Minimalistic MediaPlayer

Devlog 6:
-Researched case materials and production methods
-Checked component compatibility
-Switched to a Li-Ion battery and some other components too
-Checked JLCPCB’s parts library to see if they could mount some components on the PCB for me
-Started on a GitHub repo for this project
Extra:
Haven’t made a devlog in a few days and I’m super tired so I’ll just leave it like this (this time).

Devlog 5:
-Found a better screen for the device
-Decided on various types of switches for the device
-Checked possible layouts for the electronics
-Found another battery with better overall dimensions
-Checked some printing materials & options on JLC3DP
-Found a few other components for QoL features
Extra:
I have done quite a lot of research on everything today.

1. The switches:
   The final layout for the device is not completely decided yet. But I think I’ll keep 2 of the front-facing buttons for “pause/play” and “skip-/previous track”. I’ll also add one “3-position sliding switch” (for motor on/auto/off options) and one “2-position sliding switch” (for device on/off) on the side of the case.
2. The Quality of Life features:
   Too be able to get that seamless screen look on the TP-7, I can use a processed Acrylic piece. It makes it so that the pixels seem to be floating inside the acrylic window, which looks awesome.
   I will maybe add a light sensor so it know when it is in a pocket. The sensor will be active/used when the “motor on/auto/off switch” is set to “auto”.
3. The texture & material:
   I’m not completely sure what material to use yet, but I want the same texture/feel that’s on the LAMY Safari pens (matte Umbra version). There is 1 material on JLC3DP that looks promising.
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   If you are interested and want to see how it turns out. Press follow.

Devlog 4:
-Think I have figured out what to do with the motor
-Searched for a new low-power BLDC motor driver board (what gives power and controls the motor, “kinda”).
Extra:

1. I think I know how to prevent the electric field caused by the motor and the inconsistent power-draw from interfering with the audio components.
   -Since the motor uses very low power, the fields shouldn’t be as strong as normal. And because of that, some copper-tape wrapped around the motor (with some space between) and then connected to ground should be enough to absorb the electric fields (maybe not the right term but who cares).
   And to neutralize the inconsistent power-draw, I can just use some resistors (hopefully) between the motor and power-module, and then between the motor and ground.
   I’ll do a bit more research to be sure.
2. The old motor driver I found apparently needed 8-30V. Which is quite a lot for what I’m making. So after roughly 30 min of searching I finally found the “SparkFun Brushless Motor Driver - 3-Phase (TMC6300)” on their own website. It’s ~18$ + shipping (not that bad), but I really can’t find another one that would work for this specific use case. Searched though AliExpress but just found ones that requiered 5-30V and something else that’s slightly inappropriate (and completely unrelated) instead

Here is the module I found:

Devlog 3:
-Finally found good screens
-Making sure that the motor won’t theoretically interfere with the other components
Extra:
I have both good and bad news.
The good news is that I finally decided on which screens to use (I’ll probably use 2). And the bad news are that when I did some research yesterday before going to bed. I found out that almost no one else has made their own version of the TP-7 by Teenage Engineering. And that’s because of 2 reasons.
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First, the complexity. Teenage Engineering made all of the components in-house so that everything would fit together. Which is why their device is so compact. While us on the other hand can only (for the most part) get off-the-shelf components.
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The second reason is that the motor has a magnetic and an electric field (the magnetic field isn’t as bad as the electric one). Which can interfere with the other electronics, which is very bad for sound focused devices.
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Guess that’s another problem to solve then.
I will not give up until the very end (i think)

Devlog 2.1:
-Still looking for a compatible screen
Extra:
I’m not sure if I should get a display module or just a display and a connector for it. If I choose the connector option, then I would have to solder like 20-30 pins + add resistors or something like that. If I choose the display module it will take a lot of unnecessary space between it and the nearest edge.
If I go for the bare display, then I will probably choose this one:

Devlog 2:
-Made a quick model and drawing of the layout i want.
-Searched for components (only the screen…)
Extra:
Ok guys. Does, ANYONE, know. Where I can get an OLED bar display, that is a single color and not the 0.91 inch model. I have literally been searching for over an hour after a screen that would fit. The whole module needs to be smaller than 60x20mm. Please let me know if you have any recommendations.

Devlog 1:
-Researching parts/components.

Extra:
This is the first devlog of my “Teenage Engineering TP-7” inspired mediaplayer. Ever since I first saw the TP-7 for the first time, I thought it was the coolest “MP3” player ever (kinda correct), and have wanted one myself for a long time. The problem with it is that it is 1500$.
…
You read that right.
1500$!!!

Which is why I want to make my own “TP-7” inspired high-res mediaplayer. It won’t be a straight copy-paste tho. I will add my own gimmicks and features too. I got ~20 days to finish this. And I probably won’t be able to ship this before then (if not for a miracle).
I will try my best to make this project a reality.

Oh btw, it’s my birthday today.
If anyone at HackClub sees this, pls bless me with a 150$ grant