A charity-shop toy that talks back
Give an old animatronic toy, such as a singing wall fish, speech recognition, a small language model and a voice, with its motors moving to the audio.
A source to explore and a proposed direction to develop. This is not a full build assessment.
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Give an old animatronic toy, such as a singing wall fish, speech recognition, a small language model and a voice, with its motors moving to the audio.
CAIBI’s proposed addition: The best-known offline build publishes no code or wiring, so plan to write the speech pipeline and the audio-to-motor timing yourself. Keep it offline if children will use it.
Start with the original
Source lead
Source write-up read 24 Sep 2026; it publishes no code, wiring or licence, and the language model is not identified
See the original source for its photos and demonstrations. We have not copied imagery without confirmed reuse rights. A source prototype is not a photo of this proposed CAIBI build.
Prompts to move it forward
Copy a prompt into your AI tool with the source material and your actual parts. Work through one small step at a time and check the output before using it. Choose an AI tool or practise the skills first.
Check the source before buying
Review the source material I supply for A charity-shop toy that talks back. Make a table of what is provided, missing, contradictory or dependent on a paid service. Identify exact hardware revisions, firmware files, library versions, CAD files and licences. Separate creator claims from your proposed additions. Do not fill gaps with guessed specifications. Finish with one small test that can resolve the biggest uncertainty before I buy parts. Sources: Hackaday.io, Steve Hernandez: https://hackaday.io/project/201939-big-mouth-billy-bass-offline-ai
Plan the next step
I want to develop this idea: A charity-shop toy that talks back. Intended outcome: Give an old animatronic toy, such as a singing wall fish, speech recognition, a small language model and a voice, with its motors moving to the audio. The source is https://hackaday.io/project/201939-big-mouth-billy-bass-offline-ai. CAIBI suggests: The best-known offline build publishes no code or wiring, so plan to write the speech pipeline and the audio-to-motor timing yourself. Keep it offline if children will use it. First inspect the source I supply. Separate what it already does from proposed additions. Ask for my actual board, parts, skill level and missing files. Produce a small staged plan with one bench test per stage. Do not invent pin assignments, dimensions or completed test results. Sources: Hackaday.io, Steve Hernandez: https://hackaday.io/project/201939-big-mouth-billy-bass-offline-ai
Design a measured enclosure
Help me design a practical enclosure for A charity-shop toy that talks back. First ask for measured component dimensions, mounting holes, connectors, cable clearance, ventilation and operating conditions. Suggest a printable or off-the-shelf approach. Begin with a fit-test piece before a complete case. Label assumptions and do not invent an enclosure rating. Sources: Hackaday.io, Steve Hernandez: https://hackaday.io/project/201939-big-mouth-billy-bass-offline-ai
Check and document the result
Create a test log for A charity-shop toy that talks back. Intended outcome: Give an old animatronic toy, such as a singing wall fish, speech recognition, a small language model and a voice, with its motors moving to the audio. Separate expected behaviour from observed results. Include power restart, disconnected inputs, communication failure and the actual physical use. Ask me to provide results, firmware versions, changes, photos and unresolved problems. Never mark a test passed without my evidence. Sources: Hackaday.io, Steve Hernandez: https://hackaday.io/project/201939-big-mouth-billy-bass-offline-ai
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