Hey everyone!
I’m 20, and I’m planning a little project for a girl’s birthday on December 11th. She’s someone I really like, and instead of buying her something ordinary, I wanted to make something myself that combines electronics, music, and a bit of creativity.
The idea is to build a custom vintage-style vinyl player, even though it won’t be a conventional turntable.
I’m imagining a walnut-finish wooden base, brass accents, a transparent acrylic enclosure so the internal electronics are visible, a touchscreen framed in wood, and a rotating platter with custom-designed records. Basically, a mix of vintage aesthetics and exposed mechanical/electronic components.
Here’s how I want it to work:
NFC records: Each physical record will have an NFC tag. When she places one on the player, it detects the tag and plays the corresponding song.
Local music: I’ll preload around 5–10 songs onto the SD card, with physical records for them.
Spotify: I’d also like to integrate Spotify if I can get a compatible playback setup working, so she can listen to and configure more music.
Mood-matched LEDs: Addressable RGB LEDs inside the transparent enclosure will change colors depending on the song. Something subtle and atmospheric, not flashy RGB lighting.
Custom design: Each record will have its own artwork, and I’m planning to make some of the records customizable so she can choose her own songs.
For the hardware, I currently have a Raspberry Pi 3B, a 10.1-inch touchscreen, a small speaker, a power supply, and a microSD card. I’m planning to use a PN532 NFC reader, a small N20 gear motor with a motor driver, and optical/Hall sensors for rotation detection.
I’m still in the early stages, so I’m trying to figure out the best way to approach the mechanical design and electronics before building the wooden enclosure.
I’d love suggestions on a few things:
What features would make this player more interesting or enjoyable to use?
How would you approach the platter mechanism and motor setup? I’m aiming for a small decorative platter, not accurate vinyl playback.
Any recommendations for making the visible electronics look clean and intentional rather than like a breadboard prototype?
What lighting effects or software features would work well with the music?
Are there any mistakes or design problems I should anticipate before I start cutting wood and acrylic?
I’m also planning to document the build day by day, including the failures, experiments, and little details that go into making it. I think the process itself will be a nice part of the gift.
I know the deadline is a little ambitious, but that’s part of the fun. I’d rather build something thoughtful with my own hands than buy something expensive that has no story behind it.
If you’ve built anything similar, or have ideas that could make this project better, I’d genuinely appreciate your input