I know that the radio is not a highly technological product or even something that needs high knowledge for its handling or construction. However, projects related to the assembly of this type of product do not cease to attract attention and it may be necessary for some user.
This same thing happened to Kevin Darrah, a lover of Hardware Libre what a good day needed to build a radio to listen to a program. It turned out that he did not have it at home and decided to build a homemade one, but unlike other devices, Darrah decided to put in an Arduino board.
This plate Arduino was connected to a TEA5767 FM radio module that allowed Arduino to pick up any FM radio tune, it also had 15 W speakers connected through which it emitted the sound.
But Darrah went ahead with the project and added some led lights to illuminate the screen while the dial was swiped or changed. Something interesting that gives a touch of personalization to the device.
Kevin Darrah customized his handmade radio with an Arduino board
Although this customization is not the only one that can be done. Arduino allows you to connect a varied number of modules and functionalities that would improve this FM radio. Among them is the bluetooth or Wifi module that would allow us to change the dial through our mobile or computer, a motion sensor that would allow to change the dial with movement or even a battery by solar charge that powers the device.
The possibilities are many and it doesn't take a lot of money to get the components, what's more, in this case, Kevin Darrah's radio was built had recycled or old components I had at home, except for Arduino and the FM module. If you want to build an equal radio, in this link You have a step-by-step guide on how to build us an equal model and all the necessary software so that it has the same functions.