SD player UI development

[jkeny]

As it appears that fewer phones now have IR transmission capabilities, here's an ESP8266 + IR blaster project which could do what we want - communicate between PC/phone/tablet & IR receiver on the SD card player using WiFi ESP8266
https://www.hackster.io/BuddyC/wifi-ir-blaster-af6bca

Another one https://youtu.be/iysmCIpJ01g

Lots of these projects on-line

[Fran]

I think you could connect to just the wifi card, using their lua/development SW, and patch from within that out to the arduino to control the hi/lo signal simulating the switch signal to the controller chip. You'd just have to trace the lines from the switches to the controller chip and put a meter on to find signal level. So within the lua when you'd press play, it would send an i2c command out to the arduino, which would set set eg digital pin 5 high for 0.5s which would replicate the button press. Once the arduino was programmed you wouldn't need to communicate with it at all.
If this could be done in a browser window, and have both the wifi card and controlling PC or phone connected to a router then that would be very useful.

This would not give you playback feedback though - how far you are through a track for example.

[nige2000]

i know almost nothing about such things..................
but is it possible to control everything via wi-fi (play/pause, skip, add to playlist, repeat, etc etc)
intercept the ir signaling somewhere?

[jkeny]

I think you could connect to just the wifi card, using their lua/development SW, and patch from within that out to the arduino to control the hi/lo signal simulating the switch signal to the controller chip. You'd just have to trace the lines from the switches to the controller chip and put a meter on to find signal level. So within the lua when you'd press play, it would send an i2c command out to the arduino, which would set set eg digital pin 5 high for 0.5s which would replicate the button press. Once the arduino was programmed you wouldn't need to communicate with it at all.
If this could be done in a browser window, and have both the wifi card and controlling PC or phone connected to a router then that would be very useful.

This would not give you playback feedback though - how far you are through a track for example.

I'm not sure how you would bridge electrical signals between the SD card & Arduino? Even if we could I don't know if it would be wise to have electrical connection sinto the SD card other than the SD card reader slot it currently plugs into - reckon the reason for the excellent sound from this SD card player is it's simplicity - don't want to upset this, if possible.

One way that track feedback could work would be by simulating it - i.e when play is pressed on the control device, it could send the IR code for play & also start playing the track on the control device PC/phone whatever (maybe some delay needed before start?) - that way we have an approx synch of play progress between the two devices

[nige2000]

I think you could connect to just the wifi card, using their lua/development SW, and patch from within that out to the arduino to control the hi/lo signal simulating the switch signal to the controller chip. You'd just have to trace the lines from the switches to the controller chip and put a meter on to find signal level. So within the lua when you'd press play, it would send an i2c command out to the arduino, which would set set eg digital pin 5 high for 0.5s which would replicate the button press. Once the arduino was programmed you wouldn't need to communicate with it at all.
If this could be done in a browser window, and have both the wifi card and controlling PC or phone connected to a router then that would be very useful.

This would not give you playback feedback though - how far you are through a track for example.

I'm not sure how you would bridge electrical signals between the SD card & Arduino? Even if we could I don't know if it would be wise to have electrical connection sinto the SD card other than the SD card reader slot it currently plugs into - reckon the reason for the excellent sound from this SD card player is it's simplicity - don't want to upset this, if possible.

think its worth a shot, if the wifi card didnt do any harm maybe theres hope

[jkeny]

I think you could connect to just the wifi card, using their lua/development SW, and patch from within that out to the arduino to control the hi/lo signal simulating the switch signal to the controller chip. You'd just have to trace the lines from the switches to the controller chip and put a meter on to find signal level. So within the lua when you'd press play, it would send an i2c command out to the arduino, which would set set eg digital pin 5 high for 0.5s which would replicate the button press. Once the arduino was programmed you wouldn't need to communicate with it at all.
If this could be done in a browser window, and have both the wifi card and controlling PC or phone connected to a router then that would be very useful.

This would not give you playback feedback though - how far you are through a track for example.

I'm not sure how you would bridge electrical signals between the SD card & Arduino? Even if we could I don't know if it would be wise to have electrical connection sinto the SD card other than the SD card reader slot it currently plugs into - reckon the reason for the excellent sound from this SD card player is it's simplicity - don't want to upset this, if possible.

think its worth a shot, if the wifi card didnt do any harm maybe theres hope

But how would we connect electrically between SD card & Arduino? Break open the SD card to get access? Access to what/where?
I can't see this being a runner

[nige2000]

I'm not sure how you would bridge electrical signals between the SD card & Arduino? Even if we could I don't know if it would be wise to have electrical connection sinto the SD card other than the SD card reader slot it currently plugs into - reckon the reason for the excellent sound from this SD card player is it's simplicity - don't want to upset this, if possible.

think its worth a shot, if the wifi card didnt do any harm maybe theres hope

But how would we connect electrically between SD card & Arduino? Break open the SD card to get access? Access to what/where?
I can't see this being a runner

i think what fran is suggesting you link the arduino into the push switches in the front panel to simulate the relative buttons been pressed

[jkeny]

think its worth a shot, if the wifi card didnt do any harm maybe theres hope

But how would we connect electrically between SD card & Arduino? Break open the SD card to get access? Access to what/where?
I can't see this being a runner

i think what fran is suggesting you link the arduino into the push switches in the front panel to simulate the relative buttons been pressed

Yea, the last bits Ok but what I think the suggestion is that WiFi signals for play/stop etc key presses were communicated ONLY via the SD card WiFi & that this could somehow be bridged to the Arduino to implement the action - not practical, I feel

If we wanted to go this route, I think the only way is to do this is would be to use the WiFi connection on the Arduino card for communicating key presses & to use the WiFi connection on the SD card for sending/deleting audio files from the card's playlist folder?

But I'm not sure if the benefits that I can see for introducing the Arduino is worth the extra complexity?

We already have a communication method on the SD card player to receive & action key presses - the IR receiver so unless the IR receiver is particularly bad/weak or unusable in some way, I don't see why we shouldn;t try this first - just need an IR blaster simple unit to send out IR codes.

KISS

[nige2000]

can u get an remote with the next batch of stuff?
when theres a few sd card players on the ground things will start to move im sure
well figure it out

[jkeny]

can u get an remote with the next batch of stuff?
when theres a few sd card players on the ground things will start to move im sure
well figure it out

Yea, I'm sure Wendy will be able to find a seller that includes the remote