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Getting Started with the LilyPad MP3 Player
Introduction
In this tutorial, we are going to go through all the ins and outs of the LilyPad
MP3 Player.
The LilyPad MP3 Player is an amazing little board that contains almost
everything you need to play audio files. You just need to add a Lipo battery,
speakers, and a micro-SD card with your audio files on it.
You can use the LilyPad MP3 Player to create all kinds of noisy projects;
your imagination is the only limit!
Before diving in, you should familiarize yourself with any of the following
topics that will be covered in this tutorial, if you are not comfortable with
them already.
• How to install an Arduino Library
• Battery Technologies
• Sewing with Conductive Thread
• Using GitHub
Getting to Know the LilyPad MP3 Player
Page 1 of 19
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Summary of Contents for sparkfun LilyPad
- Page 1 Getting Started with the LilyPad MP3 Player Introduction In this tutorial, we are going to go through all the ins and outs of the LilyPad MP3 Player. The LilyPad MP3 Player is an amazing little board that contains almost everything you need to play audio files.
- Page 2 Page 2 of 19 The LilyPad MP3 Player comes with preinstalled software called “Trigger” that will play specific files when the input pins are grounded. You can also add an optional rotary encoder and load the “Player” software to turn the board into a “real”...
- Page 3 The alternate functions are listed in the table below. You’ll also use the pins to connect to external speakers. The LilyPad MP3 Player includes a stereo (two channel, left and right) amplifier that supports speakers between 4 and 8 ohms.
- Page 4 You won’t need it to run the preinstalled “Trigger” software, but if you want to turn the LilyPad MP3 Player into a true audio player, the rotary encoder provides a simple user interface to switch tracks and change the volume.
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Page 5: Getting Started With The Default "Trigger" Sketch
(the board will reset while playing). In general, the best way to power the LilyPad MP3 Player is with a Lipo battery. If you’d like to use an external supply, see the instructions here, and if you really want to run the board from FTDI power you can hack it to do so. - Page 6 • A micro-SD card. • Some audio files you’d like to play. The LilyPad MP3 Player can play many audio formats, you can see the whole list here. Instructions 1. Put up to five audio files onto the micro-SD card. Usually this is done by putting the card into a reader attached to your computer and copying audio files to it.
- Page 7 Page 7 of 19 4. Connect a headphone to the headphone jack, or connect speakers to the left and right speaker terminals. (Note that when anything is plugged into the headphone jack, the speakers are disabled. This behavior can be changed if desired).
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Page 8: Building The Board Into Your Project
Now that you know how it works, it’s time to think about building the board into your dream project. The LilyPad MP3 Player is equally at home with conductive thread or soldered wire connections, so you can use it in “soft”... -
Page 9: Getting Started With The "Player" Sketch
Arduino IDE. It is included with the LilyPad MP3 software that you can download from the GitHub page. The Player sketch turns the LilyPad MP3 Player into a “real” audio player, allowing you to easily switch between tracks and change the volume. The user interface is a rotary encoder (a knob with a built-in pushbutton) available separately from SparkFun.com that you can solder onto the... - Page 10 • One or two 4 or 8-ohm speakers, surface transducers or headphones with a 1/8" stereo jack. If you want to connect the LilyPad MP3 Player to an amplifier, see this note. • Conductive thread and sewing supplies, or hook-up wire and soldering tools.
- Page 11 • If it’s running, restart the Arduino IDE. 4. Upload the “Player” sketch. • Connect a Lipo battery (or other power source) to the LilyPad MP3 Player. • Connect your 5V FTDI board or cable to the LilyPad MP3 Player.
- Page 12 The only limit to the number of audio tracks you can have on your SD card is its storage capacity. 6. Turn off the LilyPad MP3 Player, and plug your micro-SD card into the socket. • Push it in until it clicks; if you release it, it will stay seated. To remove it, push again until it clicks, and it will pop out when you release it.
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Page 13: Hardware Details And Hacking Tips
“VIN” sew tap. Note that to recharge a battery the voltage must be greater than 4.5V (but still less than 6V). If you want to use your power source to run the LilyPad MP3 Player directly (without a battery), connect it to the JST battery connector or the headers directly behind it. - Page 14 Page 14 of 19 We said earlier that you can’t power the LilyPad MP3 Player solely from a 5V FTDI board or cable. This is because the FTDI connector is used to charge the battery, and the limited current isn’t enough to run the whole system including the amplifier (which can draw quite a bit of power).
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Page 15: Troubleshooting
Page 15 of 19 Even more headers If you need more I/O than the five trigger pins, and you’re not going to be using a rotary encoder, you can take advantage of the unused rotary encoder connections in the center of the board. The following diagram shows the location of these pins and their functions. - Page 16 • Did you remember to plug your micro-SD card into the LilyPad MP3 Player? (We do it too.) • If the LilyPad MP3 Player has a problem starting up, it will output blink codes through the rotary encoder LED. If you don’t have the...
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Page 17: Supported Audio Formats
Department, who will be happy to help you out. Supported Audio Formats The VS1053B audio decoding chip built into the LilyPad MP3 Player understands a wide variety of audio file formats. Occasionally you’ll run into something it can’t play; in that case you can often load it into the audio- editing software of your choice and “save as”... -
Page 18: Writing Your Own Code
GM1 (instruments) GM2 (percussion) Writing Your Own Code The LilyPad MP3 Player uses the same pinout as SparkFun’s MP3 Player Shield and should run the same code without modification. The LilyPad MP3 Player is Arduino-compatible. It uses the same bootloader as SparkFun’s “Pro”... - Page 19 Page 19 of 19 With that, you should have all the knowledge necessary to create any project with the LilyPad MP3 Player. There are lots of setting you can tweak to manipulate the LilyPad MP3 Player into being the perfect board for you and to fit the requirments for your next music/noise related invention.
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