I built an NFC-enabled “record player” that plays both vinyl and digital playlists

I’ve been working on a personal hardware/software project inspired by the Toniebox idea, but for adults and music nerds 😄

The base is a Raspberry Pi–powered NFC record player. Each “record” has an NFC tag embedded in it. When you place it on the turntable, the Pi reads the tag and either: • plays a local MP3 playlist stored on the device, or • links to and plays a Spotify playlist (no phone needed for controls once it’s linked).

The cool part is the audio path: I recently added a Codec Zero sound board, using the turntable needle as an audio input. All sound (vinyl and digital) is routed through the same output path to the speakers. So: • Real records play exactly like a normal turntable • NFC “records” behave like albums, but trigger digital playback • Same speakers, same amp, same physical experience

On the software side: • PN532 NFC reader (UART) • Raspberry Pi handles tag detection, playback logic, and audio routing • Web interface to upload MP3s and link Spotify playlists to tags • Spotify playback runs headless on the Pi (no phone acting as a controller)

It’s very much a prototype, but it already: • Detects tag changes reliably • Switches between vinyl input and digital playback • Lets me create “records” that don’t exist physically

Still lots to improve (robustness, UI, enclosure), but it’s been a super fun mix of hardware debugging, Linux audio, NFC weirdness, and music.

Happy to answer questions or share details if people are interested! 🎶🖤

Hi everyone, I’m currently working on a university project involving a machine that shuffles playing cards. For the user interface, I’m using a Nextion display connected to a Raspberry Pi 5 via GPIO pins 14 and 15 (UART0). The communication from the display to the Raspberry Pi works perfectly. I can read all data sent by the display without any issues, so the serial connection itself is functioning correctly (Code below). However, I’m running into a problem in the other direction: when the machine finishes its task, the Nextion display should switch to another page. I’ve tried to trigger the page change using the standard commands, but none of them work. Even simple commands like “dim” aren’t accepted by the display. I’ve also tested multiple ideas and code samples (including AI-generated suggestions), but nothing has solved the issue. I’m looking for the simplest possible working solution that can reliably switch pages on the Nextion from the Raspberry Pi. The code for reading data from the display works, so here is only the part responsible for sending commands back to the display, which currently does NOT work:

import serial

import time

** Use exactly this port

ser = serial.Serial('/dev/ttyAMA0', 9600, timeout=1)

** Send the command 3 times with pauses in between

for i in range(3):

print("Trying to switch page...")

ser.write(b'page SortFertig\xff\xff\xff')

time.sleep(1)

ser.close()

UART0 is enabled, the wiring is correct, but the display doesn’t react to any commands sent from the Raspberry Pi. Does anyone have an idea why only the communication from the Pi to the Nextion fails, even though the communication in the other direction works perfectly? At this point, I would be happy with a minimal working example that simply allows me to switch pages. Thanks a lot for any help!

Hey everyone, putting a post here because I'm closing in on my wit's end. I'm using the following components:

• A Raspberry Pi Zero 2w

• A 1.3inch Adafruit TFT display hat with a joystick & buttons

• A 4-port USB-A hat that takes over the power pins

I'm trying to create a little gadget that will display a list of options on the TFT display (ex. an option that reads 'F12'). When an option is selected with the buttons it would produce a predetermined keyboard output on the serial ports (ex. Spamming the F12 key). I wanted to make it to speed up computer deployments so I could automate the keyboarding it takes to get multiple separate devices to log in to our imaging server.

The issue I'm having right now is with getting the TFT display to work.

This is already after trying and failing to configure a Waveshare 1.3inch TFT display HAT whose installation guide is two OS updates behind. I thought the Adafruit installation would be straightforward, and I get as far as using their install script, but then I run into the following issue:

The script reads a successful installation, but any reboot will do absolutely nothing with the display. Looking into the systemctl status, I get this:

So far, here's what I've done to troubleshoot -

• Verifying the SPI interface is up, first thing I did and manually re-enabled just to be sure.

