PD MCSVS – Modular Cosplay Sound & Voice System

A modular wireless sound system designed for cosplay applications. It consists of a handheld Transmitter (button controller) and a wearable Receiver (audio player), communicating via ESP-NOW protocol for reliable, low-latency wireless control.

Control sound effects from your gloves, trigger voice lines with a button press, and configure everything from your phone – no cables running through your costume.

Perfect for:

• Cosplay armor with sound effects (Stormtrooper comms, Mandalorian jetpack)
• Prop weapons with trigger sounds (blasters, lightsabers, sci-fi guns)
• Character costumes with voice lines (droids, masked characters, robots)
• Animatronics requiring wireless audio triggers
• Any wearable electronics that need wireless audio control

Feature Highlights

What is MCSVS?

MCSVS consists of two components that work together:

The Transmitter sits in your glove or prop. It has buttons that you press to trigger sounds. It communicates wirelessly with the receiver, so no cables run through your costume.

The Receiver is worn on your body (belt, backpack, chest plate). It plays audio files from an SD card through a small amplifier and speaker. A web interface lets you configure everything from your smartphone.

The two components communicate via ESP-NOW, a protocol designed for low-latency wireless communication. When you press a button, the sound plays within milliseconds.

Core Features

Wireless Button Control

Up to two transmitters can be paired simultaneously – one for each hand. Each transmitter has four buttons with two actions each:

• Press: Quick tap triggers one sound
• Hold: Hold for 500ms triggers a different sound

This gives you up to 16 different sounds accessible from both hands, without looking at anything or fumbling with controls.

Coming soon: 8-button variant for even more control options per hand.

Profile System

Create different profiles for different costumes or situations:

• “Stormtrooper” profile with radio chatter and blaster sounds
• “Mandalorian” profile with jetpack and voice lines
• “Convention” profile with crowd-friendly sounds

Switch profiles through the web interface. Your button mappings change instantly.

Flexible Sound Options

Single files: Map a button to play a specific sound file.

Random from folder: Map a button to a folder. Each press plays a random file from that folder. Useful for voice lines or footsteps where variety sounds more natural.

Loop mode: Hold a button to play a looping sound (breathing, engine idle, radio static). Release to fade out.

Priority Modes

What happens when you press a button while something is already playing?

• Interrupt: Stop the current sound, play the new one
• Queue: Wait for the current sound to finish, then play
• Ignore: Do nothing if something is playing

Different buttons can have different priority modes.

Web Configuration

Connect to the receiver’s WiFi access point and open a browser. The web interface lets you:

• Map sounds to buttons
• Create and switch profiles
• Test sound playback
• Pair transmitters
• Monitor battery level

No computer or special software required. Works from any smartphone.

Battery Monitoring

The transmitter measures its battery voltage and sends it to the receiver. The web interface shows the current battery level. The transmitter enters deep sleep when idle to conserve power.

Hardware

Transmitter

• Board: Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3
• Buttons: 4 momentary switches (8-button variant coming)
• Power: 120mAh 1S LiPo battery (3.7V)
• Battery life: 6-8 hours active use, weeks of standby
• Design: Super slim profile – buttons are nearly invisible under costume gloves

The XIAO ESP32-S3 includes LiPo charging circuitry. Connect USB-C to charge.

Receiver

• Board: Waveshare ESP32-S3 Zero
• Audio: PCM5102A I2S DAC (line-level output)
• Storage: MicroSD card (FAT32)
• Power: 5V from your costume’s power system

Connect the DAC output to a small amplifier and speaker. The audio quality depends on your amplifier and speaker choice.

Audio Format Support

• WAV: Recommended for sound effects. No decoding delay.
• MP3: Good for longer files or when storage space matters.

Sample rates up to 48kHz. Mono or stereo.

Typical Setup

Stormtrooper Armor

SD Card:
/Stormtrooper/
  /radio/      → Random radio chatter
  /lines/      → Voice lines ("Move along")
  /effects/    → Blaster shots, helmet clicks

Button mapping:

• Button 1 press: Blaster shot
• Button 2 press: Random voice line
• Button 3 hold: Radio chatter loop
• Button 4 press: Helmet click

Mandalorian Armor

SD Card:
/Mandalorian/
  /lines/      → "This is the way", etc.
  /effects/    → Jetpack, whistling birds
  /breathing/  → Helmet breathing loop

Button mapping:

• Button 1 press: Jetpack burst
• Button 2 press: Random voice line
• Button 3 hold: Breathing loop
• Button 4 press: Whistling birds

Technical Specifications

Limitations & Future Plans

WiFi during playback: The ESP32 handles both WiFi and audio. During heavy WiFi activity, audio may briefly glitch. The web interface is typically only used for configuration, not during performances.

Voice Changing: PD Voice Changer

MCSVS focuses on sound effect playback. For real-time voice changing, we’re developing the PD Voice Changer as a companion device.

The PD Voice Changer will:

• Be compatible with the MCSVS transmitter
• Provide live voice changing in addition to sound effects
• Enable both pre-recorded sounds and real-time voice processing

Use MCSVS for your blaster sounds and voice lines. Add the Voice Changer when you want to transform your voice in real-time.