Customer:
I’m planning to build a low-distraction meditation timer using Inkplate 4. I’d like to extend the audio capabilities beyond the buzzer to add a small speaker for bell rings and similar sounds. Is this easily possible, or should I work with the buzzer as-is?
Originally submitted via email support on 23 October 2023. Migrated to the forum for community visibility.
Soldered Support:
The buzzer is an option, but it’s controlled through a digital potentiometer which lowers its degree of precision when it comes to pitch. Beeping is what it does best.
You could use one of the GPIO pins to produce a PWM audio signal which would then be played on a small 8ohm speaker - the signal would have to be amplified though, and the audio quality would be so-so. Check out this tutorial: ESP 32 Based Audio Player : 6 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables
If you want realistic sound you would probably have to use a peripheral device. Look up ‘Arduino mp3 player’ to find small IC’s which can even use a SD card to store audio files which you can then play in high quality.