The SX and Propeller are fast enough to feed an STA013. (Here's a nice article on the STA013: www.pjrc.com/mp3/sta013.html). The main problem you'll face is dealing with a file system on the hard disk drive. You could come up with your own scheme for storing the MP3 files, but, if you want to access them from a PC, you'll need to use the FAT file system (for Windows) or EXT2 (for Linux). One of the forum participants has been working on a set of routines for the Propeller for the FAT system.
As an alternative, you could control an MP3 player from a BS2. Vinculum (www.vinculum.com) makes the VMUSIC1 which uses a USB interface for its mass storage. Rogue Robotics makes the uMP3 which uses an SD/MMC card. Both are controllable via a serial interface. The BS2 could manage a display and keypad and control the player.
Can your company vouch for orders from those MP3 player module maker you have mentioned awhile ago. It is very hard to purchase products outside from the Philippines if we dont have distributors.
Although this forum is supported by Parallax, unless the information is posted by a Parallax employee, it's based strictly on personal experience and is not supported by Parallax. Rogue Robotics is located in Markham, Ontario, Canada (www.roguerobotics.com) and Vinculum is a product line of FTDI in Glasgow, Scotland, UK (www.ftdichip.com/). You might contact them to see if they have distributors for the Philippines.
I'm not a Parallax employee, but I like their products and the way they support them and I've used them in a variety of projects. I've used the Rogue Robotics' uMP3 and I'm experimenting with a Vinculum VDIP1 (and will probably try out a VMUSIC1 for another project in the next few months).
Comments
As an alternative, you could control an MP3 player from a BS2. Vinculum (www.vinculum.com) makes the VMUSIC1 which uses a USB interface for its mass storage. Rogue Robotics makes the uMP3 which uses an SD/MMC card. Both are controllable via a serial interface. The BS2 could manage a display and keypad and control the player.
I'm not a Parallax employee, but I like their products and the way they support them and I've used them in a variety of projects. I've used the Rogue Robotics' uMP3 and I'm experimenting with a Vinculum VDIP1 (and will probably try out a VMUSIC1 for another project in the next few months).