Wooden Digital Record Player

Context & Motivation

This personal project emerged from my fascination with the physicality of record players—the weight of a disk, the deliberate act of choosing an album, the slow commitment to listening. While I rely on streaming for its flexibility and access, I missed the intentional ritual of vinyl. This project lives in that intersection, translating the motions and feelings of playing records into a system that belongs in the present.

Design Philosophy

My goal was not to recreate the tech of vinyl, but to extend the human ritual of album listening. Wood was chosen for its warmth and permanence, grounding digital playback in something tangible. RFID technology allows the electronics to disappear entirely, keeping the interaction physical and intuitive. All components are hidden within the wooden enclosure, allowing the object to present as furniture rather than consumer technology.

How It Works

When a wooden disk is placed on the player, the RFID reader detects the embedded tag and triggers a Spotify API call to play the hard-coded album. The disk begins rotating, and the LCD display instructs the user to place the tonearm over the spinning record. When the tonearm makes contact, a mechanical switch triggers playback through the embedded speaker. Moving the tonearm off pauses the music and stops rotation. Returning it resumes playback seamlessly, just like a traditional record player.

Software Architecture

Python Control Script

The core Python script orchestrates all system functions:

• Monitors RFID input via SPI using the MFRC522 library
• Authenticates and controls Spotify playback through Spotipy (Spotify Web API wrapper)
• Controls servo motor with GPIO PWM for smooth rotation
• Updates LCD display using smbus and I2C_LCD_driver for real-time feedback
• Handles button interrupts with GPIO event detection

Spotify Integration

• User authentication via OAuth 2.0
• Album/playlist search and playback control
• Real-time track metadata sent to LCD display
• Playback state management (play, pause, resume)

Fabrication Process

Enclosure Design

After researching classic record player proportions, I designed a rectangular base with rounded corners in Adobe Illustrator. The DXF files included living hinges for curved edges and interlocking tabs for structural integrity. The design balances aesthetic warmth with practical assembly.

Record Creation

Custom wooden disks were designed in Inkscape, starting with album cover art and adding graphic elements. With ChatGPT's assistance, I refined vector files and prepared them in Illustrator for laser cutting. Each disk contains an RFID tag on the underside, invisible but functional.

Laser Cutting

Both the enclosure and records were cut and engraved using a Glowforge laser cutter. The living hinge pattern allows flat wooden sheets to curve elegantly, while precise tolerances ensure smooth disk rotation and reliable RFID detection.

Tools & Technologies

• Inkscape - Album art vectorization and record layout design
• Adobe Illustrator - DXF file preparation for laser cutting
• Fusion 360 - Enclosure prototyping and component fitting
• Glowforge / Epilog Laser Cutter - Cutting and engraving wooden components
• ChatGPT - Vector file refinement and design assistance

Project Reflection

This project represents my philosophy on technology design: tools should extend human rituals, not replace them. By preserving the pause before sound and the physical commitment to an album while maintaining modern flexibility, the Wooden Digital Record Player exists as both a functional music player and a meditation on how we interact with media. It's a reminder that the best technology often feels like no technology at all.