rooDial a Wireless Volume Knob for Roon with Microsoft Surface Dial

Audio Gear Talk rooExtend
169

My old Node 2 :heartbeat:

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170

Hi,
I found the three versions here in Denmark and I bought the same as you have ordered. I donā€™t think it matters for this specific use which version you choose even if I have no idea how they actually differ.

171

Thanks for this link! :+1:

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172

Yep it hasnā€™t missed a beat! :+1:

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173

Andreas,
I have no idea where to find these numbers on the Dials please let me know.
What I found is a different quality. I recently got a second one and this feals softer and more haptic if twisted. Just if there is more oil dampening inside, like a very good manual photo lense if you are adjusting focusā€¦

174

I recently purchased a 2WR-00001 in the US.

175

Haptic feedback is a feature that can be enabled or disabled under settings on the paired device. See number 4 here: https://blogs.windows.com/devices/2017/02/15/five-things-need-know-surface-dial/
Maybe itā€™s enabled on the one you just got.

Would it be possible to control this setting in Roon?

176

I found the same model (was 2nd hand but still sealed BNIB) was supplied with a Surface pro setup they guy didnt use the dial so sold it. Im in Singapore and no issues so far - never paired to anything before other than the Pi Zero

177

No it is not enabled. It was brand new and until now nobody knows to enable it in Linux. It just feels differentā€¦

178

I recently purchased a microsoft dial + raspberry zero w. Installation went smooth, but after the dial went in sleep mode, it wonā€™t reconnect properly. Instead, its status in roon is constantly switching between ā€˜sleepingā€™ and ā€˜connectedā€™, not responding to any input. Iā€™ve reinstalled rooExtend once, fixing the problem, again showing the same behavior when the dial goes in standby. Do you have a suggested fix for this problem?

edit: I can reconnect to the dial by pressing the button, but once this is done, Roon seems to multiply every input by a factor of 10

179

I had a similar issue. Did you pair the Dial with anything else in addition to the Pi Zero ?

180

No just the Dial. Iā€™ve unlicensed, removed and again added the extension, and this seems to fix it. I guess there is also a bug somewhere, because I can now use the dial without licensing the extension.

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181

Iā€™ve got the Dial working with Pi3b but I do seem to have to rotate the dial a few times to get significant changes to volume, not a major issue, Rotation Inertia is set at ā€œmost.ā€

182

Please try thsi beta and report if the issue is fixedā€¦
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1A8nEr8o7YAPKeDZZYSUzhtLbd-PKvsNt?usp=sharing

183

I am already using beta rooExtend_v1.1.1 and experiencing the inertia ā€œproblem.ā€

184

I use a 3B too, I had some trouble installing. Iā€™ve got a DHCP reservation for the wired port on the 3B and used this. My wifi uses a hidden ID so it didnā€™t turn up in the list. I had to ā€˜unhideā€™ the SSID temporary to make it work. While fiddling with this Roon had seen the extension on ethernet and I could enter the license and configure it from there. Now it all works like a charm.
Would be nice with a way to enter your SSID if itā€™s hidden and an option to ā€œuse wired ethernet insteadā€. In case one uses the wired network, an option to disable wifi or stop wifi if wired ethernet is chosen.

185

Ogs,
Wired Ethernet will be fully supported in the next version coming soon. If the Pi detects wired ethernet while booting, WiFi will be completely disabled. I will not support any fixed IP addresses only DHCP.
So far, you were the only one who asked for manual SSID entry. I think all these options make the installation more difficult for the ā€œnormalā€ user. In my opinion, people with hidden SSID are qualified enough that they can turn the SSID on and off again after WiFi pairing.

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186

@DrCWO Is controlling multiple dials from one Pi something that is under consideration for the future or is that a configuration youā€™re not interested in supporting?

My Dial was delivered today and am excited to get it setup later. Having a Dial to control each zone would be great but with the requirement of having individual Pis Iā€™ll likely stick with the one.

Thanks for your time

187

George,
Sorry but it is not. To be quite frank I have no idea how to to it technically. Two Dials means two Pis. Sorry for that.

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188

Yust to also publish it here:
The new version v1.2.0 is out now with some bug fixes and some new features:

  • WiFi got disabled if ethernet is connected before booting rooExtend.
  • Zones are now alphabetical sorted.
  • Safety volume limits are respected.
  • There is an implementation to handle for comfort limit:
    If the comfort limit is approached slowly, the volume stops at comfort limit.
    If the Dial is twisted faster, the volume increases above comfort limit depending on the turning speed.

Have fun
DrCWO

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