Hacking/Using old Amazon Echo devices for Voice?

Configuration Voice Assistant
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Has anyone repurposed the zillions of old Amazon Echo devices that are floating around out there?

I’m completely fed up with Alexa these days. 1/2 the time she refuses to “wake up”, which oddly has become more and more common. My wife is now literally shouting at her just to set timers. Add to that the Bezos idiot who is shooting up flares signaling the end of the free ride. Even though we know Amazon is making Billions, Bezos rarely lets a product or service languish that to him is “unprofitable”. So mark my words it’s just a matter of time before there will be a subscription charge to use Alexa. Google may very well follow suit…

I literally do about 5 or 6 things with these ICBVM’s - Intrusive Cloud Based Virus Machines.

  1. set timers
  2. run HA routines
  3. turn switches on/off
  4. add items to my shopping lists
  5. play music streams
    I dont shop, surf or play games. I suspect the vast majority of folks using these ICBVM’s are in the same boat.

They are PERFECTLY suited with multiple mics, a useable speaker, and nice looking, compact enclosures.

Thoughts? Anyone hacked these yet? It seems that if they were able to be repurposed, this entire HA Voice effort would catch on like California wild-fires. And we could thwart Bezos at his own game… that alone is worth the price of admission…

I’m willing to tear apart mine - I have at least 3 old Echo units.

Jeff

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I saw someone was developing a replacement pcb for the the Google mini, but not heard any more for while now. This was going to be opensource.

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If you want to rant, at least get your facts straight.

  1. Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon in 2021. Andy Jassy is the CEO so current decisions about hardware and devices are the responsibility of new management.
  2. Amazon’s hardware and devices division was hemorrhaging money and deemed unprofitable. In November 2022, they eliminated thousands of employees.
  3. Amazon’s SVP of hardware and devices was (up to August 2023) David Limp who has moved on to become CEO at Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.

There’s a lot that can be said about Jeff Bezos but current and future decisions about Amazon’s hardware and related services are determined by others.

As for my Alexa-enabled devices, I haven’t experienced the “refuses to wake up” problem you described.

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While you are technically right, the sole of the question is still lying there. Do you have any suggestion about giving a new life to echo devices? Otherwise, what is the point of ranting about how right is the ranting?

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You should look up the definition of the word “rant”.

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Will do, back to the question, do you have anything valuable to add to the main question?

@jazzmonger , there was a similar discussion earlier here but it needs heavy work 'Recycling' Google Nest Mini / Home Mini

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If the OP simply wanted to ask a question, then that’s all that would have appeared in the first post. However, they chose to preface their question with disparaging commentary based on outdated and incorrect information.

As for the question itself, the answer is “not easily if at all” because it was designed to prevent it.

Here’s a taste of the challenge (over a year old and not using the latest model):

http://andygoetz.org/blog/unlocking-echo-dot-v2/
http://andygoetz.org/blog/echo-dot-v2-dumping-emmc/
http://andygoetz.org/blog/echo-dot-v2-finding-the-uart/

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Nope… it’s actually called an option,which, last time I checked, in the USA, I’m absolutely entitled to. Other countries, not so much…
You guys seriously need to lighten up.

The question remains. And will remain until someone makes a break thru here.

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To misplace blame? That’s called a mistake and others are equally free to correct it.

As for the question, the answer is based on how much effort one is willing to invest in thwarting the security of a device designed not to be re-purposed. The incentive to do that might increase if Amazon implements a paid subscription for Alexa services.

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Jesus Christ mate. Just answer the question. Or step out of the conversation.

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I had a look at mine. It has an audio jack. Dont suppose thats Input and output also?

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At the very least, you have an enclosure with a speaker and microphones. You could replace internals with min BT amp. An old small BT speaker would probably work.
I don’t know if it’s possible to find a micro BT microphone preamp. I think Pico makes one.
That would be an interesting project.
I know its a bit old school but it should be do-able
Or is it possible to bypass all the Alexa bit internally. Maybe just using the audio section.

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I answered the question by providing links to a project that attempts to do exactly what was requested, namely repurpose an Echo. Prior to that, I clarified several misconceptions stated within the largest paragraph of the original post.

Perhaps you didn’t read those links before you felt a pressing need to admonish me.

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Dont know if you managed to sort it but Lukas Bachschwell has a hack for a nest. With a bit of luck the replacement PCB will fit an Echo. Fingers crossed. Could you let me know how you got on as I am just starting to look in to installing the voice assistant and I have an Echo sitting around.
Lukas Bachschwell

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how about
s/Bezos/Amazon/g

?
B.

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s/.*//gm

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I’m having a look at it but there are lots of difficulties involved.

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I’ve moved on. HA voice is hopelessly lost in the minutae. Truly local voice is HARD to do any not something a Pi is currently capable of at least with current state of the art.

IMHO, The heyWillow.io project is where it’s at. And it’s working today with a $70 used eBay CUDA capable GPU and Box3 satellites.

Just search my posts for a detailed tutorial that will get it working in literally 15 minutes.

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willow.io is a domain name available to purchase. Did you mean “heywillow.io”?

B.

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Corrected!