August 07, 2014

Convert a rotary telephone into an MP3 player

A relic of the previous century, the rotary telephone can still find a use in these modern times for the retro technology enthuisast. One example of this has been documented by Instructables member MrLeeh who has converted a vintage instrument into an MP3 player with a Raspberry Pi.

After removing the bell and other unnecessary electronics, new speakers were fitted inside the handpiece, and the dial connected to the Raspberry Pi's GPIO. With some simple software the user can choose the song to play and control the volume with the orginal dial. Furthermore a Pi shutdown button has been fitted to the rear - and the only external modification is a microSD socket instead of the telephone wall lead.

Very well done, and a great example of merging two technologies. For complete details, visit the project Instructable page. And for more, we're on facebookGoogle+, and twitter - so follow us for news and product updates as well.

Every day we find more uses for our PiBreak board - the great way to mount circuitry to your Raspberry Pi. It provides labelled breakout pins for all GPIOs, a large prototyping area with solder pads, and power rails for easy power connection:

Furthermore the PiBreak also includes mounting hardware to firmly attach it to your Raspberry Pi using a nut, bolt, and spacer - and is compatible with all revisions of both model A and B Raspberry Pi computers. For more information about our new PiBreak board, our Getting Started guide, and to order - visit the product page.

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