Arduino as MP3 player/8-track ?

Projects General Guidance
1

Hello all, I have never used a arduino before. I have used other micro controllers, raspberryPi and some PLC's though. So overall project is a modern-day flash mp3 player, inside a 8-track. What I want to do is install the actually mp3 player inside the 8-track player, and a small cheap flash drive in each of the 8-track with the original songs. I love 8-tracks and such however heat kills them, and they are very sensitive , but I like the look and feel of the 8-track in my car. So I am curious what i would want to use or how to go about the mp3 player part. I want to have line-level audio out to go to a external amp. I want to the the music play automatically once a 8-track is inserted and use the "selector" switch as a next button. I could easily go out and get a nice touch screen head unit, but where is the fun in that ! :smiley:
Well thank you for reading !

My back up plan is to just use a cheap ebay mp3 player, and install sdcards into the 8-tracks.

2

There are audio/MP3 "shields" that plug-into the Arduino. The Arduino handles the control functions. The audio storage and digital-to-analog converter are external. (I've never used one, and I don't know if they come is stereo, or you need two audio shields.)

I'd say an MP3 player (or iPod) would be the way to go unless you really want the challenge of building your own.

I've got a Sony audio player similar to [u]this[/u]. My iPod classic with about 14,000 songs fits inside. It's sort-of the same idea except it doesn't look like an 8-track.

You can also find "classic looking" car stereos with CD players, AUX inputs, or CD changer controls like [u]this[/u].

I love 8-tracks and such however heat kills them,

...And you can't find a replacement when they die (and you can't get new releases), they wear-out even without heat because of the way the tape slides against itself, and they change tracks in the middle of a song, and you can't jump to a song, and the sound quality isn't that great, and when the player dies it's hard to the old one repaired or find a replacement...

3

You want to build this into an 8-track cassette or into the player?
Some combination of the two?
No matter which way, if you're into a lot of work fun then this will be that.

4

Yes, when they where out finding a replacement is hard because most are already to far gone. The same goes for the players, however I did find a Great little Kraco that works great, it was actually never installed, all the little parts and harness where all in there original plastic bags, and the unit was in its original box all wrapped in foam with not a scratch or finger print on it, all for 20 bucks on Ebay. However I want to take out its guts and replace it with a player, with a connector, that will connect to the 8-track. Inside each 8-track will be a memory source, either flash drive or SD card. The 8-tracks will have the original songs on them, however in modern day bit-rate levels and quality. I'm doing it because I love to do projects and think it will be very neat when its done. Not because I think its efficient or easy lol. I don't feel bad about gutting the 8-tracks, or the player because almost all of mine are shot, and the golden age for it has long since come and past. I just think it will be great to have my stack of 8-tracks sitting in the hot car all day, pop one in and have it play nice high quality music without fumbling with it. I guess that is half the fun sometimes, but I need a project right now. I think I am going to end up using a cheap MP3 player inside, and having a SD card inside the 8-track. Then solder the selector switch to the next button, then see if i can get it to automatically play or what I have to work out. :slight_smile:

5

Check out the MP3 modules here also. 99 to 199 songs per SD, push button to your arduino to advance between them.
Even connect a bank of the $10 cards, can cycle between cards like cycling between tracks on a player.
http://www.mdfly.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=a04544b16caa6ecae6181f2c8d7300e1&keyword=mp3&x=-310&y=-103

6

You must be one of the only people alive who love 8 tracks - most people hate/d them with a purple passion. One of the worst formats on the planet, IMHO. :wink:

moonman94:
Yes, when they where out finding a replacement is hard because most are already to far gone. The same goes for the players, however I did find a Great little Kraco that works great, it was actually never installed, all the little parts and harness where all in there original plastic bags, and the unit was in its original box all wrapped in foam with not a scratch or finger print on it, all for 20 bucks on Ebay.

Kraco - 8-track - you're really doubling down on the level of crap audio, aren't you. I don't know how old you are, but Kraco was an absolute bottom of the barrel audio brand, then or now (heck, are they still in business?) - the fact that you found an unopened box should tell your something (like - run in the opposite direction).

moonman94:
However I want to take out its guts and replace it with a player, with a connector, that will connect to the 8-track. Inside each 8-track will be a memory source, either flash drive or SD card. The 8-tracks will have the original songs on them, however in modern day bit-rate levels and quality. I'm doing it because I love to do projects and think it will be very neat when its done. Not because I think its efficient or easy lol.

Well, that certainly sounds like an interesting project; if it were me, I would leave the player stock, and try to find one of those cassette-to-8-track adapters, and pull the head out of it to play the output thru. That way your 8-tracks from Goodwill can still play, or you could load up the "special" one with the extra electronics inside. Add a slot on the end to slot in the SD-card of tunes. If you wanted to be really demented, you could get one of those headphone-to-cassette adaptors, and plug that into the cassette-to-8-track adaptor, then plug that into the player (wires galore - and probably very poor sound quality - but then again, it's an 8-track).

moonman94:
I don't feel bad about gutting the 8-tracks, or the player because almost all of mine are shot, and the golden age for it has long since come and past.

I think it's "golden age" ended when people became tired of disco - and not a moment too soon! :smiley: