The idea that started this project is a good one: after viral clips, the maker bought a Fisher-Price DJ toy for a niece, only to find it was just a regular kids toy singing ABC songs. Rather than leave it that way, the maker gutted it and turned it into a proper little music machine.
Inside, a Raspberry Pi W2 runs the show, with a MAX98357A driving the speaker, an AS5600 sensing the spinning platter, and an INMP441 serving as the microphone. A custom PCB printed at the same size as the original board holds everything, and several 3D printed parts mount the platter and upgrade the speaker. The teal enclosure keeps the toy character, with a mini keyboard, sliders, buttons, a microphone prop, an alphabet ring around the platter, and a display screen.
The toy now plays uploaded song clips, layers music tracks, or acts as a bluetooth speaker, with clips going in through a webpage. It records a voice and plays back a remix with that voice pitched high, and a recorded clip can serve as a keyboard sound in Music Maker mode. The audio includes a synthesized voice, an electronic beat, synth melodies, and vinyl scratch effects triggered by inputs.
One trade-off stands out: an esp32-s3 was tried first but never worked, so the Pi W2 took over. The maker notes instant boot from the esp32-s3 would have been nice. Even so, what a result! The code, STL files, and non-copyright music and tones are shared on a github repository, and a guide with better photos is hosted on another website.