Idea for Christmas Present

[JNCarr]

Am posting this project in the idea stage in case someone else wants to do something similar in time for Christmas.
I thought of this WAY late in the game and am not sure I can get it all done in time to mail to CA, but am giving it a go. If I dont make it in time, his birthday is in April.
My wife and I will record The Little Prince to our 6+ year old grandson to be included in a leather-bound faux book (see rendering).
In addition to being a meaningful story, this will allow us to give him the gift of our voice long after we are gone. I certainly wish I had my grandparents' and parents' voices.
My daughter in Montana does leather work and will be providing the cover. This may be the time limiting factor.
My son has a full tilt music studio and will help us with the recording, adjusting it to give a better representation from the small, enclosed speaker.
The book body will be 9 x 6 x 1-3/8 out of poplar and painted off white.
There are a number of MP3 audio modules on amazon, for example see attached. This is not what I'm using, since I need about 1-1/2-2 hrs of playback time. But for smaller projects (10-15 min audio) it should work fine.

Hope this spurs some ideas for a special gift.

 

[LeftyTom]

Great gift, even if it arrives late.

 

[CharlieGator]

I agree with Tom!

 

[mkepke]

I think that is a great idea.

I would love to understand the final design and technical selections (what did you choose for 2 hours of playback, etc).

Have you thought about long-term storage of the master recordings? I’m thinking about the example of analog media (photos, film) that can survive 100 years with minimal maintenance. Unlike digital media requiring regular maintenance.

-Mark

Ps if you need something for a quick turnaround, Vectric has CNC designs for a wooden book (eg. that you could later upgrade to leather)

 

[JNCarr]

The player I'm using has a microSD card socket and can handle something like 32GB - see attached. Amazon has them for 2 for $8. I wont need anywhere near 32GB for 2 hours. That's coupled with a standalone LiPo cell charger, 500mAh cell, separate 4ohm, 3W speaker and some push buttons. All of the parts are readily available - but you have to wire them up. The other solution is pretty much plug and play which is why I suggested it.

Thanks for the suggestion on the VCarve book!

Finally heading out to the shop to start cutting...

 

[JNCarr]

Couldn't find a suitable piece of poplar in the wood pile, so a simple BB frame will do. The top is 3mm hardboard. The frame will get glued to the leather covered back cover and the hardboard will get screwed to the frame. Just have to cut out the button plate and the internal sound baffle. I'll score the three outer edges to look like pages then paint.