In this chapter, we will create a low-power home theater PC capable of playing a variety of local media files from a USB memory stick or hard drive as well as the content stored on your local network and cloud services, such as YouTube.
To do this, we will use the OpenELEC (http://openelec.tv) operating system, which is an operating system designed specifically for home theater PCs running on the Pi.
We will also create a custom enclosure for the media PC that will house a 20 column by 4 row (20 x 4) LCD, which can be used by XBMC to display information of the currently playing media or information related to the cursor position in the onscreen menu. We will also include a set of buttons that can be used to control XBMC without a USB keyboard or any other remote; both these and the LCD will be interfaced directly to the GPIO port on the Pi.
This is the list of parts and materials you will need for this project. They can be purchased at any electronic components stores and online retailers.
- The Raspberry Pi
- A USB keyboard (for setup only)
- A 600 x 600 mm sheet of a 3 mm MDF
- A 20 x 4 LCD (www.amazon.co.uk/2004-Characters-Display-Module-Blacklight/dp/B009GXWFSM)
- 0.1 inch female-to-female jumper wires
- A small section of stripboard/prototyping board (www.maplin.co.uk/p/veroboard-copper-stripboard-100x160mm-a62rl)
- Two 10 K multiple turn potentiometers (http://cpc.farnell.com/1/1/24068-trimmer-24-turn-10k-m64z103kb40-vishay-spectrol.html)
- A row of 0.1 inch pin headers (http://cpc.farnell.com/starconn-connectors/phw-40-rv/0-1-pm-header-single-row-40-pms/dp/CN00870)
- A row of 0.1 inch right-angled pin headers (http://cpc.farnell.com/starconn-connectors/phw-40-rd/0-1-pin-header-right-angle-40-pms/dp/CN00871)
- A DC barrel jack (http://cpc.farnell.com/1/1/1498-2-1mm-dc-socket-psg01769-pro-signal.html)
- Six push-to-make (PTM) buttons (www.rapidonline.com/electronic-components/miniature-red-push-to-make-switch-78-0100)
In this project, we will also use a new manufacturing technique: laser cutting. While I don't expect a laser cutter to be a tool that many people actually own, access to it is more readily available than you think. It is worth checking whether there is a hackspace in your local area. If so, they may either have a machine that you would be able to use (or at least have someone who can help you machine your design) or may be able to point you in the right direction for where you can have it done locally. Alternatively, there are many services that allow you to upload a design online and pay to have it cut from the material of your choice.
Note
Hackspaces are community-organized (and usually community funded) workspaces that provide a variety of tools and equipments that may not usually be available to you. They also provide a good place where you can collaborate on projects and seek advice from the experts for a problem you are facing in your own projects.