I’ve never been a fan of Alexa or Google Home. The devices seem cool, but the companies backing these devices are less cool… However, there’s this open source platform: Open Voice Operating System that seems like a good candidate for a personal assistant that doesn’t harvest information about you. There is a device, the Mycroft Mark II, available for sale that’s powered by this platform, but it costs $400.
My Build
Since the software is free and open source, anyone can put together their own device! So I’ll be working on an audio-only device. I’ll be adding more information as I go along, but so far, here’s the build information:
| Part | Supplier | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Raspberry PI 4 / 4GB Memory | Adafruit | $55 |
| Raspberry PI Power Supply | Adafruit | $7.95 |
| Audio Codec | PiShop | $20 |
| Total Shipping | USPS | $12.42 |
| Total Tax | $4.98 | |
| Donation to OVOS | $20 | |
| Total Cost of Parts | $120.35 |
Parts Description
The Raspberry PI is the computer that powers the voice assistant. It comes in cheaper options with less memory which might work, but I figured 4GB of memory should be enough. I’d rather have more than not enough at least to start with. It needs a Power supply to run.
The Raspberry PI doesn’t have a microphone or speaker out of the box. The Audio Codec adds a speaker and microphone to the raspberry pi.
Once I get everything wired up, I should just have to install the Open Voice Operating System and test it out! There may be some configuration involved, but hopefully it’s not too bad.