Key Takeaways
1. A Reddit user created a DIY 3D-printed cassette player that uses NFC technology, combining nostalgia with modern music streaming.
2. The player features a phone in a 3D-printed casing resembling a cassette player, with cassettes made of 3D-printed parts and NFC tags to link to music playlists.
3. The design was made using Rhino 3D software and printed without needing supports, with functional elements that mimic real cassettes.
4. The music player app was developed using Processing and later Android Studio, primarily supporting Android users due to iOS NFC limitations.
5. The project has garnered positive community feedback, inspiring discussions about potential features and the broader maker culture.
A Reddit user named bharms27 has come up with a unique DIY project: a 3D-printed cassette player that uses NFC technology, blending nostalgia with modern tech. This project, featured on r/3Dprinting, brings back the joy of choosing and playing music in a hands-on way, similar to putting a tape in a Walkman or a record on a turntable. Each digital “album” becomes a physical item, which is pretty cool.
Design Details
The player is designed with a phone that fits into a 3D-printed case that looks like an old-school cassette player. The “cassettes” are actually shells made from various 3D-printed components, laser-cut acrylic, and custom vinyl labels. Inside each cassette is an NFC tag that, when tapped on or near a phone, reads the cassette’s specific ID and opens the related album or playlist in a music app like Spotify.
The model was created using Rhino 3D software, printed with a Bambu Labs P1S (currently priced at $699 on Amazon), and specifically designed to not require print supports. The cassettes have small, functional features, such as halves that join with screws and rollers that can be turned with a pencil, giving them an authentic look reminiscent of real tapes. The photos show the “Ritual Industries” app interface as music begins to play when a cassette is scanned.
Software Development
On the software front, bharms27 developed a basic music player app using Processing, later transitioning to Android Studio with AI assistance to add Spotify controls. This means that right now, playback mainly works for Android users since iOS has strict NFC rules and varying reader placements that create challenges. The developer mentioned that support for iOS may come if there’s enough demand from users.
The feedback from the community has been very positive. Many users have proposed various feature enhancements, such as pausing playback when a cassette is removed, sparking a larger discussion about alternatives to streaming.
For those interested, bharms27 has shared more experiments with tangible digital technology on their Instagram account, @ritual.industries. Although this project isn’t for sale, it serves as a fascinating example of the expanding influence and appeal of maker culture, open hardware, and personal fabrication. Similar 3D-printed DIY projects have been covered in the past, like an ultra-compact camera that utilizes a mouse sensor and the fastest drone in the world.
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