# MORLOK design and build-guide review Reviewed 2 October 2026. This is a source/documentation review, not a release to print or operate hardware. ## Current direction The requested next design has a **3D-printed chassis and body, with no metal structural deck**. The earlier BC1/R2 metal-deck baseline is superseded for the future build and remains archived. Electronics, motors, bearings, tyres and fasteners are purchased parts. The new printed frame needs its own load, joint, heat and fit qualification. No new frame STL is released by this review. ## Main findings, in order ### 1. The existing voice app does not match the new audio hardware The public software page previously called the existing software only an architecture/implementation plan. In fact, preserved R2 `voice_software` includes a real voice-bench 0.1.0 Python program, launcher, config and 11 unit tests. The app already supports deliberate Enter-to-talk interaction, transcription, replies and speech, without motion tools. All 11 mocked tests passed in this review. They do not test real audio, API access or a Pi installation. The existing config selects **PowerConf**. `Audio.__init__` requests one input channel and 24 kHz output; `Audio.play` and the startup tone also default to 24 kHz. [Seeed’s USB guide](https://wiki.seeedstudio.com/reSpeaker_usb_v3/) documents Lite’s maximum rate as 16 kHz and uses two recording channels in its test. Changing the name alone is insufficient. Some host audio layers may convert rates, but that has not been configured or proved here. Correction: preserve the old app, probe actual Lite formats, choose/map channels explicitly, and resample 24 kHz speech output or qualify an explicit converting layer. Do not merely change the rate label on the same samples. Keep unique-device matching and fail closed on unplug. Add deliberate camera capture and image submission separately: the old app has no camera integration. ### 2. The visible “body” is not a complete printable chassis BC1 is 24 inherited enclosure pieces plus 13 PC1 pieces: **37 installed pieces across 18 STL types**. The corner posts and joiners connect enclosure panels; they do not provide a qualified motor, wheel, caster or battery load path. The archive also contains 12 test/example types and 2 optional bare-Pi types, making 32 STL files, not 32 installed types. The older metal deck is not part of the new all-printed design. Keep it visibly historical, do not print a thin plastic copy of that plate, and do not call the current enclosure a finished frame. The new frame needs explicit joints, load paths, mounting interfaces and test specimens. A separate visual parts index makes each existing panel, post, joiner and adapter identifiable without opening a ZIP. ### 3. Lite mounting dimensions conflict between official sources PC1 `sources_and_assumptions.json` records the official v1.1 STEP PCB bounds as approximately **82.024 × 34.007 mm**, versus the wiki’s **86 × 35 mm** nominal dimensions. The candidate uses two asymmetric mounting holes from that model. The source record already marks the mismatch unresolved; it was too easy to miss on the public page. Correction: identify the received 107990273 revision and measure its outline, two holes, microphone openings and USB connector. Do not scale the reference model to force agreement. [Official STEP](https://files.seeedstudio.com/wiki/respeakerv3/ReSpeakerLitev1.1.step) and [official USB documentation](https://wiki.seeedstudio.com/reSpeaker_usb_v3/). ### 4. The actual CanaKit and plugged-in cables are missing from the fit proof The optional R2 plate is a **bare-Pi** carrier. It is not a mount for the unidentified CanaKit case/cooler. No actual case retention, cable entry or strain relief is qualified. PC1 collision tests exclude real plugs, cable bends, screws/nut/head stacks and received hardware. Its USB service corridor is an assumed clearance volume. Correction: measure the working assembled kit with power, USB and camera connections attached. Preserve fan intake/exhaust, SD-card access and hand access to power and AUDIO OFF. Design a removable tray only after these values are available. Confirm the 200 mm camera ribbon reaches the actual route with gentle bends; its first-bench selection does not prove final-body reach. ### 5. Power and cooling prerequisites were too vague “Use the correct supply” does not explain the limiting factor. Pi 5 normally provides a 600 mA downstream USB allowance, rising to 1.6 A with a recognized suitable 5 V / 5 A supply; the budget is shared with its fan. Speaker output rating is not an input-power guarantee. [Raspberry Pi power documentation](https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/raspberry-pi.html#power-supply). Correction: identify the actual CanaKit supply, reuse fitted cooling, start playback quietly and investigate power warnings or USB resets. Never force a current override or add a second Lite power path to hide the problem. Compare open and enclosed operation under the same real