# MPD BOX on Pimoroni's Phat Beat / pirate radio
1. Use [Python Music Player Daemon](https://www.musicpd.org/) as a service to play both local files and playlists (including radio urls) on the phat beat.

2. Use [beets](http://beets.io/) (optionnaly ?) to organize / import the local music library

3. Use [MPD client lib](https://www.musicpd.org/libs/python-musicpd/) in a python script running as a service. It will act as a MPD client to control the local MPD server service, through the phat beat buttons.

  Others clients should be able to control played music through the local network. (Many android clients are available). Command-line client [mpc](https://linux.die.net/man/1/mpc) is available.

## Installation
Install MPD (server/daemon) and MPC (client)
```shell
apt-get install mpd mpc
```

`mpc` client won't be able to retrieve / adjust volume until editing configuration file at `/etc/mpd.conf` to replace line

```
audio_output {
  mixer_type "hardware"
}
```

by

```
audio_output {
  mixer_type "software"
}
```

## Troubleshooting
### Disable PiVumeter

If you tried the VLC radio project before, you may have to [get rid of pivumter](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/getting-rid-of-pivumeter/6187/2) like this :

> Try editing /etc/asound.conf and changing:
```
pcm.softvol_and_pivumeter {
        type softvol
        slave.pcm "pivumeter"
        control {
                name "PCM"
                card 0
        }
}
```
> to:
```
pcm.softvol_and_pivumeter {
        type softvol
        slave.pcm "hw:0,0"
        control {
                name "PCM"
                card 0
        }
}
```

Removing `/etc/asound.conf` entirely will disable the `alsamixer` command, which may be used to set global sound level.


## Roadmap
client service script still to do. See ideas below.

### Controls
Use button holding (next / prev) to cycle through available playlists.

### LED
Visual feedback when using buttons (setting volume / browsing playlist(s)).

Replace Pimoroni's green pivumeter by a _rainbow_ one.
Integrated within the _client_ service or decoupled ?

Something along this :

```python
def set_volume(self, level=3):
    if level >= 0 and level <= 8:
        self.volume = level
        self.player.set_volume(self.volume*12) # 0-96
        self.show_volume(level)

def volume_up(self, pin):
    self.set_volume(self.volume + 1)

def volume_down(self, pin):
    self.set_volume(self.volume - 1)

def show_volume(self, level, saturation=1.0, value=0.2):
    phatbeat.clear()
    for i in range(0,8):
        # definition de la teinte en fonction de la "hauteur" du pixel
        # pour un effet "arc en ciel"
        # on divise 360° par 8 "crans" (=45°)
        # et on decale arbitrairement de 45° pour ne pas débuter sur rouge
        hue = 315 - 45*i # definition de la teinte (8 crans = 45°)
        if level > i:
            r, g, b = [int(x * 255) for x in colorsys.hsv_to_rgb(hue / 360.0, saturation, value)]
            phatbeat.set_pixel(7-i, r, g, b, 0.1, channel=0)
            phatbeat.set_pixel(7-i, r, g, b, 0.2, channel=1)
    phatbeat.show()

```

On the second led bar, show playlist or track progress ?

Maybe representing playlist as a color spectre and adjusting shown part of the spectre to available leds / size of the playlist ?