http://www.mattfacer.com/itunestouch-source-code-on-googlecode

• back end code to hopefully to speed up loading times
• mouse cursor is set to show by default
• various bugs (for example when your library is on a network drive and it’s not connected – it shouldn’t crash now)

That’s all – I did say it was a quick update!

Grab it here: iTunesTouch version 1.01

(you need windows XP and .net 3.5+ …. it still doesn’t work with Windows 7 I’m afraid… I will get it working on there soon, I promise!)

The only downside to them is the quality of sound. Because they’re so small, they can sound tinny and they don’t produce great base (obviously). They are perfect for background music, but not if you had a party.

This got me thinking…. inside the speaker there must be a receiver and attached to the circuit board there must be speaker output terminals for the internal speakers. So… could I simply bypass the internal speakers and use my own?? The simple answer is YES…. and here’s how.

1. Dismantle the speaker unit

This, I found to be a pain. There are four screws at the base of each speaker (under sticky tabs). Remove these and you should be able to move the middle.

Let me make this clear… I found NO easy / nice way to take apart the speaker. The top ring (where power and volume are) does come off with some help from a small screw driver. It’s stuck on with some pretty strong double sided tape!

Once that’s removed you will see some more screws. Undo those and eventually everything should start to come apart.

The main problem I had was the power / aux in part of the speaker. It has screws which ensure the little circuit board stays on the body of the speaker. I simply couldn’t get to these, so I ended up cutting it out. Once that was done, everything came apart nicely.

2. Speaker Cables

Once you have the circuit board out of the case, you will see that there are four wires connected to the speakers. Two to each. Cut these from the speakers.

Off the top of my head, I think the cables were marked LN LL and RN and RL. I assume for left and right neutral and live?? I could be wrong. I just matched up my speaker cable to the correct ones using the black and red as most standard hifi wires use.

I used a pair of junction box type joiners to make sure I had a good connection. I also added another blob of solder to the circuit board as the speaker cables looked a little delicate.

3. Testing

At first, I wasn’t expecting anything to happen as I assumed the power output from the circuit board would be too low for these larger speakers.

But guess what, it worked perfectly! Using some Bose speakers I picked up at a car boot (£10 – bargain) I heard a good volume and plenty of base. A completely different sound to the internal old speaker I’ve just disconnected.

So once tested, I began reassembling the speaker unit. I drilled two small holes in the case near the power supply (do it to the left or right of this as there isn’t much room). I didn’t put the speakers back in, but I did cut out the mini sub type speaker from the plastic box… as I needed the room for the speaker junction boxes. You do need this box back in as the top of the speaker screws in to it. I made the mistake of not including it at first.

So with the testing complete, I then looked at using some better looking speakers. I got my other Bose ones out and hooked it all up. Now the Veho speaker sits on top of the base box and works like a dream.

The speaker cable I wired to the circuit board probably would have looked better in black, but at the time white is all I could find. What I’d really like to do is to put speaker terminal points in to the design. This way it can be more portable without the trailing wires hanging out the back. Alternatively, I could make my own unit and place the circuit board in to it….. plenty to think about!

4. Have a listen

I’m not sure this video works terribly well for demoing the sound, but trust me, it’s MILES better! The Veho speaker on the surface is a non modified one (out of the box) where as the one on the base box (near the floor) is the modified one above.

If you have any questions or tips about modifying the veho wireless speaker, please get in touch! I’m keen to have a go at another one, but try and retain the look with out having to cut in to the body!!

You must have a registered (purchased) copy of AlbumPlayer to get the download.

Check it out: http://forum.albumon.com/viewtopic.php?t=1752

Installing iTunesTouch

To install iTunesTouch simply open the install file and follow the prompts.

Running iTunesTouch

Once the application has been installed, you can select to run it immediately or just run it from the desktop.

When iTunesTouch is first run, it will search for iTunes. If you do not have iTunes installed, it will not continue. If itunes is not loaded already, it will load it and minimise to the taskbar.

Once it’s all up and running, you will see a status message. This has three stages

1. Reading Library
   This is the part which takes some time, depending on the size of your library. The more tracks you have, the longer this stage will take. I’m working on speeding this up… don’t worry!
2. Generating Cover art
   When the application is first run, this step will take longer as it’s getting each of your album art images and saving them to the size which is specified in the settings (120×120 I think is the default)
   The next time you open the software, this step will be much quicker as it will read the cached images on disk.
3. Drawing Albums
   This stage is fairly quick and should only take a few seconds. Again, it depends on the amount of albums you have.

PIN Number

The default PIN number is 0000.

