dirt : a juke32 mp3 player
The first model given a name for being marketable.
features
- Simple control disc for power, volume, and track selection
- USB-c power input
- 3.5mm headphone output
- FAT32 micro sdcard slot
why not dirt?
- SD cards are too expensive to buy in bulk (do not buy cheap micro sd cards, they die very quickly)
- Too many wires to strip and solder
- No mechanical design could reliably control power, volume, and track selection
- No indicator to differentiate between the box being off vs. idle
- Uses too much power on idle
- No room for battery / unsafe where I could put it (unless I change dimensions)
- Natural differences in wood and switch thickness
notes
The control disc was a great concept but proved difficult to implement due to not finding low-travel small latching switches. The varying dimensions of stuff I did buy also made designing challenging.
The project devolved into rapid iteration (guessing and checking). Having to engrave/cut 3 different thicknesses of wood just to make my design work. (no 3d printer to make this easier) The process was tedious and there were too many unknowns to account for.
Why couldn't I just buy some board that already has a switch and battery management circuit? I did just that with Lapis