RFID Jukebox

Note

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Kit purchase

Looking for parts? Check out our all-in-one kits below — packed with components, beginner-friendly guides, and tons of fun.

Name	Includes Arduino board	PURCHASE LINK
Elite Explorer Kit	Arduino Uno R4 WiFi	BUY
Inventor Lab Kit	Arduino Uno R3	BUY

Course Introduction

In this lesson, we’ll build a Jukebox using an MFRC522 module, an LED strip, and a passive buzzer.

First we’ll write track data to an RFID card, then scanning it will trigger music playback and lighting effects.

Note

If this is your first time working with an Arduino project, we recommend downloading and reviewing the basic materials first.

Required Components

In this project, we need the following components:

SN	COMPONENT INTRODUCTION	QUANTITY	PURCHASE LINK
1	Arduino UNO R4 Minima/Arduino UNO R4 WIFI	1	BUY
2	USB Type-C cable	1
3	Breadboard	1	BUY
4	Wires	Several	BUY
5	Passive Buzzer	1	BUY
6	MFRC522 Module	1	BUY
7	Power Supply Module	1	BUY
8	LED Strip	1	BUY

Wiring

Common Connections:

MFRC522 Module
- SDA: Connect to 10 on the Arduino.
- SCK: Connect to 13 on the Arduino.
- MOSI: Connect to 11 on the Arduino.
- MISO: Connect to 12 on the Arduino.
- GND: Connect to breadboard’s negative power bus.
- RST: Connect to 9 on the Arduino.
- 3.3V: Connect to breadboard’s passive power bus.
Passive Buzzer
- ＋: Connect to 6 on the Arduino.
- －: Connect to breadboard’s negative power bus.
LED Strip
- Din: Connect to 3 on the Arduino.
- GND: Connect to breadboard’s negative power bus.
- +5V: Connect to breadboard’s passive power bus.

Writing the Code

Note

You can copy this code into Arduino IDE.
To install the library, use the Arduino Library Manager and search for FastLED and install it.
To install the library, use the Arduino Library Manager and search for MFRC522 and install it.
Don’t forget to select the board(Arduino UNO R4 WIFI) and the correct port before clicking the Upload button.

Information writing

#include <SPI.h>
#include <MFRC522.h>

#define SS_PIN  10   // SDA (SS) pin for RFID module
#define RST_PIN 9    // RST pin for RFID module

MFRC522 rfid(SS_PIN, RST_PIN);  // Create RFID reader instance

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);   // Initialize serial communication
  SPI.begin();          // Initialize SPI bus
  rfid.PCD_Init();      // Initialize MFRC522 module
  Serial.println("Place your RFID card near the reader to write a melody...");
}

void loop() {
  if (!rfid.PICC_IsNewCardPresent() || !rfid.PICC_ReadCardSerial()) {
    return;
  }

  // ==== Write data block ====

  // Melody 1: Custom melody example (can be replaced)
  // byte dataBlock[16] = {'C','D','E','F','G','A','B',' ',
  //                       'B','A','G','F','E','D','C'};

  // Melody 2: Ode to Joy (commented out)
  byte dataBlock[16] = {'E','E','F','G','G','F','E','D',
                        'C','C','D','E','E','D','D'};

  // ==== End of melody selection ====

  byte block = 4;

  MFRC522::MIFARE_Key key;
  for (byte i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
    key.keyByte[i] = 0xFF;
  }

