Get a free AIY Projects Voice Kit with The MagPi 57!
We’re extremely excited to share with you the latest issue of The MagPi, the official Raspberry Pi magazine. It’s a very special issue bundled with an exclusive project kit from Google.
Called AIY Projects, the free hardware kit enables you to add voice interaction to your Raspberry Pi projects. The first AIY Projects kits are bundled free with the print edition of The MagPi 57.
Inside the magazine, you’ll find a Google Voice Hardware Attached on Top (HAT) accessory board, a stereo microphone Voice HAT board, a large arcade button, and a selection of wires. Last but not least, you’ll find a custom cardboard case to house it all in.
All you need to add is a Raspberry Pi 3. Then, after some software setup, you’ll have access to the Google Assistant SDK and Google Cloud Speech API.
We’ve got a full breakdown of how to set it all up and get it working inside the magazine. The folks at Google, along with us at The MagPi, are really excited to see what projects you can create (or enhance) with this kit, whether you’re creating a voice-controlled robot or a voice interface that answers all your questions. Some Raspberry Pi owners have been building AIY Projects in secret at Hackster, and we have their best voice interaction ideas in the magazine.
On top of this incredible bundle we also have our usual selection of excellent tutorials – such as an introduction to programming with Minecraft Pi, and hacking an Amazon Dash button – along with reviews, project showcases, and our guide to building the ultimate makers’ toolbox.
Subscribers should be getting their copies tomorrow, and you can also buy a copy in UK stores today including WHSmith, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Asda. Copies have been shipped to North America, and are available at Barnes & Noble and other stores. Otherwise, you can get a copy online from The PiHut. Digital versions (without the AIY Projects kit) are available in our Android and iOS app. Finally, as always, there’s the free PDF download.
We really hope you enjoy this issue and make some amazing things with your AIY Projects kit. Let us know what you plan to make on social media, using the hashtag #AIYProjects, or on the Raspberry Pi forums.
109 comments
Rob Zwetsloot
No Picard gifs today. I’ll have a double dose next time. Might even add a Sisko gif
Craig
Wouldn’t a Star Wars gif have been more appropriate for today ?
Rob Zwetsloot
While I do love Star Wars, I don’t like puns
Winkleink
Is the microphone a HAT or a PCB. Blog says HAT but I don’t think it meets the requirements.
Rob Zwetsloot
It’s a PCB add-on board
Ed
The Man Who Mistook His PCB for a HAT.
mahjongg
lets call it a “feather”.
Winkleink
Adafruit would be upset as they have a feather.
rich steed
Will take sleeping bag to local Tesco later :)
Looks like an awesome project
Lucy Hattersley
It’s out today! Run to the shops if you want one :-)
Rhamza161
It isn’t out in my state. I just went and they barely got issue 55 in.
Rich Steed
Got one! There were actually several on the shelves of my local tesco after school – now to try and build it while teaching :)
Stewart Watkiss
What a great idea for including in a magazine. Everything you need to make your Raspberry Pi voice activated.
Is the lack of animated GIF to avoid the inevitable flame war between HAL and Enterprise fans ;-) ?
Rob Zwetsloot
That’s probably better explanation than “I forgot”
Richard
Wow cool. I wonder if it’ll fit in my post box? I’m sure postie will make it fit ;-)
Excited now! Roll on Friday….
Matt
Is it hitting the shops today or is it out tomorrow?
Rob Zwetsloot
It’s out in shops today!
Matt
Whoo! thanks early lunch break for me then! Ideal weekend project with the Little ones! Thanks :D
Winkleink
Are the tech specs for the board listed somewhere.
Interested in the 6 Servo connection and 4 Driver connections.
Board looks like it can handle stereo audio if a second speaker is added.
This board looks amazing and fantastically capable.
Paul Webster
I have mine.
Word of warning – it is in a big cardboard box (approx depth of 6 magazines) so shops might not put many on shelf. So if you cannot find it then ask in store.