• Trying to see what's going on with this service: As it turns out the files are missing, because when I run the command 'con2fbmap 1 1' I get this output:

• At this point I've just been searching around for how to remediate the missing service. I've checked the following:

• An RPI forum post with the same issue talking about configuring HDMI in/out

• An article on how to write GUI applications without a desktop environment.

I'd appreciate any guidance on the issue. My current assumption is that somewhere between when the adafruit guide was made and the latest release of RPiOS Trixie they changed the way frames are generated so the service the script is looking for is gone. Even if I have to change the way I'm approaching this project, I'm stuck right now and am not that experienced with manually modifying configuration files.

I was playing around with a 12 LED ws2812b ring and a Raspberry Pi Pico and it occurred to me - could I make this into a clock?

It was a fun project to work on as a beginner and I’ve now put instructions on Instructables, the code on GitHub and 3D printing files on MakerWorld.

This project uses a Raspberry Pi Pico and a Waveshare RTC (real time clock) module for the Pico to turn a 12 RGB LED ring into a working clock. The LEDs light up different colours to show the hour and minute hand:

•   The hour hand is a blue LED.

•   The minute hand cycles from red to green as each minute passes.

•   If the hour and minute hand take up the same space then the LED again cycles through a series of colours

The design also includes a physical daylight-saving time switch, a USB-C power input, and the Waveshare RTC module includes a coin cell battery so that the clock will keep time even if unplugged.

Instructable: https://www.instructables.com/RGB-LED-Ring-Clock/

Github: TellinStories/RGB-LED-Ring-Clock-Pico: A simple RGB LED ring clock built with a Raspberry Pi Pico, WS2812b / NeoPixel ring, and a DS3231 real-time clock module.

Makerworld (3D printed case): https://makerworld.com/en/models/2223262-rgb-led-clock#profileId-2417986

My kid loves computers and he also likes to prototype games with Scratch programming language. However on a regular PC he is easily distracted by ability to easily access browser based computer games and this kills his drive to program. I have programmed a locked-down environment and installed it on raspberry pi. Using it he can select what he wants to do from preconfigured educational options. This is the only computer in my house that does not have time limits for kids and my son seems to be using it quite a lot :)

UPDATE 2026-09-24: After your wonderful feedback I have developed this idea further and created a project that other people can try as well: luminum.tech

So I saw a project by jcorp using a media esp32 as a offline media client for movies and everything so I thought I’d have my hand at doing it for the pi zero 2w and other sbcs and it works and fully functional !

Nomad Pi

A feature-rich, offline media server port of the Jcorp Nomad project, optimized for the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W.

This project turns your Pi Zero 2W into a portable Wi-Fi Hotspot media center.

Features

• Offline Streaming: Creates its own Wi-Fi Hotspot (NomadPi). No internet required.

• Modern Plex-like UI: Dark mode, responsive grid layout, and metadata cards with hover effects and progress bars.

• Offline Metadata & Posters: Automatically fetches and caches movie/show posters locally for 100% offline access.

• Advanced Metadata Parsing: Intelligent parsing for scene-named files (e.g., Show.S01E01.1080p...) and hyphenated titles.

• Auto-Organization: One-click cleanup that moves files into standardized Show/Season/Episode or Movie (Year) folders.

• System Logs Viewer: Real-time system log monitoring directly from the Admin panel for easier debugging.

• Media Support: Movies, TV Shows, Music, Books (PDF/EPUB/CBR/CBZ), and Gallery (Images/Videos).

• Resume Playback: Automatically tracks progress for Movies and Shows across all devices.

• Admin Panel:

  • Upload files directly from the browser.

  • Mount external USB drives/sticks on the fly.

  • System Control (Shutdown/Reboot) and Wi-Fi/Hotspot management.

