Beta version of latest MP3 Trigger firmware

by robertsonics

As of today, SparkFun is shipping MP3 Triggers with version 2.10 firmware at 38.4k baud. There are a few reports of units having a problem with certain MP3 rates, wherin a long track will only play for some number of seconds and then restart. This is likely caused by a mechanism added to detect and fix an earlier issue that the VLSI MP3 decoder IC very occasionally does not power up correctly.

Version 2.22 should fix this restart issue. The new version also contains a new feature called Quiet Mode, which can be set using the serial control port. In Quiet Mode, the MP3 Trigger will send a serial message whenever one or more of the trigger inputs goes active, but will not start tracks. This effectively decouples the trigger inputs from the tracks, and allows an external computer or micro the ability to do whatever it wants with the triggers. Think of it as a digital input expander that can also play MP3 audio.

Version 2.22  is available below. If you are experiencing an issue with tracks restarting prematurely, or if you want to experiment with Quiet Mode, then help yourself to the download below. Please let me know through the forum if this a) solves a problem you were having before, or b) you find any anomalies with this release.

Update: Found and fixed a problem that explains rare occurences of certain MP3 files hanging up at the end. Also should shorten the gap when looping files.

MP3 Trigger V2 Firmware v2.22 38.4k baud

Information on how to use the bootloader to update your V2 firmware, as well as the details of how to use the new Quiet Mode, can be found in this preliminary update of the MP3 Trigger User’s Manual.

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Short film “Steeples” now up on vimeo

by robertsonics

Here’s the short film by Bryan Papciak of Handcranked Films, for which I supplied the music.

Steeples from Bryan Papciak on Vimeo.

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Firmware Updates for the MP3 Trigger V2

by robertsonics

If you purchased an MP3 Trigger V2 before May 1, 2010, please update your firmware to version 2.10 below. This update addresses an issue with the serial control port baud rate. Please note that I’ve provided three different downloads: One for the standard serial baud rate of 38.4 kbaud, as well as one each for 9600 baud and 2400 baud.

NOTE: These files are only for MP3 Trigger V2, not for the older original model, which does not require an update.

MP3 Trigger V2 Firmware v2.10 38.4k baud
MP3 Trigger V2 Firmware v2.10 9600 baud
MP3 Trigger V2 Firmware v2.10 2400 baud

Instructions on how to update your V2 firmware are in the datasheet, but here’s a quick review:

1) Download and unzip one of the files above.

2) Copy the resulting hex file to a microSD card and rename it to: “MP3TRIGR.HEX”. It does not need to be the only file on the card – it just needs to have that precise filename.

3) Insert the microSD card into your MP3 Trigger V2 and turn the power on while holding down the center navigation switch.

4) Wait for the Status LED to go solid, then cycle the power. You’re now running the new firmware.

Please refer to the datasheet for a more detailed description of the Status LED indications when running the bootloader.

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Motion Feedback Music Player

by robertsonics

I’m a little late on this one, but thought it certainly deserved mention here at MakerJam. Polymythic is one of the first hackers I know of to make use of the real-time volume control capability of the MP3 Trigger. This capability was the primary reason I developed the MP3 Trigger so it’s nice to see someone making good use of it.

Polymythic created a music player that detects motion and dynamically controls the volume  – you have to keep moving to hear the music. He posted step-by-step set of instructions over at Instructables.

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MP3 Trigger on the Late Late Show

by robertsonics

Mythbuster’s Grant Imahara accepted a challenge to build a robot sidekick for Craig Ferguson, and used the MP3 Trigger in combination with a Parallax Basic Stamp and a servo controller to create a rather simple robot – I assume he was working on a limited budget.

The picture below shows the simple control elements. The FAT16 microSD card in the MP3 Trigger allows Craig to easily replace the phrases each night. Gotta love those blue LED eyes…

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Music for Animated Short Film: Steeples

by robertsonics

Bryan Papciak of Handcranked Film Productions asked me to compose the music for his latest short film. After a preliminary showing at the 2010 Boston Underground Film Festival, “Steeples” will officially premiere as part of the New England Animator’s Showcase at the ICA Boston on May 3rd and 7th, 2010.

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Version 2 of the MP3 Trigger Released

by robertsonics

The MP3 Trigger at SparkFun just got better. The new version now has 18 trigger inputs (the original had 7) and sports a resident bootloader that allows firmware to be updated directly from the microSD card without the need for a hardware programmer. Same size (slightly different footprint), same price.

With the introduction of the bootloader, it’s now possible to get firmware updates and custom version over the web without you needing to purchase a hardware programmer. Even more interesting is the possibility of using the MP3 Trigger as a development board and writing your own code for it. The board schematics are available at SparkFun and the PSoC Designer IDE is a free download from Cypress. I’ll be posting some instructions shortly on how to set up the development environment so you can write firmware compatible with the bootloader. How cool is that?

Buy it now here.

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Featured in a SparkFun print ad

by robertsonics

I am honored to be featured in a SparkFun print ad, running full page in the current issues of Make Magazine, Circuit Cellar, Nuts & Volts and Servo magazines – truly a collection of geek journals. The media gang from Boulder, Colorado came to Boston during the installation of Another Side of In at Boston Children’s Museum, and shot the photo in my Waltham Mills studio.

The associated page on the SparkFun website also has a video shot and edited by Chris Rojas of SparkFun, with me discussing the development of the MP3 Trigger product and intercut with behind-thescenes footage from the Children’s Museum install.

They were a pleasure to meet and work with, and I look forward to seeing some of them at Maker Faire next month.

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