Paul Webster
now up and running
Stephen
I should really Subscribe…
Went daft that time looking for the Pi Zero issue here in NI, with no luck. So I just ordered one now :)
JanW
Yay, let’s all let Google’s servers listen in on the conversations in all homes. Sure worth it for Google to graciously offer the hardware to do that.
Matt
Video mentions it works offline. Take off your tin hat ;)
JanW
“Google cloud speech API” (0’29”) doesn’t sound off-line to me.
James Hughes
My suggestion would be to not use it then. If you do have a kit with your MagPi then please donate to someone else, I’m sure you will find many willing recipients.
richard
Are you the Jan from Oldenburg, Germany?
We can see you……
JanW
Nope. Guess again.
oatmaster
You can make it so it only listens when you press the Big Red/Green/Yellow/Blue Button.
Stewart Watkiss
Unlike commercial offerings you are in control of the software that runs, so you can make it as secure as you like. Not happy with it being online then have it completely block the application and even the network connection until you press the button, not happy about connecting to Google services then use an alternative or code your own.
That’s what is is good about open source.
JanW
In theory you are right, of course. But how many people who get this bundled with MagPi will actually check the source code themselves to see what it does?
Yes, people are free to give up their privacy for the “cool” factor of a gadget, and they should be. But I’d argue that currently way too many people choose to go that way without second thought, and I think that’s neither a good thing for society nor something that should be encouraged by a foundation with the aim to educate the future generation about the use of technology.
James Hughes
Same argument applies to every single bit of OSS. Practically no-one ever checks the source of the software they are running, even if they have the opportunity. There is also the complexity factor – very few people have the skill set to unravel the complexity of any software nowadays.
As a Foundation, we encourage people to learn, but we cannot tell people what to do with their privacy – that is down to them.
Quantum Star
Unless you don’t carry a cell phone use your social security number, and only use cash, you’re already ‘on the grid’, so who cares? Google already has all the human data they could ever want from your search habits.
Ed
Looks great. But. Picture proof needed of tech company cliché “We’re extremely excited.”
Mike Cook
Video for my Cut Out Theater project
https://vimeo.com/214817718
Steve Trudgill
I’ve picked up one of these but haven’t yet opened it. Does it work with the ‘old’ Raspberry Pi 1 Model B?
Matt
No sadly it wont as the original does not have the 40 pins required for the Hat
Steve Trudgill
That’s a shame :(
I’ll probably keep hold of the kit in case I upgrade.
Would have been useful if this was mentioned on the cover :)
Thanks.
matt
will this kit work with the pi2?
Rob Zwetsloot
Yep! And on a Pi Zero
matt
thanks Rob!
Steven P
Will the German CHIP MagPi magazine be carrying the voice kit too?
Fingers crossed because I have a CHIP MagPi subscription…
(Ich drücke die Daumen – I press the thumbs..!)
Steve Robillard
Any chance just the kit will be for sale somewhere?
Rob Zwetsloot
Possibly at some point but no idea when
Steve Robillard
Rob,
Thanks for the quick reply, I managed to find a few in stock at ModMyPi. I guess that will teach me to sleep.
tharun
Where can I get in India??
Rob Zwetsloot
Unfortunately The MagPi is not sold in stores in India
Tharun
Thanks Rob
Any other ways to get Google voice hat
Rob Zwetsloot
If you sign up to the Google mailing list they’ll let you know when it’s for sale: magpi.cc/AIYMailingList
Tom Archer
Mine was missing the actual cardboard box, help?
Rob Zwetsloot
The case bit?
Tom Archer
Yeh the bits of cardboard on the left of the photo above.
Tom Archer
Thanks for sorting out a replacement, at least it wasn’t the electronics so I can get tinkering! Guessing it was just an omission in packing? Not sure that it would have sneaked its way out of the box easily?
Rob Zwetsloot
Probably not!
Daniel
Does it work with Pi 2 also where can i get the os files for the sd card
Rob Zwetsloot
Yes, and aiyprojects.withgoogle.com
Alan Mc (Irish Framboise)
Wow! Just wow! Wonder does AIY speak French too?
