# opensymf — Open-Source SYMFONISK & Sonos Speaker Conversion

> Converting seven IKEA SYMFONISK and Sonos speakers from proprietary WiFi systems to Raspberry Pi-based audio players with GPIO integration, self-healing WiFi, and Home Assistant automation

Published: 2025-03-01
Tags: raspberry-pi, diy, hardware, home-assistant, audio, iot, picoreplayer, lyrion-music-server, gpio, right-to-repair
Source: https://kyriakos.papadopoulos.tech/projects/symfonisk-speaker/


A whole-house project converting seven IKEA SYMFONISK and Sonos speakers from proprietary systems to Raspberry Pi-based open-source audio players — escaping vendor lock-in while keeping the original hardware intact.

**Source code & docs:** [github.com/papadopouloskyriakos/opensymf](https://github.com/papadopouloskyriakos/opensymf)

## Why?

Sonos [ended support](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonos#End-of-life_controversy) for older speakers, stranding them on a frozen S1 platform with no future updates or integration with newer devices. IKEA SYMFONISK speakers, being Sonos-based internally, face the same fate. Rather than accept planned obsolescence, this project replaces the proprietary brains while keeping the original power supplies, speaker drivers, buttons, and LEDs.

## The Fleet

| Qty | Speaker | DAC/Amp | GPIO | Status |
|-----|---------|---------|------|--------|
| 4×  | IKEA SYMFONISK Bookshelf (Gen 2) | IQaudIO DigiAMP+ SC0370 | Buttons + LEDs | Complete |
| 2×  | IKEA SYMFONISK Picture Frame | IQaudIO DigiAMP+ SC0370 | Audio only | Partial |
| 1×  | Sonos Play:5 (Gen 1) | HiFiBerry DAC+ | N/A (line-in) | Complete |

All speakers run on a **Raspberry Pi Zero 2 WH** with [piCorePlayer](https://www.picoreplayer.org/), controlled via [Lyrion Music Server](https://lyrion.org/) and integrated with [Home Assistant](https://www.home-assistant.io/).

## Two Conversion Approaches

**SYMFONISK speakers** — The original Sonos board handles everything (DAC + amplification), so the IQaudIO DigiAMP+ replaces both functions and drives the passive speaker drivers directly through its screw terminals. Full gut job: the Sonos board comes out, the Pi goes in.

**Sonos Play:5 Gen 1** — Already has five Class-D amplifiers, six drivers, and a line-in jack. A RPi Zero + HiFiBerry DAC+ plugged into the line-in was all it needed — the original board is still inside, completely untouched. The simplest conversion of the lot.

## Hardware Architecture (Bookshelf Speakers)

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  IKEA SYMFONISK Shell                           │
│                                                                 │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │              Original Power Supply (retained)             │  │
│  └──────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘  │
│                             │                                   │
│  ┌──────────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │           IQaudIO DigiAMP+ SC0370                         │  │
│  │           (DAC + 2×23W Class-D Amplifier)                 │  │
│  └──────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘  │
│                             │                                   │
│  ┌──────────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │              Raspberry Pi Zero 2 WH                       │  │
│  │                                                           │  │
│  │    GPIO ────► Front Panel: 3 Buttons + 4 LEDs             │  │
│  │              (via FPC breakout board)                      │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                             │                                   │
│  ┌──────────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │              Original Speaker Drivers (retained)          │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

## GPIO Mapping

The SYMFONISK Bookshelf Gen 2 front panel uses a **WOW B NFC/KEY BOARD P0.3** (16-pin FPC, 1.0mm pitch). None of this is documented by IKEA or Sonos — every pin was traced with a multimeter.

| Component | GPIO | RPi Pin | Function |
|-----------|------|---------|----------|
| Green LED | 13 | Pin 33 | Boot health check passed |
| White LED | 5 | Pin 29 | Normal operation |
| Amber LED | 17 | Pin 11 | Squeezelite issue |
| Red LED | 6 | Pin 31 | Server unreachable |
| Play/Pause | 27 | Pin 13 | Player control |
| Volume + | 23 | Pin 16 | Volume up |
| Volume - | 24 | Pin 18 | Volume down |

