In the summer of 2001, Apple was something of an innovative, yet niche, computer company and listening to digital music meant loading a few tracks onto a flash-based music player with a memory capacity measured in Megabytes. Then in October of that year, things changed forever with the release of the iPod. This device would not only streamline our music listening experience, its descendants would usher in an era of consumer smartphones (iPhones) and propel Apple to be the world’s first company worth a trillion dollars.
Of course this march forward of technology didn’t happen in a vacuum, and one side effet is the proliferation of inexpensive components related to these products. You can now procure the hardware to decode MP3 files in the form of the $5 Raspberry Pi Zero, as well as enough storage capacity to hold thousands upon thousands of songs for very little money. For a head start on this type of DIY device, you might consider the PiPod from Bram
While it doesn’t include everything you’ll need—notably the Pi itself—it does feature a PCM5102A DAC along with a 3.5mm jack for “high-quality audio without a hum,” and a 320×240 pixel display. The device was conceived of when it seemed to Bram that current streaming services were starting to sound more like radio stations with the same songs playing over and over. He wanted to be able to play digital music locally—and with a 3.5mm jack…like back in the good old days!
For another interesting Pi Zero contraption, you might also check out the TinyPi, possibly the smallest Pi Zero game system that will ever be made.
