Science & Tech · Gadgets & EVs · 2 hrs ago
DIY ESP32-S3 player brings music playback to a pocket-sized device
A maker called Nilbed has built a portable music player based on the ESP32-S3.
It can play music stored on a microSD card or stream it from a DLNA/UPnP media server.
The project aims to offer a dedicated music device rather than using a phone.
It has a 1.8-inch color screen, a small OLED status display, four buttons, and a rotary control with a ring of 16 LEDs.
The screen can show album art or different styles of music-level meters.
The project is still being developed, so its files may change as work continues.
Build files and instructions are available in the ESP32-S3 Audio Player GitHub repository.
A DIY portable media player built around an ESP32-S3 can play music from microSD cards or stream it from a DLNA/UPnP media server.
The pocket-sized device has a 1.8-inch colour TFT, a small OLED status display, a rotary encoder with a 16-LED ring and four buttons.
Its screen offers four modes, including album art and two types of VU meter.
The project is a work in progress, with build files and instructions available on GitHub.
- Who
- Nilbed, the user who posted the DIY player.
- What
- An ESP32-S3 portable media player that plays music from a microSD card or streams from a DLNA/UPnP media server.
- When
- Nilbed posted it on October 11, 2026; XDA published its article on October 12, 2026.
- Where
- The project was posted on the ESP32 subreddit; build details are on GitHub.
- Why
- Not stated
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
It has a 1.8" colour TFT with four screen modes, a small OLED status display, a rotary encoder with a 16-LED ring and four buttons, and an output compressor and limiter that keep the DAC from being overdriven.
Nilbed posted the portable media player on the ESP32 subreddit.
XDA published an article about the project.
- Processor
- ESP32-S3
- Display
- 1.8-inch colour TFT with four screen modes
- Controls
- Rotary encoder with a 16-LED ring and four buttons
- Playback
- microSD cards or a DLNA/UPnP media server
- Project status
- Work in progress
Sources
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