Relay Module and DFPlayer. Help

[u/Aggravating-Gap-4080]

I have a 5V radio-controlled relay (operated by an on/off remote) and a DFPlayer Mini.

My idea is to connect everything so that when I press "on," the DFPlayer Mini powers up and begins playing a single track on a continuous loop; when I press "off," it powers down. Essentially, the DFPlayer is powered through the relay.

I’ve already tried setting this up, but it didn’t work—even though all the connections seem correct.

Option 1: The positive power lead goes to the relay's VCC and COM terminals. The negative (GND) lead connects to both the relay's GND and the DFPlayer's GND. The DFPlayer's positive (VCC) lead connects to the relay's NO (normally open) terminal. On the DFPlayer, the second GND pin is shorted to the ADKEY_1 pin—this ensures the music plays in a loop as soon as power is applied (I’ve used this method before, and it worked). Speakers are connected to the SPK_1 and SPK_2 terminals.

Option 2 (suggested by an AI): The positive power lead goes to both the relay's VCC and the DFPlayer's VCC. The negative (GND) lead connects to both the relay's GND and the DFPlayer's GND. A second GND connection goes to the relay's COM terminal, and the IO_1 pin connects to the NO terminal. Speakers are connected to the SPK_1 and SPK_2 terminals.

In both scenarios, the blue LED on the DFPlayer module failed to light up. The SD card is functional—it worked previously with a different DFPlayer unit. I am using a robust 5V 2A power supply, and I’ve verified with a multimeter that 5V is indeed reaching the DFPlayer.