.. _diy: ========= DIY Guide ========= .. contents:: :depth: 2 :local: .. figure:: /_static/images/diy/pi.png :width: 40% :alt: Raspberry Pi Raspberry Pi Board By popular demand, we are pleased to present this "Do it Yourself" (DIY) guide for the Start9 Embassy personal server! Motivation ---------- There are several reasons you might prefer to build your own Embassy instead of purchasing one from us: #. You already own the necessary hardware and would like to re-purpose it. #. You live outside the US and want to save on shipping costs. #. You do not trust Start9's supply chain. #. You do not want to share your shipping address. #. You just like building things. Hardware -------- The first thing you'll need to do is gather the hardware and assemble it. Parts ..... * `Raspberry Pi 4B (8GB) `_ * `Power supply for Raspberry Pi 4B `_ Make sure this is at minimum 15w and 3.5a. * Case for Raspberry Pi 4B (`passive cooling `_ is recommended). This means no moving parts and no noise. .. warning:: If you prefer to use a fan, **do not** use the official Raspberry Pi fan, as it requires the same GPIO pins as the audio speaker. Instead, we recommend `this fan `_. * A `16GB microSD card `_ (no need for bigger). * `GPIO mini speaker/buzzer `_ (These often sell out, please let us know if this link needs to be refreshed) * Ethernet cable * MicroSD to USB adapter (or you may have a microSD port on your computer) * SSD (minimum 1TB) that `connects over USB 3.0` This can be an `external drive `_, or an `internal drive `_ with an `USB enclosure `_. Currently the only tested and supported external drives are the Samsung T5 and T7 Assembly ........ #. Insert mini speaker/buzzer into GPIO pins 6/8/10/12 with the word "speaker" facing out, `away from the board`. .. figure:: /_static/images/diy/pins.png :width: 60% :alt: Speaker board spec #. Place the Raspberry Pi 4 board (with speaker attached), into its case. #. Plug in the external drive to one of the USB 3.0 (blue) slots Getting EmbassyOS ----------------- After building your device, you need a copy of EmbassyOS. * **Purchasing from Start9** - You can purchase a copy of EmbassyOS `here `_. This is by far the easiest path to get up and running. * **Building from Source** - If you prefer to build EmbassyOS from source, you can follow `this guide `_. Installing EmbassyOS -------------------- Whether you purchase EmbassyOS from us or build it yourself, you'll need to flash it onto a microSD card. #. Download `balenaEtcher `_ onto your Mac, Windows, or Linux computer. #. Insert the microSD card into your computer, either directly or using an adapter. #. Open balenaEtcher. .. figure:: /_static/images/diy/balena.png :width: 60% :alt: Balena Etcher Dashboard #. Click "Select Image" and select your downloaded copy of EmbassyOS. #. Click "Select Target" and select your 16GB microSD card. .. warning:: Be certain you have selected the correct target microSD card. Whatever target you select will be completely erased and replaced with EmbassyOS. #. Click "Flash!". You may be asked to (1) approve the unusually large disk target or (2) enter your password. Both are normal. #. After the flash completes, you may remove the micro SD from the adapter, insert it into your Embassy's SD card slot, and continue to the :ref:`Initial Setup ` instructions.