workload; record power warnings, throttling, temperature, fan obstruction and audio interruptions. Material suitability cannot be inferred from a small successful PLA mechanism print. ### 6. The front acoustic arrangement needs evidence Seeed’s [enclosure recommendations](https://wiki.seeedstudio.com/respeaker_enclosure/) favor similar speaker-to-microphone distances, direct unobstructed speech paths and reduced vibration transfer. PC1’s speaker is laterally offset from the microphone pair, so symmetry cannot be assumed. This is a design risk, not a measured failure. Correction: compare a stable open bench to the proposed closed layout, at the same listening position and low playback level. Inspect vibration transmission, fan noise, audible rattle and recording quality during/after playback. Keep the mic bridge removable while testing. Do not add unmeasured foam, acoustic channels or isolation mounts as though they were proven fixes. ### 7. The privacy picture test overwrote its own evidence The earlier test reused one filename. The guide now saves `morlok-open.jpg` and `morlok-covered.jpg` separately and asks for a bright-light covered-lens check. These are local files and remain on the Pi. AUDIO OFF continues to mean unplugging Lite’s sole USB power/data path; an on-board mute LED or software mute is not claimed as electrical isolation. ### 8. Price snapshots should not look like a live feed Exact product identity, ownership, stock, price and fit are different facts. The camera’s exact listing is linked with “Check current Amazon price”; no current price is invented. The site has no connected live Amazon price feed. Dated Seeed prices are retained as planning snapshots. An official Amazon integration needs separate eligibility and setup; no account, credential or integration was created. [Amazon API eligibility](https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/creatorsapi/docs/en-us/onboarding/register-for-creators-api) and [content policies](https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/help/operating/policies/). ## Simplest useful path 1. Identify the owned Pi kit and missing items. Keep its working card and existing cooling. 2. Support Lite and its matched speaker safely. One USB-A to USB-C data lead connects them to the Pi. No soldering, motor circuit, battery or Pico is needed. 3. Pass local 16 kHz record/playback and sole-USB-disconnect tests. 4. Add Camera Module 3 Standard with the 15-pin-to-22-pin Standard–Mini camera ribbon. Pass separate open/covered photos. 5. Adapt and test the archived voice prototype on this exact audio device, then add a deliberate photo action. Use the existing keyboard/display first. Configure cloud access only after local checks and approval of the transmitted data. 6. Measure the real kit and use those dimensions for the all-printed stationary frame/enclosure proposal. Qualify joints and heat before full-body printing; mobility remains a later separately tested stage. ## Useful internet examples and what to borrow - [Seeed’s exact Lite + Pi 5 voice example](https://wiki.seeedstudio.com/respeaker_lite_pi5/): confirms this hardware combination and highlights the 16 kHz audio-clock requirement. Its example has continuous wake-word listening, a separate Google speech-recognition path and old installation snippets. It is reference material, not a safe drop-in replacement for deliberate MORLOK capture. - [Seeed enclosure assembly](https://wiki.seeedstudio.com/respeaker_enclosure/): useful stable bench packaging and acoustic guidance for the selected board/speaker. Keep the original kit untouched and use the guide’s physical arrangement as a comparison case. - [Reachy Mini conversation app](https://github.com/pollen-robotics/reachy_mini_conversation_app): useful separation of media, camera tools and conversational UI. It depends on Reachy’s daemon/SDK and includes motion tools; it is not a compatible MORLOK installer. - [Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition](https://www.home-assistant.io/voice-pe/): useful examples of obvious listening feedback, accessible physical controls and a microphone-power cut. It uses different hardware; it does not prove Lite’s mute button is a power switch. - [Raspberry Pi camera installation](https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/accessories/camera.html): authoritative cable/contact/latch instructions, with a warning that the Pi 5 Active Cooler can make connector access awkward. ## What was and was not verified Published desktop pages for home, body, build, shopping and software were inspected alongside the current source and preserved CAD records. Source review verified quantities and the software mismatches. New content/link tests and the existing static/interaction checks cover the guide. CAD geometry, original archives and motion firmware were not changed by this review. No physical fit, load, thermal, acoustic, USB hardware, API conversation or print result is claimed. Mobile visual behavior still needs its own browser check.