Gateway 2022, St Louis Convention RrrDuino Hands-on Clinic
Let's make a sound or play a song with an Arduino using a mp3 file and a DFPlayer when someone or something walks by as we detect it with an ultrasonic sensor! This clinic might use some advanced concepts like OOP, Time of Flight sensing and mp3 decoding, but since you won't need to know how any of that works, any beginner should be able to follow along!
The first 15 people to register for the clinic (please use the Eventsquid site to register) and pay $22.00 (don't pay Eventsquid), will receive:
1 x Breadboard: Prototype Board - 400 Pin
60 x Breadboard Jumper Wires 20 cm, Dupont Cable Assorted Kit: Male to Female, Male to Male, Female to Female, Multicolored Ribbon Cables
1 x Mini MP3 Player Audio Module MP3 Voice Decode Board DFPlayer with TF Card Slot (Make sure the module show DFPlayer Mini else send it back!)
1 x Ultrasonic Distance Measuring Sensor Module
1 x Arduino Nano V3.0 ATmega328P 5V 16M Micro Controller Board Module
1 x USB A to mini-B 5 pin cable, and
1 x 8 Ohm speaker
You do need to bring:
1) a laptop computer with the latest 1.8.x Arduino IDE installed (don't bring 2.0),
2) your computer's power supply, and
3) a micro SD Card with your mp3 sounds or music on (a <= 32 GB uSD Card is needed, formatted as FAT32 or FAT16. MacOS must also set the partition to "Master Boot Record").
Don't use spaces or special characters in the file names, AND start each file name with a unique 3 or 4 digit number like 001_Horn.mp3, 002_Whistle.mp3, etc.
Others recommend that you format the micro SD card and then drag the files across in the same numerical order. 001 first and so forth.
You also have to contact me at RrrDuinoStL2022 (at) huntatrophy.com before you show up, so we can make sure the software (and DFPlayerMini library) is installed and running on your computer. There won't be time in the clinic to get your Mac up and running, and it is not fair to those who came prepared for you to take their precious time for the prep-work we can do prior.
If you already have all the parts and are on a small budget, you are welcome to bring them with your computer, but please let me know, we might have a limited number of seats in the room.
You can NOT audit the class without a computer running the Arduino IDE, sorry.
Remember, you need to contact me first! (RrrDuinoStL2022 (at) huntatrophy.com)
As time goes on, this page will provide more information about the clinic, and when it is all done, the clinic's pdf and the code will be hosted on github with a link to it from here:
Step 1: Get the Arduino IDE running on the computer you are bringing to the clinic:
Windows instructions: docs.arduino.cc/software/ide-v1/tutorials/Windows
macOS instructions: docs.arduino.cc/software/ide-v1/tutorials/macOS
Linux instructions: docs.arduino.cc/software/ide-v1/tutorials/Linux
Step 2: If you have any Arduino board handy, make sure you can upload code to it. Any new Arduino board (Uno, Nano, and others) have the "Blink" program already running on it. So by opening an empty Sketch and uploading it (Ctrl+u), the built-in LED on the board would stop blinking. And opening and uploading Blink from File->Examples->01.Basics->Blink, will make it flash again. If you do NOT have an Arduino handy, let me know, we will need to make sure that the device driver to either the FTDI or CHG340 device can be installed before the clinic starts.
Update 2022/06/11:
This is also a handy low cost "shield", with screw terminals, to plug your Nano into: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2251832726307244.html
(Not required, but life has ways to make life easier! Just remember to bring a small flat head screw driver too.)
Update 2022/07/25: Please install the DFRobotDFPlayerMini library
With an active internet connection,
Launch the Arduino IDE
In the menus: Go to Sketch → Include Library → Manage Libraries… (or press Ctrl+Shift+i)
Search for “DFRobotDFPlayerMini” in the top row (1)
Select Version 1.0.5 (2), (run newer versions with your own dev ops support system)
Click Install (3) and then Close (4) when done installing.
Update 2022/07/26: Bring your own sounds
3) a micro SD Card with your mp3 sounds or music on (a <= 32 GB uSD Card is needed, formatted as FAT32 or FAT16. MacOS must also set the partition to "Master Boot Record").
Don't use spaces or special characters in the file names, AND start each file name with a unique 3 digit number like 001_Horn.mp3, 002_Whistle.mp3, etc.
Others recommend that you format the micro SD card and then drag the files across in the same numerical order. 001 first and so forth.
The order of the files on the disk seems to be determined by their entry in the FAT table, so renaming files do not change the order. Format and drag them in again.
Update 2022/07/31: Set the Preferences so we can help you quicker
Please open the File -> Preferences (Ctrl+comma) and set and unset the following settings:
Check:
Show verbose output during: [x] compilation and [x] upload
[x] Display line numbers
Uncheck:
[ ] Check for updates on startup
After the clinic, you can check the last one again, but the lack of internet is going to slow us down in the clinic room!
Then click OK at the bottom to make it real.
Update 2022/08/17: Scratchy sounds?
If your mp3 file sounds a little like a scratchy record player, try adding a 1 kOhm resistor in the RX and TX lines between the DFPlayer and the Arduino Nano. So, move the yellow and orange wires at the DFPlayer to the right of the red power wire, and insert a resistor between where the yellow was and now is, same with the orange wire. Larry gave us this tip, thank you!