Cover art size

Through the Admin settings panel you can change the cover size. This can be done manually or by clicking on one of the buttons with pre-filled in sizes. The new cover sizes will not be visible until the next time you close and load the application. When doing this, step 2 of the loading progress bar will take longer as for each album, a new image is generated.

…..more to follow soon. If you’ve any questions, please ask by commenting below.

Head over to the iTunesTouch (itunes plugin) main page for more information and the download link

The Code

I’ll soon explain the code, but for now, here’s the source code. You’ll need an editor such as Visual Studio Express (download here) and the .net framework.

I have written this so it would work over the top of the Albumplayer jukebox software but it was a little buggy. Please reply to this thread if you have any problems or questions… or any tips! I am new to VB developing so it’s probably FAR from perfect!!

Screen Shot

How it works

I have various games on an external drive (D: in the code). Each one has an EXE file associated with it. The code I have written has onclick events associated with each image (as you see above). The image then will call code to launch the game. It’s not great coding, but it does the job.

You’ll notice a jukebox image in the bottom right. That has code associated with albumplayer and when clicked will launch the player (this must be already loaded in the background). It will NOT load albumplayer from scratch. It will simply look for it and bring it to the front of the screen layout. A new button layer is then added on TOP of album player. This then covers over the close buttons and allows the user to return to this screen. (screen shot below)

So above you can see the “back to games” button which I bring to the front. This however is a little buggy and the code I have used it probably not great.

As for all the images used in the games interface, they are all custom made. I used google images for logos for each game and the jukebox image. It’s all PNG images and all are imported in to the library in the source code.

Download

Like I said, I am providing this source code not as a WORKING VERSION, it’s simply there so it may help other people create their own interface. Please don’t post requests saying “it doesn’t work”. Chances are, it won’t ever on your system. If you have any specific questions regarding methods or code I have used however, please feel free to post!

A note about this download: It’s built on the top of the Albumplayer interface. For it to work, you WILL need to runAlbumplayer. The code is here to simply assist someone… not to work out of the box remember!

Download: AP_InterfaceTest (ZIP 4mb file)

screenshot of itunes touchscreen jukebox

As you can see, it has all the “must have” features, including:

• cover album art (this takes a long time to generate when the software is first loaded)
• popup album showing tracks
• add tracks to the iTunes DJ playlist
• play / pause and exit button

Next steps

I need to get this password protected and add in some settings. I’ll probably do this using a PIN entry. This will then allow the user to select a playlist to use and other options.

I also want to add a search. But, for now, I will concentrate on releasing this version….. soon! Watch this space.

UPDATE: 17 May 2010
iTunesTouch is now available for download. It’s in BETA release and can be found on the main iTunesTouch page

I have been testing out the iTunes “Remote” application on the iPhone… and I love it. When paired correctly with my iTunes library it allows me to change the current song and browse my entire library.

It’s also perfect for a party. Most of my mates have iPhones, so if they have this remote application, they can also browse the library and request / vote for songs. (This mode is different to the paired mode – so they cannot control what actually plays).

So all this is all good and well and now serves my purpose well. I have wireless speakers around the house, the jukebox sitting upstairs in a cupboard and all is fine and dandy.

The problem will come when I have my next party. The touchscreen jukebox will be required! I cannot expect people to use their phones to request music…. so I need a way for people to use the same database (iTunes). ITunes is great.. but putting that in front of my party guests will be a disaster. They have access to playlists and could ruin the flow of music. I need a way of having a “read/write” mode only… ie: no delete/amend options….

iTunes Jukebox Plugin

So I started looking for a plugin / application which could sit on top of iTunes and allow a more native jukebox style of application. There wasn’t really much I could find. So, I’ve started to write one.

MUST haves

• Cover view of all albums (showing artwork)
• click cover to view tracklist on a popup screen
• Visible playlist which is controlled by iTunes DJ mode
• Add to playlist (from the tracklisting – the track is added to the end of playlist)
• Play / Pause button

NICE TO haves

• Voting for existing tracks in the playlist (to bump up the list)
• Admin mode login to remove tracks from playlist
• Add entire album to playlist (possibly in admin mode only)

I will be using this post to keep people updated.

Information

• Price: FREE
• Language: VB.net
• Platform: Windows
• Coming soon!! BETA version out now

We’re now looking in to wireless speakers, or a wireless sound card for the jukebox. Both options would allow the jukebox to sit in the kitchen, broadcasting the sound around the house. you then simply put the wireless speakers in each room where you want the sound!

This of course is leading up to the ultimate idea…. have the jukebox in a cupboard hidden away running VNC. Using a tablet PC or the iPad, connect to the jukebox and use that to control it. This allows a completely wire free solution!

Watch this space for more information!