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Dab radio transmission via Rasp. PI

HairyMcbiker
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Dab radio transmission via Rasp. PI

This looks fun [url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/07/31/for_fri_uk_uks_first_diy_dab_multiplex_goes_live/?page=1]<<CLICKY>>{/url].
DAB Mux transmission from 3 pi's.
12 REPLIES 12
Oldjim
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Re: Dab radio transmission via Rasp. PI

guess who use a curly bracket instead of a square one
7up
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Re: Dab radio transmission via Rasp. PI

Looks interesting!
The Pi is certainly turning everything on its head these days isn't it!
I need a new signature... i'm bored of the old one!
twocvbloke
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Re: Dab radio transmission via Rasp. PI

Question is, are the bitrates still five H one T? That's my biggest dislike about DAB, the poor bitrates that are getting worse than they were even 5 years ago, makes listening to scratched-up, dust coated, charity-shop vinyl records more of a pleasure to listen to... Shocked
sjptd
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Re: Dab radio transmission via Rasp. PI

Part of the problem with DAB quality is that they are stuck with obsolete compression methods, so the results are worse than they should be at any given bitrate.
twocvbloke
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Re: Dab radio transmission via Rasp. PI

Oh that's a given, but in recent years the bitrate has gone down on most stations to accommodate more commercial stations, resulting in something that is about as clear as mud, FM sounds far better, and contains less rubbish too... Grin
7up
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Re: Dab radio transmission via Rasp. PI

So from that I take it you're saying don't buy a DAB radio then?  Grin
Must admit I'm not really in a hurry to get one.. FM has worked well for years and I don't really see the need to change that just yet.
The RPi DAB thing is pretty cool though and just shows that no matter how small, cheap, non-commercial something is, if you can make it work reliably then many of these things can be used for big jobs.
I once read a forum that said arduinos are no good for industrial control. Why not? - It's still a microprocessor just like any other.. and today I found a laser cutter that is controlled by an arduino! If they're good enough to keep drones flying then they're good enough to control servos, stepper motors and actuators etc.
I need a new signature... i'm bored of the old one!
HairyMcbiker
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Re: Dab radio transmission via Rasp. PI

They are no good because they DON'T cost ££££'s and can be used by almost anyone.
sjptd
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Re: Dab radio transmission via Rasp. PI

I have not used either, but friends into these things have said that while less potent, arduino is more robust then Raspberry Pi, and much more likely to to be able to run for months without issues.  I think that was mainly down to the software, not the hardware, and of course there are many software options on Pi.
HairyMcbiker
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Re: Dab radio transmission via Rasp. PI

I have had a pi running 24/7 for over a year, no issues with it. It has been rebooted a couple of times for upgrades and power cuts.
My Arduino's at the moment are still in the playing with stage, but one will soon be an automated brew controller. But not running 24/7 just a couple of times a month for a day.
Arduino's are better at hardware control than the pi is OOB, but both can be used that way.
twocvbloke
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Re: Dab radio transmission via Rasp. PI

Quote from: 7up
So from that I take it you're saying don't buy a DAB radio then?  Grin

Yep, DAB is terrible, drops out when you flick a light switch, suffers from the "digital cliff" syndrome (works to a point then POPGARBLESQUEAL it's gone and your hearing's damaged), and of course, the encoding being pretty poor quality aswell as being crammed with rubbish...
I have a Raspberry Pi, but I think DAB is one of those things I'll pass on as something for it to do (as I've yet to find something for my Pi to do!! Especially as it's one of the first batch of UK-made ones too)... Grin
VileReynard
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Re: Dab radio transmission via Rasp. PI

I've just got round to booting my 512MB Pi.
I set it up to run ssh - because that is really simple to do in a couple of minutes.
This allowed me to disconnect the TV, keyboard & mouse and run it headlessly.
I then changed it (via ssh) to startup as a GUI,
I also autostarted a VNC-server so I could control it via a remote VNC-client.
You can get Mathematica (a symbolic maths application) to run rather slowly on the Pi.
Running a web browser is excruciating slow, however.

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

7up
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Re: Dab radio transmission via Rasp. PI

Quote from: sjptd
I have not used either, but friends into these things have said that while less potent, arduino is more robust then Raspberry Pi, and much more likely to to be able to run for months without issues.  I think that was mainly down to the software, not the hardware, and of course there are many software options on Pi.

The difference is that the pi is a full blown computer albeit a small one. It will give you a graphical desktop, let you run programs, write your own programs, play games, use the internet.. just like a PC, laptop, netbook or tablet.
An arduino is literally a microprocessor chip that you connect wires to and then connect those wires to other more basic hardware devices like relays, sensors etc. It runs no real operating system, it just runs the same code in a loop doing the same task, processing the same inputs and outputs etc.
Quote from: Hairy
They are no good because they DON'T cost ££££'s and can be used by almost anyone.

Yeah thats kinda what i thought too. People always like to make their skills sound super complicated for many reasons and that was why i figured the arduino was being slammed. I've got my mega 2560 sat here on the desk - running for months now. Ok it's only running the simple blink program lol but it's still going...
I need a new signature... i'm bored of the old one!