Already camped out by my letter-box here in France waiting for the post-woman. Suspect she’ll get here tomorrow or Saturday =oD Just in time for AIY to help me through the French election suspense till Sunday evening…
Luke Castle
Please check out my tutorial in the MagPi this month. It is Build A Race Game.
Peter Segers
Wow, I really love this. I live in UK, is there a possibility to order it online ?
Rob Zwetsloot
It’s sold out online right now unfortunately.
Gary
What stores/retailers have this issue in Canada, more specifically in Montreal?
Rob Zwetsloot
There’s currently nowhere in Canada that sells The MagPi I’m afraid
Larry Moquin
any sales in USA?
Liz Upton
Yes – check out your local Barnes & Noble.
Paul Bates
As a subscriber in New Zealand, can I expect to get the kit too?
What happened to the May edition?
Thanks
Rob Zwetsloot
This is the May edition! You’ll get it as soon as it flies around the world
Lee
Can this be used with the display and sense hat connected at the same time to the raspberry pi, apologies if this has been asked else where
Rob Zwetsloot
Display yes, Sense HAT probably not
Norbes
Woah! Just saw this and now I _have_ to get my hands on a mag. The Foundation does it once more! However I thought they had promised on the Queen’s honour, never again to incite any more insurgencies at the newstands…
Valerio Giuseppe Cicchella
Question if I subscribe now do I get this number or does it start from the next one ?can’t find it in Calgary:/(Canada)
Brian
Are there any stores in USA other than B&N which carry this? Like Microcenter or others?
Raspberry Pi Staff Russell Barnes
Yes, Micro Center stocks the magazine.
rob
What Raspberry PI Zero GPIO pins are used for the Google voice assistant sound HAT
Suyash Bansal
If there was some way to get this kit in India. ?
Andy Mc
Try as I might I can not get the speaker to work. No sound is produced by the check_audio.py script. The sound is being output to the snd_rpi_googlevoicehat_soundcard according to the speaker icon in the top right.
Is there a way to check the HAT is working (sending audio to the speaker)?
I get a flashing green light on the hat by the connectors and the switch LED flashes too.
Rob Zwetsloot
Check out the forums, they may have a solution: https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=114
Andy Mc
No solution in the forum so I have posted seeing if anyone can help.
Andy Mc
I’ve tested that the speaker is OK by testing it on the 5v and gnd points, so that isn’t the issue. I have also disconnected the mic board and booted up to test the audio and again still no audio out of the speaker.
Looks like I might have got a dud HAT :(
richard
And they start to cash in. It’s sad when people do this. :-( I’ll not include the links but searching on eBay for google voice kit finds them @ around £70 mark.
I expect the seller does not care about the negative effect this could have on the project.
I’m at work and can’t wait to get home to mine, should be waiting for me when I get back. :-)
Paul
I was very lucky to get a copy from whsmith today. When I was there one of the staff mentioned that his “mate” had bought 20 copies because they can sell them for 30 quid.
hoping to be able to connect mine with the edukit 3 with my daughter over the weekend, either way we should have some fun :)
Thanks again all at pie towers
Troy
Can only hope google floods the market fast so these scalpers are stuck with their greed.
Jay
Is this kit works exactlt like google home, such that, it can connect to smart devices such as phillip hue, tp link smart switches? And can it also connect to its app such as samsung smartthings app, tp link kasa app, and so on to control the smart devices?
Rob Zwetsloot
No, it’s not a Google Home replacement
Ian
Mine can control my Smartthings, Hue lights and Nest thermostat. I’ve already got them linked to the Google Assistant on my phone, so I think it’s finding them through that. You can then also use IFTTT with custom phrases and responses.
L
and Germany???
Rob Zwetsloot
It’s only available via subscription in Germany at the moment
codingkid.ninja
Called two B&Ns and both sold out. :-(
Max Kasprzak
I reserved one of the LAST ONES in Milwaukee so I have One!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DAVID KNOP
Where can I get in Brazil??
I’m student of Federal University of Juiz de Fora and we have a IEEE Student Branch.
