Got all the parts | Soldered

After waiting for around 2 weeks, I finally got all of the stuff I ordered. Then I went ahead and began to solder each part. However because my 7$ soldering iron is buns, I had to find some ways to fix the tip as the iron wouldn't be tinned but just have a blob of soldering on one side. After soldering the pins of the modules, I referenced to my wiring diagram as I would start to begin on connecting/soldering the wires to connect everything together.

After connecting the wires together, this is what the final product looks like. Very messy....

I realized that it would've been much easier if I had connected the wires to the board instead of the pin headers. This was struggle because I didn't have the "helping hands" tool and the components kept slipping. However, I'm still glad that I got this done today so I can work on implementing the code on the weekend!

Made the code and used Edge Impulse

Today, I first got the bare bones of my code done by creating a function that inputs a key, such as "E," whenever the AI detects a specific phrase. Then, I headed over to Edge Impulse to train the AI model to recognize the phrases I wanted. The website’s navigation was a bit tricky at first, but the tutorial helped me understand what each tab does. My goal is to train the model to recognize 20+ phrases, but so far I have only trained it on three phrases to test the system. Later, I plan to add the remaining phrases. After training the AI model, I exported the file and updated my code so that it points to the same directory as the exported file. I also had to adjust the detection logic in my code to ensure that it correctly triggers the keypress when the model recognizes a phrase.

Changed the mic and planned the wiring

Today, I realized the MAX4466 wasn’t ideal for my project as it was an analog mic, so I swapped it out for the INMP441 I2S microphone. After rewiring, I quickly made a wiring diagram using Google Slides to keep track of connections(kinda messy). Additionally, while making the wiring diagram I realized that I would have to take out the battery after every use. To solve this issue, I went with idea of making a DIY switch with a wooden clothespin to save cost. The next step is to write firmware code in c++.

Finding Parts

Today, I came up with the idea of making an AI sound/phrase detection macro. I began finding the parts on Aliexpress which I would need for the build. This took a while for me as I had to change the microcontroller many times for features like BLE, low cost and space. In the end I decided to go with an ESP32-S3 SuperMini, MAX4466 and a 3 AA Battery Holder(I already have). Next step is to plan out the wiring.