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Elehobica’s open-source RPi_Pico_WAV_Player is a portable Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico 2 project that its README specifies for mono or stereo WAV playback up to 24-bit/192 kHz. It pairs a microSD card with a PCM5102 I2S DAC, a small color display and physical or headphone-remote controls. The capability is appealing, but 192 kHz support is a firmware specification—not proof of measured audio performance, and not a guarantee that every microSD card will play reliably at that rate.
What the player is—and what “hi-res” means here
Elehobica describes the project as a “Hi-Res WAV player for Raspberry Pi Pico.” It is a DIY player built around a Raspberry Pi Pico or Pico 2, rather than a general-purpose streaming device. Music is read from a microSD card and sent over I2S to a PCM5102 digital-to-analog converter (DAC), which provides the analog headphone output.
In this project, “hi-res” refers to supported WAV bit depths and sample rates. The specifications in Elehobica’s project README list 16-bit and 24-bit playback, mono or stereo, at the rates below. They do not establish how the completed player measures or sounds.
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| WAV resolution | Documented sample rates | Channels |
|---|---|---|
| 16-bit | 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192 kHz | Mono or stereo |
| 24-bit | 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192 kHz | Mono or stereo |
Those are project support specifications listed in the current repository, accessed in 2026. They should not be read as independent test results, or as a claim that the player supports every audio format or file type. The project is specifically a WAV player.
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How the hardware fits together
The Pico handles playback and control, while the external DAC converts digital audio into an analog signal for the 3.5 mm headphone output. The README identifies the I2S connections and DAC-control pin as follows:
| Raspberry Pi Pico pin | PCM5102 connection | Role |
|---|---|---|
| GP16 | BCK | I2S bit clock |
| GP17 | LRCK | I2S left/right clock |
| GP18 | DIN | I2S audio data input |
| GP27 | XSMT | DAC enable control |
For power, Elehobica recommends feeding the PCM5102 from the Pico’s 5 V VBUS for noise reasons; the README specifies 3.3 V for the battery configuration. That is a project-specific wiring recommendation, not a general instruction to connect power pins without checking the board and DAC module you actually have.
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Display, controls and library features
The documented interface is a 0.96-inch ST7735S color LCD with a 160 × 80-pixel display. Playback can be controlled with three push buttons or buttons on a compatible headphone remote. The project lists folder browsing, play and pause, volume adjustment, repeat and random modes, WAV LIST/ID3v2 tag display, and JPEG cover-art display. Hackster’s Gareth Halfacree also describes the build as battery-capable and highlights its graphical interface, microSD storage and PCM5102-based headphone output.
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Parts and storage to plan for
The README’s reference setup uses a Raspberry Pi Pico or Pico 2, a PCM5102 I2S DAC, a microSD card, the ST7735S display and buttons or headphone-remote input. The project also supports exFAT-formatted microSD cards. Optional display-board alternatives named in the README are Waveshare RP2040-LCD-0.96 and RP2350-LCD-0.96.
Elehobica lists these 256GB cards as reference cards: Samsung PRO Plus, Kioxia Exceria G2, SanDisk Extreme PRO and SanDisk Ultra. That list is useful as a starting point, not a promise that any particular card, capacity or card from a different production run will work equally well at the highest rates.
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Why card choice matters
The player reads the card over single-bit SPI. The README warns that nominal speed ratings do not by themselves guarantee smooth high-resolution playback; if playback mutes, it recommends trying a different card or vendor. In other words, a card’s headline speed is not the same thing as reliable sustained reads in this player. Treat the maximum listed sample rate as conditional on the card and setup behaving properly.
Build and compile the firmware
The project provides a Docker build route and a local-build route. Docker uses the image tag pico-sdk-dev-docker:sdk-2.3.0 and produces UF2 firmware files for Pico and Pico 2. A local build requires matching Pico SDK, examples and extras repositories. The available project description does not establish a complete parts bill, enclosure design, battery runtime or one universal wiring layout beyond the pin connections listed above, so check Elehobica’s README for the exact setup and build instructions before assembling hardware.
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- Choose the board and peripherals. Decide whether to use a Raspberry Pi Pico or Pico 2, then obtain a compatible PCM5102 I2S DAC, microSD card, ST7735S 160 × 80 display and the desired buttons or headphone-remote controls.
- Wire the audio path. Connect GP16 to BCK, GP17 to LRCK, GP18 to DIN, and GP27 to XSMT on the PCM5102 module. Follow the README’s power guidance for the configuration you are building.
- Prepare the firmware build. Use the documented Docker image
pico-sdk-dev-docker:sdk-2.3.0, or set up the matching Pico SDK, examples and extras repositories for a local build. - Build the UF2 for your board. Use the project’s documented build instructions to produce the Pico or Pico 2 UF2, then flash the file using the normal UF2 process for that board. Confirm that you selected the target that matches your hardware.
- Try playback with your intended card and WAV files. If high-resolution playback mutes, test another microSD card or vendor rather than assuming the card’s advertised speed rating guarantees reliable SPI reads.
What the specifications do—and do not—tell you
The listed 24-bit/192 kHz support makes this a compelling DIY project for someone who wants a self-contained WAV player and is comfortable with embedded hardware. But sample-rate support is only one part of audio performance. The sources describing the project publish no independent measurements of frequency response, noise, distortion, battery runtime or listening quality. There is therefore no basis to claim that it sounds better than another player, or to promise a particular runtime or measured fidelity.
For a comparison with another DIY player, look beyond its maximum sample rate: check its storage interface and sustained-read behavior, DAC and analog output, screen and controls, power design, and whether its firmware can be built reproducibly. Those details help distinguish a high-resolution format specification from a complete, dependable listening system.
License and project reuse
The repository is marked BSD-2-Clause. That permits reuse of the project’s source and documentation under the license’s terms; anyone redistributing or adapting it should read the license and preserve the required notices.
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