Sparkfun MP3 Player Shield

• Sparkfun MP3 Player Shield
• Offers a 3.5 mm audio out jack
• 0.1-inch spaced header for speaker out
• Features a microSD card slot

The Sparkfun MP3 Player Shield is an MP3 decoder with the capabilities of storing music files onto a run-of-the-mill microSD card, thus giving you the ability to add music or sound effects to any project. With this board you can pull MP3 files from a microSD card and play them using only one shield, effectively turning any Arduino into a fully functional stand-alone MP3 player.

The MP3 Shield utilizes the VS1053B MP3 audio decoder IC to decode audio files. The VS1053 is also capable of decoding Ogg Vorbis/MP3/AAC/WMA/MIDI audio and encoding IMA ADPCM and user-loadable Ogg Vorbis.

The VS1053 receives its input bitstream through a serial input bus (SPI). After the stream has been decoded by the IC, the audio is sent out to both a 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack, as well as a 2-pin 0.1-inch pitch header.

This shield comes populated with all components as shown in the images and schematic, but it does not come with headers installed.