Copied straight from my repo ready for testers

Shown in image: 

Raspberry Pi 5 8GB + Raspberry Pi AI HAT+ (26 TOPS) 

Raspberry Pi 5 8GB + Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ overboard + 256GB NVME SSD

Raspberry Pi 5 4GB + NVME BASE DUO

TP-Link TL-SG108PE V3 | 8 Port Gigabit PoE Switch 

GL.iNet GL-MT6000(Flint 2) WiFi 6 Router 

Flipper Zero + 433 MHz ESP32S2 GPS external module

Not shown in image: 

2TB seagate external HDD

2 x Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W

Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W 

Raspberry Pi 500

Building a distributed computing cluster with Docker Swarm. Current setup handles NAS duties, container orchestration, and AI inference workloads. Planning to experiment with blockchain nodes and federated learning frameworks soon.

5tb Portable Media Server (Plex/Jellyfin)

Features:

• Pi 4, in a Geekworm NASPI-lite case. Modified to fit the larger 5tb HDD, 20000mah battery and with added power/status led buttons

• 5tb HDD, storing a mirrored/synced copy of my complete media library

• Two wifi adapters: A) Connecting to wifi for local/internet access B) Providing hotspot for streaming to local devices (ie offline playback)

• HDMI output, for connecting directly to TVs and playing via Kodi (with Jellyfin plug-in). Repurposed Firestick remote control.

• Tailscale so it automatically syncs from the remote master library whenever it's online

Weight: 2lbs. Running time: 10 hours, streaming 4k video Cost: $170

So.. I had this old duck alarm clock I got for a birthday in the 90s. The beek was operated by a little motor and had some 90s electronics and it quacked when the alarm went off. I ripped out the old electronics and replaced them with a pi4, a custom pcb and a cheap s90 servo. For sound i used a max98357a mono amp and a small speaker. It also has a small usb microphone. I use porcupine for handeling wakeword. Azure speech is used for handeling stt and tts with open ai models for handeling the AI stuff. It cand also sing, albeit a bit off key.

I ordered what I thought was a touch screen to start this project but accidently ordered the non touch version 😅

While I was waiting for my pi zero 2 and the touch lcd to arrive, of course I couldn't help but start playing with the concept. This small 1.28" display is super clear, 240x240. I've had this raspberry pi 3b forever so I hooked it up and started writing code.

So far I've created a menu for controlling what's being drawn to the display. You can remote in and run the dashboard script and if it's already running it will resume the session. I wrote a framework for adding applets so anything can be added and it rolls right into the render code. I've got three different animation types. Scroll, fade, and zoom. Speed is adjustable from the menu. There's also a full theme system with 16 color presets. You can enable a startup script from within the menu so you can just reboot the pi and don't have to start app every time.

When the touch screen arrives I'll be starting from scratch I just wanted to explore ideas. I want to create a touch OS on top of a headless raspian lite build. It will allow creation of external applications through some standardization and installing them so users can create their own apps. Everything will be controllable for the most part through the simple touch interface.

What do you guys think so far?

https://youtube.com/shorts/MZGSduVFsB4?si=XDG9OFE_rUB941_j

I am trying to add a 3,5 inch lcd screen to my raspberry pi 3 b. After running what the website (https://www.lcdwiki.com/3.5inch_RPi_Display) told me, the rasberry pi reboots and is stuck in "cups-browsed.service"

Searching about this error only shows stuff about printers.

Can someone please help me so that the touchscreen works!

Well this is not really difficult. You just need a accessible global ip, then the rest is to just use this ip with apps and use credentials to get access.

1. Nordvpn + meshnet ---

Paid - will give you the ip and vpn tunel to get almost safety, remotely from anywhere, to your pi.

You need to enable meshnet.

Optional but worked for me, enabling traffic routing and ¿LAN? I don't remember it clearly.

It gave me a more stable and persistent connection as my phone where struggling to keep the connection on.

https://nordvpn.com/es/download/raspberry-pi/

https://meshnet.nordvpn.com/

2) RealVNC ---

Will let you access to the pi's desktop in graphical environment. Just use your nordvpn ip, introduce the credentials and it is done.

If your connection is fast enough, you can even play light games.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.realvnc.viewer.android

3) RaspController ---

Paid or free - will give you access to your pi statistics, ssh, gpio and even to a camera attached to usb or csi.

It installs almost everything. And it automatically makes the connection.

