Hello-Lucy using Adafruit Voice Bonnet

sdetweil

should have used arecord…

try

ps -ef | grep rec

(there are only 2 apps… arecord or rec )

the output from ps

pi        1953  1927  0 11:04 pts/0    00:00:00 grep --color=auto arec

user that started process
the process id
the parent process id +
(i don’t know, 0)
the time the process was started
(i don’t know, pts/ )
how much cpu time has been used since started, in seconds
the string used to start the process, pgm name and then parms

sinbad339

@sdetweil

ps -ef | grep rec
root        76     2  0 11:02 ?        00:00:00 [vchiq-recy/0]
pi        2320  1927  0 11:24 pts/0    00:00:00 grep --color=auto rec

Not sure what vchiq-recy is…
But no arec or arecord.

sdetweil

@sinbad339 said in Hello-Lucy using Adafruit Voice Bonnet:

But no arec or arecord.

well, that explains the error…

you did run the installation dependencies script, right?

cd Hello-Lucy/installers
bash dependencies.sh

sinbad339

@sdetweil
Yes, I did run it. Its been a while, and I remember warning about depreciated versions, but nothing that I thought could be an issue. OK to run it again?

sdetweil

@sinbad339 said in Hello-Lucy using Adafruit Voice Bonnet:

OK to run it again?

i don’t think there is a need

add debug:true to the module config section

module: 
    config:  {
        debug:true,
   .... whatever else was there
    }

and then

pm2 stop all 
cd ~/MagicMirror
npm start >somefile.txt

when error reported

alt-spacebar, n to minimize mm
ctrl-c to stop mm
and look at somefile.txt

sinbad339

@sdetweil
WELL, now it seems to work. Running from command line w/ debug, I don’t get microphone with ERROR, and if I say “Hello Lucy”, it prompts for a command, then does it, and issues the “ding”. I’ve done this three times now, and its worked every time. Here’s the debug outout:

> magicmirror@2.18.0 start /home/pi/MagicMirror
> DISPLAY="${DISPLAY:=:0}" ./node_modules/.bin/electron js/electron.js

[05.01.2022 11:55.24.384] [LOG]   Starting MagicMirror: v2.18.0
[05.01.2022 11:55.24.394] [LOG]   Loading config ...
[05.01.2022 11:55.24.404] [LOG]   Loading module helpers ...
[05.01.2022 11:55.26.860] [LOG]   Initializing new module helper ...
[05.01.2022 11:55.26.864] [LOG]   Module helper loaded: Hello-Lucy
[05.01.2022 11:55.26.866] [LOG]   All module helpers loaded.
[05.01.2022 11:55.27.040] [LOG]   Starting server on port 8081 ...
[05.01.2022 11:55.27.066] [LOG]   Server started ...
[05.01.2022 11:55.27.069] [LOG]   Connecting socket for: Hello-Lucy
[05.01.2022 11:55.27.071] [LOG]   Starting module helper: Hello-Lucy
[05.01.2022 11:55.27.073] [LOG]   Sockets connected & modules started ...
[05.01.2022 11:55.27.482] [LOG]   Launching application.
[05.01.2022 11:55.37.133] [LOG]   Hello-Lucy has recognized: ALL IS THE
[05.01.2022 11:56.16.829] [LOG]   Hello-Lucy has recognized: NINE

sinbad339

The difference is how MM is started. If I do it the manual way, the microphone works (with or without debug enabled). If MM does its normal autostart, using mm.sh that includes DISPLAY=:0 npm start, then the microphone doesn’t work.

sdetweil

@sinbad339 said in Hello-Lucy using Adafruit Voice Bonnet:

its normal autostart,

how is that done? pm2 or did u do some other setup

sounds like mm is not running as user but as root?

sinbad339

@sdetweil
I followed the instructions from https://www.magicmirrorcentral.com/complete-raspberry-pi-magic-mirror-tutorial/.
It included

type in the following command:

pm2 startup
 
A different command will appear. Run that command also.

Now create a shell script for startup. Open up the built-in text editor on the Pi by typing in:

cd ~
nano mm.sh
The lower line basically means, “open up a file called mm.sh in the nano text editor.”

When the text editor has opened, add this to the mm.sh file:

cd ~/MagicMirror
DISPLAY=:0 npm start
Make your shiny new script executable by typing in:

chmod +x mm.sh
Now start up Magic Mirror and make it start up on boot:

pm2 start mm.sh

pm2 save
Now, reboot your Pi by typing in

sudo reboot

sdetweil

@sinbad339 hm… my install script does all that.

mm.sh already exists in the installers folder.

try my fixuppm2.sh from here
https://github.com/sdetweil/MagicMirror_scripts

sinbad339

@sdetweil
Let me start by saying I really appreciate your help with this. You’ve given me a lot of your time, and clearly I couldn’t have made any progress without you. Thank you.

Running your fixupppm2 script fixes the microphone on a restart, but then there is no speaker output. If I stop MM, then manually restart it with npm start, the mic and speaker work fine, as before the fixup.

sdetweil

@sinbad339 that makes no sense to me.
could u start it w pm2, and then ps -ef >somefile.txt

and email me thevfile some file.txt

same userid as here at gmail.

I want to see if there is some permissions problem

oh, check the file contents to make sure no userid or password is exposed. shouldn’t be but u never know.

sinbad339

@sdetweil
Just sent it…

sinbad339

Just sent two additional files; one where the speaker worked, and one where it didn’t. As I explained in the email, this is an intermittent issue and it doesn’t matter how MM is started.

sdetweil

@sinbad339 i replied

sinbad339

Well, I gave up on the Adafruit Voice Bonnet, and instead installed a USB microphone with output (Samson GoMic). Now, mic and speakers work every time whether MM/Hello-Lucy starts up automatically at boot, or if I start it using npm start.

I’ll probably mark it resolved, even thought the fundamental issue is not.

A BIG thanks to @sdetweil for all of his patience and help.