Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.
Indulge in the Sound
Detailed Startup Instructions
Digital or Analog HAT
The following document will guide you through the initial setup and configuration of your
Interlude Audio HAT. Enjoying HiFi audio is just a few minutes away.
Contents
Prerequisites .............................................................................................................................. 2
OS Images ................................................................................................................................. 3
Busker OS .............................................................................................................................. 3
Volumio OS ............................................................................................................................ 3
Raspberry Pi OS .................................................................................................................... 3
Busker and Volumio OS Installation Steps ................................................................................. 4
Raspberry Pi OS Installation Instructions ................................................................................... 9
Assembling Your Interlude Audio HAT and Booting Your OS ....................................................14
Configuring Your OS and Playing Audio on Your Interlude Audio HAT .....................................16
Booting Busker OS ................................................................................................................16
Booting Volumio OS ..............................................................................................................17
Booting Raspberry Pi OS.......................................................................................................17
Support/Contact ........................................................................................................................18
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
Prerequisites
Before getting started, make sure you have all the components you’ll need:
• Raspberry Pi Imager v1.8.5 or later
o Download from raspberrypi.com/software and install.
• Raspberry Pi
• Interlude Audio Digital or Analog HAT
• Interlude Audio HAT Power Supply
• microSD Card and Adapter
• Audio Cables (analog stereo or digital optical or coax)
• Your Personal Audio System (Active speakers, Amp, DAC, AVR, etc.)
• HDMI Cable and Other Peripherals (keyboard, mouse, etc.) for Raspberry Pi OS
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
OS Images
Interlude Audio offers three different OS images for various listening purposes. Read below and
select the OS that suits your needs best. Download our images at interludeaudio.com.
Busker OS
The Busker OS image is the headless (no monitor or other peripherals enabled/required)
Interlude Audio streaming OS with support for Spotify, Airplay, and Roon.
• Busker OS installs an instance of Roon Bridge for easy connections to the Roon Core
already configured and running in your home or office. Find your newly connected
Interlude Audio HAT in the device list, click enable, and you’re all set.
• For Spotify, open the app as you normally would, select the stream that fits your mood
and select your Interlude Audio HAT for playback.
• Airplay is just as simple and straightforward as you’re already used to. Find the audio
source that you desire, tap the Airplay button, and select your Interlude Audio HAT.
Volumio OS
The Volumio OS image is designed to be a simple browser-based music player. Volumio is a
highly optimized system for bit-perfect audio playback, compatible with all files formats, from
mp3 to DSD. It should also allow easy access from other devices on the network. Play music
locally, from a NAS, or other connected devices. Find more info at volumio.com.
Raspberry Pi OS
The Raspberry Pi OS image is generally intended for the hobbyist or the tinkerer; an audiophile
who wants to explore the full functionality of the Raspberry Pi OS but experience superior sound
quality above that of the onboard DAC. This image will provide you with a full kernel, filesystem,
web browser, shell, and GUI for your standard desktop-style computing environment. This
image will allow you to connect standard peripherals such as an HDMI display, keyboard,
mouse, and various other devices. Single board computing that sounds like never before.
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
Busker and Volumio OS Installation Steps
1. Download your desired OS from interludeaudio.com/support if you haven’t already.
Extract the files from the .zip for the OS you’ve chosen in order to expose the file you’ll
use for flashing. In the case of Volumio, you’ll directly use the .img file (not the MD5). In
the case of Busker OS, you’ll use the resultant .zip.
2. Insert your microSD card into the microSD Adapter and insert into the SD card slot on
your computer or laptop.
3. Open Raspberry Pi Imager.
o If prompted, select Yes to the question, “Do you want to allow this app to make
changes to your device?”
4. Select CHOOSE DEVICE.
5. Select your specific Raspberry Pi from the list provided.
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
6. Select CHOOSE OS.
7. Scroll to the bottom and select Use custom.
8. Navigate to the location where you downloaded your chosen Interlude Audio OS, select
it, and select Open. The OS name will now be showing in place of CHOOSE OS.
9. Select CHOOSE STORAGE.
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
10. Select the SD card you’d like to write to. It’s likely to be the only one listed.
11. The name of your storage device will now be showing in place of CHOOSE STORAGE
(in this case, it’s SDHC CARD).
12. Select NEXT.
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
13. Your next actions will differ depending on which OS you’re installing.
o Busker OS
▪ You will be prompted on whether you’d like to apply OS customization
settings, such as a username and password for Linux login, configuring
wireless LAN settings, and selecting a locale . Optionally EDIT
SETTINGS and once you’re happy with your settings, select YES.
o Volumio OS
▪ If you are using Volumio OS, when prompted, DO NOT MODIFY THE OS
CUSTOMISATION SETTINGS as this will interfere with the guided setup
which is built into the Volumio environment. Select NO.
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
14. You will receive a warning that all existing data on the SD card will be erased and asked
if you’d like to continue. When prompted, select YES.
15. The image will be decompressed, written, and verified. This may take several minutes.
16. After the write process has completed, you will see a success message. Select
CONTINUE and your microSD card will be ready for booting.
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
Raspberry Pi OS Installation Instructions
1. Insert your microSD card into the microSD Adapter and insert into the SD card slot on
your computer or laptop.
2. Open Raspberry Pi Imager.
o If prompted, select Yes to the question, “Do you want to allow this app to make
changes to your device?”
