Measurement of Loudspeaker Parameters with a Raspberry Pi

Over the past two decades, technological advancements have led to nearly universal access to small, cost-efficient computing devices, with more and more alternative platforms emerging, still. This surge has empowered makers and do-it-yourself spirits worldwide to realize small-scale projects in many different areas of life, art, and research, from home automation to environmental science. The Raspberry Pi is an example of such an easily available computing device. It is widely used in academia, e.g., in student projects. With its various modules it can serve as a sensor and actuator platform, a means of interacting with the environment. As such, it is well-suited for the implementation of measurement systems, and its performance allows for its use in audio applications. This article is a tutorial on the implementation of a loudspeaker measurement device. The proposed system uses a Raspberry Pi with some audio-specific peripherals, e.g., the HiFi Berry, to measure loudspeaker parameters, including the Thiele-Small parameters. Measurement results achieved with the developed system are compared to results obtained with professional measurement systems to evaluate its reliability and accuracy.