#hasbro smart r2d2

[taperwolf]

Hasbro released a toy "smart" R2-D2 back in 2016. It has three basic modes: one where it beeps and flashes lights in response to various stimuli, one where it does that and also moves about, and one where it acts as a motion-detecting alarm. But the big draw was the Bluetooth-connected smartphone app, developed by Sphero, that let you drive it around or program various behaviors into it.

I picked one up a few years ago, and played with it a little, but then it sat for some time. I decided to try playing with it today.

First problem: the app has not been available for download since 2018. Okay, I've got an old copy, it's on my phone now. Second problem: the toy won't connect to the phone. Indeed, according to reports, it won't connect over Bluetooth on any Android version newer than Android 8.

(The app screenshots are from an old PC Magazine review.)

I mean, boo and curses, right? Now, it's not a pure brick without the app. The standalone toy modes still work. But obviously, there's a lot less you can do with it, and so the proper recourse is to hack the thing. Unfortunately, a quick search didn't turn up anyone who'd already done this, so I'd be starting from scratch, and obviously you don't expect a product that had a two-page PDF manual to have a lot of manufacturer's notes on the wiring.

But!

This thing spoke Bluetooth, so it's a radio. And if you sell a radio in the US, it has to have certification testing done for FCC approval, and that testing is done by folks who want to know what they're testing. So they often get a bunch of internal documentation, and all the data is saved in the FCC's database. So we look at the lettering on R2's back that says "FCC ID: RS4B7493", and that turns up not just that tiny manual, but a block diagram, the complete schematics, and photos of all the internal parts. Hooray!

Back to unfortunately, one thing the schematic makes clear is that the processor is not reprogrammable, so making the thing connect to new devices or run arbitrary code would require a brain transplant. Probably the most compelling hacked mode would be to have the new microcontroller have a WiFi connection and host a web server, which would then either show the same sort of remote control buttons as the original's "drive" mode or expose its own programming environment. Maybe both a graphical language like the app and something classic like Logo?

I'm really blue-skying here, and this project isn't gonna be at the top of my priority list, but I'm more positive about the prospects than I was originally. Sometimes it's really nice having a signals bureaucracy.

[thebigbanghobbystore-blog]

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[thebigbanghobbystore-blog]

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