3. Select CHOOSE DEVICE.
4. Select your specific Raspberry Pi from the list provided.
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
5. Select CHOOSE OS.
6. Select the Raspberry Pi Operating System from the list provided.
7. Select CHOOSE STORAGE.
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
8. Select the SD card you’d like to write to. It’s likely to be the only one listed.
9. Select NEXT.
10. You will be prompted on whether you’d like to apply OS customization settings, such as
a username and password for Linux login, configuring wireless LAN settings, and
selecting a locale . Optionally EDIT SETTINGS and once you’re happy with your
settings, select YES.
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
11. You will receive a warning that all existing data on the SD card will be erased and asked
if you’d like to continue. When prompted, select YES.
12. The image will be downloaded, written, and verified. This will take several minutes.
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
13. After the write process has completed, you will see a success message. Select
CONTINUE and your microSD card will be ready for booting.
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
Assembling Your Interlude Audio HAT and
Booting Your OS
1. Insert the microSD card written with your chosen OS image into the Raspberry Pi
microSD slot on the underside of your Pi.
2. Attach your HAT to the Raspberry Pi ensuring that the 40-pin connectors are both
situated in a way that the HAT will sit directly over the Rasberry Pi.
3. If you chose the Raspberry Pi OS, connect your micro HDMI cable to the Raspberry Pi
and the other end to your monitor. Connect any other USB peripherals at this time, such
as a keyboard and mouse. If you will be using wired ethernet to connect to your network
and internet, connect the ethernet cable at this time as well.
4. Connect your required audio cables.
o In the case of the Analog HAT, connect your RCA cables from the connectors on
the HAT labeled OUTPUT to the desired input on your personal audio system. In
the image below, the HAT Input is on the left and the Output is on the right.
o In the case of the Digital HAT, connect your optical (black connector) or coax
(orange connector) cable from the connectors labeled OUTPUT to the desired
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
input on your powered speakers, amp, or receiver. In the image below, the
connectors from left to right are as follows: Coax Input, Optical Input, Optical
Output, Coax Output.
5. Connect the barrel connector of your power supply to the black power input on your HAT
and then connect the power supply to the outlet. There’s no need to connect power to
the Raspberry Pi because the power from the HAT will feed the whole stack.
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
Configuring Your OS and Playing Audio on
Your Interlude Audio HAT
Booting Busker OS
When booting Busker OS for the first time, you’ll need to wait up to 3 minutes for the Linux
kernel to boot and for the initial install script to run. This will automatically install and configure
the necessary software for Roon, Spotify, and Airplay interactions.
• Connecting to the HAT via Roon:
1. Open Roon from your server and select Settings from the left menu.
2. Within the Settings menu select Audio.
3. Your Interlude Audio HAT will show up under the roon section with the name
raspberrypi and the IP address of your device.
4. Rename your Interlude Audio HAT to a meaningful name and you’re ready to
select it as an output device.
• Connecting to the HAT via Spotify:
1. Open Spotify on your phone, tablet, or computer.
2. Select the music you wish to listen to and click on the device icon.
3. The Interlude Audio HAT will be displayed as raspotify (raspberrypi).
• Connecting to the HAT via Airplay:
1. Connect your device to the same Wi-Fi network as your Interlude Audio HAT.
2. Find the audio that you want to stream and tap the AirPlay button.
3. Choose your Interlude Audio HAT from the device list.
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
Booting Volumio OS
When booting the Volumio OS for the first time and configuring, you’ll have several options and
settings to address. Follow the steps below or visit volumio.com for more information.
1. Decide how you would like to connect your Interlude Audio HAT to your WiFi network.
o In the case of ethernet, open a browser on your computer and navigate to
http://volumio.local
o In the case of WiFi, on your computer, connect to the WiFi hotspot named
‘Volumio’ using the password ‘volumio2’. Open a browser window and you
should see the Volumio configuration screen. If not, navigate to
http://volumio.local
2. Choose your Language.
3. Name your device and remember this <name> for later access to the web-UI.
4. Select your audio Output, by choosing the Interlude Audio Analog or Interlude Audio
Digital HAT.
5. Choose the user Experience (simplified or advanced features).
6. If you’re planning on connecting to Volumio via WiFi, configure your Network connection
by entering the WiFi name and password for your home network.
7. After completing the configuration of your instance of Volumio, the device will reboot.
o If you completed the Volumio configuration using the hotspot, be sure to
reconnect your computer to your home WiFi network.
8. Connect to the Volumio OS using the device name you created in your configuration,
which will look like ‘http://<name>.local’.
Booting Raspberry Pi OS
Booting the Raspberry Pi OS is rather straightforward. Upon boot, you should see the standard
Raspberry Pi logo, kernel messages, and finally the Linux desktop environment. With the
Raspberry Pi OS, play music as you normally would within a Linux environment. Simply right
click the speaker icon from the right side of the top bar and select snd_IA_Analog_Hat or
snd_IA_Digital_Hat to route audio to the soundcard associated with your HAT. Play music from
a browser (Youtube, Pandora, Spotify, etc.), copy music to the filesystem and play locally, or
connect to an external music source such as USB drive, NAS, or media server. There are many
ways to play audio within the Raspberry Pi Linux environment, so select what works best for
you!
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Detailed Startup Instructions: Digital or Analog HAT rev 1.0
Support/Contact
For additional support or troubleshooting assistance, visit our website at
interludeaudio.com/support or email us at [email protected].
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