Rob Zwetsloot
The only way to get The MagPi in Brazil is via a subscription magpi.cc/Subs1
Brian
B&N in my area were only getting 4-10 copies for each store. I got conflicting info on whether they will hold a copy for you. One store said they got them in but hadn’t unpacked the latest shipment so they could hold one. Two other stores were sold out already. One store had them and held the last copy for me until the store closed that day. So basically you have to keep calling until they have them on the shelf and then hope you’be timed it right to be one of the first callers after they’ve unpacked them from their shipment.
Microcenter was more cryptic saying they’d “have very limited stock released sometime over the next few weeks”
Rames
Just waiting for ThePiHut to get new kit !
Great ideo !
I can’t wait any more :D
Max Kasprzak
Hi I used the box and the .json did not pop up so we are having technical difficulties and my box works in the test but doesn’t work normally.
Nedstryger
I went to a Barnes and Noble in Nebraska (USA) and there were none on the shelf. I was looking at other magazines when an employee brought out boxes of magazines to put on display. I asked if she had “The MagPi” and she said only two. I snatched them both up. Right place at the right time I guess.
Andrew Marshall
so annoyed at raspberry pi and magpi for such low stock on this mag…. We could not find one ANYWHERE and can’t get one online either… Things like this can kill a mag please resolve this issue.. You had to have expected that just THIS issue of the mag alone would have be MASSIVELY popular and there will be MANY greedy folks buying them up for themselves or to sell on ebay at a HUGE profite…. SO DISAPPOINTED in MagPi so so disappointed…
James Hughes
Er, what? Stocks limited by how many devices Google make – don’t blame the Magpi. And predicting demand requires a crystal ball. Why should demand kill a magazine? If you really want one subscribe.
Andrew Marshall
We DID subscribe!! but let it lapse as other priorities too overs. And would happily resunscribe but that will not solve issue with No57.
Rob Zwetsloot
Hi Andrew, we printed out way more issues than we normally do for this (although we were limited to the number of kits Google sent us). While some people have put it on eBay, going by our Twitter mentions alone the vast majority have gone to people who wanted it
Andrew Marshall
We you be producing more with Kits?? If will they be via MagPi site?? Happily re-Subscribe to get one
Rob Zwetsloot
We’ll be doing more special issues similar to this, sure
Andrew Marshall
But what about THIS issue?
Rob Zwetsloot
We won’t, no. There’s some more stock going to The Pi Hut soon so keep an eye there, and you can sign up to find out when Google starts selling them on their own here: magpi.cc/AIYMailingList
Andrew Marshall
Rob Zwetsloot says:
9th May 2017 at 4:07 pm
We won’t, no. There’s some more stock going to The Pi Hut soon so keep an eye there, and you can sign up to find out when Google starts selling them on their own here: magpi.cc/AIYMailingList
This the magazine with the kit or just the Kit???
Rob Zwetsloot
Just the kit with no magazine from Google. The magazine is available online as a free PDF anyway
Paul Dow
I was fortunate that someone didn’t pick up the copy they reserved at a local B&N.
Now about the statement inside that says:
“Prohibited…chemical, nuclear, biological, aircraft, missile and similar military applications.”
That’s stifling my imagination.
It probably wouldn’t have been able to work anyway with all the alarm klaxons sounding when I ask “OK Google. How to I stop a runaway neutron reaction?”
@@
Benjamin
I didn’t have time to play with the Google Voice, but I did put it together on a Raspberry Pi and got pianobar playing from the speaker. It sounds better than PC speakers in the audio jack, so there is a actual DAC on the HAT. Waiting to get some time in order to play with the unit and do the sample project.
Benjamin
Any info about the solder points? I want to add the DC barrel connector and another blue terminal block to add the right speaker channel and speaker. Anyone know where I can find another blue terminal block of the same size?
More documentation on the HAT is needed so we can hack this hardware.
Gustavo
Hi every one!!!
How i can buy the kit without the magazine?
i
Hmm, seems it doesn’t have voice activation? That’s not so cool…