g. sudo mpd_oled_service_edit -o6 -a 3d ....
If you have a reset pin connected, specify the GPIO number with option -r,
e.g. sudo mpd_oled_service_edit -o6 -r 24 .... Specify the I2C bus number,
if not 1, with option -B, e.g. sudo mpd_oled_service_edit -o6 -B 0 ...
For, SPI OLEDs (option -o 1 or 7), you may need to specify your reset pin GPIO number (option -r, default 25), DC pin GPIO number (option -D, default 24) or CS value (option -S, default 0).
If your display is upside down, you can rotate it 180 degrees with option '-R'.
Once the display is working, play some music and check the spectrum display is working and is synchronised with the music. If there are no bars then the audio copy may not have been configured correctly. If the bars seem jerky or not synchronized with the music then reduce the values of -b and/or -f.
If you run sudo mpd_oled_service_edit without options the service
file will open in an editor, allowing the full service file to be
changed, and not just the mpd_oled options.
If the mpd_oled options are valid the display will be started after the editor is closed, and will also be configured to start a boot
Check the program is working correctly by looking at the display while the player is stopped, paused and playing music.
A few selected commands that can be used to control the service
sudo systemctl enable mpd_oled # start mpd_oled at boot
sudo systemctl disable mpd_oled # don't start mpd_oled at boot
sudo systemctl start mpd_oled # start mpd_oled now
sudo systemctl stop mpd_oled # stop mpd_oled now
sudo systemctl status mpd_oled # report the status of the service
Uninstall with
sudo pacman -Rs mpd-oled