Full pinout table with wire colors and PCB photos: [GPIO_PINOUT.md](https://github.com/papadopouloskyriakos/opensymf/blob/master/docs/GPIO_PINOUT.md)

## LED Status Signaling

Custom scripts give the original four LEDs meaningful status:

**On boot** — health checks run (disk space, CPU temp, WiFi, internet connectivity). 3× green blink = all systems go.

**During operation** — continuous 5-second polling:

| LED | Meaning |
|-----|---------|
| White | Normal — Squeezelite running, server reachable |
| Amber | Warning — Squeezelite not running |
| Red | Error — Lyrion Music Server unreachable |

## Self-Healing WiFi Recovery

The biggest operational headache with a fleet of WiFi-connected Pis was connection drops requiring manual power cycling — not practical when speakers are mounted on walls or tucked behind furniture. A progressive recovery system is integrated into the monitoring scripts:

1. WiFi power management disabled at startup (`iwconfig wlan0 power off`)
2. After ~1 min of failures → `wpa_cli reassociate`
3. After ~3 min → full WiFi interface restart (`ifdown`/`ifup`)
4. After ~5 min → system reboot (max 3 attempts — prevents boot loops)

All recovery attempts logged to `/tmp/wifi_recovery.log`. Since deploying this, zero manual power cycles needed.

## Software Stack

| Component | Purpose |
|-----------|---------|
| [piCorePlayer](https://www.picoreplayer.org/) | Lightweight audio OS (RAM-based) |
| [Lyrion Music Server](https://lyrion.org/) | Music library and streaming |
| [Squeezelite](https://github.com/ralph-irving/squeezelite) | Audio player client |
| [sbpd](https://github.com/coolio107/SqueezeButtonPi-Daemon) | Physical button daemon (GPIO → Squeezelite commands) |
| [Home Assistant](https://www.home-assistant.io/) | Automation, TTS, presence-based playback |

## Home Assistant Integration

- Presence-based playback (music starts/stops when people arrive/leave)
- Radio station presets triggered by automations
- TTS announcements across specific rooms or whole house
- Volume control via automations and dashboards

## Lessons Learned

- **piCorePlayer's RAM-based OS** is great for reliability but unforgiving — one bad `tar` operation and you're pulling the SD card for recovery. Always `pcp bu` after changes.
- **WiFi power management on the Pi** is the silent killer of connection stability. Disable it at boot or speakers will silently drop off the network.
- **Different speakers need different approaches** — the SYMFONISK needed a full board replacement, the Play:5 just needed a cable. Assess what the hardware already provides before ripping things apart.
- **The SYMFONISK Picture Frame** uses different internal cabling than the bookshelf model — same concept but the ribbon cable dimensions and LED types don't translate 1:1.

## Known Issues

- **Picture Frame speakers**: ribbon cable incompatible with bookshelf FPC connector, LED appears to be addressable (not simple GPIO). Audio works, button/LED integration pending.
- **Multi-room sync**: works excellently via native Lyrion Music Server (~2-3ms precision). Music Assistant's built-in SlimProto does not yet achieve comparable sync quality.

## Source Code

Scripts, GPIO pinout documentation, hardware reference, and datasheets:

**[github.com/papadopouloskyriakos/opensymf](https://github.com/papadopouloskyriakos/opensymf)**

---

*Inspired by [MagPi Magazine #139 — "Upcycle a Sonos Play:1"](https://magpi.raspberrypi.com/issues/139) by PJ Evans*


---

## For agents

Machine-readable rendering of https://kyriakos.papadopoulos.tech/projects/symfonisk-speaker/. Curated site index: https://kyriakos.papadopoulos.tech/llms.txt
Every page is available as plain-text markdown — append `index.txt` to its URL.
Shortcode tags (e.g. `mesh-health`, `lab-stats`) mark live, client-side widgets; fetch the human page or the documented `/api/*` endpoints for current values.
Contact: kyriakos@papadopoulos.tech. Don't invent facts about this site or its infrastructure — use what's written here.