Cyborg Shopping List

Prices are ballpark from public posts / listings (USD, 2026) — check current cart before buying. Goal is the exact product class, not a sponsored SKU.

Default plan: order First order only (one e‑paper AIoT kit + battery). Add character parts or M5 later — don’t buy all three paths at once.

First order (recommended) — agent console

Matches the Vinny / radio-console pattern → our e‑paper path: status display + hold-to-talk dump into Arthur / HEOS.

First-order total: roughly $40–60 if you need battery + adapters. That alone is enough for: Wi‑Fi → /status on e‑paper → mic dump to your API.

Already on the board (don’t rebuy for v1): e‑paper display, microphone, audio codec, battery charging, USB‑C. Speaker path may need checking against the specific SKU (some kits emphasize capture + amp pins — read the Waveshare wiki for your exact model).

Second track — character / “avocado” BOM

Only if you want face + speaker product path (character page). Can reuse one ESP32 from first order or build a separate cheap OLED kit.

Character-only total (separate kit): roughly $20–50 of electronics before a nice shell — same order of magnitude as the avocado thesis (~$25 BOM class).

Third track — M5Stack easy lane

Buy this instead of (or after) bare parts if you want modular demos / StickS3 path. One vendor ecosystem.

M5 rule: buy one Stick + the one Unit you need for the first demo (usually mic or button-only webhook). Don’t fill the cart with every HAT.

Not parts — but you need these ready

Ready-made carts (copy this)

Cart A — “Ship the dump loop” (start here)

• 1× Waveshare ESP32-S3-ePaper-1.54 AIoT board
• 1× 3.7V LiPo 500mAh with correct JST (or adapters)
• 1× data USB‑C cable

Budget: ~$40–60. Path: /cyborg-epaper.

Cart B — “Talking desk character” (after Cart A works, or separate hobby)

• 1× ESP32-S3 dev board (if not reusing A)
• 1× 0.96" OLED I2C
• 1× I2S mic (e.g. INMP441)
• 1× I2S amp + mini speaker (e.g. MAX98357A + speaker)
• Jumpers + breadboard

Budget: ~$20–50 electronics. Path: /cyborg-character.

Cart C — “Demo stick / event” (modular)

• 1× M5 StickS3
• 1× matching mic unit (if needed)
• USB‑C

Budget: check M5 shop. Path: /cyborg-m5.

Order checklist (print / copy)

• □ Board ordered (Waveshare e‑paper AIoT or M5 Stick or character MCU)
• □ Battery + connector verified against board wiki
• □ Data USB‑C on hand
• □ 2.4 GHz Wi‑Fi credentials ready
• □ Toolchain installed before board arrives (PlatformIO / Arduino / M5 tools)
• □ Stub /status JSON URL you can hit from a browser
• □ Device API key generated (random string) for later firmware

What not to buy yet

• Full 3D-print farm / resin setup — shell after the loop works
• Every M5 Unit “just in case”
• Second board for Arthur and third for Janice — one device, one job first
• Expensive “AI wearable” to replace omni before this dump loop is proven
• 5 GHz-only mesh assumptions — use 2.4 GHz SSID for ESP32

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