Custom Sound Birthday Card FX sound board (mini)

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asbasso
 
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Custom Sound Birthday Card FX sound board (mini)

Post by asbasso »

Hi,

I have tried to find info on this, but havent had any luck so far.

I am trying to make a custom birthday sound card using the Audio FX sound board (the version with no headphone jack or amp).

I was wondering what exactly I need, I have the sound board, wires, buttons etc. and have tried doing a very quick wiring job, but it doesnt seem to play any sound.

Do I need an amp board as well, or should I just be able to use a small speaker by attaching the - to gnd and + to L or R and using a button to trigger it?

Thanks, and please let me know if you need anymore information.

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: Custom Sound Birthday Card FX sound board (mini)

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

The FX Board should be able to drive a small speaker directly.

Post a photo showing your hardware and connections and we'll take a look. 800x600 images usually work best.

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asbasso
 
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Re: Custom Sound Birthday Card FX sound board (mini)

Post by asbasso »

Thanks for the response. I have attached two set ups I have tried below.

I have also tested two different power sources, one is the 3v battery shown, and the other is a 5v phone battery charger.

With the setup without the breadboard, I was following a guide online and they said that by connecting the second jumper connected to gnd with a trigger it would activate the sound.

Thanks again.
Attachments
bdaycardsetup2.jpg
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bdaycardsetup.jpg
bdaycardsetup.jpg (98.4 KiB) Viewed 464 times

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: Custom Sound Birthday Card FX sound board (mini)

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

It looks like you haven't soldered the pin header into the holes in the PCB.

You have to do that. Pin header doesn't make reliable electrical contact without solder.

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asbasso
 
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Re: Custom Sound Birthday Card FX sound board (mini)

Post by asbasso »

Ah, ok, I was hoping to be able to test it without doing that so I didn't have a bunch of pins sticking out the back of the card.

Aside from that, does my wiring look correct?

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asbasso
 
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Re: Custom Sound Birthday Card FX sound board (mini)

Post by asbasso »

OK, I soldered the board, and now when I press the button a red light flashes on the board, in the diagonal end of the green power light. This only works if it is connected to 0, any other number and it will not work. It also does not work if the board is placed the other way on the bread board.

Still though I am getting no audio, and I have tried multiple speakers.

The power supply I am using is 5v andcan pump enough amps to charge a cellphone with fast charging.

Any Ideas on what ive done wrong?
Attachments
bdaycardsetup3.jpg
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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: Custom Sound Birthday Card FX sound board (mini)

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

The red LED is the 'Activity' indicator, and means a sound is playing.

Your connections look good, and the power supply you mentioned should be strong enough to handle the load.

Have you tried the R audio output instead of L?

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asbasso
 
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Re: Custom Sound Birthday Card FX sound board (mini)

Post by asbasso »

Yes I have, I've also tried swapping GNDs

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asbasso
 
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Re: Custom Sound Birthday Card FX sound board (mini)

Post by asbasso »

I got audio coming out of the speaker, but its VERY quiet.

Ive even tried boosting the audio of the file before putting it on the board.

Ive tried a 3xAAA battery pack and a phone charger that outputs 5v.

Ive tried 3 different speakers as well.

Any Ideas?

My only other thought is that I need an amplifier, but I thought one of the benefits of this board was that it didn't need an amplifier unless you wanted extremely loud sounds, but like I said, the sounds coming out of the speaker right now are only audible if you put your ear right up to the speaker.

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Re: Custom Sound Birthday Card FX sound board (mini)

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

You might need a speaker with higher impedance.

The VS1000 (the core of the FX Board) can run headphones on its own, but those are usually up in the 16 ohm to 32 ohm range. 6 ohms is a bit low for it.

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