DFPlayer initialization problem

Other Hardware Audio
1

I’m having problems getting past initialization with my DFPlayer Mini project.

(I apologize in advance for any vagueness.)

Frustratingly, I had it working - at least it played individual files - but then I changed something trying to play all the files, and it wouldn’t initialize. So then I changed it back (I think!) but I still get can’t past this:

DFRobot DFPlayer Mini Demo
Initializing DFPlayer ... (May take 3~5 seconds)
Unable to begin:
1.Please recheck the connection!
2.Please insert the SD card!
Time Out!

…and the red LED on the player is not coming on, which it was when it was working.

I am using the original DFRobot libraries (not the popular DFPlayer_Fast ones).

I have tried three different Unos (including two brand new R4s), and three different players. The players claim to be HW-247As, but I’m told that claim isn’t always true. And they were working earlier.

So either

  • I’m did something stupid with my wiring
  • I did something stupid with my code that I didn’t change back

Things I’ve tried:

  • checking the wiring many times
  • different h/w (as above)
  • different SD card (in case it failed)
  • going back to “known working” software
  • switching the RX and TX wires in case I confused them

I believe my wiring is:

  • Arduino TX on pin 8 to DFPlayer RX via 1K resistor
  • Arduino RX on pin 9 to DFPlayer TX
  • 3V3 to top left, GND to 2nd from bottom left (between the two SPKR connections).

I tried to take some pics in case that helps. In these:

  • black is GND, white is 3V3
  • Green and Orange are the speaker wires, offstage
  • Yellow is pin 10
  • Purple is pin 11

PXL_20251017_191340797
PXL_20251017_1913407971920×2560 385 KB

3ae6377e-b1f1-4f7a-9de8-a2dd451a22e9~1
3ae6377e-b1f1-4f7a-9de8-a2dd451a22e9~11920×2560 379 KB

Any suggestions welcome.

And here’s the code. It is lightly modified from the DFRobot example code.

#include "Arduino.h"
#include "DFRobotDFPlayerMini.h"

#if (defined(ARDUINO_AVR_UNO) || defined(ESP8266))  // Using a soft serial port
#include <SoftwareSerial.h>
SoftwareSerial softSerial(/*rx =*/8, /*tx =*/9);
#define FPSerial softSerial
#else
#define FPSerial Serial1
#endif

DFRobotDFPlayerMini myDFPlayer;
void printDetail(uint8_t type, int value);

void setup() {
#if (defined ESP32)
  FPSerial.begin(9600, SERIAL_8N1, /*rx =*/D3, /*tx =*/D2);
#else
  FPSerial.begin(9600);
#endif

  Serial.begin(19200);
  while (!Serial)
    ;

  Serial.println();
  Serial.println(F("DFRobot DFPlayer Mini Demo"));
  Serial.println(F("Initializing DFPlayer ... (May take 3~5 seconds)"));

  if (!myDFPlayer.begin(FPSerial, /*isACK = */ true, /*doReset = */ true)) {  //Use serial to communicate with mp3.
    Serial.println(F("Unable to begin:"));
    Serial.println(F("1.Please recheck the connection!"));
    Serial.println(F("2.Please insert the SD card!"));

    printDetail(myDFPlayer.readType(), myDFPlayer.read());  //Print the detail message from DFPlayer to handle different errors and states.

    while (true) {
      delay(0);  // Code to compatible with ESP8266 watch dog.
    }
  }
  Serial.println(F("DFPlayer Mini online."));

  myDFPlayer.volume(30);  //Set volume value. From 0 to 30
  myDFPlayer.play(1);     //Play the first mp3

  delay(3000);
}

void loop() {
}

void printDetail(uint8_t type, int value) {
  switch (type) {
    case TimeOut:
      Serial.println(F("Time Out!"));
      break;
    case WrongStack:
      Serial.println(F("Stack Wrong!"));
      break;
    case DFPlayerCardInserted:
      Serial.println(F("Card Inserted!"));
      break;
    case DFPlayerCardRemoved:
      Serial.println(F("Card Removed!"));
      break;
    case DFPlayerCardOnline:
      Serial.println(F("Card Online!"));
      break;
    case DFPlayerUSBInserted:
      Serial.println("USB Inserted!");
      break;
    case DFPlayerUSBRemoved:
      Serial.println("USB Removed!");
      break;
    case DFPlayerPlayFinished:
      Serial.print(F("Number:"));
      Serial.print(value);
      Serial.println(F(" Play Finished!"));
      break;
    case DFPlayerError:
      Serial.print(F("DFPlayerError:"));
      switch (value) {
        case Busy:
          Serial.println(F("Card not found"));
          break;
        case Sleeping:
          Serial.println(F("Sleeping"));
          break;
        case SerialWrongStack:
          Serial.println(F("Get Wrong Stack"));
          break;
        case CheckSumNotMatch:
          Serial.println(F("Check Sum Not Match"));
          break;
        case FileIndexOut:
          Serial.println(F("File Index Out of Bound"));
          break;
        case FileMismatch:
          Serial.println(F("Cannot Find File"));
          break;
        case Advertise:
          Serial.println(F("In Advertise"));
          break;
        default:
          break;
      }
      break;
    default:
      break;
  }
}
2

image
image380×328 38.9 KB

SoftwareSerial softSerial(/*rx =*/8, /*tx =*/9);

Your code uses 8 and 9.

Your wiring uses 10 and 11 (or possibly 11 and 10; I couldn't work up the ambition to trace your wiring).

You say you're using 8 and 9. Then you turn around and say you're using 10 and 11.

Nothing is going to work until your code matches your wiring.

1 Like
3

Photos are almost useless, even if of a higher resolution than yours. We need a carefully drawn schematic (that matches the sketch as @van_der_decken said). Or a simple listing of all connections.

4

But in code

It seems that you need to swap TX and RX wires..

5

First, thanks for looking in such detail.

I’ve been going back and forth between 10/11 and 8/9 trying to diagnose the problem (basically out of frustration that nothing rational seemed to be working…) and posted a code snapshot and h/w picture that were out of sync.

I’ll update later (it’s currently 4am in my time zone and nothing I do at this hour is likely to be right.

6

Thank you to those who responded and I apologize and I apologize for wasting your time. It was option 2, “I did something stupid with my code”

This line


  Serial.begin(19200);

I somehow edited to


  FPSerial.begin(19200);

So I was (a) setting the player serial port to the wrong baud, and (b) not initializing the serial monitor at all. D’Oh.

I am now back to where I was 24 hours ago, able to play all of the sounds on the card, and feeling like an idiot.

7

Congrats on getting there in the end. Yes, coding at 04:00 (in any time zone) is usually a bad idea!
:slightly_smiling_face: