How to Make a Spotify Player Using a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W

I made this Spotify player for my Innovation Engineering final project, and also because I wanted to know if it was possible to make a device close enough to the Spotify car thing. (Grammarly was used to correct my poor grammar :(((( ...). Video of it working :D

1. Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
2. Raspberry Pi Micro USB power supply
3. Screen (the Raspberry Pi has a 1920 × 1200 pixels at 60Hz max) - I used a 4.7 x 3 inch screen (120mm x 75.81)
4. Keyboard (not a full necessity but might be needed; can be Bluetooth but will need a converter into micro USB. I rewired my keyboard to use micro USB by cutting a data micro USB wire and the keyboard USB using a wire cutter and tangling the copper inside the wire together, then used electrical tape to stop the wires from having contact and to keep it together)
5. Micro SD card (max is 2TB, but I only used an 8GB micro SD card)
6. SD card reader
7. WAVESHARE Audio HAT 8960
8. Computer (should work on any; I used an M2 MacBook Air)

Very important step :D

Open your computer of choice, go to https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/, and download the imager

Grab your SD card and SD card reader, plug it into said computer, Open the RPI imager if you havent already, then choose the correct Pi that you have. For the OS, choose Media Player> Volumio. There is a chance that Volumio does not work through the imager; in that case, go to https://volumio.com/get-started/ and then download it for Raspberry Pi. Scroll to the bottom of the OS page and find "Use Custom"; press that, then upload the code. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY A SUBSCRIPTION FOR VOLUMIO; IT SHOULD BE FULLY FREE (as of 8 September 2026). For the actual code, I had many issues, so here's the drive folder for the RPI code. I'm not sure how you can use this, but I thought it might help :)

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU PICK THE CORRECT STORAGE

PLUG IN YOUR RPI FIRST BEFORE THE SCREEN

Check that the RPI is receiving power by the illumination of a green LED. Please note that plugging it in for the first time may take some time for it to power up. Wait for about a minute or two for signs of life. If there is no life, touch around the RPI for heat. If there's heat but no light, it could mean there's a short circuit. Make sure the RPI is not on a conductive surface such as metal to prevent this. If there is no heat and no light, check your power supply; it may not be providing enough power or any at all.

After confirming life, connect your screen to the mini HDMI port. As a reminder, the Raspberry Pi has a 1920 × 1200 pixels at 60 Hz max. I used a 4.7 x 3 inch screen (120mm x 75.81mm), but a simple Google search can provide you with more specs for different screens. I used this as my research base.

Now you may not see anything at all for now; that is, assuming you haven't plugged in your SD card yet. If you haven't, YOU JUST SCREWD UP, AND YOUR PROJECT IS KILLED! Just kidding! Don't worry your not in trouble. Just plug it in and wait for it to read. You should see "VOLUMIO" in large letters. Did you fall for my joke? (please say yes)

Check your Wifi for "Volumio" and configure it to your specs. BE CAREFUL RENAMING VOLUMIO; IT DID NOT WORK FOR ME.

To connect to the now-Volumio device:

Download the Volumio App on an Ipad/Tablet, a phone, or open the web version at http://volumio.local or the Volumio's IP address.

Music:

Once connected (regardless of app or web), go to plug-ins, then under music services, find Spotify and install.

Display:

Once connected (regardless of app or web), go to plugins, then under Miscellanea or User Interface, find Now Playing and install

For any bugs that may occur, please resort to Gemini to help debug.

To be able to debug, ensure that any and all plugins are disabled. You should be left with a black screen and some small text. That is the terminal. Use the terminal to debug any bugs that occur. If not, unplug until a fully black screen, then replug. You do not need to connect to the Volumio at this time.

To type, plug in your keyboard to the port next to power.

Take your WaveShare WM 8960 Audio HAT and attach it (refer to the photo for attachment). You may need to configure the audio plug-in.

Connect your Spotify account to Volumio by accessing the Spotify plug-in and pressing connect/connect account. Follow the connection instructions. Now try connect and play music.

Thank you for showing your interest in this project!

If you want some help not from AI, tooby_tea is my TikTok :)