The Adafruit Wave Shield adds high-quality audio playback to ATmega328-based Arduinos (Uno, Duemilanove, and compatibles). It plays uncompressed 22 KHz, 16-bit mono WAV files of any length from an SD/MMC card through an on-board 12-bit DAC, filter, and op-amp — delivering audio that's more than good enough for music, spoken word, and sound effects.

Audio plays asynchronously as an interrupt, so your Arduino can continue running other code while sound is playing. The included Arduino library makes it easy to trigger audio from button presses, sensor readings, serial commands, or any other event.

Key Features

• 12-Bit DAC Audio – On-board DAC, filter, and op-amp for high-quality mono output
• 22 KHz / 16-Bit Playback – Plays uncompressed .wav files of any length
• SD/MMC Card Reader – Reads FAT16/FAT32 formatted cards
• 3.5mm Headphone Jack – Stereo jack (mono signal on L+R) with auto-switching speaker output
• Speaker Output – Activates when headphones are unplugged
• Volume Control – On-board thumbwheel potentiometer
• Asynchronous Playback – Audio plays via interrupt while Arduino runs other tasks
• Arduino Library Included – Simple API for triggering and controlling audio

Ideal For

• Sound effects for props, costumes, and interactive installations
• Talking projects and audio announcements
• Sensor-triggered audio playback
• Background music for exhibits and displays

Compatibility

• ATmega328-based Arduinos only (Uno, Duemilanove, Diecimila, and compatibles)
• Not compatible with Arduino Zero, Due, Mega, or Leonardo

Package Contents

• 1× Adafruit Wave Shield v1.1 (unassembled kit — all parts included)

Resources

• Adafruit Wave Shield Guide – Assembly instructions, schematics, library, and examples