Episode 001 · Storybox · firmware 0.2.7

I built my kids a story player

thumbnail: the box on the kitchen table, a kid's hand reaching for a figure [runtime]
[runtime] · published [date] · about €60 in parts
In this episode

The tag in a story figure costs 19 cents

So I built the box to go with it. A printed box, a figure on top, and a story plays from a microSD card. In the video: the board, the wiring I got backwards, the seven bench tests, and the firmware I wrote with an AI over a few weeks of evenings.

Chapters
  1. [0:00]The figure and the 19-cent tag
  2. [0:00]The board, and why this one
  3. [0:00]The SD pins I got backwards
  4. [0:00]Seven tests before the glue
  5. [0:00]Firmware, written with an AI
  6. [0:00]The kids’ verdict
Build it yourself

Five bench tests, open to anyone

Every part at the price I paid, the wiring that works, and the result from my bench for each test. The printable pack is one email away.

Open the build →

Parts list with shop links, pin map, all five tests as one PDF. Unsubscribe is one click.

From the build log

Why I built it

We have a Toniebox. My wife picked it, the kids took to it, and I kept turning the figures over in my hand. Inside each one is an NFC tag. I buy those for 19 cents apiece. The story itself sits on a server I don't control.

I wanted the version we own. Stories on a card inside the box. Figures we print on a Tuesday night. And, if I'm honest, a project with a reason behind it, so I'd finish it instead of bookmarking it.

I'm not a firmware engineer. The 8,000 or so lines running in that box were written with an AI at my elbow, evening by evening. That's what this site is about.

Mine is on the shelf now. The only review so far is my family's: "really cool." The kids tap it before I'm out of the room.

photo: the box on the shelf, printed figures beside it
case: Owlbox by xtract, MakerWorld
As built, not planned

What it does

  • Figure on, the story plays and picks up where it stopped. Figure off, it stops and saves the spot.
  • A knob for volume, with a ceiling you set so bedtime stays bedtime.
  • Two buttons: chapter back, chapter forward. Hold one to skip 10 or 30 seconds.
  • A parent app: listening window, volume cap, sleep timer. The box enforces the rules itself.
  • No Raspberry Pi, no server in a cupboard. It boots, reads the figure, plays.
  • A 2×32 W amp and two 2.5-inch speakers. More than a bedtime story needs.
⚠ Caution · you're the safety officer This is a kit you build. Small parts, magnets, and a 5 V 3 A supply on a board with no fuse. You decide what your kid gets to touch, and when the case gets glued shut.
Questions

Before you ask

Do I have to solder?
A little: five pads on the board and the header on the reader. If you’ve never held an iron, the reader’s header is a fine first job.
Do I need a 3D printer?
Not for the electronics. The case is printed; use yours, a friend’s, or a print service.
What does it really cost?
About €60 in parts, plus filament and a 5 V 3 A supply if you don’t have one lying around.
How long does it take?
Mine took weeks, mostly finding out what’s now on the build page. I’m timing the next one: [first-timer build time].
Up next · EP 002 · on the bench [Episode 002 working title] Follow the build log →