Here are the parts you’ll need to complete this project:
- Pi Pico board with USB-C port & pre-soldered header pins
- DFplayer MP3 Player module
- 3W speaker
- 830 tie point breadboard
- 2-prong screw terminal
- 4 push buttons
- single-core wire (16″)
- mini wire cutter/stripper tool
- M2 screw
Here’s what else you’ll need:
- microSD card
- USB-C cable w/data
- small Phillips screwdriver
- wire cutters/scissors (optional)
Assemble your kit
❏ To make a jumper wire with stripped ends, cut a length of single-core wire with wire cutters (or scissors, or the wire stripper/cutter tool included in your kit). Use the blade on your wire stripper/cutter tool to perforate the insulation about 1/3″ from the end of the wire. Then line up the pronged end of the tool with the perforation and slide the insulation off.
❏ Cut the rectangular plastic port off the wires connected to your speaker, then strip about 1/3″ insulation from the end of each wire.
❏ Assemble the parts on your breadboard, using the circuit diagram above and the photo below as guides.
Install Thonny IDE
❏ Visit Thonny.org and download the Thonny IDE for your operating system (macOS, Windows, or Linux).
Install MicroPython firmware
❏ Download the MicroPython firmware file from the following page:
https://micropython.org/download/RPI_PICO/
❏ Connect a USB-C cable (with data) to your Pi Pico board.
❏ Press the white BOOTSEL button on your Pi Pico while plugging the other end of the USB-C cable into your computer. Once it’s plugged in you can release the button.
❏ You’ll see a USB drive called RPI-RP2 appear on your computer. Drag the MicroPython firmware file (ending with .uf2) to the RPI-RP2 drive.
That’s it! The RPI-RP2 drive will disappear.
Save MicroPython code to your Pi Pico
❏ Open Thonny. Click on the text at the far bottom right corner of the window, then select your Pi Pico device from the dropdown menu.
❏ In the menu bar, go to View > Files to see the files on your Pi Pico.
❏ Visit the project page on GitHub and download the files main.py and picodfplayer.py:
https://github.com/iffybooks/breadboard-mp3-player
❏ In Thonny’s file viewer (left column), navigate to the files you just downloaded. Right-click each of them and select Upload to / from the dropdown menu.
❏ Double click main.py on your Pi Pico device to open it. Click the green Run button to run your code.
❏ Every time you update your code, you’ll save it and then click Run. If you get an error when you try to save your code, click the Stop button and try again.
Play some MP3s
❏ Load MP3 files onto a microSD card.
❏ Disconnect the Pi Pico from power. Insert the microSD card into the DFPlayer MP3 module.
❏ Connect power to the Pi Pico. Press button 1 (far left, closest to the USB-C port) to start playing the first file.
- Button 1: Play from beginning
- Button 2: Volume down
- Button 3: Volume up
- Button 4: Skip forward