[Captain_hook]

G'Day there from Australia.
I have recently started playing with the Arduino microcontroller., what a fun piece of kit that is.
I am wondering if anyone has tried one of these mp3 players. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USB-SD-MP3-Shield-Arduino-Compatible-/261303909668?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item3cd6ed3d24
I have looked at the unit from Sparkfun but I think they are a bit expensive. And I have heard some bum reports about them.
What do other people use to play sounds for there props.

I made a sit up coffin last year and the only way I could get sound was to record a heap of screaming onto a cassette and just turn the power on and of on the cassette player. It worked but it was cumbersome.

Cheers, Adam

 

[Gym Whourlfeld]

Radio Shack used to make a "Talking chip" for $15.00 that could be field-stripped and soldered wire ends reassigned to make it have control and added volume.. but they quit making it.
I had powered speakers, a motion switch and a transformer power supply hooked up and they worked very well for many years and my haunted house has been open almost every night for 27 years now! (Quite a "Testing Ground", we experience all four seasons here too! )

 

[Abunai]

Up until last year, I've used a pieced together hack of a motion sensor, a timer relay, and an MP3 player to activate my props.

This year, I'm biting the bullet and buying a bunch of 2 and 4 button, key-banger prop controllers like the Fright Ideas PicoBoo and TStraub's 4 button prop controller. Both controllers have line-out sound, both ambient and during the prop activation that can be amplified and played over computer speakers.

 

[JasonB5449]

Hey Captain,

This is a setup I used for ground breaker prop last year and it worked AWESOME! First I used this marine amplifier. It has a built in MP3 input, volumn control and 400 watt output (supposedly)

http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PLMRMP3A-4-Channel-Waterproof-Amplifier/dp/B003K154IE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1397051753&sr=8-5&keywords=marine+amplifier

Then I used these cheap outdoor speakers

http://www.amazon.com/Dual-LU43PB-Indoor-Outdoor-Speakers/dp/B00081NX5U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1397051972&sr=8-3&keywords=exterior+speakers

I had the MP3 player (ipod) playing my zombie track on a loop so it was always playing then I hooked the ignition wire to a 12v relay which was tripped by a motion sensor so the sound effects and animation started all at the same time.

This set up was LOUD! No joke, when I first tested outside my neighbor came out because she thought there were dogs fighting outside LOL

Here it is in action. I had the volumn turned town because it was probably 11:30pm and I didnt want to wake up everyone in the house.

 

[craigsrobotics]

This used with amplified speakers...easy... http://www.electronics123.com/kits-and-modules/Audio-Effects-and-Sound-Modules/300-second-USB-recording-module-WITH-LIGHT-SENSOR-PIR-FOR-MOTION-ACTIVATION.html

 

[JeffHaas]

Hi Adam,

I think I figured out the "background" of this MP3 shield. The original is from this company:
www.elechouse.com/elechouse/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=168_170&products_id=2193

What's on ebay seems to be a knockoff. Although in this case it's one Chinese company knocking off another...

Anyway, there's an Instructable about the board here, this guy seems to know what he's doing:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-MP3-Shield/

However, I use a different module with my Arduinos, by Tenda. Here's an Instructable on it:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Interfacing-TDB380-Mp3-Module-With-Arduino/