--- product_id: 688285005 title: "SparkFun MP3 Player Shield- MP3 decoder- Turn Any Compatible with Arduino Board into a Fully Functional MP3 Player- 3.5mm Audio Out Jack- 0.1\" Spaced Header for Speaker Out- microSD Card Slot" brand: "sparkfun" price: "AED 204" currency: AED in_stock: true reviews_count: 4 category: "Spark Fun" url: https://www.desertcart.ae/products/688285005-sparkfun-mp3-player-shield-mp3-decoder-turn-any-compatible-arduino store_origin: AE region: United Arab Emirates --- # 3.5mm stereo audio out microSD card slot for expandable storage VS1053B codec supports multiple audio formats SparkFun MP3 Player Shield- MP3 decoder- Turn Any Compatible with Arduino Board into a Fully Functional MP3 Player- 3.5mm Audio Out Jack- 0.1" Spaced Header for Speaker Out- microSD Card Slot **Brand:** sparkfun **Price:** AED 204 **Availability:** βœ… In Stock ## Summary > 🎡 Elevate your DIY projects with pro-grade sound β€” don’t just build, perform! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** SparkFun MP3 Player Shield- MP3 decoder- Turn Any Compatible with Arduino Board into a Fully Functional MP3 Player- 3.5mm Audio Out Jack- 0.1" Spaced Header for Speaker Out- microSD Card Slot by sparkfun - **How much does it cost?** AED 204 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ae](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/688285005-sparkfun-mp3-player-shield-mp3-decoder-turn-any-compatible-arduino) ## Best For - sparkfun enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted sparkfun brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - β€’ **Open Hardware Friendly:** Compatible with Arduino SD libraries and stackable headers for easy integration. - β€’ **Versatile Audio Output:** 3.5mm headphone jack plus 0.1" spaced header for direct speaker connection. - β€’ **Compact & Stackable Design:** Slim 8.5cm shield fits perfectly on Arduino boards, saving precious project space. - β€’ **Multi-Format Audio Decoder:** Supports MP3, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, WMA, and MIDI for ultimate sound flexibility. - β€’ **Plug & Play Audio Expansion:** Transform any Arduino into a versatile MP3 player with seamless microSD playback. ## Overview The SparkFun MP3 Player Shield is a compact Arduino add-on featuring the powerful VS1053B audio codec chip. It enables playback of multiple audio formats directly from a microSD card via a 3.5mm headphone jack or speaker header. Designed for makers and developers, it transforms any compatible Arduino board into a fully functional MP3 player, perfect for embedding sound effects or music into creative projects. ## Description The SparkFun MP3 Player Shield is an awesome MP3 decoder with the capabilities of storing music files onto a run-of-the-mill microSD card, thus giving you the ability to add music or sound effects to any project. With this board you can pull MP3 files from an microSD card and play them using only one shield, effectively turning any compatible with Arduino board into a fully functional stand-alone MP3 player! The MP3 Shield utilizes the VS1053B MP3 audio decoder IC to decode audio files. The VS1053 is also capable of decoding Ogg Vorbis/MP3/AAC/WMA/MIDI audio and encoding IMA ADPCM and user-loadable Ogg Vorbis.The VS1053 receives its input bitstream through a serial input bus (SPI). After the stream has been decoded by the IC, the audio is sent out to both a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, as well as a 2-pin 0.1" pitch header.The centerpiece of the MP3 Player Shield is a VS1053B Audio Codec IC. The VS1053B is a multi talented little chip. On top of MP3's, it can also decode Ogg Vorbis, AAC, WMA, and MIDI. (It's also capable of encoding audio, although that's outside the scope of the MP3 Shield.)Supporting the VS1053B is a Β΅SD card socket, which you can use to store MP3 files on. Using the compatible with Arduino SD library, it's simple to read music files off an SD card, and stream them to the VS1053B. There's additional circuitry on-board to level shift signals down to the 3.3V maximum allowable by SD cards.This shield comes populated with all components as shown in the images and schematic; but it does not come with headers installed. We recommend the R3 Stackable Header Kit. Review: Sample code does not work very well. Set up music files per the sample but performance was spotty at best. Review: I've been trying to get this board to work reliably for a week now, and at this point, I'm giving up. Its ability to resync with MP3 data seems to be very poor, and results in locking up with the interrupt line high, which means the Arduino wedges at that point. I've seen it with two different Arduino boards. So I thought maybe I could use WAV files. Nope. Even with the data being played back off of the onboard flash (PROGMEM), I get distorted audio played slowly and at a lower pitch, with massive distortion, indicating a buffer overrun. And although the Arduino Uno R4 can use faster SPI bus speeds, it doesn't respond above about 20 MHz, and it isn't usable at 20 MHz. Some of this may be the libraries I'm using (I'm working with Adafruit's library, because I don't do GPL v3), but the ease with which I could make this thing lock up is downright horrifying. The best part was that I actually managed to make it lock up just feeding WAV data. In that mode, I was literally doing nothing more than starting and stopping the flow of bytes of uncompressed data. So either I got a dud board or this chipset is simply the worst, buggiest