phoniesp32 🎶🔋

A kid-friendly jukebox powered by the ESP32, inspired by Phoniebox. Unlike the original Raspberry Pi–based version, phoniesp32 is designed to be battery-operated, low-power, and ultra-portable.

⚠️ Work in Progress — Contributions, ideas, and wiring tips are very welcome!

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📥 Download Latest Firmware

Download Firmware (download the firmware artifact from the latest run on main)

✨ Features

• ESP32-based jukebox: replaces the Raspberry Pi with an ESP32-C6.
• Low-power & battery-ready: runs on a Li-ion cell with TP4056 charging and MT3608 boost converter.
• Bare-metal Rust firmware: built on the embassy async embedded framework.
• Rust-powered Web UI: implemented with Dioxus and served directly from the ESP32.
• Audio transcoding & upload: convert music files via the web frontend to IMA ADPCM, upload to device, and play back instantly.
• RFID support: scan S50 fobs with a MFRC522 module to trigger playlists.
• Affordable: target build cost under 50 CHF.

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🛠 Components

• MCU: ESP32-C6
• Charging/Power: BQ24073 (Li-ion charger), TSP631000 (buck-boost converter)
• Battery: Li-ion cell (e.g. 18650)
• Audio: MAX98357 (I2S DAC + amplifier)
• Storage: SD card adapter
• RFID: MFRC522 module + S50 RFID fobs

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🏗 Build Options

1. DIY Breakout Board Build - Build using off-the-shelf breakout boards on a breadboard or prototype board (~25 CHF)

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🚧 Project Status

• [ ] Hardware
  • [x] Prototype on breadboard
  • [x] Soldered Prototype
  • [x] Battery charger
  • [x] Schematics
  • [x] Custom PCB
  • [ ] Design and 3D print case
• [x] UI (Dioxus)
  • [x] File transcoding
  • [x] Served from device
  • [x] Show last scanned RFID tag ID
  • [x] Switch to Bluma CSS
  • [x] Playback control
  • [x] Store RIFF INFO chunk for artist/title
  • [x] Associate file with RFID tag
  • [x] Configure Wi-Fi settings
  • [x] Playlists
  • [x] List known tags
  • [x] List uploaded files
  • [x] Continue file upload
  • [x] Styling
  • [x] Do not use CDN
  • [x] Update to stable Dioxus 0.7
• [ ] Firmware (Embassy)
  • [x] Fallback to Wi-Fi AP mode
  • [x] Audio pipeline (I2S → MAX98357)
  • [x] SD card access
  • [x] Playback control via buttons
  • [x] Playback control via RFID tags
  • [x] Pause playback
  • [x] Playlists
  • [x] Use RIFF INFO chunk for artist/title
  • [x] Fix concurrent access to file system
  • [x] mDNS responder
  • [x] Turn off Wi-Fi when on battery power
  • [x] Captive portal and DHCP server for WiFi access point
  • [x] Speed up SD access/upload (SD card was bad - turns out cheap SD cards are bad at SPI)
  • [ ] Playback control via BLE
  • [x] SD card partitioning support
  • [x] Update to stable esp-hal 1.0
• [x] Web API (picoserve)
  • [x] Associate file with RFID tag
  • [x] Playback control
  • [x] Playback status
  • [x] Last scanned RFID tag ID
  • [x] Configure Wi-Fi settings
  • [x] List known tags
  • [x] List uploaded files
  • [x] Playlists
• [ ] Command line utility
  • [x] Transcode
  • [ ] Upload
  • [ ] Playback control
  • [ ] Associate
• [x] Build system
  • [x] Build and bundle all components
  • [x] Build via GitHub actions
• [ ] Upstream fixes
  • [ ] dioxus: Support sass:color.channel()
  • [x] mfrc522: async / IRQ support implemented in mfrc522-async
• [ ] Documentation
  • [x] API Documentation
  • [x] DIY Build Instructions
  • [ ] Video tutorial

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🤝 Contributing

Want to help build the cheapest, most fun, and hackable jukebox for kids?

• Review my code! I bet there are many possibilities to optimize power/memory usage
• Create schematics & PCB in KiCad
• Implement any of the missing features
• Share your ideas

PRs, issues, and ideas are always welcome!

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📜 License

MIT License — free to use, hack, and share.