John Park's Walkmp3rson Is a CircuitPython-Based RP2040-Powered 3D-Printed Walkman Reinvention
Built as a throwback to the best of '80s portable music gadgets, this MP3 player packs an Adafruit Feather RP2040 at its heart.
Maker John Park has put together a guide to building a CircuitPython-inspired portable music player inspired by the classic Sony Walkman form factor: the Walkmp3rson.
"Look the part while you walk around town listening to your favorite mixes. CircuitPython powers this personal music player, with a stylish 3D-printed case, TFT display, mech keyswitch controls and more," Park explains of the project. "Pop in a different 'mix tape' SD card when you're in the mood for some different tunes."
The heart of the project is an Adafruit Feather RP2040 development board, built around Raspberry Pi's popular yet surprisingly low-cost dual-core RP2040 microcontroller chip. There's a 2" 320×240 color IPS display, an Adafruit NeoKey four-key RGB macro pad, a Stemma QT-connected rotary encoders, a battery, and a Class D amplifier connected to a headphone jack.
While everything listed could technically be put together on a breadboard, it's the housing that really makes the project stand out. The Walkmp3rson is, as the name suggests, inspired by the Sony Walkman and uses a 3D-printed housing mimicking the classic cassette player — though, Park warns, building it will require access to a printer with a suitably large build volume.
The software is written in CircuitPython, and provides the ability to load MP3s from a connected SD Card — while the the physical keys and rotary encoder to control file selection, playback, and volume, The current song is displayed on the color screen, mimicking a cassette tape to complete the aesthetics.
A full guide to building a Walkmp3rson, complete with STL files for 3D printing and the MIT-licensed source code, is available on the Adafruit Learn portal.