Microcenter. I had thought I could use space on the boot microsd in another partition to store files since the operating system is so small. Not a big deal though. This way I just put everything on a separate device.
I had a couple of whole album flac/cue combos. It wasn't reading those so I just split them into separate flac files.
I may experiment a bit with different android squeeze controllers. But it's so much more convenient than my other setup.
I also need to figure out the best way to shut it down when I'm done listening.
Yes, you can. Previous versions say PcP <5.0 it was not recommended by the developer, but I think it's perfectly fine with >5.5. The whole OS loads in RAM, so I don't see it as an issue. Many in the slim devices forums implement with no issues. I tried it and it has no issues. It maybe something is past versions, but modern versions I believe it's fine.
This was planned in the Advanced section of my guide because for most, it maybe foreign territory. But for you it should be quite simple and straightforward. Just boot with a USB linux drive or use a linux VM. Allocate the rest of your microSD card to store your music. I use EXT4 sometimes, but exFAT maybe more convenient. With EXT4, you will likely have to deal with permissions issues. Simple to resolve, but can be a pain in the long run.
After this step, you can allocate the rest of your microSD. I believe you are past this since you were able to install LMS, but just cautionary before you allocate the rest of the drive.
Click "Resize FS":
Select 1000 MB, the click "Resize".
It will need to reboot a few times to resize the partition. Please be patient.
If you past this step, just go ahead and allocate the rest of your microSD card.
I have not tried whole FLACs yet since I'm always tinkering. If I run into a solution I will post.
Yes, very flexible modern solution with great SQ. The $10k streamers use the exact same software:
http://antipodes.audio/squeezebox/
Squeezelite is the highest quality playback software available today. There's a reason $10k streamers use this software.
Since the whole OS loads in RAM and I use for portable. I just plug and unplug power. Maybe you can use a power switch. I've used for a year this way with no issues.
I'm mainly a battery-only type for ultimate SQ purity. So my sound philosophy is LiFePO4 batteries, i2s output and optical. I use no mains or USB audio in the chain. LiFePO4 batteries have the dynamic power and low impedance of a car battery. This works great for dynamic complex music with dynamic swings.
So now I'm using this setup with a physical power button: