Magnetic Music Box [Platform]

thingiverse

A music box for the kids. There are many excellent music players designed specifically for children that enable them to place a small figurine on top, automatically starting a tune or audiobook. That's exactly what I was aiming for - but with complete customization and without the need to connect to Wi-Fi, clouds, or similar services. As travelers, we require a system that functions everywhere, especially considering my 2-year-old already complains about Internet quality during overland trips. Ideally, it should store more books on fewer figurines. I'm sure my kids could use a regular USB stick, but there's a 3D printer in the house. I opted for a simple USB MP3 player, a few adapters, some USB-C magnetic contacts to connect the figurines, and USB-C memory sticks (which are still only available with regular USB on the other side). Non-plastic components: * Player: TECHNAXX 3545 MusicMan Soundstation * Elebase USB C Female to USB Male adapter * GARAS Type C Magnetic Adapter (available on Aliexpress) * Kingston DT microDuo 3C 32GB (you could likely find a cheaper one) * and an angled USB adapter I had lying around. The sound setup works perfectly, and the figurines easily pop onto the contact. The USB contact is slightly recessed to prevent damage from playing. The player has a physical on/off switch and automatically plays whenever a file is detected on USB. Disconnecting the magnetic contact stops play, and it resumes from the same position when reconnected. My angled contact was pointing the wrong way, so the display ends up on the bottom, but until they can read that won't be a concern. There are buttons to skip forward, back, and adjust volume, which I simply had to mark clearly. See https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3493655 for example figurines I printed, and https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3493643 for the cartridge that holds the USB/storage components. I printed the figurines in woodfill PLA, and my kids were happy to paint "their" music collection. Of course, multicolor is another option. In a home setup, you might prefer small storage units and numerous figurines so the kids can easily identify songs and audiobooks they want to hear. But as part-time digital nomads, we'll just have to cycle through the selection now and then since we're limited to one figurine each in their hand luggage.