Raspberry PI - Tweaks (Server Only Mode)

I had installed my ifi 5v today, a nice improvement, less has and grain.

I like with the Pi that there is no need to power down the Nova, as powering down any Naim gear can bring a subtle change.

I even put some blue tack on the underside of the Pi, so Blu Pi now ????

Once things settle I have another ethernet cable to try, currently use a Chord C Stream.

Do you mean tweaks in the running Raspbian OS or to things plugged into it? If its OS (Rasbian) related you could try making it use less power, run the cpu a bit slower, ram etc. Your mileage may vary. There are tweaks out there that claim to improve the experience over all by quieting the Pi board down. Disable bluetooth, wifi, turn of hdmi if not needed, etc. This is all easily done by adding settings to /boot/config.txt. I've played around, not sure if any difference other than I know I've made it use less power with some of the tweaks.

Options you could try in the config.txt file, edit as root of course. Make sure you understand what you are doing before you attempt these changes. I currently use all of the below config changes to no ill effect on the latest version of Raspbian on a Pi 3b+. YMMV.

sudo nano /boot/config.txt

#Disable splash screen on boot
disable_splash=1
#Turn off the internal pi sound card (I use a DigiOne transport card hat)
dtparam=audio=off
#Turn off wifi
dtoverlay=pi3-disable-wifi
#Turn off bluetooth
dtoverlay=pi3-disable-bt
#Slow down the cpu
arm_freq=800
#Slow down the RAM
sdram_freq=400
#Slow down more cpu related stuff
core_freq=400
gpu_freq=300
#Lower the Voltage tweaks
over_voltage=-2
over_voltage_sdram=-2
#Give more RAM to the OS and set the maximum amount allowed for the display since I use it headless, no display
gpu_mem=16
# Disable the RED PWR LED, just for fun
dtparam=pwr_led_activelow=off

One more warning. These changes work for me on a current Raspbian Stretch OS with the Rpi 3b+ hardware. I am a veteran Linux administrator and am confident with my skills regarding this. If you really aren't sure what you are doing, be careful and avoid. If you go ahead, try one or two at a time. Save file and reboot.

The good news about the above changes to your Raspbian OS is that even if something bad happens and it won't boot up (unlikely), power it off, remove the SD card, reflash a fresh new image, and have another go - simple as that.

I think you can get battery power packs for raspberry..

Thanks DKNK, will try as suggested.

You may find it worthwhile to take a copy of the file before you start
sudo cp /boot/config.txt /boot/config.txt.org

If you mess anything up do and all is as it was
sudo cp /boot/config.txt.org /boot/config.txt

The theory behind the config.txt tweaks is to possibly make the Rpi board run cooler and quieter. For example why have the cpu running full speed ahead all the time? Why not take your foot off the gas just a bit (lower cpu and gpu) and cruise at a comfortable speed. Roll up the windows (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth off, etc), relax in the quieter environment, and then turn on the music. Whether the changes really make a difference is up to you and how you are using the Rpi.

Brian H posted:

if you use Moode Player most of those tweaks are settable from the user interface. Plus some others

Yes, the Moode player is my pick if I was going to want a graphic gui to use and it does allow for these type of changes. I like the way the dev does things and he is very good in my opinion. Now having said that, there is a compromise with said gui environment, there are things running that just don't need to be left running when all is said and done.  He does his best to keep the system efficient. But me being a bit of a geek will go in the back door (ssh) and shut down/disable/uninstall most of what he has running. I then use the leftover bones to have a top notch system for what I want to use it for. Personal preference is all that is, and I have the time to hack it up to my liking, not for everyone for sure.

Obsydian posted:

Just wondering what if anything tweaks people use, if any.

I have ordered an ifi power supply, as i have found them worthwhile over standard smps.

The ifi power supply should probably be grounded according to the instruction provided by John Swenson in the " SMPS and grounding" thread in the CA forums.

I use an RPi 3B+ running Debian with more or less the same options suggested by DKNK. The main differences are that I do not turn off wifi (because my RPi is not wired), that I am not setting any voltage tweaks and that I have the options

kernel=kernel7.img
#kernel=kernel7-rt.img

of booting the standard kernel or a real-time kernel in /boot/config.txt. I have also added 

sudo /opt/vc/bin/tvservice --off

to /etc/rc.local to disable the HDMI port. In my Debian installation, I have reduced the number of installed packages to slightly less than 500 and I am running both MinimServer and upmpdcli. The RPi hosts an Allo DigiOne Signature that is connected to a Naim DAC through a Naim DC-1 BNC-BNC cable. I am powering the dirty side of the DS with an UpTone Audio JS-2 and the clean side with an UpTone Audio LPS-1-2. The latter is powered by the second output of the JS-2.

dknk posted:

The good news about the above changes to your Raspbian OS is that even if something bad happens and it won't boot up (unlikely), power it off, remove the SD card, reflash a fresh new image, and have another go - simple as that.

