Project - Audio Player

The JQ6500 Serial Audio Player module allows storing MP3 or WAV audio files in 16M Flash memory for selective playback controlled by the ESP.

The on-board audio amplifier can directly drive a small loudspeaker, which makes the module rather 'juicy', so I suggest powering via a USB charger.

The JQ6500-28p version (above) has on-board Micro-SD card reader offering up to 32Gb of additional storage.

The 28-pin version with on-board SD card reader costs about a fiver from ebay, and the 16-pin non-SD version is available for less than 2 quid.

USB can be used to copy files directly from computer to the modules on-board Flash memory, or to an inserted SD card on the 28-pin version.

This script sends control codes to select file and folder and change volume etc, but does not bother to read back any 'query' codes from the player.

Therefore only the 3 solid connections are required, the dotted pink connection is optional if you wish to experiment with receiving query codes.

Here is a good link for more information about how to use the JQ6500 family of audio modules: http://goo.gl/bJFCFU

The script has a 'stretchy' FIFO queue which expands to fill with sequences of audio file names, then uses the 'Busy' pin to control the FIFO output to create in effect a 'sentence' of chained 'words' which are announced one after the other, thus allowing sentences to be made up from individual words and numbers.

I've tried various other audio player modules, and although this is so far the best, they typically squeeze a cut-down version of Filing System into a limited space which is primarily aimed at selecting files by number (typically in the order the files were written to the FAT (file allocation table).

In fairness I suspect the JQ6500 players may actually select by the filename representation of number rather than by file copy order, but no matter if not, because there are free sort utilities available if needed that can physically re-order the file entries in the FAT.

The JQ6500 has various different control methods allowing for button and even IR operation, but we are interested in using Serial Control codes from Annex.

Serial mode uses 1 byte for sending folder information, but I think I've seen somewhere that the limit is 99 folders... which is ample.

It also uses 1 byte for sending the file number, therefore limiting to 255 files even though apparently able to store up to a thousand per folder.

In fairness, up to 99 folders each containing up to 255 files should suffice for any realistic applications requirements.

My choice is to adopt a file convention which uses 1 folder for all required files.

Therefore I reserve the first numbers 1 to 24 for the corresponding 'channel' number alert message, and the next 24 are reserved for a matching complimentary message, ie: x = ChannelxON, x+24=ChannelxOFF (even if not needed for momentary triggers). Numbers 50 to 99 are available for specific 'system' messages such as 75=MuteON, 81=Volume, 82=UP, 83=DOWN etc. Numbers above 100 are for a chained-word vocabulary.

Such a convention makes it fairly easy to use other folders to hold other 'sets' of alternative voice 'messages if wished, eg: in different languages.

Or, as in my case, to add 'custom' sets of messages tailored to location and requirements - so instead of announcing default "Channel 6 Alert" and "Channel 6 Clear" messages, my system announces "Shed Door Open" and "Shed Door Closed" for the appropriate channel 6 sensor.

Changing between English Defaults, English Custom, French Defaults, French Custom etc etc is just a simple matter of changing folders.

It is easy to create your own voice announcement recordings (in different languages and various TTS voices) using a variety of free online 'Text to Speech' services, or by recording 'speaking' google translate, or by using a free Text2Speech utility on computer, or by simply recording your voice.

If you wish to 'chain' together individual recorded words and numbers into spoken sentences you will need to trim off any intro and exit silences.

I used the free Audacity Portable to record and edit audio files: https://portableapps.com/apps/music_video/audacity_portable

The script below is just the stripped out audio part of a sensor monitoring system I am doing, so the audio examples I have included below are some of my systems recordings.

The numbered file names need to be in a folder called "01" on the SD card, so unzip the supplied audio files from the zip into a folder called "01" where the script can find them.

File 10.wav is an intro message, followed by the first 5 files in the folder, which will be played via the voice queue at startup.

Then pressing the gpio0 button simply speaks the message number "001.wav"... other event triggers (eg: from a port expander) could of course speak other messages.

It is just intended as an example to 'open the door' and help you give voice to your own systems..

My system is using a pcf8574 port expander to read various sensors and speak the appropriate messages when triggered - I expect I will eventually publish the system when it is perfect, but not till then, because I don't want to be spending much of my time ironing out any wrinkles that people would find..

So this script is merely to demonstrate how to use Annex to play selected audio files in response to events.

If you want to try out your own audio recordings you can copy them into a different folder eg: "02" and select the appropriate folder and file from the Output page.

Note that if you change either the folder or file in the textbox windows you need to PRESS ENTER to register the changed contents back to the variable.and then click the "Play Selected File" button. else it will ignore your typed in changes.

Basic: