Summary of "How to make an AI Chatbot with face on any ESP32S3"

Overview

A concise tutorial for building a voice‑controlled AI chatbot with local speech and an animated face on an ESP32‑S3. The system runs Xiaoqi firmware/assistant on the ESP32‑S3 and uses Tech Talkie’s “face engine” to render an interactive face on a 128×64 OLED. Audio I/O is handled via an I2S MEMS microphone and an I2S amplifier + speaker.

Key features

Wake‑word voice control and local assistant responses.
Speech output through an I2S amplifier and small speaker.
128×64 OLED displays an interactive animated face.
All runs on an ESP32‑S3 with Xiaoqi firmware and a separate face engine.

Required hardware

ESP32‑S3 board with:
- ≥ 4 MB flash
- ≥ 2 MB PSRAM
- Example: Waveshare ESP32‑S3‑Zero
INMP441 MEMS I2S microphone
MAX98357 (I2S) amplifier + small speaker
128×64 OLED (I2C)
(Optional) Custom PCB — JLCPCB recommended in the video

Wiring / hardware notes

Microphone (INMP441):
- Connect SCK, WS, SD to the ESP32’s I2S pins
- L and R to GND
- VDD → 3.3V (do NOT use 5V)
Amplifier (MAX98357):
- Connect BCLK, LRC, DIN to the ESP32’s I2S pins
- VIN → 5V
- Set gain pin to GND (as shown in the example)
OLED:
- SDA and SCL to the ESP32’s I2C pins
General:
- Check your board’s pinout to choose supported I2S / I2C pins
- Ensure PSRAM and flash capacity match the board specifications

Warning: Verify voltage connections carefully—especially microphone VDD (must be 3.3V). Also confirm PSRAM/flash settings match your board.

Software environment & repositories

Tools:
- Visual Studio Code with the ESP‑IDF extension
Repositories to download:
- Xiaoqi GitHub repo (main assistant firmware)
- Tech Talkie face engine repo (face UI)
Important: do not use spaces in the extraction path for these repos

Build & configuration (high level)

Open the Xiaoqi folder in VS Code.
Select board: ESP32‑S3 → built‑in USB JTAG.
Open the ESP‑IDF configuration editor (menuconfig) and set:
- Serial flasher flash size and a matching partition table (e.g., 4 MB)
- In Xiaoqi assistant section: board type (e.g., bread_compact_wifi), OLED driver, wake word (e.g., “Jarvis”)
- PSRAM mode to match your board (quad, etc.)
Save configuration, do a full clean, then build the project.
Edit main/boards/bread_compact_wifi/config.h to set the GPIO pins for mic, amp, and OLED according to your wiring.
Flash: use build + flash + monitor; choose UART if prompted.
Wi‑Fi setup:
- Device starts in AP mode (SSID: “Xiaoqi”)
- Connect with a phone and open http://192.168.4.1 to configure Wi‑Fi
Device registration:
- The device shows a device code
- Register/login on the Xiaoqi console and add the device using that code
- Configure language, voice, role, etc.
Optional: enable dark mode in IDF config

Adding the face engine (interactive face)

Copy two files from Tech Talkie’s face engine repo into the firmware display folder.
Add the face engine source file to the CMakeLists.txt source list.
Edit display source code:
- In oled_display.cc: paste the face engine code after includes and remove the original setup_ui_128x64 function.
- In oled_display.h: apply the single‑line change required by the face engine.
Rebuild and flash — the original UI will be replaced with the interactive face.

Demo & capabilities shown

Voice interaction with wake word (assistant identifies as the chosen name, e.g., “Jarvis”).
Speech output with adjustable volume.
Responses include date/time, weather, general knowledge, math, and Q&A (examples: set volume to 100%, simple math, Shakespeare questions).
Interactive OLED face responds on the 128×64 display.

Other notes

JLCPCB is recommended for PCB manufacturing and assembly (upload Gerbers, select specs, order/track).
Double‑check PSRAM and flash capacity and configuration in menuconfig.
Keep extraction paths free of spaces to avoid build issues.