Our paper describes a challenging and enjoyable undergraduate student project that details the process of configuring a Raspberry Pi into an advanced multimedia player as a headless system controllable by infrared remote or secure shell (SSH) protocol. This paper provides a methodological, step-by-step set of specific instructions on how to replicate this project. The undergraduate student applied concepts from operating systems (OS), networks, and electronics into practical steps to exploit readily available open-source software packages and highly-customizable hardware components. Electronic components were soldered to build a modified printed circuit board (PCB) with a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen and push-buttons, and were successfully combined with an external sound card, wireless universal serial bus (USB) card, and an infrared (IR) receiver into a fully assembled, affordable, and reliable device. This developed device can be controlled using any IR-capable remote, is capable of playing high-quality audio, and circumvents advertisements on the free audio streaming web service Pandora Radio using a pre-existing free or paid account. Using this device improves the user's experience of Pandora Radio in several ways while keeping this device portable and preserving all functionality of the Raspberry Pi itself. The goal of this project is to use available tools and integrate various technological fields into a deliverable consumer product. Consumer electronics continue to place increasing emphasis on supporting open-source hardware and software, and the Raspberry Pi provides an affordable, flexible, multi-purpose platform for both beginners and experts to personalize into a wide range of useful and specialized products.
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