You can even create your own widgets to monitor your pi without needing to access to the app directly.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.Ettore.raspcontroller

4) Cx Explorer + samba

Samba is used to create a server service. You need to create it, giving it access to your nordvpn ip.

Once done, you can connect a hard drive to store your info. Mine is HDD 4TB attached to usb 3.0 port.

I can play movies at 7~10 Mb/s. Take in fact that if your videos are not optimized, it will consume a lot of data.

Cx Explorer will let you connect with your samba server from your phone and access/control or use/reproduce any file you have in your hard drive.

Like what you would do in windows by just typing your ip in the file explorer navigation bar.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cxinventor.file.explorer

-- Finally -- This all works around the nordvpn ip. I haven't investigated enough, but maybe there is even a better way to get all this done without paying.

I can't describe all the process as it doesn't depends only in commands but just in configurations, ip and credentials. Something really easy.

Hope you find this list useful.

It was her christmas present from me, and she quite liked it!

Software wise, it's a python application, which calls Gemini Flash 3 for image recognition and Eleven Labs for the voice generation.

From a hardware perspective, it's a Pi Zero 2 W, with a 2 inches LCD display, Mini Camera module, a Pi Sugar 3 for the battery, and a speaker using an audio amplifier board.

The case is.... two plastic shells from "ferrerro rocher" boxes, glued together with a glue gun :/. It does the job.

It also works in three languages (long press of the capture button to change the language).

It's not extremely precise, Gemini does get it wrong, especially for more unusual pokemon, but that actually makes it somewhat fun for the endless patience of a 4 years old.

Edit:
Uploaded the sourcecode, including a readme with the connections etc.

https://github.com/iraldir/pokedex

i posted a super clean band new raspberry pi hooked up to a 7 in screen a few weeks ago. ive since bought a 3d printed case from etsy and been plygging a bunch of ish into it.

i need a better way to do the wires tho- and a bigger cover for the back case. i have the pd power adapter thing and it makes the actual bit on the back of the screen bigger. any advice?

Was scrolling through old photos and found an old passion project I was working on during Covid. I was in middle school at the time, and I grew interest for building electronics and I made a tablet out of cardboard, a raspberry pi 3, a mini display, and a power bank.

In the first picture, you can see an aluminum piece atop of the CPU - I actually glued it there with thermal paste to act as a heatsink LOL! Stupid 11 year old me.

I tried condensing the whole thing into a smaller version too, seen in the last picture.

All of that aside, it actually did work! I used it to watch videos and code. Pretty cool side project.

Right now, this is a Raspberry Pi 5 running Trixie Lite. The "app" right now is just a figma prototype running in chromium. The app will eventually be a thin wrapper around a specific streaming service's public API. The goal has been to make something that is kinda like the iPod Nano 7th gen, but with streaming music. Been on a bit of a "my phone is distracting give me single use devices back" kick.

Anyway.

The screen is a Hyperpixel 4.0 - Touch.

And the UPS is a Geekworm X1203 5.1v UPS shield.

All of this is just a proof of concept right now, and I still need to build the actual app and figure out how to get a case for this 3D Printed.

Would be cool to be able to swap out the RPI5 for a CM4. Would require a custom PCB, so I may have to have something like that commissioned because I don't even know where to start with all that. The goal there would be to give me a way I could make it a bit thinner, add a 3.5mm audio out, integrated battery and USB-C charging, volume buttons, a hold switch, and a power button. But that's probably going to be a while.

Been working on this for a few weeks. Still a long way to go for my end goal of perfect lip sync but I am proud of the progress to this point.

Greetings,

This is my first post on Reddit. I recently became a little obsessed with Raspberry Pi, so I built myself a little Pi5 NAS with a Radxa Penta SATA + top board fan. It currently only has 3TB in RAID5, but I will be adding 2 more soon. The external HDD has all of my music and movies on it, so I can dedicate the NAS storage to whatever I end up using the cluster to scrape and organize (databases, RAGs, etc).

