How to Turn Your Raspberry Pi Into a Powerful Effects Pedal

In this instructable, I'll show you how to install Patchbox Os and configure it to use modep: a mod duo emulator.

Modep allows you to use multiple effects and sound generators at once. Very neat!

To install Patchbox Os you will need

• Raspberry pi 3 or 4
• 4gb+ Micro SD card
• Micro SD card reader

You can install modep without an external sound card, however if you want to use your pi as a multi fx pedal you will need:

• A Sound card HAT for your raspberry pi

or:

• An external USB audio interface. (eg: U-phoria UMC-22)

For this instructable, I'll be using a Pisound audio HAT. 🤠

https://blokas.io/store/

To install Patchbox OS you will need to:

• Download Patchbox OS from here
• Click on Download Patchbox OS, Direct Download
• Find the download link in the forum post

• Download and install BalenaEtcher from here
• Click on the download link
• (Windows) Open the installer and install

• (Windows) Download and install putty from here

(Mac Os and linux come with ssh clients 👌)

1. Go to where you downloaded Patchbox Os and unzip it. There should be a .img file.
2. On balenaEtcher, click on Flash from file and open that .img file.
3. Click on select target. Make sure your micro SD card is selected. The micro SD card will be formatted, so make sure there isn't any important files on there.
4. Click flash and wait. BalenaEtcher will flash patchbox os to your micro sd card. It should take around 5 - 10 minutes depending on the speed of your micro SD card reader.

The Pi sound hat comes with standoffs that hold the HAT to the Raspberry pi:

• Place a standoff over a hole on the rpi. Screw from the other side. Repeat for each standoff.

1. Place the audio HAT's female headers over the rpi's pins. Push gently on the other side of the HAT's header.
   

• Secure the HAT by fastening screws into standoff

• If BalenaEtcher has finished flashing, take the SD card out of your reader and insert it into the micro SD card slot on the raspberry pi. Push gently until the card is fully in.

Connect your raspberry pi to it's appropriate power supply. Raspberry pi's need usually need 5v 3 amps to run optimally.

When Patchbox Os boots up for the first time, it creates a wifi hotspot name Patchbox.

1. Connect to that wifi ap using the default password "blokaslabs"

To configure the raspberry pi, we need to connect to it using ssh.

• The default credentials for patchbox Os are:
• User: patch
• Password: blokaslabs
• Ip Address: 172.24.1.1

(Windows)

1. Open putty.
2. Put 172.24.1.1 in hostname textbox
3. Make sure connection type is set to ssh
4. Connect
5. The raspberry pi will ask for the username and password

(Mac and linux)

1. Open your terminal
2. ssh patch@172.24.1.1
3. enter password

When you boot patchbox for the first time, it will start the setup script.

Follow the setup instructions:

• Don't check for updates (You haven't connected the rpi to the internet yet)
• Change the password (Remember this, you'll use it to connect to the pi later.
• Select the sound adapter you want to use.
• I'll be using a sample rate of 96000. If you are using a different audio interface, use it's recommended sample rate.
• Use a buffer size of 128
• Use a period of 2
• Choose console as the default boot environment
• Connect to your wifi network. (select ssid and enter password)

Patchbox will now close it's wifi hotspot and will try to connect to your wifi network. If it can't connect, It'll open it's hotspot again.

This step can be a little tricky.

You'll need to find your raspberry pi's ip address on your network.

• If you can access your router's setting's page, you should be able to view devices on the network
• You can download tools that discover devices on your network. I use port authority on my android phone.

Using the raspberry pi's new ip address, connect to it over ssh. (see step 7)

Once connected and logged in:

• Update patchbox os using sudo apt update
• Enter the config screen using patchbox
• Select module
• Select modep

This will download and install modep

Type your raspberry pi's ip address into the address bar in a web browser.

Bam 💥, now you've got a customizable effects pedal.

Plug in your gear, and you're set 👍

Headphone warning!