Music You Never Forget
In video games, there are melodies you remember for a lifetime. The Final Fantasy soundtracks, the Mario themes, the Tetris music... They become part of who you are.
Far Off Promise, a Chrono Trigger track played like a music box, is one of them. When my son was born, I really wanted to share this music with him, along with so many other video game soundtracks that mean so much to me.
But how? I could play it on my phone at bedtime, but I wanted him to be autonomous in his musical discovery, without a screen, without me pulling out my smartphone in front of him all the time.
The Starting Point
One day, someone offered to get us a Faba. The concept is simple: you place a figurine on the box and the music starts. But digging deeper, I found it limiting. The content is fixed: you buy a figurine, you get a predefined playlist. No way to choose the music you share with your child.
So I decided to build my own music box.
The Idea: NFC Cards
My son was 1 and a half. I needed something simple and intuitive. It was clear to me that NFC technology was the answer: you bring an object close, the music starts. So I naturally went with NFC cards.
The Proof of Concept
A Raspberry Pi, a PN532 NFC reader, an Adafruit audio HAT for the speakers and a few wires sitting on my desk. No case, just raw electronics.
A new technology had just come out at the time: generative AI. It helped me a lot. I was able to write a small Python script by directly transposing my iOS developer knowledge. The concept was simple: a JSON file that maps each NFC card to a song. You scan a card, the corresponding music is sent to the speakers.
I also had a small terminal script that let me list the songs in a folder and associate them one by one with cards I scanned. Not very ergonomic, but functional.
The whole thing was built in half a day.
The proof of concept worked, but it needed a proper case. I called on my father. Together, we cut wooden boards, assembled a case with glue and corner beads to reinforce the edges. A true old-school workshop project.
It was a special moment: three generations brought together around this project. The grandfather who builds, the father who designs, and the grandson who will enjoy it.
My Son's Reaction
When my son placed his first card on the box, he started dancing. He immediately understood the concept.
He didn't want to let go of the box for two days. He even slept with it.
At that moment, I knew the concept worked. My sister wanted one for her children. The project had just gone beyond a simple Sunday DIY project.