piece of hardware I've ever had the displeasure of working which. I don't know which, but I've read enough comments from others having trouble with this chipset to suspect that it is the latter. I'm giving up. It really should not be this hard to trigger playback of audio clips without half a second of latency, or make them jump back to the beginning while they're still playing, or any of the other things that just don't work well with this chip. ## Features - Are you looking to add some grooves to your project. Does your haunted house or Halloween costume need some sound effects embedded into it? - Do you just want to be able to say you built your own MP3 player? The MP3 Player Shield is an easy way to add music or sound effects to your project. - Features: 3.5mm audio out jack, 0.1" spaced header for speaker out, microSD card slot. The shield does use up quite a few pins, but here are the pins still available to connect to other components. The hardware UART pins -- RX and TX -- on pins 0 and 1, D5 and D10 (PWM pins!), All analog pins (A0 through A5). - The centerpiece of the MP3 Player Shield is a VS1053B Audio Codec IC. The VS1053B is a multi talented little chip. On top of MP3's, it can also decode Ogg Vorbis, AAC, WMA, and MIDI. - If you're not sure which version you've got, there's a version number on the bottom copper layer, underneath the headphone jack, as shown below. Note: Headers not included. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B09NJQBG99 | | Manufacturer | SparkFun Electronics | | Manufacturer reference | DEV-12660 | | Product Dimensions | 8.5 x 8.5 x 0.7 cm; 9 g | ## Product Details - **Brand:** SparkFun - **Connectivity technology:** Aux - **Included components:** Shield components only - **Memory storage capacity:** 4 GB - **Model name:** mp3 ## Images ![SparkFun MP3 Player Shield- MP3 decoder- Turn Any Compatible with Arduino Board into a Fully Functional MP3 Player- 3.5mm Audio Out Jack- 0.1" Spaced Header for Speaker Out- microSD Card Slot - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61nkv8iUrcL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐ Review *by D***N on 21 August 2023* Sample code does not work very well. Set up music files per the sample but performance was spotty at best. ### ⭐ Review *by D***D on 10 February 2025* I've been trying to get this board to work reliably for a week now, and at this point, I'm giving up. Its ability to resync with MP3 data seems to be very poor, and results in locking up with the interrupt line high, which means the Arduino wedges at that point. I've seen it with two different Arduino boards. So I thought maybe I could use WAV files. Nope. Even with the data being played back off of the onboard flash (PROGMEM), I get distorted audio played slowly and at a lower pitch, with massive distortion, indicating a buffer overrun. And although the Arduino Uno R4 can use faster SPI bus speeds, it doesn't respond above about 20 MHz, and it isn't usable at 20 MHz. Some of this may be the libraries I'm using (I'm working with Adafruit's library, because I don't do GPL v3), but the ease with which I could make this thing lock up is downright horrifying. The best part was that I actually managed to make it lock up just feeding WAV data. In that mode, I was literally doing nothing more than starting and stopping the flow of bytes of uncompressed data. So either I got a dud board or this chipset is simply the worst, buggiest piece of hardware I've ever had the displeasure of working which. I don't know which, but I've read enough comments from others having trouble with this chipset to suspect that it is the latter. I'm giving up. It really should not be this hard to trigger playback of audio clips without half a second of latency, or make them jump back to the beginning while they're still playing, or any of the other things that just don't work well with this chip. ### ⭐⭐ Review *by J***R on 11 September 2023* I had a really difficult time getting this board to work. I was able to solder the headers I needed just fine but the software available on the Sparkfun website is not user friendly, and there is little documentation on how to get started with the device compared to other products they sell. ## Frequently Bought Together - SparkFun MP3 Player Shield- MP3 decoder- Turn Any Compatible with Arduino Board into a Fully Functional MP3 Player- 3.5mm Audio Out Jack- 0.1" Spaced Header for Speaker Out- microSD Card Slot - SparkFun RedBoard Qwiic ATMega328P Compatible with Arduino Board w/Qwiic Connector and CH340C Serial-USB Converter IC Breadboardable R3 Footprint microcontroller Improved Reset Button --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - πŸ›’ **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** β€” Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** β€” Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - πŸ’° **No Hidden Fees** β€” All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - πŸ”„ **15-Day Free Returns** β€” Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - πŸ”’ **Secure Payments** β€” Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** β€” Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ae/products/688285005-sparkfun-mp3-player-shield-mp3-decoder-turn-any-compatible-arduino](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/688285005-sparkfun-mp3-player-shield-mp3-decoder-turn-any-compatible-arduino) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Arab Emirates* *Store origin: AE* *Last updated: 2026-04-22*