We’re undoubtedly fairly keen on the DIY MP3 gamers right here at Hackaday, however we don’t suppose we’ve seen one like CartridgeMP3 from [jpet26] earlier than.
All {the electrical} parts are what we’ve come to count on. [jpet26] makes use of the favored VS1053 decoder to learn MP3 information saved on an SD card. He additionally features a potentiometer for adjusting quantity, a USB C port for energy and programming, a headphone jack for the audio output, a general-purpose standing LED, and an on/off change.
However what actually caught our consideration is the shape issue [jpet26] chosen for his MP3 participant. Although the MP3 information are saved on an SD card, he makes use of a cartridge interface, much like that of a Nintendo 64 or Sport Boy of yesteryear, to decide on which MP3 to play from the SD card. The cartridge interface is tied to some GPIO pins and by studying the standing of every pin, the machine determines which MP3 to pick.
You could possibly say that the cartridge is just a little pointless, and we wouldn’t argue with you. The cartridge doesn’t really retailer the MP3 information, the SD card does. It’d make a bit extra sense if the cartridge housed the SD card itself with just a few choose MP3s saved on the cardboard. That may be a unusual means of sharing your favourite playlists with your pals. So, yeah some clumsy handshaking there, however who isn’t responsible of that once in a while? We prefer it and thought you would possibly recognize it as effectively.
Cool MP3 participant, [jpet26]! Might we propose a speaker for V2? And possibly some flex cables.