Good advice! Alternatively, you can also insert the micro SD card in a card reader or SD adaptor and undo the /boot/config.txt edits on a computer.

nbpf posted:

dknk posted:

The good news about the above changes to your Raspbian OS is that even if something bad happens and it won't boot up (unlikely), power it off, remove the SD card, reflash a fresh new image, and have another go - simple as that.

Good advice! Alternatively, you can also insert the micro SD card in a card reader or SD adaptor and undo the /boot/config.txt edits on a computer.

Now that is even easier, nice one nbpf.

nbpf posted:

Obsydian posted:

 

 I have also added 

sudo /opt/vc/bin/tvservice --off

to /etc/rc.local to disable the HDMI port. 

Me as well, I was trying not to throw too many things out there at once...

Disabled the splash screen, wifi, sound and bluetooth (could not get my Logitech to work), did not notice any difference.

I changed my Chord C Stream to a Ghent Audio cable, a noticeable difference in micro detail and bass (deeper), i have ordered a Meicord as I went that route with my router and switch, last leg the streamer is a Chord Aray.

Obsydian posted:

Disabled the splash screen, wifi, sound and bluetooth (could not get my Logitech to work), did not notice any difference.

...

That is non surprising and quite reassuring. What are you actually using the RPi for? How is it connected to the rest of your system?   

Raspi - Bubble - Nova

Obsydian posted:

Disabled the splash screen, wifi, sound and bluetooth (could not get my Logitech to work), did not notice any difference.

Not surprised either, these are tweaks that as mentioned, may or may not be noticable to you. Could be very subtle if any noticeable improvement. I have noticed that my cpu runs cooler, and I draw just a bit less power, but make a difference musically? Not sure.

Check your CPU temp:
vcgencmd measure_temp

I'm not sure if you use ssh, but if you start it up on the Pi you can log in and manage your Pi from your laptop/desktop and not have to use a monitor or keyboard. If you use Windows, download and install Putty (ssh client). From there you make a ssh connection to the Pi's ip address with the user pi and pasword whatever you have set.
To enable ssh on the Pi:
sudo systemctl enable ssh
sudo systemctl start ssh

dknk posted:

I'm not sure if you use ssh, but if you start it up on the Pi you can log in and manage your Pi from your laptop/desktop and not have to use a monitor or keyboard. If you use Windows, download and install Putty (ssh client). From there you make a ssh connection to the Pi's ip address with the user pi and pasword whatever you have set.
To enable ssh on the Pi:
sudo systemctl enable ssh
sudo systemctl start ssh

I have never attached any monitor or keyboard to my Pi devices. All maintenance is done via remote ssh login. Just add an empty file named 'ssh' to /boot/ and ssh is enabled by default. Wireless configuration also can be done by adding a 'wpa_supplicant.conf' file to /boot/

dknk posted:

I'm not sure if you use ssh, but if you start it up on the Pi you can log in and manage your Pi from your laptop/desktop and not have to use a monitor or keyboard. If you use Windows, download and install Putty (ssh client). From there you make a ssh connection to the Pi's ip address with the user pi and pasword whatever you have set.
To enable ssh on the Pi:
sudo systemctl enable ssh
sudo systemctl start ssh

Thanks, SSH active will try Putty.

Note the ifi 5v 2.5A is a flop, started having issues, when I checked the PI it had the lightning symbol, seems to be a common error with it.

So back to the stock power supply.

Obsydian posted:

dknk posted:

I'm not sure if you use ssh, but if you start it up on the Pi you can log in and manage your Pi from your laptop/desktop and not have to use a monitor or keyboard. If you use Windows, download and install Putty (ssh client). From there you make a ssh connection to the Pi's ip address with the user pi and pasword whatever you have set.
To enable ssh on the Pi:
sudo systemctl enable ssh
sudo systemctl start ssh

Thanks, SSH active will try Putty.

Note the ifi 5v 2.5A is a flop, started having issues, when I checked the PI it had the lightning symbol, seems to be a common error with it.

So back to the stock power supply.

The ifi 5V/2.5A is more than enough to power a RPi 3B+. If you have undervoltage errors or if the red led is blinking, then there is something wrong with your RPi or with the ifi. Post the output of dmesg, it should contain the undervoltage error reports.

I contacted IFI they basically blurbed can only work standalone (no accessories, which once running i do not have).

For me the issue is NOT the charger but the power connect to micro USB adapter they provide.

Back to the stock RasPi and no issues.

I already put the IFI in for return 

Please could members respect forum rules.  Thank you.

So, I've read the rules, is it talking about RPi OS modifications or about the iFi talk, just trying to understand.