I am researching my options for a project I have in mind : I would like to build a music box for my toddler using esp32.
The device would have :
- integrated speaker
- rechargeable battery
- hardware buttons (for song selection and volume control)
- no screen
The result would be close to the Hörbert music box, only I would build it myself
I would like to build a case too, wooden or 3D printed, my mind is not made up yet. And aimed at a toddler, it should be rock solid !
The LyraT family seems very interesting for my project. Especially the LyraT-mini, since I don't really need stereo.
I have no experience with esp32. The software part doesn't scare me at all, the idea would to use ESP-ADF which seems very powerful and easy.
For the hardware part though, I have a few questions and need your help. Sorry if there are stupid questions here, I prefer to ask everything if I am not 100% sure
1. Is it possible to wire up external buttons on these boards ? I see there is a GPIO allocation summary in the docs, but as a total ESP32 newbie I have no idea what it means and how I could use that.
How would I do that (regarding hardware and software) ? Is there any example of that around ? (I found a lot of them for ESP32, but none for the LyraT family)
1b. Same question for a potientometer for volume control.
2. If I can connect external buttons, can I just ignore the ones already on the board ? Are those necessarily linked to the functions written on the board itself (for instance for the LyraT-mini : Rec, Mode, Play, Set, Vol-, Vol+) or can we do whatever we want with the SDK, regardless of those labels (including nothing if I use other buttons) ?
3. If I can't connect external buttons, I need to make sure the ones on the board are reachable with the case I will build. For that the ESP32-S3-Korvo-2 looks like a better option, just because all buttons are on the edge (especially the power switch which is right in the middle on the LyraT-mini). Does that make sense or is it a very bad reason to choose one board over another ?
In that case the LyraT would be a no-go for its "tactile-like" buttons, which would be very difficult to use with a case (at least in a toddler-proof way
)Or : would it be an option to unsolder the onboard buttons and solder my own instead ? (I know the idea is terrible)
Any other thoughts ?
If I do this project and am satisfied enough with the result, my goal is to publish everything as open source (software + 3D model of the case if I choose the 3D printing option, at least some pictures and/or blueprints otherwise).
Thanks in advance