Dead Men Tell No Tales — Talking Skull Servo Sync

This project syncs a servo-driven jaw (animatronic skull or puppet) with audio playback from a DFRobot DF1201S MP3 player module. It makes the skull "say" the phrase:

“Dead men tell no tales.”

The Arduino sketch smoothly animates the jaw across a calibrated range of 0° to 45°, timed to match the audio playback for a realistic lip-sync effect.

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✨ Features

• Smooth servo motion with multiple jaw positions (0–45°)
• Pre-timed sequence for Dead men tell no tales (~11 seconds)
• DF1201S MP3 playback integration (UART)
• Automatic sync offset (~150 ms) so the jaw starts moving when the sound starts
• Simple to extend for new audio files or phrases
• Adding a new feature to sing the Yo Ho Pirate Song

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🛠 Hardware Required

• Arduino Uno (or compatible)
• DFRobot DFPlayer Pro (DF1201S)
• Servo motor (mouth/jaw)
• HC-SR04 Ultrasonic sensor
• LED (with resistor ~220Ω)
• Aux output (3.5mm jack for DFPlayer PRO)
• Wires, breadboard, or perfboard

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Connections

Servo (mouth)

• Servo signal → Arduino D9
• Servo VCC (red) → 5V
• Servo GND (brown/black) → GND

HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor

• VCC → 5V
• GND → GND
• Trig → Arduino D10
• Echo → Arduino D13

LED

• LED anode (+) → Arduino D8 (through 220Ω resistor to limit current)
• LED cathode (–) → GND

DFPlayer PRO (DF1201S)

• RX (DFPlayer) → Arduino D3 (TX of SoftwareSerial)
• TX (DFPlayer) → Arduino D2 (RX of SoftwareSerial)
• VCC → 5V
• GND → GND
• DACR / DACL → 3.5 mm AUX jack → external powered speakers or amplifier

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Power Notes

• Servo draws significant current → may need separate 5V supply (common ground with Arduino).
• DFPlayer PRO also powered from 5V.
• Keep Arduino USB connected or provide regulated 5V power.

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📂 File Setup

1. Place your MP3 file on the SD card. Example: /mp3/0001.mp3
2. The sketch will call DF1201S.start() to play the first track.

Wiring Table — Arduino Uno + DFPlayer Pro + Servo + HC-SR04 + LED

Arduino Uno Pin	Connection	Target Device Pin
D2	RX (SoftwareSerial)	DFPlayer TX
D3	TX (SoftwareSerial)	DFPlayer RX
D9	Servo control signal	Servo Signal
D10	Trigger output	HC-SR04 Trig
D13	Echo input	HC-SR04 Echo
D8	Digital output (with 220Ω resistor)	LED Anode (+)
5V	Power supply	Servo VCC, HC-SR04 VCC, DFPlayer VCC
GND	Common ground	Servo GND, HC-SR04 GND, DFPlayer GND, LED Cathode
—	Audio output	DFPlayer DACL/DACR → AUX Jack → Powered Speakers

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▶️ Usage

1. Upload the sketch to your Arduino.
2. Power everything on.
3. The DF1201S will play the MP3, and the jaw servo will sync with the audio.
4. The sequence repeats with a short pause.

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⚙️ Calibration

• Servo range is set for 0° (closed) to 45° (open).
• If your servo moves the wrong direction:
• Flip the servo horn physically, or
• Swap JAW_CLOSED = 45 and JAW_OPEN = 0 in the code.

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📜 License

MIT License — feel free to use, modify, and share.