Hi Erdin,
Thanks for your reply. I like your suggestions and am planing to implement the cd player approach for the first generation system. I'm very familiar with reed relays and will use them to provide the push button contacts. From what I am learning through this forum (great place) the Arduino should easily handle the track selection and play functions of the cd player. What isn't clear yet is whether these 4 or 5 closures can be implemented for successive times with only one of the steps changing the track number from the #2 to #3 to #4. The output would actually be energizing the reed relay for the appropriate track number. It would be nice if I didn't have to provide a separate Arduino for each track number.
I assume that there would be a finite number of play tracks that could be actuated before it would be necessary to carry on to the next Arduino.
Once I get the interim CD system working, I will charge ahead with your suggested SD card approach.
Thanks for your inputs,
BillG (Churchbells)