The key component for the Arduino projects I’m making or planning use the DFR Mini MP3 Player. These appear to be available at prices over an astonishingly wide range. Some clones are available for around one or two UK pounds or US dollars. Ali-Express even much lower. But even on eBay the ‘official’ DFRobot DFR0299 DFPlayer is advertised at prices like £8 or £14. I’ve seen as much as £28 for a single module!
Has anyone made or know of any thorough analysis of their respective performance? My results with various clones has been frustratingly patchy, so I’m hoping to identify a specific source that reliably implements all commands.
I’ve had some helpful contributions from you in the past, but that’s not one of them!
Anyone with substantial experience of these clones who has settled on a ‘best of bunch’ source please?
Of my dozen, bought over a year or so, only one consistently implements all the commands in the DFR library and several other alternatives. I re-bought what I think was an identical brand, but that fell short too.
The others fail mainly because they apparently don’t recognise folder-based file structures.
Hello.
I have only used 3 clones and the cheapest ones bought through aliexpress, and they have not caused me any kind of problems, but...
What voltage do you feed them with? surely at 5V as all vendors indicate, but if you look more closely at any data sheet, it indicates a typical supply of 4.2V. I put a simple 1n4007 diode in series to lower the supply to 4.4V closer to its actual supply.
More difficult to find, (I already lost the link and I have not found it again), it was indicated that the TX-RX communication is done at 3.3V, that is why in almost all the examples that circulate on the network they place one or two resistors on those lines indicating that it is only to avoid noise. Use a logic level adapter instead of those resistors.
Using these two measures will undoubtedly greatly improve the operation and performance of your clones.
Thanks. Can you confirm that your modules worked with folders?
I’ve recently gone one step further than the 1k on Tx, using instead a 2k2/3k3 voltage divider which I understand gives even better stability. A resistor or divider on Rx seems unnecessary from all I’ve read, but I will try it.
I’ve tested with a bench supply to the DFR module at 4.0 to 4.8V, but still no success with folders.
Yes, it works fine with folders. It's more I only work with folders I don't have anything in the root directory
Have you numbered the folders correctly? They must start with two digits from 00 to 99 and files with four digits from 0000 to 0254, followed in both cases by a space if we add a descriptive name.
What library do you use? Once the aforementioned hardware corrections have been made, I follow what is indicated in this TUTORIAL.
You have my full attention!
Can you tell me the details of the module(s), including name, and chip code please. Also the source(s) if you know them. Here are details of some of mine that fail in the way I've described:
Name, Main chip
DF Player Mini, GD3200B
DF Player Mini (HW-27A), GD3200B
MP3-TF-16P, MH2024K-16SS
MP3-TF-16P V3.0, MH2024K-16SS
MP3-TF-16P V3.0, MH2024K-24SS
Files are correctly organised. And over the months I must have tried all possible combinations!
As I described, just one module works OK, all others fail to support folder structure. For example, with 26 folders containing a total of 3,000 files, this key command fails to work
I bought 3 units from this LINK seller, these are no longer in my possession for testing. I bought the one I currently have HERE, a little more expensive but I opted for it because of the two small speakers. As you can see all of them carry the MH2024K-24SS chip. In which I currently have the command:
myDFPlayer.loopFolder(3) ;// I only have 4 folders
It works correctly, in the others I think I remember that it worked since I also had everything organized in folders and I didn't have any problem.
Are you using the dfplayer bussy pin for something?
This morning methodically retesting all modules (I now have 15!) with bench supply. Supply to 328 ranging from 4.40 to 5.20, with diode dropping module voltage to 3.70 to 4.43. FWIW also have 220uf and 100nF caps in place on breadboard.
The modules with chip MP3-TF-16P (or MP3-TF-16P V3.0) are giving best results, and most seem to respond to folder commands.
But there are additional flaws. Several modules do not auto-start when external power supplied. And when they are started (using Pause/Play or Next button) they play max volume (30), not the value in setup(). Oddly, the Vol Down (& Up) button commands in my loop() do not then get applied at once; takes half a dozen presses before they do. Yet the identical sketch works fine with those minority of modules that do auto-start.
If it is a quite eccentric module in its operation, especially if you use the busy pin and even if you do not use it, after giving it any order, it executes a delay (500); , seems to have a hard time stabilizing after an order.
And in the setup:
myDFPlayer.begin(mySoftwareSerial);
delay (500);
myDFPlayer.reset();
delay (1000);//Value obtained by testing
Before giving any orders.
As for the volume, I have no idea, I have always used an amplifier connected to the R and L outputs using the volume of the amplifier. I hope that a reset in the setup will correct it.