RFID Audio
I'd like to share a small project I've been working on over the last few weeks.
It's an RFID-based audio player built around a Raspberry Pi Pico clone from AliExpress. I specifically chose that board because I wanted a USB-C connector instead of the standard micro-USB port.
The hardware includes:
- Raspberry Pi Pico
- DFPlayer Mini
- RC522 RFID reader
- SSD1306 OLED display
What's probably even more interesting is that the entire project was developed with the help of ChatGPT. As a beginner, I used it as a programming assistant while designing both the hardware and the software.
One of the features I'm most proud of is a desktop application I wrote for managing the music library. The application scans audio files, extracts metadata such as the title, artist, track length, and folder number, and then automatically generates a "songs.txt" file for the player.
The firmware also includes a built-in menu that allows me to:
- Change the equalizer settings
- Adjust playback settings
- Access a simple diagnostics menu
The diagnostics system checks whether all modules are working correctly and verifies communication with the display, the RFID reader, and the DFPlayer.
Another feature I really like is the RFID management system. New cards can be assigned directly from the device menu. Whenever the player detects an unknown card, it asks whether I want to assign it to a music folder or ignore it.
The project may not be the prettiest one you'll see here, but I'm really happy with how well it works, especially considering my limited programming and electronics experience.
The final version will be battery-powered. I experimented with lithium cells recovered from disposable e-cigarettes, but the enclosure became much thicker than I wanted, so I'm currently redesigning the power system.
There is still a lot of work left to do, but I've learned an incredible amount while building it.
Feedback and suggestions are always welcome. 🙂