  MFRC522::StatusCode status = rfid.PCD_Authenticate(
    MFRC522::PICC_CMD_MF_AUTH_KEY_A,
    block,
    &key,
    &(rfid.uid)
  );

  if (status != MFRC522::STATUS_OK) {
    Serial.print("Authentication failed: ");
    Serial.println(rfid.GetStatusCodeName(status));
    return;
  }

  status = rfid.MIFARE_Write(block, dataBlock, 16);

  if (status != MFRC522::STATUS_OK) {
    Serial.print("Write failed: ");
    Serial.println(rfid.GetStatusCodeName(status));
  } else {
    Serial.println("✅ Melody successfully written to RFID card!");
  }

  rfid.PICC_HaltA();
  rfid.PCD_StopCrypto1();
  delay(1500);
}

Information reading

#include <SPI.h>
#include <MFRC522.h>
#include <FastLED.h>

#define SS_PIN        10    // MFRC522 SDA/SS
#define RST_PIN       9     // MFRC522 RST
#define BUZZER_PIN    6     // Passive buzzer
#define LED_PIN       3     // WS2812 DIN
#define NUM_LEDS      8     // Number of LEDs
#define NOTE_DURATION 300   // ms per note

MFRC522 rfid(SS_PIN, RST_PIN);
CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS];

// Base notes → fixed LED indices
const char baseNotes[8] = {'C','D','E','F','G','A','B',' '};

// Map note to LED index (C→0 … ' '→7)
int mapNoteToLED(char note) {
  for (int i = 0; i < NUM_LEDS; i++) {
    if (note == baseNotes[i]) return i;
  }
  return -1;
}

// Note → frequency
int getNoteFrequency(char note) {
  switch (note) {
    case 'C': return 261;
    case 'D': return 294;
    case 'E': return 329;
    case 'F': return 349;
    case 'G': return 392;
    case 'A': return 440;
    case 'B': return 493;
    default:  return 0;  // rest
  }
}

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  SPI.begin();
  rfid.PCD_Init();

  pinMode(BUZZER_PIN, OUTPUT);
  FastLED.addLeds<WS2812, LED_PIN, GRB>(leds, NUM_LEDS);

  // startup all-blue
  for (int i = 0; i < NUM_LEDS; i++) leds[i] = CRGB::Blue;
  FastLED.show();

  Serial.println("Waiting for RFID card to play melody...");
}

void loop() {
  if (!rfid.PICC_IsNewCardPresent() ||
      !rfid.PICC_ReadCardSerial()) {
    return;
  }

  // authenticate & read block 4
  byte block = 4, buffer[18], size = sizeof(buffer);
  MFRC522::MIFARE_Key key;
  for (byte i = 0; i < 6; i++) key.keyByte[i] = 0xFF;

  auto status = rfid.PCD_Authenticate(
    MFRC522::PICC_CMD_MF_AUTH_KEY_A, block, &key, &rfid.uid
  );
  if (status != MFRC522::STATUS_OK) {
    Serial.print("Auth failed: ");
    Serial.println(rfid.GetStatusCodeName(status));
    return;
  }
  status = rfid.MIFARE_Read(block, buffer, &size);
  if (status != MFRC522::STATUS_OK) {
    Serial.print("Read failed: ");
    Serial.println(rfid.GetStatusCodeName(status));
    return;
  }

  Serial.print("Melody: ");
  for (int i = 0; i < 16; i++) Serial.print((char)buffer[i]);
  Serial.println();

  // play with LED feedback
  char lastNote = '\0';
  int lastLED = -1;
  for (int i = 0; i < 16; i++) {
    char noteChar = (char)buffer[i];
    int ledIdx = mapNoteToLED(noteChar);
    int freq   = getNoteFrequency(noteChar);

    // sound
    if (freq > 0) tone(BUZZER_PIN, freq, NOTE_DURATION);

    // LED update: only change previous and current
    if (lastLED >= 0) {
      leds[lastLED] = CRGB::Blue;
    }
    if (ledIdx >= 0) {
      leds[ledIdx] = CRGB::Red;
    }
    FastLED.show();

    delay(NOTE_DURATION);
    noTone(BUZZER_PIN);

    lastNote = noteChar;
    lastLED  = ledIdx;
  }

  rfid.PICC_HaltA();
  rfid.PCD_StopCrypto1();
  delay(1000);
}