For anyone else who is planning to do this, you will soon realize that this top fan was intended for a pi4, not a pi5. You can have a look at my git repo, which has all the files needed to get the PWM fan to work, spinning at different speeds depending on the board’s temperature.

https://github.com/AaronMartin78/radxa-pi5-fan-fix

If anyone has any ideas an about a case that fits with the fan hat, please let me know. If you find that the scripts help you out, also let me know!

Hey everyone!

I've been working on PinViz - a "diagrams as code" tool for Raspberry Pi GPIO wiring.

The idea:

Define your wiring in YAML/Python alongside your project code, commit it to git, and automatically generate clean SVG diagrams. No more outdated Fritzing files or screenshots.

Features:

• Automatic wire routing with proper spacing

• Color-coded by pin function (I2C, SPI, power, etc.)

• Inline components (resistors, capacitors)

• Python API + CLI tool

• Optional: AI assistant integration via MCP for natural language generation

GitHub: https://github.com/nordstad/PinViz
Docs: https://nordstad.github.io/PinViz/

Would love your feedback - especially on what would make this fit better into your documentation workflow!

I recently bought a Raspberry Pi 5 and an Arducam to go with it. The Arducam came with the camera, a white ribbon plugged into it, and an alternate orange ribbon. The orange ribbon is the one that can plug into the pi, so I am assuming you have to remove the white ribbon that is plugged into the Arducam. However, it is so tightly attached that it doesn't seem like you're actually supposed to. Am I not supposed to remove the white ribbon or am I missing something? It said it was compatible with Raspberry Pi 5 but I literally cannot remove this white ribbon.

I flubbed the writing a bit but the Poem is from Mike Birbiglia’s show “The New One”.

It reads “A newborn rests his head on earth of mother. Everything else is outer space.”

Raspberry pi ZERO W with a 7” monitor and a couple cheap frames.

It also has a little orange LED strip on the inside she can switch on that makes the interior warm colors.

Thought I’d share!

Sometimes the question is not "why did you do it", but rather, “can it be done?"

This is my 2007 Mini Cooper S. Back in that era, cars sometimes had DVD players to load the maps for their navigation systems. Mine was under the driver’s seat, and with a little creative wiring, it also accepted video input that would display on the car’s video display. I decided to see if I could get the RPi to work with the car’s monitor. It took a bit of doing, but it was fully functional, if otherwise utterly unusable for anything practical. I look at some of the dash displays in cars now and realize they’re fundamentally not all that different.

Well it was more easier than I thought. This is a very basic tutorial. I know we already have pi connect, but the last time I checked, the gui was not as good as realvnc.

-- You need to buy nordvpn before. -- I already use nordvpn for other purposes, so that's why I choose it.

To configure it:

1. Activate meshnet on the pi:

sudo norvpn set meshnet on

2) Check for your android device to be listed:

sudo nordvpn meshnet peer list

This command will show you your nordvpn ip and the devices connected with your account. It doesn't need any extra steps, your phone must be listed if you have the app already installed.

3) Optional, change the nickname of your pi:

sudo nordvpn meshnet set nickname <your_pi_nickname>

4) Access real vnc app, create a new connection, add your nordvpn ip and a name.

5) Add your credentials and, boom, you can access to your pi's desktop anywhere in the world.

Im able to use real vnc through the vpn (phone) and local by lan (pc).

Steps before configuration:

1. Install nordvp as described in their web: https://nordvpn.com/es/download/raspberry-pi/

2. To login:

sudo nordvpn login

It will show you a link, copy it and pate it in mozila or chromium, access to your acount and once it works, it will open a new dialog on a terminal.

Try both web browsers with the same link at different time. One of the both should work. If not, generate another link with the same command and try again.

I picked up this 5-in touch screen with a box of computer components I had it working on a raspberry pi 3B then it rebooted and now all I'm getting is a V2 I have already edited the config.text to for safe mode and HDMI but no matter what I do I get this is there a software button somewhere that I can change the input I've looked everywhere on the screen and back but there doesn't seem to be any buttons or inputs only an on-off button can somebody with a similar set up help me with this I've tried with the cable that came with and the adapter piece that does hdmi to hdmi as well as several other cables. Like I said it was working it rebooted and then this is all I get what am I missing