Your Player's Features.
Lūpa is a small but powerful device about the size of a deck of cards. Powered by Raspberry Pi, it comes packaged in a case designed specifically for audio visual applications. The case makes it easy to operate and install Lūpa with all ports and functions clearly marked. Lūpa comes with everything you need to get started; the player itself, a power adaptor and cable, HDMI and a network cable.
In This Section:
Hardware.
Magnets in the Case
Lūpa was designed to save you time and be installed fast. Magnets embedded in the case allow you to attach Lūpa to any metal surface behind your display device. These magnets are quite powerful so be careful using them near sensitive equipment that might not like magnets near it. Don’t worry too much, most modern equipment is shielded from these types of forces.
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Powering Lūpa
Lūpa is powered from its micro USB port located on the side of the device and is incredibly power efficient. Lūpa also comes with a power supply and power cable to get you up and running straight out of the box. Lūpa requires 5 volts of power at 1amp or 5 watts, which is very common amongst USB power supplies and ports.
Lūpa supports being powered by most USB ports on projectors or displays allowing you to simplify cable runs and operation. This means Lūpa will switch on and off when your projector or display does. However not all USB ports are the same, while most modern display devices are able to supply enough power through their USB port, some older or cheaper display devices may not be which can cause Lūpa to behave erratically and potentially damage your unit.
If you are unsure about the level of power coming out of the USB port on the display device, refer to the manual that came with your display device. In cases where it supplies less than what is stated above, we recommend you use the power supply and cable that was provided with Lūpa.
How Can I Tell Lūpa Is On?
In some situations you might need to know if your Lūpa is on and functioning, particularly if you are not sure your cables, power or display device is functioning. Lūpa has hidden power and activity indicator lights, to reduce distraction when installed in dark environments. Depending on when you purchased your Lūpa, you can view these power and activity lights in differing positions on your player.
Purchased before December 2019
These lights are viewable from the top of the case. In the image below you can see where these lights are located - a green and red light will be visible in the gap between the outside case and the top lid if your Lūpa is functioning properly.
Purchased after December 2019
These lights are viewable from the rear of the case, in a small oval shaped cut out. In the image below you can see where these lights are located - a green and red light will be visible in the cut out if your Lūpa is functioning properly.
Lost or Damaged Power Cables and Supplies.
It is highly recommended that you use the cables that were provided with Lūpa. If you have lost or damaged your cables or power supply you can order new ones directly from us. Please contact us if you wish to order new power cables or supplies. You can also use your own cables and power supply if you wish, but please do so with caution as we will not be responsible for the damage you may cause if you use a foreign cable or power supply.
If you have lost or damaged your power cable and wish to use your own, make sure it's high quality. The market is flooded with very cheap micro USB cables which often have very thin wires in them and therefore do not supply enough power. These might be good enough to charge your phone (albeit very slowly) but may not be powerful enough for Lūpa.
If you have lost or damaged your power supply, you can use most USB phone chargers on the market. Again, not all charges are created equal so make sure your power supply is capable of delivering 5 volts of power at 1 amp or 5 watts. Phone charges like the one that comes with your smartphone, might be capable of delivering this much power.
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HDMI and Analogue Port
Lūpa is capable of playing high definition video through its HDMI port, as well as standard definition video through its analogue port (3.5mm headphone jack). Both connectors are capable of displaying a variety of resolutions and aspect ratios.
HDMI
By default Lūpa will output 1080p video from it's HDMI port. It will also always ‘passthrough’ audio via it's HDMI port, meaning it will send any audio in your video to your display device by default. You can change the resolution of Lūpa very easily by using the Advanced Settings feature built into the device. Please read the Advanced Settings page of the Lūpa help website for more information.
Analogue Port
The analouge port (3.5mm headphone jack) on Lūpa will always output audio in your video via this connector. By default the audio is always at maximum volume, if you wish to change the volume please check out the Advanced Settings page of the Lūpa help website for more information.
A note on volume: as Lūpa is a low powered device, the audio that it outputs is not very loud. It’s therefore recommended if you want louder audio for headphones or speakers that you utilise a headphone amplifier, stereo amplifier, or powered speakers to increase the volume of your videos. Lūpa also outputs audio via its HDMI port, as such, you can utilise the headphone jack on your display device rather than the headphone jack on Lūpa. We always recommend using HDMI audio through your display device as this way you will get the best audio quality out of your Lūpa.
Lūpa contains a dual purpose headphone jack that not only has audio out capabilities, but can also act as an AV port. This means it can send standard definition video (with stereo audio) via a 3.5mm to RCA cable. Please check out the Advanced Settings page of the Lūpa help website for more information about how to turn on the AV port for video. Both SYNC and LOOP modes work with the AV port.
Unfortunately not all cables that may appear to work are suitable. Manufacturers of electronics do frustratingly change the order of the pins on the headphone jack, meaning not all cables are wired in a way that will work with Lūpa. If you have a cable that you think may work, try it by plugging each end of the cable into your display's video port and see if you get a signal. Or you can buy this cable from a supplier that is tested and guaranteed to work.
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