FX Soundboard - File not playing audio

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dilmah_ninja
 
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FX Soundboard - File not playing audio

Post by dilmah_ninja »

Hi All,
Newbie here. I'm attempting to build a custom car horn as shown here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smhMLsP5fsM
When i performed a test run with the sound board i get a a rapidly blinking red light when attempting to trigger T01, however instead of the file (RD2D sounds) i get a soft tapping sound.
Attached is a diagram of what i am trying to build. Apologies, i'm at work and don't have the kit with me.
Drawn diagram of custom car horn project
Drawn diagram of custom car horn project
rsz_carhorn_diagram.png (300.8 KiB) Viewed 324 times
Basically, the car is providing 12v power via USB plugged into cig. lighter. USB cable is split to supply power to amplifier and to 12v to 5v converter.
Converter has a USB output to micro USB input for FX soundboard.
3.5mm Headphone jack cable wired to Soundboard via L, R & Gnd. 3.55mm jack plugs into INPUT of amplifier.
AMP has a L R wires to speaker.
I have tested the kit in a dry run WITHOUT the soundboard and all components work fine. ( i tested with my phone playing music through the audio jack.
At the moment, when everything is connected the soundboard is lit green. As mentioned above, i used a wire to complete 1 to Gnd and i get a flickering red light with a soft tapping sound.
Any advice would be appreciated!
Cheers,

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: FX Soundboard - File not playing audio

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

That sounds like the FX Board might be in a reboot loop.

Post a photo showing your actual hardware when you get a chance. 800x600 images usually work best.

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dilmah_ninja
 
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Re: FX Soundboard - File not playing audio

Post by dilmah_ninja »

Sorry I’ve been preoccupied for the last 6 months but finally have time for this project. So I’ll try to get a pic ASAP.
In the meantime how does one stop the reboot loop? Is there some sort of reset?
Not sure if I mentioned it but the board I have i think is the adafruit sound fx 2341
Thanks!

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: FX Soundboard - File not playing audio

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

In general, it involves making sure the FX Board has a stable power supply.

The VS1000 will brown out and reboot if its supply voltage falls below about 3.4V, and even spikes that last a few milliseconds are enough to cause problems. Sometimes you can smooth out the supply rails by adding a large capacitor between Vin and GND.

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dilmah_ninja
 
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Re: FX Soundboard - File not playing audio

Post by dilmah_ninja »

Thank you for getting back to me adafruit_support_mike
As per your advice i changed the power supply however there was no change when hitting the trigger.
I went on to realize that stupidly, the .wav file was either corrupted OR was not the correct the correct frequency or bit format.
Not sure which as i both changed the file and converted it at the same time for retest.
Originally the file was 32bit and 44000hz. Changed it to 16bit and 24000hz
Performed the trigger test and appears to work fine now.

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: FX Soundboard - File not playing audio

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

The FX Board can have trouble with files that need to move a lot of data from the Flash chip quickly.. either high resolution (24-bit samples) or high sampling frequency will fail sometimes.

Glad to hear you got things working. Happy hacking!

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Avocado32
 
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Re: FX Soundboard - File not playing audio

Post by Avocado32 »

I am having similar problems - the board mostly does not work.

Voltages on the trigger pins are sometimes 0V and occasionally higher 1.0-1.6V measured. I have powered the board from the computer's USB connection and through a separate 5V power supply.

When connected to the computer via USB, if the computer recognizes the board at all it is usually discovered as a VS1000B. Only twice out of many attempts has the board appeared as an AdaFruit mass storage device. In one case I was successful in transferring files to the card and got random bits of audio spewing out with no triggers connected. After power cycling the audio stopped and did not resume.

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: FX Soundboard - File not playing audio

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

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

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Avocado32
 
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Re: FX Soundboard - File not playing audio

Post by Avocado32 »

Per your request, a picture.
Picture of wiring
Picture of wiring
SFX Connections.jpg (201.91 KiB) Viewed 161 times
Power wires lead to USB wall wart - measured and scoped at 5V +/- 0.1V clean.

For programming USB wall wart unplugged and USB cable to computer connected to supply power.

Wires to right lead to speakers.

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: FX Soundboard - File not playing audio

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

Thank you. I don't see anything out of place on the board and your soldering looks good.

To confirm, am I correct that you've measured the voltages on the trigger pins between 1V and 1.6V in the configuration shown above?

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Avocado32
 
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Re: FX Soundboard - File not playing audio

Post by Avocado32 »

I have measured various voltages at the trigger pins, all low. Zero when no sound comes from the board, in the 1.0-1.6 range on the couple of rare occasions the board made any sound at all.

It really seems like the board's internal power supply does not come up correctly if at all.

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: FX Soundboard - File not playing audio

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

Yep, that sounds like a failure inside the VS1000.

When did you get the FX Board?

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Avocado32
 
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Re: FX Soundboard - File not playing audio

Post by Avocado32 »

ORDER #1840175-7717597108, August 27th. The package was finally opened this week.

What do I need to do to get a replacement board?

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: FX Soundboard - File not playing audio

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

I'm afraid our return/replace period only runs 30 days. At this point the most I can authorize is a 10% discount on a replacement.

Send a note containing a link to this page and your order number to [email protected] and the folks there will help you.

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