Build Instructions

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• 1

  Step 1

  • If you want to use the TTS engine with ALSA integration only follow steps 1, 2, 4, 5. For the Newspaper Reader follow all steps.

  First install the TTS engine. I suggest you use mfurquim's fork.

  git clone git://github.com/mfurquim/picopi.git
  

  As an alternative you can go with the original repository from Doug

  git clone git://github.com/DougGore/picopi.git

  If you go with theoriginal version you will need to add these files: strdup8to16.c, strdup16to8.c, strdup16to8.cpp, jstring.h

  which you can get from mfurquim's fork.

  Followthe first steps of Doug Gore's instructions to setup the library

  cd picopi/pico/lib
  make && sudo make install 

  It is normal to see a lot of warnings.

  Now have the TTS library installed.
• 2

  Step 2

  Now let's install ALSA's development environment. This can take some time.

  cd /picoip/pico
  wget http://alsa.cybermirror.org/lib/alsa-lib-1.0.29.tar.bz2
  tar -xjvf alsa-lib-1.0.29.tar.bz2
  cd alsa-lib-1.0*
  ./configure && make
  sudo make install
  cd ..
  rm alsa-lib-1.0.29.tar.bz2
  
  ##UPDATE FEBRUARY 2017:
  ##ALSA 1.1.3 is the current version. Use these commands instead to download and compile
  cd /picoip/pico
  wget ftp://ftp.alsa-project.org/pub/lib/alsa-lib-1.1.3.tar.bz2
  tar -xjvf alsa-lib-1.1.3.tar.bz2
  cd alsa-lib-1.1*
  ./configure && make
  sudo make install
  cd ..
  rm alsa-lib-1.1.3.tar.bz2

  … and test if it works by compiling one of the supplied example programs

  cd alsa-lib-1.0.29/test
  make pcm
  amixer cset numid=3 1
  ./pcm

  You should hear a 440 Hz sine wave when plugging a headphone into the analog jack. The amixer command above directs sound to the analog jack. If you want it output differently you need to change the amixer options.

  At the time of writing alsa-lib-1.0.29 is the latest version. UPDATE FEB 2017: ALSA 1.1.3

• 3

  Step 3

  Now we will add some of the components we need for Python. Again, this may take some time.

  sudo apt-get install espeak python-espeak python-dev python-pip python-alsaaudio
  sudo pip install feedparser beautifulsoup4 

  Why do we need eSpeak if we are going to run the Android TTS engine? I have gone back and forth on this point but decided that eSpeak is good enough for reading out the names of the papers. It gives you an extra voice that makes it easier for the user to determine, just based on voice, where in the menu hierarchy (s)he is.

  In addition, if you plan to use the MPL3155 module you need to install

  sudo apt-get install python-smbus

  
  

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