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can LEDs be added?

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dublinone

can LEDs be added?
« on: March 08, 2018, 08:21:28 pm »
for reasons which are kind of silly, I'd like to keep my Alexa into a black metal box and was wondering if anyone knows if it's possible to wire an LED to the device that operates when the blue ring lights are activated?

If anyone is willing to do this for me I will happily pay them for their time.

or if it's impossible, maybe someone here can let me know.

thanks!

Re: can LEDs be added?
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2018, 09:11:48 am »
So your looking at modifying your Alexa device or something else?
If an Alexa device which one (echo, dot,...)?
mike27oct makes a valid point wi-fi will not penitrate metal (well) so inaddition to an Alexa device mod you'll need to do something with the box maybe setting it right next to the router may help.
I've not heard of anyone doing the LED mod but it should be possible provided you can open up the device to get at the LED contacts.


Re: can LEDs be added?
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2018, 05:22:00 pm »
if you keep it in a metal box, there will be no signal and the rings will never light blue.   if you give a reason for this maybe there could be alternatives. 

Offline jwlv

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Re: can LEDs be added?
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2018, 07:25:50 pm »
It certainly is possible to enclose an Echo inside a metal box if you can find someone to manufacture such a box for you. My first thought is try using an ammo box like this one on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/50-CAL-Ammo-Can-Surplus/dp/B00ICR9LBW

You should verify the dimensions to make sure an Echo will fit inside.

And since you want to add external LEDs for the lights on the Echo's ring, you might also want to add an external wire to extend the WiFi antenna. A search on Amazon for "external wire antenna" reveals many options.

Third, a metal box will make it near impossible for the Echo to hear and understand you. And you might have difficulty hearing its responses. You should consider an external mic. Or at the minimum drill a bunch of holes in the appropriate places for the mic on top and the speaker at the bottom. There's no telling how the Echo might react to the environment inside the metal box. It could feedback on itself making it entirely unusable.

All this is going to be A LOT of work. Is this project really worth all the trouble?



Offline kevb

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Re: can LEDs be added?
« Reply #4 on: March 10, 2018, 08:28:36 am »
Depending on the look you're going for, it might be easier to modify a Bluetooth speaker, or use something like this:  https://www.amazon.com/Divoom-Bluetooth-APP-Controlled-Animation-Notification/dp/B01M6WU6MX

Just put the echo somewhere it can hear you (or use a remote) and wouldn't be seen.