Right here’s a state of affairs for you: you’re taking your loved ones tenting and your youngsters are, predictably, lower than impressed with the crackling fireplace and twinkling stars. They need to watch Bluey on their pill, however there positively isn’t any Wi-Fi and even mobile service out within the wilderness. What do you do? The reply is to arrange higher subsequent time by constructing Jackson Studner’s Jcorp Nomad offline media server.
Jcorp Nomad is a small, USB-powered gadget that serves media recordsdata via an internet interface that’s accessible by way of its personal native Wi-Fi hotspot — no web connectivity required. It’s a fairly area of interest system, however one which might be very helpful to folks in conditions the place nothing else does the job. Merely load up a micro SD card with the media recordsdata (like music and films) that you really want. Then plug the Jcorp Nomad right into a USB energy supply, comparable to a transportable battery financial institution or a automotive adapter. As soon as it begins up, you should utilize any system (smartphone, pill, laptop computer, and so on.) to connect with Wi-Fi community, entry the online interface via your browser, and begin streaming the content material.
Studner’s work went into the software program growth and Jcorp Nomad depends on inexpensive off-the-shelf {hardware} that’s simple to search out. To make your individual, you want no less than two issues: a Waveshare ESP32-S3 growth board with built-in 1.47” show and a micro SD card with a capability of no less than 16GB — although you’ll in all probability need extra in the event you plan on utilizing this for motion pictures. You may also 3D-print the supplied enclosure if you would like some safety, which looks as if a good suggestion.
You don’t want any programming expertise to add the code to the ESP32. All it’s good to do is use the code supplied by Studner and the Arduino IDE. When you like, you may change the Wi-Fi identify and password in that code. However you can even use the defaults in the event you choose.
Upon getting the ESP32 operating that code, you may load up the micro SD card together with your media. It does have to comply with a particular folder and file construction, so make sure to adhere to the directions supplied. Every form of media additionally must be within the correct format: MP4 for motion pictures and TV reveals, MP3 for music, PDF for books, and JPG for photographs.
Now you may simply entry your media on any system, regardless of the place you’re!
